Sure. Think of it more as a fleet vehicle location system, where your location can be tracked all the time. If you were to run into an emergency, such as the Kims' where you were stranded in the woods, the internet portion of the system would retain a trail of your last positions that rescuers could use as a starting point.

However, with a ham license and the right equipment, you could have the flexibility of transmitting your position over long distances using HF radio or by transmitting to any of the available satellites.