Global Positioning System

Posted by obit as GPS

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based radio navigation system for reliable positioning, navigation offers, and timing services to civilian users worldwide on a continuous basis - freely available to everyone. For anyone with a GPS receiver, the system location and time. GPS provides accurate location and time for an unlimited number of people in all weather, day or night, anywhere in the world.

The GPS consists of three parts: satellites orbiting the earth, control and monitoring stations on Earth, and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that have been arrested and identified by GPS receivers. Each GPS receiver then provides three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude and altitude) plus the time.

Individuals may purchase GPS handsets that are readily available through commercial retailers. Equipped with these GPS receivers, users can accurately locate where they are and easily navigate to where they want to go, whether walking, driving, flying or sailing. GPS has become a mainstay of transportation systems worldwide, providing navigation data to provide for air, ground and maritime operations. Disaster relief and emergency services depend on GPS for location and timing capabilities in their lifesaving missions. Daily activities such as banking, its mobile phone business, and even the control of electricity networks, facilitated by the accurate timing provided by GPS. Farmers, surveyors, geologists and countless others perform their work efficiently, safely, economically and accurately using the free and open GPS signals.