What You Need to Know About GPS

What It Is and How It Works - For the uninitiated, 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 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 is able to calculate the position of the receiver.

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. 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. Actually, the mapping data is what makes a GPS device expensive. It must be accurate and updated reasonably frequently.

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. Hikers, however, might require a more detailed map about the local terrain, water spots, and tracks or trails, but they won't need extensive information about the road systems. 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. 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.

A more recent solution has appeared on the market which uses the power of a PDA to run the actual GPS software. 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, using a single PDA device wirelessly connected to several receivers.

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