Saturday 24 October 2009

GPS Products

By Owen Makita

Originated by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Global Positioning System or the GPS is a tracking system that provides real time information on any location. This technology was presented to the use of the ordinary man only around the 1980s. GPS makes use of 24 to 32 medium earth satellites that can assist in recognizing the location. It comes with a receiver that picks up the signal sent from three or more satellites to plot the location using a technique called trilateration. The difference between the time at which the signal was sent from the satellite and the time at which it was received by the gadget pinpoints the position. Information related to the distance to destination, hiking and water maps and sunrise and sunset gets displayed on the GPS.

Advancements made in the technology has resulted in a number of GPS products that cater to the needs of the people on the road, water, air, hiking, and even those in active sports. Original Equipment Manufacturers who recognized the potential of the GPS has included them in many of the products, whether in transportation or recreational applications.

1 On the road

Advancements made in the GPS technology have made it possible for much information to be embedded into this small hand-held device. GPS is capable of guiding you through the unfamiliar intersections more easily. Today the GPS gadgets give traffic alerts and help you to detour a problematic area, avoiding delays. They are capable of guiding you through fuel-efficient routes, adding to your advantage. While the auto insurance companies and logistic business houses install GPS to track the movement of the driver, the automobile industry implement the system to guide a driver through the right track.

2 In the air

GPS, in the air, can support a load of information from flight instrumentation, navigation, traffic, engine data, terrain and weather on the large LCD displays that can be customized to the needs of the user. Through the adoption of GPS, the safety measures can be enhanced.

3 On the water

GPS has also found a place in water navigation. The ability to read the information even under bright daylight increases the usability. The details of the terrain and the presence of obstacle en-route permits safer navigation. As it provides information regarding the location of fish in fresh water and seawater up to depths as much as 1,500 feet, it is widely used by fishing trawlers.

The present day GPS gadgets can be molded to meet the demands of the sports, from cycling to golf. The gadgets with GPS technology used in sports are usually hand-held, water-proof, and sturdy that is capable of reading the routes and even heartbeats. GPS-enabled sports watches meant for the sportsmen and the trainer with varying features are readily available in the market. Today it comes in the mobile phones, watches, and PCs. It is the ease of use, the presence of the synthesized voice, and high level of penetration that has led to its use in normal navigation and even complex jobs like the construction of English Channel.

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