ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Global positioning system Applications

Updated on August 24, 2012
Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System

What is Global positioning system?

Technological advances have completely altered the world. The world we saw yesterday is completely different from what we see today. Applications of technology have completely altered the world. A typical example of technological innovation that changed the face of the world is the Global positioning system (official name is NAVSTAR GPS), which is the brainchild of United States Department of Defense. The system is managed by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. It is the one and only GNSS that is completely functional, and can be used freely. This is commonly used for navigation purposes. GPS make use of a constellation of between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites. These orbit satellites send out radiowave signals. GPS thus determines its present location, time and velocity. GPS revolutionized the world of commerce, land surveying, map-making and various other fields. From the very day it became fully operational, it found its application in scientific and navigation fields. GPS is now the most valuable aid in the navigation field. GPS find its application in the field of scientific study of earthquakes also. GPS is a key synchronization resource useful for cellular networks. For example Qualcomm CDMA air interface is utilized by several wireless carriers in several countries.

Applications of GPS

GPS apps

The wide applications of The Global Positioning System changed the world for good. GPS was initially a military project; it involves a dual-use technology. It has innumerable applications not only in military but also in civilian industry. Navigation is the most important field which was benefited through GPS.

GPS in military uses

Military weapons use GPS

GPS helps the military people to locate objectives in unfamiliar place (or darkness) so as to coordinate the movement of troops and required supplies. The GPS-receivers used by military people are known as Commanders Digitaal Assistant (used by commanders) and the Soldier Digital Assistant (used by soldiers). Target tracking is yet another application of GPS. Military weapons use global positioning system to identity air targets and potential ground once they are flagged as hostile. These weapon systems pass GPS co-ordinates of targets to precision-guided munitions. This is to make them engage the targets properly. Military aircraft, for example, the ones used in air-to-ground roles makes use of GPS to locate targets. Gun camera video from AH-1 Cobras in Iraq exhibits GPS co-ordinates that are visible in Google Earth.

GPS in missile

GPS is further used in missile as well as projective guidance. It helps to accurately track military weapons like cruise missiles, ICBMs, and precision-guided munitions. Artillery projectiles having embedded GPS receivers that can withstand accelerations of 12,000G are prepared to use in 155 mm howitzers. GPS is a wonderful system that enables effective search and rescue operations. Downed pilots are traces easily with the help of GPS. GPS also find its use in Map creation and reconnaissance. The GPS satellites maintain a group of nuclear detonation detectors. They include an optical sensor (Y-sensor), an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) sensor (W-sensor), and an X-ray sensor, a dosimeter. These constitute a good part of United States Nuclear Detonation Detection System.

GPS in civilian field and navigation

GPS has got wide range of applications in civilian field also. Several civilian applications make use of GPS signals for variety of purposes. They use any of the three main components of GPS, relative movement, absolute location, or time transfer. As GPS helps navigators to locate the receivers’ exact location, GPS is used as a surveying tool. With the help of GPS they can find relative movement so that they can figure out velocity and orientation. This technology is useful in vessels and other fields where earth observation is performed. Synchronize clocks to exacting standards makes time transfer possible. This is important in big communication and observation systems. GPS tours is yet another civilian use of GPS. GPS helps determine the content that needs to be displayed. For example, GPS gives us the information about a building or a monument as we reach them. Mobile phones have also started using the service of GPS.

GPS for scientists

Moreover, global positioning system helps scientists to study the earth environment like gravity field, atmosphere and gravity field. GPS survey equipment has also brought significant advancement in the fields of tectonics (as it can track the movement of faults in earthquakes).

GPS applications for Android

Phone based GPS applications are found to be having more advantages than personal navigation devices. Phone based GPS systems can successfully accomplish several difficult tasks that are generally not performed without the help of a wireless data network. GPS thus explain how technological advances transform the world.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)