What is GPS?
GPS refers to Global Positioning System. It is a network of satellites and receivers on earth that allows pinpointing specific locations. If you have a GPS device with you, it can connect to the satellites and display GPS coordinates. These coordinates refer to your current latitude and longitude on the planet. You can think of them as x and y coordinates on a large Cartesian plane on the globe. Modern GPS devices also display a third coordinate, which refers to the altitude or elevation.
What are the applications of GPS?
GPS coordinates are important to navigation and travel, especially for ships and airplanes. Modern traffic enforcing involves the installation of receivers on every public vehicle. GPS is capable of computing the speed of a vehicle by knowing the time it took to cover a specific distance.
Individuals also purchase car and handheld units for everyday use. GPS devices that can be attached to cars give the current location of the user. They also have features for path finding. These devices can store information of coordinates of individual features such as buildings, airports, highways, hospitals, gas stations etc. A GPS device can tell you the shortest way and alternate routes to a selected destination.
GPS coordinates and navigation is also important for athletes and trainers. It’s no longer the age for traditional pedometers. There are training watches that constantly communicate with satellites to provide real time information on location, distance traveled and speed. Because of this technology, athletes can program workouts to train their speed and endurance.
Finally, finding location data through GPS is important for building Geographic Information Systems or GIS. These are graphical databases that tell about the attributes of an area on the earth’s surface. In a nutshell, a GIS can tell if an area’s slope is suitable for residential structures or if a zone is safe from high tides.
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