GPS Basic Information

GPS, or Global Positioning System is fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System. This system uses an artificial constellation of 24 satellites in medium earth orbit. The satellites transmit microwave signals, thus enabling a GPS receiver to determine its position, speed, direction and time. This system was developed by the Department of Defense and was appointed as NAVSTAR GPS, which was made by Mr. John Walsh. NAVSTAR is not an acronym, as commonly thought.

This constellation of satellites is managed by United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. The cost is around 750 USD each year, including the cost of maintenance, replacement, research and development. After cutting down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 by the year 1983, a directive was issued, which was the GPS available for civilian use and has been widely used since. It has become a very useful tool for making maps, surveys landscapes, trade and many scientific uses. It also provides reference time that can be used in many applications including the exploration of earthquake and telecommunications network synchronization.

A single GPS receiver calculates the distance between himself and three other GPS satellites. Each satellite has an atomic clock in it continually transmits data containing the exact time, the location of the satellite transmission and the almanac. The receiver then measures the time of receipt of the signal. Thus, the distance to each satellite is known. Knowing three of these distances, a trilateration is formed. Using a fourth satellite, the need for a clock at the receiver is avoided.

The Global Positioning System is used in a variety of military and civilian applications. It allows soldiers to find their goals in a dark or completely unknown, and coordinate the movement of troops and supplies. GPS receivers using military personnel and commanders are called Soldier digital assistants. A combination of GPS and communication through radio can track vehicles in real time.

It is also used in the marking targets as hostile and enables precision-guided munitions to enable them engage those targets with great precision. Air-to-ground roles of military aircraft use GPS to find the target. GPS also allows the targeting of military weapons as ICBMs, cruise missiles, precision-guided missiles. Based artillery projectiles are integrated with GPS receivers and can withstand forces up to 12000G. These are used for 155-mm howitzers. Any Downed Pilot can be easily located if a GPS receiver. It is widely used by the military for reconnaissance and mapping. Some GPS satellites are also detectors nuclear detonation.

GPS civilians contributes significantly surveying and navigation. Its ability to calculate the speed and direction locale is extremely useful. Transfer time is possible due to its ability to synchronize clocks. A widely used example of the use of GPS is CDMA digital cellular phone. Each base uses a GPS receiver to synchronize the calendar codes with different base stations and thus making it easy inter-cell hand-off and thus support emergency telephone calls and many other applications. The GPS equipment has revolutionized the tectonic by measuring the lack of movement during earthquakes.

Both GPS developers, Ivan Getting and Bradford Parkinson received National Academy of Engineering Charles Stark Draper prize in the year 2003. Roger L Easton received the medal National Technology on February 13, 2006. Other monitoring systems are Beidou, which was developed by China and is proposed to expand in COMPASS; Galilieo, which was developed by the European Union with many other countries such as India and China; GLONASS, which has been developed by Russia Completely available in partnership with India; IRNSS India `s proposed regional system and QZSS which was proposed by Japan.