73
Think about this—you’re out hiking in a forest, a storm comes up and you
need to quickly take shelter well off the trail. When things are all clear, you’ve
gotten completely disoriented, can’t find your location, and have gotten
truly lost. Or consider this—you’re driving in rural, unfamiliar territory late
at night, you’ve missed an important turn, and none of the names or route
numbers on the signs seem familiar at all. In both cases, you’re out of cell
phone range, and even though you have a printed map, you really have no
idea where you are to start navigating yourself out of this mess.
A few years ago, these types of situations could have been potentially
disastrous, but today there’s a geospatial technology tool that’s ready and available to help get you out of these situations. Using a small, hand-held, relatively
inexpensive device, you can find the coordinates of your position on Earth’s
surface to within several feet of accuracy. Simply stand outside, turn the device
on, and shortly your position will be found, and perhaps even plotted on a map
stored on the device. Start walking around and it’ll keep reporting where you
are, and even take into account some other factors like the elevation you’re at,
the speed at which you’re moving, and the compass direction in which you’re
going. Even though it all sounds like magic, it’s far from it—there’s an extensive network of equipment across Earth and in space continuously working in
conjunction with your hand-held receiver to locate your position. This, in a
nutshell, is the operability of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
GPS receivers have become so widespread that they seem to be used
everywhere. In-car navigation systems have become standard items for sale
on the shelves of an electronics store. GPS equipment is common at sporting goods stores, where it’s used by campers, hikers, fishing enthusiasts,
and golfers. Runners can purchase a watch containing a GPS receiver that
will tell them their location, the distance they run, and their average speed.
Finding Your Location with
the Global Positioning System
GPS Origins, Position Measurement, Errors, Accuracy,
GNSS around the World, Applications, and Geocaching
4
GPS the Global
Positioning System,
a technology using
signals broadcast
from satellites for
navigation and position
determination on the
Earth.
Think about this—you’re out hiking in a forest, a storm comes up and you
need to quickly take shelter well off the trail. When things are all clear, you’ve
gotten completely disoriented, can’t find your location, and have gotten
truly lost. Or consider this—you’re driving in rural, unfamiliar territory late
at night, you’ve missed an important turn, and none of the names or route
numbers on the signs seem familiar at all. In both cases, you’re out of cell
phone range, and even though you have a printed map, you really have no
idea where you are to start navigating yourself out of this mess.
A few years ago, these types of situations could have been potentially
disastrous, but today there’s a geospatial technology tool that’s ready and available to help get you out of these situations. Using a small, hand-held, relatively
inexpensive device, you can find the coordinates of your position on Earth’s
surface to within several feet of accuracy. Simply stand outside, turn the device
on, and shortly your position will be found, and perhaps even plotted on a map
stored on the device. Start walking around and it’ll keep reporting where you
are, and even take into account some other factors like the elevation you’re at,
the speed at which you’re moving, and the compass direction in which you’re
going. Even though it all sounds like magic, it’s far from it—there’s an extensive network of equipment across Earth and in space continuously working in
conjunction with your hand-held receiver to locate your position. This, in a
nutshell, is the operability of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
GPS receivers have become so widespread that they seem to be used
everywhere. In-car navigation systems have become standard items for sale
on the shelves of an electronics store. GPS equipment is common at sporting goods stores, where it’s used by campers, hikers, fishing enthusiasts,
and golfers. Runners can purchase a watch containing a GPS receiver that
will tell them their location, the distance they run, and their average speed.
Finding Your Location with
the Global Positioning System
GPS Origins, Position Measurement, Errors, Accuracy,
GNSS around the World, Applications, and Geocaching
4
GPS the Global
Positioning System,
a technology using
signals broadcast
from satellites for
navigation and position
determination on the
Earth.