All 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 way of locating a receiver in three dimensional space anywhere on the Earth, and even in orbit about it, 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 for GPS to work, a network of satellites was placed into orbit around planet Earth. 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 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. This is where the mapping comes in handy; thru this, GPS can analyze our location and maps out possible routes. In fact, it is often the mapping data which elevates the price of the GPS solution. This should be updated regularly and frequently in order to be accurate.

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.

And what about fishermen? They also use marine GPS to keep track of the movements of fish in real time and to predict where they'll 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.

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