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Do you know WHAT a GPS (Global Positioning System) is? It’s time to find out!  We’ve compiled a quick reference guide to the Global Positioning System: what it is, where it is, and what it can do for you!  Tired of getting lost? Looking for a way to beat the traffic of a daily commute? Going on a hike, camping trip, boating excursion, etc.?  We’ve got the guide to get you briefed on the basics!  C’mon, you know you’ve always wanted one.  Now that they are available and affordable to the general public, shouldn’t you be in the know about GPS?

Automotive GPS, Handheld GPS, Maritime GPS

An Introduction to GPS

How does a GPS receiver work?  When someone refers to “a GPS”, they are actually talking about a device equipped with a GPS receiver.  GPS stands for Global Positioning System.  The Global Positioning system is made up of a veritable constellation of over two-dozen high-obit satellites.  This network of satellites was originally developed for military applications, but has long since been available for use by the private and consumer sectors.  A GPS receiver, whether equipped in a phone, automobile, plane or ocean faring vessel, works by locating four of these satellites and calculating the receiver’s relative distance to each one.  This in turn gives the receiver it’s own location.  This process is called triangulation.  The receiver is designed to pick up high frequency, low power radio signals emitted at regular intervals by the GPS satellites.

It is easiest to think of triangulation in terms of perfect circles. Pretend you are a certain distance from point A, but are unsure of your exact location. A large circle with a radius that measures your known distance from point A can represent everywhere you could possibly be in regards to that point.  This circle will have point A in the exact center.  If you also know your distance from two more locations, and your position for each of these locations is also represented by a circle around the actual point, the three circles should all intersect at only one point: exactly where you are standing. Since the world we live in exists in 3-dimensional space, it is necessary to think of these circles as spheres, and to have one more known distance.

Bringing it all Together

Of course, this distance information does little good by itself.  A receiver must also know where those satellites actually are in order to give itself a corresponding location Earth-side.  However, since the orbits of these satellites are high speed and high altitude, there is very little degradation of their flight paths.  Each GPS receiver is pre-programmed with a type of almanac that provides the location of any of these satellites at any given time, in relation to the surface of the earth.  With this information, the GPS receiver can calculate it’s actual location.

A Host of GPS Applications

Since GPS technology has become available to the civilian sector, it has made traveling more convenient, safer and has saved countless lives.  The possible applications for integrated GPS continue to grow. The GPS industry is expected to swell from $2 billion to $30 billion over the next ten years. This spells increased job development and better technological innovation and implementation around the globe.  GPS has become an intricate part of many travel and communications industries:

• GPS now comes installed on many vehicles for door-to-door travel directions.
• Emergency vehicles equipped with GPS can pinpoint emergency locations quicker.
• Transportation and trucking services have been installing GPS to track the location of its vehicles and cargo.
• Rental car agencies track the speed and location of their vehicles with GPS receivers.
• The GPS system is used in measuring and mapping the earth.
• Civilian pilots use GPS for navigation.
• The aviation industry uses GPS for navigation as well as to produce real-time air traffic control systems to avoid in-air collisions.
• Boaters use GPS navigation for anything from plotting cross-ocean voyages to finding a favorite fishing spot.

GPS and Cellular Phones

An immediate application of GPS technology is their almost seamless integration into mobile phone handsets.  Cell phones that are GPS capable began as a safety precaution.  Emergency response services found it difficult to locate a caller whose line was cut off or lost a signal.  The solution was a technological one: build Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receivers into cell phone handsets.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that all cell phone providers have the technology in place to provide Enhanced 911 (E911) service, giving emergency operators the caller’s physical location, by 2004, and 95% of phones are required to be GPS-enabled by the end of 2005. All cell phones being sold now by major providers contain the GPS technology.

Some of the most basic GPS phones have limited calling capability.  Caregivers can locate any particular person who has one of these security phones via the Internet or a private number associated with the company.  These phones carry a true GPS receiver, so they will not loose accessibility when they travel outside cell phone reception.

Other cellular phones function as fully equipped GPS systems.  They can provide anything from directions from one destination to another to the relative proximity of a good restaurant.  They are often capable of Internet connectivity and a host of other functions available on high-end cell phones. Any cell phone equipped with Bluetooth technology can share learned GPS information between PCs, PDAs, and other electronic devices.  The only limitation to GPS cell phones is size.  With the exception of “locator phones” as mentioned above, the physical ramifications of integrating a GPS receiver into a cell phone requires space.  This makes GPS phones somewhat larger than average cell phones, however most consumers who use the GPS function find it to be well worth the trade.

GPS Memory: More Maps, More Information

Most GPS receiver units have permanent, internal memory that can be written to or erased at the push of a button.  Newer models also support removable flash storage media.  These can be shared between devices or loaded speedily with travel information and maps directly from a computer or the Internet.  This allows GPS users to download the absolute most current maps and directions for their particular area. GPS locators that support flash media are capable of utilizing more information than they can otherwise store internally.  High-end vehicles are already designing in-dash GPS systems that can support Flash media upgrades. The only thing limiting your roaming potential is the amount of data (and storage media!) you’ve brought on your trip with you.

GPS and You

GPS technology continues to improve.  Domestic and foreign vehicles are offering trim options that include GPS capability.  Some car companies are taking steps to make GPS standard equipment in all their models.  As receiver technology gets smaller and more compact, other devices will become GPS enabled.  Digital cameras can now use GPS information to earmark each photograph they record with the exact time, date, and location where the picture was taken.  Parents and caregivers can track children or watch over elderly or disadvantaged family members. For years GPS has been used for seafaring navigation, now that equipment has become affordable to even the most casual boater.  GPS products make a wide range of outdoor recreational activities available to laymen and beginners.  Hike unfamiliar terrain while always safely knowing where you are.  Mark your favorite fishing hole on the lake or the best diving reef in the ocean.  Never loose your direction when snowboarding in the backcountry.  Or just plot a faster route to Grandma’s house so you make it to Thanksgiving in time to catch the football game.  Whatever your needs and application, GPS opens up an entire world (our entire Earth!) of possibilities.

Automotive GPS, Handheld GPS, Marine GPS

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