Portable GPS Applications
Since the advent of the GPS technology, the world has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of devices containing GPS units today. You probably already have a GPS unit installed in your vehicle, or you probably know someone who has this device. So, what are the uses of GPS?
Technically speaking, the units that are generally installed in cars and other vehicles are usually mobile systems, since a vehicle has wheels and is always on the go. There are many other newer and more interesting devices that contain the portable GPS system and are fast gaining in popularity.
Primary Uses of Portable GPS Systems
What are the serious portable systems used for? Most devices that contain these portable GPS systems are generally used for business purposes or during emergencies. Your mobile phone is one such instrument that is most likely to contain a GPS system within it. Years ago, in case of an emergency, you would have been required to make a call to 911, but what would happen if you couldn’t give your current location? This being the reason, a couple of years ago, a law was passed that made it mandatory for mobile phones to contain a GPS system within them for emergencies.
So now, someone calling 911 will be just as easily located, as he would have been if he were calling from home! PDA’s on the other hand, are used by sales people, delivery guys, and repair people and by people whose jobs require them to find their way around.
Similarly, surveyors make use of special precise working portable GPS systems to map fields, plan roads, locate survey boundaries and markers, and so on. Besides your standard PDA, even laptops can be fitted with GPS as well as special software to use the signal for traveling, mapping and many similar purposes.
Fire services and police forces are constantly finding new ways to save the lives of people in trouble, and this can be done with the help of GPS systems.
Now we come to the fun stuff! Almost every types of electronic gadget will be used like a toy for adults all over, and so portable GPS systems are no different. If you think that tracking your own location and position is the only way a GPS system can be used, then I would beg to differ. GPS systems can be used for a number of reasons – like tracking another person or even another thing!
Glider pilots have been using GPS devices as evidence that they have indeed reached the race markers. Smaller portable units can be used to track down lost pets and other things that may have been lost.
Other Portable GPS Applications
Apart from emergencies and tracking, there are many ways in which a portable GPS system can be used by corporations, individuals and even the government! Here are a few:Military Purposes – The GPS technology is used to track and control forces, guide missiles, and a lot more. Using GPS, military personnel can give information regarding their exact location and hence can easily find directions to different locations.In the Marines – Similar to the ones used in vehicles, most ships and boats use GPS systems for navigation. GPS is especially useful during foggy nights, darkness or other conditions when visibility is low.Outdoor Activities – Wilderness explorers, outdoor sportsmen and hunters use GPS devices to navigational purposes to help them find their way when they are lost.Geocaching – A sport or game invented in the year 2000, Geocaching uses GPS systems to find and locate small treasures or caches.Apart from the serious applications and even the fun uses, just having a new gadget equipped with a GPS unit can be quite interesting. With its popularity building on a steady pace, it sure looks like GPS systems are here to stay!
By Natasha Bantwal
Published: 12/6/2007
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