GPS In A Nutshell
Posted in GPS by Matt Meeano on August 5th, 2009 Two decades ago, the Global Positioning System (GPS) was born. In order for the United States’ military units to know where they are exactly on land and sea, they needed to develop a system to help them. So multiple satellites were launched into the Earth’s atmosphere into geosynchronous orbit.
The way GPS works is simple. The GPS units receive a signalfrom the satellites in orbit. The signal is analyzed by the satellite and ground based equipment and the exact location of the GPS unit is then revealed.
The GPS units have been in commercial use since the early 1990’s and since then they have exploded to many different areas of our lives. One area that they have literally taken over is in the automobile industry. Car GPS systems are some of the most visible of all of the GPS units out there. These gps units help you get from point A to point B when you put in the destination address or place of interest name ( such as Fed Ex Field). Once this is entered, the route is calculated using your specifications ( such s no local roads, etc..) and then it is displayed on the screen for you to follow. If you need to take a detour, the GPS unit will quickly recalculate the route and display the new directions. And the kicker for some of these systems is that some have voice guidance to help you as well.
Since the technology has been available for decades, manufacturers and researchers have developed ways to make the GPS receiver smaller and smaller. They are now small enough to be placed into clothing and other small, inconspicuous items.
Some companies also offer GPS tracking services. These services are designed with parents in mind. Parents can now keep track of where their chidren are simply by going to the website of the tracking service company. The service monitors the receiver that is on the child and reports back their location.
Since GPS systems are becoming more widespread, this means that their cost has come down. And since the cost has come down, more people adopt their use. The result is literally a tsunami of new GPS units coming online every year.
You can purchase a GPS unit in one of two ways. You can buy a unit for your dashboard and remove it each time you leave the vehicle alone. Or you can get the GPS unit installed into your dashboard as an option when you purchase the vehicle. Either way, you should search online for the right GPS unit for you.
Tags: gps satellite, automotive gps devices, garmin handheld gps, garmin portable gps, handheld gps units, magellan meridian color gps, cheap gps
