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What You Need to Know About GPS
By: Azlan
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 probably one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. 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. The signals that are broadcast by the satellites carry data that is passed from the aerial, decoded and used by to the GPS 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 – Even getting the information about the receiver’s location will be useless 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. In fact, it is often the mapping data which elevates the price of the GPS solution. It must be accurate and updated reasonably frequently.
Several kinds of maps are created for different users. 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.
Get Started with GPS – Consumers can avail of several GPS devices that are specifically designed for a variety of uses and functions. Sophisticated in-car GPS systems, which feature voice guiding, powerful dynamic route calculation, and the possibility to update the map from a CD, are now available. Rugged handheld GPS devices, like those from Garmin and Magellan, have a map inside and are usually used for outdoor activities. 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, by having several receivers with Bluetooth capabilities, and a single PDA.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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