Monday 1 June 2009

Global Positioning System

By Alexis Kenne

You should know the facts about the GPS system. Here it is:

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.

Satellite navigation dates back a lot longer than many people realize. The principles behind SatNav were first tested back in 1967, but it took nearly 30 years before the NavStar GPS System first began operation as a military application in the mid 1990s. Civilian use of GPS navigation was made available soon after the military launch, but the initial costs of using the system were very high, and required ongoing subscriptions to be paid. The first people who took advantage of GPS were pilots, and surveyors, who needed to be able to measure distances with pinpoint accuracy. In the early days , an affordable GPS auto navigation system was out of reach for the average car owner.

Over the past couple of years, the cost of installing a GPS auto navigation system has fallen considerably. As an inevitable result of this, more and more people are taking advantage of it in order to make it easier to find out where they are going, plan their journeys, and keep track of where they are.

Never make a mistake that the auto navigation system it was only meant for people who travel extensively. Its not. Actually, it is for anyone who spends long hours in their vehicle driving. You may be interested in knowing how these navigation system devices can help you in a way you really need, especially when travelling. To make the most out of it, you should know what benefits it can give you and how the auto navigation system will suit your needs.

The different auto navigation systems available in the market today are the following: 1. Stand-alone auto navigation system This stand-alone navigation system can provide the traveler with full-detailed directions as it works as a travel guide. 2. Multipurpose Handheld Navigation Devices. Unlike the stand-alone system, this multi-purpose navigation device does not provide full detailed directions but it has other benefits not found in the former device. 3. PDA/PC/Laptop/Palm Based Systems You may have been using your PDAs and laptops while on travel. To make it more useful, turn it into a navigation system which you can use to get information and important details regarding your travels and journeys

Consider these 2 basic suggestions on how you can make your travel less time-consuming with the auto navigation system and GPS technology: 1. Determine which location or place you want to go and plan your trip. Before you leave, it would be better if you have full details of where you are heading and which road you should take. 2. Be familiar with the place by tracking significant structures that might help you along the road like restaurants, malls, restrooms, gasoline station, or theatres. It would be an addition to your journey to make it more memorable.

Goodbye to the days when the one-hour-drive was multiplied into more number of driving hours because there was no direction to take. And not very long, gas tanks ran out of fumes and cars generally got stranded in the middle of unknown dusty roads.

The GPS system made available these navigation systems to help people travel easily giving them routes where they can travel in a more direct route, saving time, instead of spending long hours of driving and traveling. Through the GPS system, it is now easier to tell which direction is better way to go to reach the desired destination without wasting so much time, money, and energy previously associated with traveling.

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