Man has always developed tools to help him deal with conditions on this planet. Hundreds of thousands of years have passed while Man has gone on to create tools to not only help him hunt but build homes (and even the Great Wall Of China). That same zest for creation that lead to building ships that could cross the oceans has now given us Global Positioning System, or GPS.
GPS has so wormed its way into our culture that millions of people are using it all around the globe this very minute in order to get from Point A to Point B and to pinpoint their present location. To understand exactly why these people are using GPS to help them in their daily lives, it is good to understand a bit more about the technology that allows it to work.
The way GPS works is a relatively simple concept when broken down completely. Strategically placed satellites that are orbiting the Earth, relay a signal searching for any GPS receiver on the surface of the Earth. The signal is received by the GPS unit and then decoded. The unit and the satellite then communicate with each other and the satellite then transmits the coordinates to the GPS unit. This transfer of data allows anyone looking at the GPS screen to see where they are currently located.
While the original GPS system of satellites was only used by the United States military in the 1970s and 1980s, the technology has been made available to everyday people since the 1990s. The limited release in the early years meant that the price of GPS units was very high. Now that GPS has become more widespread, you can get a good unit for less than $200.
Cheap GPS units mean only one thing - the adoption of their use by a large swath of the population. These inexpensive units mean that pretty much every car on the road has them on the dashboard so that the driver doesn't get lose or waste money on gasoline spent going the wrong way.
If you purchase a car and it has a GPS option, you are well served to purchase it as it will not only help you, it will increase the vehicles resale. If your vehicle did not come equipped with a GPS as an option, you will want to find one that fits your budget and individual preferences.
GPS has made the time honored journey of a piece of technology that benefits people in peacetime that was originally developed for warfare.
GPS has so wormed its way into our culture that millions of people are using it all around the globe this very minute in order to get from Point A to Point B and to pinpoint their present location. To understand exactly why these people are using GPS to help them in their daily lives, it is good to understand a bit more about the technology that allows it to work.
The way GPS works is a relatively simple concept when broken down completely. Strategically placed satellites that are orbiting the Earth, relay a signal searching for any GPS receiver on the surface of the Earth. The signal is received by the GPS unit and then decoded. The unit and the satellite then communicate with each other and the satellite then transmits the coordinates to the GPS unit. This transfer of data allows anyone looking at the GPS screen to see where they are currently located.
While the original GPS system of satellites was only used by the United States military in the 1970s and 1980s, the technology has been made available to everyday people since the 1990s. The limited release in the early years meant that the price of GPS units was very high. Now that GPS has become more widespread, you can get a good unit for less than $200.
Cheap GPS units mean only one thing - the adoption of their use by a large swath of the population. These inexpensive units mean that pretty much every car on the road has them on the dashboard so that the driver doesn't get lose or waste money on gasoline spent going the wrong way.
If you purchase a car and it has a GPS option, you are well served to purchase it as it will not only help you, it will increase the vehicles resale. If your vehicle did not come equipped with a GPS as an option, you will want to find one that fits your budget and individual preferences.
GPS has made the time honored journey of a piece of technology that benefits people in peacetime that was originally developed for warfare.
About the Author:
Matt loves helping people learn about free gps tracking and accessories for gps for kids
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