One of the fantastic things about technological innovation is that breakthroughs in one area produce inadvertent changes in other areas. No one would have believed that one side effect of the Soviet Union's launching the Sputnik satellite in the late 1950's would be a means for businesses to save money or parents to know if their teenagers are taking the car to a prohibited area of town. Indeed, that lone satellite inadvertently paved the way for the current web of satellites that enable GPS, or Global Positioning System, to operate.
GPS uses 24 satellites to provide anybody with a GPS receiver to determine his or her location, speed, direction and the precise time. Originally a military project, GPS has numerous applications in the field. These included helping soldiers find objectives at night or in foreign territory as well missile targeting and helping to find downed pilots. The military opened up GPS to the public just about thirty years ago, and now, everyone can benefit from this revolutionary technology.
In addition to helping you find your way around a strange city or telling you where you are in the woods, GPS allows businesses to save a significant amount of money. If a company needs to track its trucks to verify that its drivers are making the right stops or are not traveling at excessive speeds, it simply needs to install GPS receivers in its vehicles. Nearly all commercial trucks operate most efficiently at speeds of 50-55 mph, so keeping track of how fast operators drive saves on fuel costs!
Parents can also use GPS to keep track of the family car when teenagers are driving it. With a GPS receiver, parents know the car's speed, the route it took, and where it stopped. Parents can also set the receiver so that they will receive an email alert if the car departs a certain area of town, exceeds a certain speed, or reaches a destination.
Although GPS relies upon satellites flying thousands of miles above the planet's surface, its uses are practical, beneficial, and down-to-earth.
GPS uses 24 satellites to provide anybody with a GPS receiver to determine his or her location, speed, direction and the precise time. Originally a military project, GPS has numerous applications in the field. These included helping soldiers find objectives at night or in foreign territory as well missile targeting and helping to find downed pilots. The military opened up GPS to the public just about thirty years ago, and now, everyone can benefit from this revolutionary technology.
In addition to helping you find your way around a strange city or telling you where you are in the woods, GPS allows businesses to save a significant amount of money. If a company needs to track its trucks to verify that its drivers are making the right stops or are not traveling at excessive speeds, it simply needs to install GPS receivers in its vehicles. Nearly all commercial trucks operate most efficiently at speeds of 50-55 mph, so keeping track of how fast operators drive saves on fuel costs!
Parents can also use GPS to keep track of the family car when teenagers are driving it. With a GPS receiver, parents know the car's speed, the route it took, and where it stopped. Parents can also set the receiver so that they will receive an email alert if the car departs a certain area of town, exceeds a certain speed, or reaches a destination.
Although GPS relies upon satellites flying thousands of miles above the planet's surface, its uses are practical, beneficial, and down-to-earth.
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