The United States military first introduced the global positioning system (GPS) technology in the 1970s solely for military use. In the 1980s, however, the restriction of use of this technology by military only was removed and it was made available for civilian use worldwide. The huge success of GPS in the military field, goaded development of the global positioning system technology in civilian applications with innovations in satellite navigation and GPS tracking device systems.

How do GPS Tracking Systems Work?

GPS can be used anywhere on earth, on land, at sea or in air. A minimum of 24 active GPS satellites orbit the earth every 12 hours. Each satellite transmits radio signals that help in finding the location, speed and direction of travel of users having GPS receivers. The whole world is covered by the constellation of GPS satellites, a convenient configuration facilitated by four satellites positioned in each of the six orbital planes.

Accuracy of GPS Tracking Device

Accuracy of GPS technology depends on the strength of signals that travel from GPS satellites to the GPS receiver. Accuracy is best when there is minimum obstacle between the sky and the receiver. If you are having a gizmo that receives a GPS signal, a good practice is to turn it on in a wide open area and stay there for a couple of minutes before the gadget gets the hang of the satellite signal. It takes about 60-80 milliseconds for a signal to travel from a GPS satellite to a GPS receiver.

The many uses of GPS

GPS is a massive leap forward for mankind in terms of technology innovation since the time the caveman first relied of footprints to track either human or animal movements. Today GPS technology is packed into as small a gadget as a cell phone or is installed in a car as a small widget. This literally means millions of people are able to use the GPS technology in their day-to-day lives.

It will be interesting to know the myriad areas of applications where GPS Tracking systems are used.

• Aviation: GPS Tracking Device Systems are the lifeline for aircraft pilots. GPS tracking software helps pilots for en route navigation and for airport approaches.

• Fleet tracking: GPS Fleet Tracking helps with automatic vehicle location and in-vehicle navigation systems.

• Environment - GPS is a great help during natural disasters. GPS helps survey disaster areas by mapping the movement of environmental phenomena like forest fires, oil spills and storms.

• Rail: GPS Tracking Device Systems are instrumental in locating trains, preventing collisions, maintaining smooth rail movements, and in minimizing delays.

• Surveying: In traditional surveying, locating a precise point of reference is very time consuming. All that is history now. GPS Technology has now made it easy to not only do simple tasks such as defining property lines but also perform complex tasks such as building infrastructures in thickly populated urban areas.

The above constitute only a small list of applications of GPS Tracking Device Systems. GPS has today made inroads into agriculture, recreation, marine and public safety. It will not be surprising when in the near future GPS Tracking Device Systems will be commonplace even among mundane people in developing countries.