Aussies Using GPS To Locate The Dead April 21, 2008

Read more Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Technology , Wireless

I’ve lost a lot of things in my time but never a corpse. Visitors to the newest graveyard in New South Wales, Australia, though will be issued with GPS devices to help them locate their loved ones.

The graveyard is the country’s first eco-burial site, sited on some protected bushland and, because bodies are being buried in biodegradable coffins between gum trees, relatives might need some help relocating their loved ones.

Kris Whitney, Lismore Council co-ordinator of cemeteries told the Sydney Morning Herald:

"It's an ideal way of utilising land and helping wildlife and vegetation. A family can walk around the bushland and pick a site. The body can be oriented in any direction. We promise there will be no internments within five metres. We'll record accurate GPS co-ordinates."

You won’t need to invest in your own sat-nav device though as visitors will be loaned devices on arrival. Of course, not everyone is tech-savvy so they'll be allowed to use natural stone markers to help relocate the deceased.-Martin Lynch

[SMH]

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