GPS Overview Part 6 - Conclusion
The original theory behind Location-Based Services - or
LBS - is to help you find out where you are or where something else is.
One part of LBS is the GPS satellite
constellation. The following overview describes the history and workings of
GPS, as well as its uses and the future for it.
Though originally designed to help US forces around the
world to locate targets and move quickly, GPS has evolved to fulfil tasks
never envisaged in its original designer’s requirements. It now being used
across the world, from mountaineers climbing up Mount Everest, to sail boats
journeying into the Caribbean. And, as covered above its functions have been
extended to cover mapping, tracking, timing etc. The list of uses is only set
by the requirements we can think of applying GPS to.
GPS’s future seems secure. It's biggest push now is
the FCC Enhanced 911 (E911) mandate. This is a
directorate by the US Federal Communications Commission to put location
based capabilities inside all new cell phone
handsets. Although the original deadline of Oct. 1, 2001 was
missed, the advantages presented by GPS enabled cellphones
in rescue situations will not be ignored by consumers, corporations &
governments in these uncertain times. This and the fact that newer and
enhanced forms of GPS, such as Differential GPS and Carrier-Phase GPS, can
enable receivers to give theoretically up to 3 or 4 millimetre accuracy.There
is still room for improvement for GPS , and as it does so , we will find it
being used more and more in our daily lives, to the point were it would be
hard to perform many travel and industry tasks without it.
References:
[1] Muller N. J.; Desktop Encyclopedia of
Telecommunications ; 1998
[2] Kaplan E.D. ; Understanding GPS , Principles & Applications ;
1996
[3] Lichtenegger B.H., Collins J. ; GPS: Theory and Practice ;
1994
[4] United States Coast Guard Navigation Center
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/
[5] InfoTooth Knowledge Base
http://www.palowireless.com/infotooth/knowbase.asp
[6] Trimble GPS Tutorial
http://www.trimble.com/gps/
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