For drivers in North America who are tired of staring at maps and pulling into gas stations to get directions the new technology of GPS may be the answer. GPS or Global Positioning Systems are an inexpensive and reliable way of finding your exact position on the globe at any given time. For the driver this can mean never having to look a road map again. This is a brief introduction to the major brands of GPS units and some information about each.
Garmin offers two different types of GPS units and many models for each type. The larger of the two the Streetpilot is meant to be mounted in your car and provides street to street directions map and much more useful information during you trip. Some of the more recent models of the Streetpilot offer voicecapabilities and will vocally give a driver directions. The Quest offer many of the same features as the Streetpilot but it comes in a smaller handheld size and is battery powered. The Quest may be a better option if you often find your self leaving the car behind and need directions on foot.
Magellan is one of the oldest consumer level GPS manufacturers and they are still one of the finest. The Roadmates line of GPS units have been around for a while and the newest models are still in competition for the highest in quality. The newest models of Roadmates provide turn by turn directions to your destination with its internal speaker. This line of GPS units are powered by the cars cigarette lighter and mounts easily to most automobiles. The Roadmate 800 provides color 3-D maps on its 3” screen.
The newest brand of GPS unit comes from Tom-Tom. The Tom-Tom Go700 provides directions on it’s 3.5” screen which gives its display in 3-D. The Go700 can give vocal directions in dozens of languages. The most interesting feature about this unit is it’s Bluetooth capability allowing it to connect to cell phones to give weather, traffic and road conditions for your trip.
By: David Stone
Posts Tagged ‘Exact Position’
GPS Buyer’s Guide
March 19th, 2010GPS System Tracking – Applications of GPS Tracking System
January 12th, 2010
The General Positioning System (GPS) tracking system is the latest breakthrough of the technology aiming at improving people’s lives. The GPS tracking system is reported to be used as a travel guide and as a tracking device of vehicles. No matter its application, GPS devices are good traveling companions.
The actual process of GPS tracking system is straightforward. In short, there are exactly 27 satellites rolling around the center of the Earth. Out of them, 24 are used by the GPS technology and the remaining ones are used for storage purposes. A GPS receiver installed in your car emits a signal to these satellites. Four available satellites will be used to find out your exact position. The mathematical tenet involves in this computing process is called trilateration. It can be achieved in either two dimensions or three dimensions.
Adverse weather conditions can affect the accuracy of the position. This issue is still to be addressed by GPS vendors as they are struggling to tweak their devices as a way around this problem.
Applications of GPS devices are twofold: the first one being as travelling guide as you can set your destination and the receiver will work out your location. It will also tell the best trajectory to reach your destination. It should be noted that some devices are able to talk as well. The GPS technology is also reported to be used in the military industry as it was first created for such purposes.
Another application of GPS devices is for tracking purposes. For instance a car company may decide to install GPS device in their cars in order to record their position all over the time. This can help them improving their delivery times and also increase their efficiency. An employer also can make use of this device to make sure that his employees are not abusing company car privileges.
Private investigators also make use of GPS tracking devices in order to keep track of cheating wives. Law enforcement also makes use of GPS devices to locate people who steal cars. Recent GPS devices are also able to report a driver’s habits therefore deciding if the driver is responsible enough to carry on.
The GPS tracking system is also a perfect way around home construction site thefts. Indeed, recent news from the Tennessee reveals that GPS tracking devices have helped identify a rash of construction site thefts where many thieves were used to nicking home appliances. A Tennessee police spokesman later on claims that these hard to break burglaries could be tracked down in less than 24 hours with suitable GPS tracking devices.
Still in the US, it is well known that some school buses are equipped with GPS tracking devices for emergency response purposes. Indeed, school buses equipped with the GPS tracking devices can be used to shuttle emergency responders such as fire fighters, and evacuate those in need, including nursing home residents.
In summary, GPS device applications are growing more and more over the time. There are mainly used for military and civilian purposes as we described in previous sections. It is nowadays commonplace to see GPS devices almost everywhere as we saw in the previous sections.
By: John B Mayall
