Portable GPS Uses

The primary user of the Global Positioning System is still the United States military and its allies. GPS technology allows for precise locating of troops, ships, aircraft and their targets. GPS satellites help smart missiles precisely hit enemy positions while at the same time avoiding civilians.

Civilian use of global positioning has grown over the last decade as the cost of GPS receivers declined. Though civilian GPS gear is deliberately “de-tuned” (define) and less accurate than that used by the military, it is still extremely beneficial. The modified signals allow non-military GPS users to obtain navigational readings that are accurate to approximately 100 meters. Today many new cars come standard with GPS locators that can be activated if the vehicle is stolen or involved in an accident. These locators can also be integrated with navigation computers that help drivers navigate to their destinations. Many systems show locations on a map and audibly announce when to turn. Some can even help drivers avoid heavy traffic and many units will also provide guidance to nearby restaurants, movie theatres and other places of interest and business.

GPS has revolutionized the airliner industry by allowing pilots and air traffic controllers to more accurately know the locations and altitudes of their planes. Airliners can better avoid restricted airspace and find other nearby aircraft from their GPS transponders (define). Since GPS is not hampered by weather like radar, it is much safer. If an aircraft does crash, the GPS transponder can lead rescuers to the crash site faster.

Land surveying and agriculture have also benefited from GPS technology. Many gas, water, and electrical lines can be found more accurately if their location is measured and logged at the time of burial. This helps future diggers avoid the buried lines or tap into them for new houses and buildings. Distances can be more accurate for landscape planning and road building. Farmers are turning to GPS to help locate cattle herds, find property lines, and locate where to dig wells for water.

Games involving GPS have also emerged, with geo-caching (define) being one of the most popular. Geo-caching is a game where people leave clues about treasures they have hidden. The treasure is usually small, and when a treasure is found, it is to be replaced with a new treasure or new treasure added to it. A geo-cache website will identify where local treasure hunters have hidden their loot by their geo coordinates. By using a portable GPS receiver, goodies that are hidden, generally in a park, library, or other public area, can be found.

Since all of the global positioning satellites have highly accurate atomic clocks within them, electronic products are being designed to tap into their frequencies to update time. Several lines of new watches and clocks now automatically update themselves from the GPS network. This synchronization helps users by giving them a more uniformed time structure. Changes for daylight savings can happen automatically for all clocks that use this technology. In case of a power failure, clocks and VCRs will automatically reset to the proper time as soon as power is restored.

The Future of GPS

While the use of Global Positioning has expanded within the last decade, there are many new uses still being developed. Some new GPS products are being marketed to parents to track their teenage drivers. This allows parents to know if they really went to see a movie or if they went to a party at a friend’s house. And since a GPS can determine speed, parents can also know if the teens are engaged in any dangerous driving. GPS can also come in handy in emergency situations such as car-jacking. This technology is becoming available as a transponder for cars, an add-on for phones, or as carry-along units.

Many cell phones are now coming with limited GPS receivers to help with Enhanced 911. Enhanced 911 sends the caller’s address to emergency operators, but to date it has only worked with traditional land line phones. Since a cell phone can be used to make a call from anywhere, global positioning is being added to quickly locate distressed cell phone callers.

In Conclusion

Global positioning has grown from a military feature to a must-have electronic gadget. Although the possibilities for use are still growing, today GPS is still an add-on feature, but within a few years it could become standard equipment. The tech savvy generation growing up today will probably look at the compass and think it ancient the same way previous generations looked at the sextant.