Learn About GPS
GPS is short for Global Positioning System. If you have a device that gives you driving directions, chances are that needs the GPS network to work.
The GPS system was initially created for the U.S. military, which started development on it in 1972. Since then, the system has been opened to the public around the world for use in everything from sea to car navigation.
Most people have only recently learned about this technology once car navigation devices became mainstream, but there have been consumer GPS devices available for many years.
The system primarily works by using satellites orbiting around the Earth. Each satellite in the network is always sending a signal toward the Earth. The time the message was sent, the precise position of that satellite, and a general almanac of all satellites in the network is inside the signals. When your electronic receiver has found 3 or 4 satellites it can give you a general position of where you are on the planet. The more satellites your receiver finds, the more exact your position can be determined.
With a device like your car GPS, electronic maps are stored in the device, so once your position is found, a map of what is around you is displayed on the screen. Without something visual like a map with roads drawn on it, you would have a really hard time figuring out where you were with just a set of position numbers!
