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What It Is and How It Works - For the uninitiated, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It's a method of finding a receiver anywhere on earth or in orbit, and it's arguably one of the most important inventions of our time. GPS has so many different applications that many technologies and ways of working are continually being improved in order to make the most of it. Now why is GPS so important and useful? First, we have to understand how it works.

In order to work, a satellite network orbiting the earth is used. The signals that are broadcast by the satellites carry data that is passed from the aerial, decoded and used by to the GPS software. The information garnered from these signals allows the GPS software to identify the satellite, its specific location, and even calculate the exact time it took for the signal to travel from the satellite to the receiver. Using different signals from different satellites, the GPS software is able to calculate the position of the receiver.

Mapping It Out - Even getting the information about the receiver's location will be useless without something to compare it with. This is where the mapping comes in handy; thru this, GPS can analyze our location and maps out possible routes. Actually, the mapping data is what makes a GPS device expensive. It must be accurate and updated reasonably frequently.

There are several kinds of maps, and each is intended for different users with different needs. Road users need maps containing accurate data about the road systems in their particular region, but they won't need data about the lay of the land. On the other hand, hiking GPS users might wish to have a detailed map of the terrain, rivers, hills and so forth, and perhaps tracks and trails, but not roads. On the other hand, sailors will need specific data about the sea bed, navigable channels, and other related information that will allow them to navigate safely.

And what about fishermen? They also use marine GPS to keep track of the movements of fish in real time and to predict where they'll be the next day. In fact, cooperative fishing has become much easier with GPS, allowing boats to relay locations to each other while looking for the best fishing spots. Special kinds of marine GPS, known as fishfinders, also combine several functions in one to help fishermen.

Get Started with GPS - Consumers can avail of several GPS devices that are specifically designed for a variety of uses and functions. Sophisticated in-car GPS systems, which feature voice guiding, powerful dynamic route calculation, and the possibility to update the map from a CD, are now available. Then there are handheld GPS devices, such as those from Magellan and Garmin, which store a map inside, and are usually designed for outdoor use. They do not have detailed road information and the user has to find his own way from point A to point B without any route calculations.

Recently, PDAs and even a few sophisticated mobile phones have incorporated GPS technology into their own systems. A GPS receiver can be easily attached to these devices, which makes them possibly the cheapest and easiest GPS receivers to use in the market today. Bluetooth technology has also started to make use of GPS, using a single PDA device wirelessly connected to several receivers.