GPS is the acronym of an expression in English, “Global Positioning System", which means: "Global Positioning System”. So GPS devices are important location instruments geographical and widely used for the location of points specific to the Earth's surface.
GPS is, therefore, a very important device and increasingly present in our daily lives, as, currently, practically all cell phones and tablets come equipped with this technology, in addition to many vehicles. When we are lost in the middle of the city, just a quick reference to this instrument and, in moments, we are able to obtain alternatives to reach the desired destination.
Despite being considered a highly technological product, GPS has projects in operation since the decade 1960, when the United States started the NAVSTAR-GPS system, created mainly for military. The operation of the first devices took place in 1978, being opened to civil use from the 1980s onwards and having achieved total global integration from the year 1996 onwards.
How does GPS work?
As the name of the acronym tells us, GPS is a system, that is, a technology composed of a series of equipment and companies performing various functions. As it is a global positioning system, it even involves the use of satellites.
In the composition of the GPS system, 24 satellites that orbit around our planet are used, in addition to 31 control stations, responsible for issuing radio signals to the Front desk.
These satellites obtain and transmit information about the different geographic coordinatesof the planet, therefore including the value of each of our latitudes and longitudes, as well as specific information additional features such as weather, speed of travel, address of city streets and highways, among others functions.
In today's world, where the globalization and global integration is the rule, the need to locate ourselves in different places in the world is fundamental, which makes GPS an essential piece of equipment in our lives. In addition to individual use, it is also present in maritime navigations, planes and other means of transport, in addition to being used in the demarcation of borders and territories, among numerous others functionalities.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
