GPS, Global Positioning Systems, History & Future

Today, lots of people have and use their own personal GPS systems.  But that wasn’t the plan when they were first designed.  The military originally used GPS to track objects that could not be seen in normal sight or to track airborne objects.

GPS or Global Positioning systems were born in the late 1950’s when it was discovered that the Russian spacecraft, Sputnik could be tracked with radio signals.  That was just the beginning.  In the mid 1960’s the Transit System Project was launched, paving the way for the United States government to begin their real involvement in GPS technology.  Although the government exclusively designed it for government and military use it is now widely used by anyone and everyone.

Continually orbiting the earth, 24 satellites are used for navigation, mapping and tracking.  Because of these satellites we always know where we are at, how to get there or to find others.

The systems are amazingly small, some even the size of a quarter that are built right into watches.  These are very convenient and useful for campers and hikers so they can be aware of their exact locations.

The future of the GPS navigation is still advancing.  They are being built into vehicles and they aren’t just useful for navigation anymore.  Now you can get weather, news and traffic information from your GPS.

GPS’s are great tools for the frequent traveler and especially for those that are map-reading impaired.

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