Common Questions - Global Positioning System Devices Discussion of GPS use in Air, Water, Land & Vehicle Tracking

Overview of GPS Technology GPS stands for Global Positioning System The system is an orbiting constellation of 24 satellites Allows a public or government user to fix their position anywhere in the world with a high level of accuracy

GPS Software Packages GIS Software GIS – Geographic Information Systems Use in surveying, construction, civil engineering, marketing and biology research fields, among others Allows for precise organization of data by geographic location

Software Packages Navigation Systems available for street, marine, and aviation navigation uses Some packages combine all of these capabilities into one program Door to door routing for US, Canada, and Europe depending on software and maps GPS integration allow for moving map display and upcoming turn alerts in most software Detail level and area coverage available on the PDA vary depending on the software

Dedicated GPS Units Pro Con Longer battery life More rugged design Waterproof Buoyant Impact Resistant Con Limited storage for maps and other data Limited or no software upgrade capability Software generally not as capable

PC/PDA Based GPS Systems Pro Software and Maps can be updated Greater storage capabilities Software has greater capabilities Con Will not work without PC or PDA Shorter battery life

Differential GPS Systems Allows for much greater position accuracy Down to the inch in some cases Requires additional hardware to receive differential signal Differential signal broadcast from accurately surveyed positions around the country Differential signal available for free in many areas

Differential: WAAS and LAAS WAAS vs. LAAS WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System Two satellites in Geostationary orbit broadcast correction information for the GPS system Improves accuracy to 3 meters for users in the continental US LAAS stands for Local Area Augmentation System Provides greater than 1-meter accuracy near many major airports

Competing GPS Systems Galileo GPS System GLONASS Proposed GPS system from Europe Total of 30 satellites in Earth orbit Scheduled to be ready in 2008 GLONASS Russian GPS system Accurate to only 57 meters at best Total of 24 satellites in orbit

Future of Triangulation Systems E911 Cellular System By Dec 31, 2005, cellular operators must be able to locate 95% of 911 calls placed from cellphones A variety of methods will be used to accomplish this, depending on the cellular vendor GPS Multipath Fingerprint Enhanced Observed Time Difference

Future of Triangulation Systems GPS-enabled phones Not just for emergency purposes, these phones will allow you to send your location directly to friends and family

Vehicle Tracking Products T-Mobile Pocket Tracker Track other vehicles or be tracked anywhere where there is cellular service Takes advantage of Internet connection provided by cellular service provider T-Mobile PocketTracker

Vehicle Tracking Products Pocket Tracker Add tracking capabilities to any PDA with an internet connection and GPS receiver Uses GPS Receiver and wireless communications card iPaq Pocket Tracker

Vehicle Tracking Products Satellite Tracker Track a container or vehicle anywhere on the planet Uses satellite communication along with GPS technology to report its position to the tracking station Satellite Tracker

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