GPS is the acronym for "Global Positiong System" originally developed by the United States Department of Defense. It 's operation is based on a portable ground receiver obtaining readings from a constellation of 24 satellites orbiting the earth. The advantage of satellites over land based systems is an unobstructed view of the entire planet with respect to the horizon. A GPS satellite system has the ability to transmit positional information with centimeter accuracy.
GPS receivers are compact and portable, and can be retrofit to commercial vehicles, emergency response vehicles, airplanes, automobiles, motorcycles etc. That means that everyone can know exactly where they are on the face of the earth and how to get to or from any known point of origin or destination.
The satellites triangulate electronic signals with the earth receiver to establish a unique address of every square meter of the earths surface. The address consists of Longitude, Latitude and Elevation coordinates. This is done by transmitting signals from a set of satellites and translating the time it takes to reach the receiver into distance: Electronic Signals traveling at (186,000 miles/sec) x (Time)=Distance.
An example of how GPS is used in a Utility application is by creating intelligent maps. This is done by combining the satellite readings with compatible software that converts them into visual images on a video monitor. The digital maps can be enhanced with attribute information e.g. house locations, utility pole locations, road names, gas line locations, E911 waypoint addresses etc. The map can then be queried for the geographical location of a specific entity and display a database pertaining to that person or object, THIS IS REFERRED TO AS GIS (Geographic Information System)
If you need information about how you can apply a GPS system click here
We thank you for your inquiry Return to CCS Inc's Home Page
gps article by w.ziskowski Copyright (C) 1996 by CCS Inc., Factoryville, Pennsylvania, USA
About GPSAbout GPS