Global Positioning Systems - Essay Example

Kleppner (n.d.) in his article explains how GPS has turned from military technology into civilian one, helping society transmit information which saves human lives. The applications of GPS are countless. Emergency cars apply the GPS to locate the destination and map the fastest route to it. GPS is also used to search for vessels which have been lost at sea. Airlines use GPS to organize their flight plans and to facilitate the landing at airports. Pilots also apply GPS in order to obtain aerial photos, to navigate, crop-dust and survey. Rose (n.d.) points out two main functions that GPS devices for automobiles have - mapping and navigation and vehicle tracking.

There are various GPS navigation devices available for automobile drivers. The GPS represents a receiver which is preliminary loaded with address information and road maps. After entering the desired address, the GPS synthesizes the information according to the current location, speed of travel, and direction and the driver, or the receiver can obtain and calculate the most efficient route to the desired destination (Rose, n.d.). The GPS devices for automobiles can estimate detours and re-estimate routes of travel as fluctuations from the preliminary entered routes.

Drivers can arrange preferences that allow them to command the route which the GPS provides. For instance, the driver may give directions to the GPS to avoid U-turns or advise the GPS device to take routes which are interstate or expressway or choose a picturesque one. The way that the GPS device is installed is through a plug into the car where the cigarette lighter is. The GPS device has a battery backup and can be placed on the windshield or dashboard (Rose, n.d.). There is a display screen, where the map appears and if the audio operation is enabled, the GPS will explain to the driver which road to take and where to turn.

The other most common function that GPS device for automobiles has is vehicle tracking. This can be applied both to privately owned automobiles and automobiles used in business and commerce. For example almost all semi-trailer trucks in the U.S are provided with GPS tracking systems. The installed GPS in such vehicles are known as "data pushers" (Rose, n.d.) due to the fact that they send the disposition of the GPS device to a server, which registers the progression of the vehicle's GPS. In short, the tracking system in both privately owned and for commercial purposes, the information obtained from the tracking GPS is usually used in cases of stealing, and security preventions.

If a car has been reported stolen, the GPS tracking device will be started and will trace the location and current move of the car. For commercial purposes, the tracking device is used by the company to determine where the track is and if it will arrive on time or behind schedule (Rose, n.d.).The aviation is implementing the GPS extensively. The aviation crafts equipped with GPS devices apply satellites to pinpoint precisely the reference of the aircraft's position. The GPS device gives a trilaterate reference (About GPS, 2005).

With the ever increasing air travel and traffic throughout the 20th and 21th centuries the GPS provides immeasurable benefits to the travelers and pilots. The GPS system applied in aviation represents a cornerstone of the forthcoming air traffic management. The GPS in aviation will provide higher levels of safety and will diminish the delays