GPS systems have grow to be increasingly popular, portable and reasonably priced. Sales for this tiny navigation system are off the charts, and they are the hottest ticket at just about every electronics shop and significant box retailer about.
So what is GPS specifically, how does it work, and why is it so common? What other uses are there for technologies? For the answers to this and a lot more, keep reading.
What is GPS?
GPS is an abbreviation for International Positioning Technique. This technologies was developed by the US Department of Defense, and employs a network of 24 strategically placed satellites about the globe. It was originally intended for military use only, but the government produced it available for any individual to use in the 1980s. That coupled with newest advances in portable technology has created GPS the new hot item. It is highly preferred with those who drive for a living, such as couriers.
How Does it Operate?
A GPS receiver uses signals transmitted by these GPS satellites to triangulate exact places. The 24 satellites circle the planet twice a day and transmit signals to the earth, which are what the receivers use. The receivers generally use the difference between the time a signal was transmitted and received to calculate how far away the satellite is.
In order to track movement as well as calculate an object's latitude and longitude, a GPS receiver has to get signals from at least 3 satellites. If you add one significantly more satellite to the mix, you can track altitude as nicely. 1 the receiver has the location, other variables can be accounted for such as speed, distance to destination, and even more.
New advances in GPS technologies such as Wide Region Augmentation Method (WAAS) and Differential GPS (DGPS) have created it achievable to get accuracy down to within 3 meters of a signal. When WAAS is widely offered in newer GPS systems, DGPS demands additional equipment and is mostly put to use in marine systems and by the US Coast Guard.
Famous Uses for GPS
The most normal application for GPS is in small receivers that can be mounted in your car or carried by hand. These compact devices are commonly made use of for directions, and incorporate speakers that give turn by turn spoken directions to stay clear of becoming distracted by looking at a tiny map. But GPS users are discovering new uses for the technology daily.
One of the 1st widespread makes use of of GPS just before the handheld was the Lo-Jack. This was a chip implanted in a automobile that police stations could use to find stolen vehicles. The Lo-Jack became the inspiration for locating other objects, specifically living ones.
GPS collars have come to be trendy for wandering pets. So when small Spot or Fluffy cannot be discovered, you can simply use a GPS signal to get them. Missing kids can be identified with a favorite cell telephone software program that uses the GPS signal to locate them.
The new handheld revolution owes a lot of its achievement to the iPod. This preferred portable music player spawned the invention of parallel tough-drive technologies, which enables you to double the disk space of a tough drive without raising the physical dimensions.
So as you can see, the GPS has a lot a factors for its recent achievement. And with a sharp and steady boost in sales, the technology has come to be a lot additional favorite and economical than prior to. You can buy a inexpensive receiver with a important name brand starting at about $150.