What It Is and How It Works – For those who are unfamiliar with the term, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It’s a method of finding a receiver anywhere on earth or in orbit, and it’s probably one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. GPS has so many different applications that many technologies and ways of working are continually being improved in order to make the most of it. Now why is GPS so important and useful? First, we have to understand how it works.
In order for GPS to work, a network of satellites was placed into orbit around planet Earth. The signals that are broadcast by the satellites carry data that is passed from the aerial, decoded and used by to the GPS software. The information garnered from these signals allows the GPS software to identify the satellite, its specific location, and even calculate the exact time it took for the signal to travel from the satellite to the receiver. Using different signals from different satellites, the GPS software can now analyze the position of the receiver, in terms of latitude and longitude.
Mapping It Out – Even getting the information about the receiver’s location will be useless without something to compare it with. The mapping part of any GPS software is very important; it is how GPS works our possible routes, and allows the user to plan trips in advance. In fact, it is often the mapping data which elevates the price of the GPS solution. This should be updated regularly and frequently in order to be accurate.
Several kinds of maps are created for different users. Road users, for example, require that their mapping data contains accurate information about the road network in the region that they will be traveling in, but will not require detailed information about the lie of the land. On the other hand, hiking GPS users might wish to have a detailed map of the terrain, rivers, hills and so forth, and perhaps tracks and trails, but not roads. On the other hand, sailors will need specific data about the sea bed, navigable channels, and other related information that will allow them to navigate safely.
Fishermen also use marine GPS to locate themselves and track the movement of shoals of fish both in real time, and to predict where they will be the next day. The advent of GPS fixing has also meant that co-operative fishing has become much easier, where several boats relay their locations to each other while they locate the best fishing waters. There are also GPS devices called ‘fish finders’, which combines GPS and sonar functions to track and store detailed fishing and maritime information.
Get Started with GPS – Consumers can avail of several GPS devices that are specifically designed for a variety of uses and functions. In-car systems have advanced features like voice guidance, dynamic route calculations, and even upgrading your maps from a CD-ROM. Then there are handheld GPS devices, such as those from Magellan and Garmin, which store a map inside, and are usually designed for outdoor use. They generally do not have any road information, and leave the users to find their own way from A to B.
Recently, PDAs and even a few sophisticated mobile phones have incorporated GPS technology into their own systems. A GPS receiver can be easily attached to these devices, which makes them possibly the cheapest and easiest GPS receivers to use in the market today. Bluetooth technology has also started to make use of GPS, by having several receivers with Bluetooth capabilities, and a single PDA.
Chiun Masters is a researcher and writer working for http://www.audioavi.com, where you can get quality GPS and audio equipment. Visit us for all your audio equipment needs.
- Chiun Masters
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