Guide to GPS Systems

GPS systems have allowed the world’s people to navigate the world in ways that were never before possible, or even conceivable for that matter. Global Positioning Systems consist of a network of satellites in outer space linked to stations on the ground which together with a receiver device, triangulate the coordinates of that receiver wherever it is on planet Earth. Although the advent of the new millennium (Y2K) was a disappointment to disaster enthusiasts and the generally paranoid, in the spring of 2000, the U.S. Government allowed for greater access to GPS technology which did in fact; change the world in a permanent way. Previously, only the military reaped the benefit of extremely precise GPS capabilities, but now the general public gained access to GPS data that was accurate to within 20 meters. Due to Selective Availability, the government had intentionally scrambled satellite signals so that GPS data was only accurate within 100 meters. Essentially, they turned off the degradation scrambler and today, the best devices are only a few meters off, if any.

Now GPS technology has exploded and evolved over the years so that whether you’re in any sort of vehicle, on a boat, in a plane, or on foot, you can use a GPS unit to find out exactly where you are and navigate to wherever you want to go. This guide will make you privy to a vast array of articles such as how GPS works, what it's used for, technical terms and definitions, and understanding the technical aspects of accuracy on a GPS device. While this guide provides all the interesting and intriguing aspects of this amazing technology, don’t miss out on the other guides dedicated to reviews, recommendations, advice, and tutorials about GPS units made by all the major manufacturers for many different purposes. After taking advantage of all these resources from our informative and technically savvy library of great articles, you’ll understand the technology behind whichever GPS device you decide as an informed consumer will suit your needs best.

Image Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GPS-IIR.jpg US National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing