If you were to consider it, you would have to admit that the Global Positioning System (GPS) has taken a very short time to become part of our daily life. This is very surprising given that it was originally military technology that was created for the United States Defense Force and is still managed by it.



If you have ever used a GPS device, you may have wondered how it actually works. The Global Position Service (GPS) consists of 24 satellites (38 by march 2008) that orbit the Earth 12,000 miles above. They constantly move, orbiting the globe in less than 24 hours.

The satellites have small attached rockets that fire off every now and then to keep them on the correct orbital path around the Earth. This is a must as they are moving 7,000 mph through space. For the general public, there are three categories of GPS units that they can purchase: GPS Navigation, Tracking and Location devices.

GPS devices designed to be used as Navigation aids enable you to discover where you are and how to navigate to wherever you want to get to. There is a large range of devices in this category that can be used as portable hand-held GPS units, or to be used on a vehicle, such as a car or motorcycle.

Tracking GPS units track where a vehicle has traveled to and are used mainly in business to keep check of personal and commercial use by employees, and to replace the old fashion pencil and paper logs that are often lost or unreliable. Some of the more superior tracking devices only record when a vehicle is moving, ensuring that the GPS unit doesn't record unwanted information.

A GPS Location unit simply provides the location of yourself or a vehicle in real time, so you know the exact spot right now. These devices usually have minimal or no capability to track the vehicle. They are best used for fleet vehicles, emergency situations or in the aid of recovering a lost or stolen item.

These location GPS units phone home by using satellite celluar technology to report its current location. Thus, there are recurrent costs that are incurred when using this technology, unlike GPS tracking units.

As you can see, there are many commercial uses for GPS and many people have benefited from its use. These day the use of a GPS is happening everywhere - from the road to golf courses to cell phones and even the internet. The usefulness and power of the GPS has yet to be fully used in our everyday lives and the future is very exciting indeed for the GPS network.