What You Need to Know About GPS

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 arguably one of the most important inventions of our time. GPS can be used in so many varied ways that new technologies are constantly being developed and improved in order to take advantage of it. Now why is GPS so important and useful? First, we have to understand how it works.

In order to work, a satellite network orbiting the earth is used. These satellites each broadcast a specific signal, which is received by inexpensive aerials and passed on to GPS devices where it is then decoded and used by dedicated software. The information is specific enough that the GPS software can identify the satellite, it’s location in space, and calculate the time that the signal took to travel from the satellite to the GPS 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 – Knowing where the device is in space is one thing, but it is fairly useless information without something to compare it with. This is where the mapping comes in handy; thru this, GPS can analyze our location and maps out possible routes. Actually, the mapping data is what makes a GPS device expensive. This should be updated regularly and frequently in order to be accurate.

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There are several kinds of maps, and each is intended for different users with different needs. Road users need maps containing accurate data about the road systems in their particular region, but they won’t need data about the lay 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. In fact, cooperative fishing has become much easier with GPS, allowing boats to relay locations to each other while looking for the best fishing spots. Special kinds of marine GPS, known as fishfinders, also combine several functions in one to help fishermen.

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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. Rugged handheld GPS devices, like those from Garmin and Magellan, have a map inside and are usually used for outdoor activities. They do not have detailed road information and the user has to find his own way from point A to point B without any route calculations.

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, so these tend to be the cheapest, easiest to use and most flexible solutions. Bluetooth technology has also started to make use of GPS, using a single PDA device wirelessly connected to several receivers.

Chiun Masters is a researcher and writer working for audioavi.com, where you can get quality GPS and audio equipment. Visit us for all your audio equipment needs.

- Chiun Masters
audioavi.com/

This entry was posted on Friday, January 13th, 2012 and is filed under GPS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “What You Need to Know About GPS”

  1. sauchi ruceruk on October 15th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    Garmin has the reputation of having the best and most accurate GPS receiver on the market.