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[A36]A Global Positioning System

by Jacob Georgeson, Jac

Chances are that you have used a global positioning system enabled device before. Maybe it was in the car or maybe using a handheld system. GPS allows you to find your current location anywhere on earth and with some software added also to get directions how to get to anywhere else.
GPS started as a military system allowing the US army to pinpoint where its soldiers and vehicles are. But the GPS system was opened up for civil use too although up to a few years ago the resolution of the location discovery was limited.
With GPS becoming more and more pervasive it was became cheaper. Today you can buy a fully equipped GPS device for a few tens of dollars. And with low memory prices devices costing around two or three hundred dollars can have detailed maps covering all the united states and a nice LCD screen to display them.
The GPS system is comprised of a large number of satellites that were positioned in specific and accurate orbits. The GPS device core is a receiver and an antenna. Old GPS devices needed a large antenna to receive the satellite but with improvements in electronics resulting in more sensitive receivers the new GPS devices antennas are small and in most cases are simply built into the device.
The GPS device receives a signal from a few satellites concurrently. The GPS knows at any given point in time where each satellite is positioned and the distance to that satellite. By calculating the intersection between the different satellite spheres the GPS can know the exact position altitude, longitude and latitude. By correlating this information with detailed map files and the GPS its location on a map. And add some sophisticated software and the GPS can calculate directions and continually track where it is and correct the directions as its position changes.
GPS devices can also calculate speed by simple measuring the time passed to move from one location to another. GPS devices are a commodity today and they are used both by consumers in cars or handheld but also in commercial systems like airplanes and ships. GPS works in any weather condition and needs very little energy to operate.
Some GPS devices today are so small that they can fit in a wristwatch or a cell phone. Many people confuse between the GPS ability to determine its location to all the other goodies like color maps and driving directions. In fact the only thing the global positioning system does is calculate a location on earth. Once that was calculated the rest is a specific application that uses this information together with routing software and maps to provide driving directions. But there are many other applications for example GPS devices are placed in strategic places on the north pole to measure icebergs movements or GPS devices. Other GPS devices are used on vehicle fleets to manage where each truck is or on taxi cabs allowing a central reservation system to find the closest taxi to the passenger order one.

Our ancestors used to work extremely hard to protect themselves from getting lost in this mysterious world. They used to erect monumental landmarks, study conventional land maps and of course they used to mark the stars in the night sky.

But today it is very easy to know one's position. You just only have to get a pocket-sized gadget that will make you know your exact position on this earth at any given moment. The system of knowing one's exact position on this earth is known as 'Global Positioning System'. If anyone has a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and if the sky remains clear, then no way can he gets lost on this earth.

Of note is that this pocket-sized gadget, the Global Positioning System receiver, is quite expensive and it also involves a fair amount of technical ingenuity.

GPS is specially a Satellite Navigation System that helps in tracking our exact location with the help of satellites. The Global Positioning System is mainly funded and controlled by the U.S Department of Defense (DOD). The system was primarily designed for the operation of U. S. military. But there are also many civil users of GPS across the globe. The Global Positioning System provides some special satellite signals which are then processed in the GPS receiver. These GPS receiver's not only track the exact location, but can also compute velocity and time.

The positions can even be computed in three dimensional views with the help of four GPS satellite signals. The Space Segment of the Global Positioning System consists of the GPS satellites. These satellites send radio signals from space which are received by the GPS receiver.

There are more than 24 operational and 3 extras (in case one fails) GPS satellites that moves round the Earth every 12 hours.

The control of the Global Positioning System consists of different tracking stations that are located across the world. These monitoring stations help in tracking signals from those Space Vehicles which are continuously orbiting the earth. The Space Vehicles transmit microwave carrier signals. The users of the Global Positioning System have GPS receivers that convert the satellite signals which estimate position, velocity and time. Four satellites are required to track the three dimensional location and time. The primary function of Global Positioning System is the navigation in three dimensions. The Navigation receivers are used for aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles and sometimes for personal use as well.

With GPS receivers, precise positioning of any location can be done. The Global Positioning system is based on a simple mathematical calculation that operates through a process called Trilateration. In order to make the simple mathematical calculation the GPS receiver should know two things.

++ One is the location of the place to be traced by at least three satellites.

++ Secondly, is the distance between the where the receiver is located and each of those Space Vehicles.

All units have multiple receivers, and can pick up signals from several GPS satellites at a same time. These radio waves are electromagnetic energy that travels at the speed of light.

The civil users across the world are allowed to use the Standard Positioning Service without any kind of charge or restrictions.

Article Source : Gps Vehicle Tracking System

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Both Jacob Georgeson & Don are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jacob Georgeson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Photography, Computers and The Internet and Photography. You can read more at garmin gps Mr. Georgeson writes about his expertise in business and Internet. This article can be published and used a. Jacob Georgeson's top article generates over 2740000 views. Bookmark Jacob Georgeson to your Favourites.

Don has sinced written about articles on various topics from GPS Vehicle Tracking, Computers and The Internet and Multi Level Marketing. Tyler J Stevenson has spent considerable time researching GPS systems. More information can be found at http://www.compare-gps-system.info andat http://www.hubbuh.info. Don's top article generates over 4400 views. Bookmark Don to your Favourites.