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What It Is and How It Works - For those who are unfamiliar with the term, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It's a way of locating a receiver in three dimensional space anywhere on the Earth, and even in orbit about it, and it's probably one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. GPS has so many different applications that many technologies and ways of working are continually being improved in order to make the most of it. Now why is GPS so important and useful? First, we have to understand how it works.

In order for GPS to work, a network of satellites was placed into orbit around planet Earth. These satellites each broadcast a specific signal, which is received by inexpensive aerials and passed on to GPS devices where it is then decoded and used by dedicated software. The information garnered from these signals allows the GPS software to identify the satellite, its specific location, and even calculate the exact time it took for the signal to travel from the satellite to the receiver. Using different signals from different satellites, the GPS software can now analyze the position of the receiver, in terms of latitude and longitude.

Mapping It Out - Even getting the information about the receiver's location will be useless without something to compare it with. The mapping part of any GPS software is very important; it is how GPS works our possible routes, and allows the user to plan trips in advance. Actually, the mapping data is what makes a GPS device expensive. This should be updated regularly and frequently in order to be accurate.

There are several kinds of maps, and each is intended for different users with different needs. Road users need maps containing accurate data about the road systems in their particular region, but they won't need data about the lay of the land. On the other hand, hiking GPS users might wish to have a detailed map of the terrain, rivers, hills and so forth, and perhaps tracks and trails, but not roads. Marine users need very specific information relating to the sea bed, navigable channels, and other pieces of maritime data that enables them to navigate safely.

Fishermen also use marine GPS to locate themselves and track the movement of shoals of fish both in real time, and to predict where they will be the next day. The advent of GPS fixing has also meant that co-operative fishing has become much easier, where several boats relay their locations to each other while they locate the best fishing waters. Special kinds of marine GPS, known as fishfinders, also combine several functions in one to help fishermen.

Get Started with GPS - Consumers can avail of several GPS devices that are specifically designed for a variety of uses and functions. In-car systems have advanced features like voice guidance, dynamic route calculations, and even upgrading your maps from a CD-ROM. Rugged handheld GPS devices, like those from Garmin and Magellan, have a map inside and are usually used for outdoor activities. They generally do not have any road information, and leave the users to find their own way from A to B.

Recently, PDAs and even a few sophisticated mobile phones have incorporated GPS technology into their own systems. A GPS receiver can be easily attached to these devices, which makes them possibly the cheapest and easiest GPS receivers to use in the market today. Bluetooth technology has also started to make use of GPS, by having several receivers with Bluetooth capabilities, and a single PDA.