New devices using the Global Positioning
System (GPS) sprout up almost as fast
as a signal can be bounced to space and back. Everyone
from backpackers and boaters to worried parents trying
to keep track of teenagers has embraced this technology
a space-based setup that has finally been brought down
to Earth.
Originally developed for the Military, GPS
was introduced to consumers two decades ago, but it
languished initially as a marginally useful service
for gotta-have-it gadget freaks.
No more.
Figuring out how to fold maps is a problem of the past.
Compasses are passe. Portable GPS devices,
fitting into the palm of your hand or built into automobile
dashboards, now bring Space Age navigation to the masses.
Most interesting, the technology allows for a slew
of creative products George Jetson never dreamed of.
How it's used:
In increasing numbers, outdoor enthusiasts tote along
relatively small, portable, and inexpensive GPS
receivers. The devices can record the locale
of a secret fishing spot for a return trip next year.
Or they can guide you a destination as the Sun sets
on the long and winding trail you've been hiking all
day.
And the system works.
GPS is the only system today able
to show you your exact position -- within roughly 6
feet to 20 feet -- on the Earth anytime, anywhere. It
functions in any weather conditions. And beyond the
cost of a device, there are no subscription fees or
setup charges to use the service.
Hand-held units are available at most sporting goods
dealers and consumer electronic outlets. Prices start
around $100 but can ramp up to several hundreds of dollars
for more capability, such as a built-in electronic compass,
topographic maps, more memory, and other bells and whistles.
GPS can guide you while driving or
hiking. And those are just basic ways the system can
be used.
Even high-end backyard telescopes are guided by GPS
now. Knowing its exact location and driven by an onboard
computer and motor drive, a telescope can automatically
find stars or galaxies and track them across the sky,
while a skywatcher is left to simply enjoy the show.
Perhaps most interesting -- and somewhat controversial
-- is the ability of GPS to track other
people.
Find your kids:
A company called uLocate Communications, Inc., based
in Newton, Massachusetts, offers a GPS application designed
to bring peace-of-mind to families. The new service
enables parents to pinpoint their children's whereabouts,
around the clock, using cell phones, the Internet, and
the latest in GPS satellite technology.
The uLocate service works with cell phones that can
establish and broadcast their own location in terms
of latitude and longitude using GPS.
The coordinates are then translated, through technology
provided by MapQuest, for viewing as a local map after
logging into a secure, private account on a Java-enhanced
cell phone or on the uLocate Web site.
"We recognize that more and more kids are clipping
cell phones to their backpacks when they head off to
school as parents face complicated family schedules
and increased concerns over their children's personal
safety and security," said Alan Phillips, CEO of
uLocate.
"We find that parents will strike a deal with
their children -- they'll supply them with a cell phone
in return for enabling the uLocate service," Phillips
said. "Or an individual may request the service
for an elderly parent, two partners for each other,
and so on -- for virtually any group or relationship
where one or more members will appreciate the peace
of mind knowing where their loved ones are."
Enhanced 911:
A range of GPS applications are little
recognized and appreciated by the general public, said
Glen Gibbons, group editorial director for GPS World,
based in Eugene, Oregon. They include GPS-based timing
of telecommunications systems, including the Internet,
Wide Area Networks (WANs) used by banks, landline and
wireless voice and data communications, he told SPACE.com.
Gibbons said a growth area is location-based services
building on the Enhanced 911 platforms in cellular phones.
A few years ago, a Federal Communications Commission
directive called for all wireless carriers to be able
to locate 911 calls made from cell phones.
Enhanced 911, as it is known, forces companies to begin
offering improved location capabilities on their networks.
The companies incorporate GPS into cell phones,
PDAs and other devices, so that a user's position can
be fixed. Police, fire, or ambulance services can track
down the whereabouts of a distressed person in the event
of an emergency.
Asked for examples of odd or surprising GPS uses, Gibbons
offered a host of things:
Tracking the flights of pigeons
Physical training systems that measure performance against
biometric sensor data (as in running or kayaking)
Modeling ski slopes and skiers performance
Advanced driver assistance systems for lane-keeping,
automatic speed control
There seems no end in sight for novel and creative uses
of GPS.
Take for instance SiRF Technology of San Jose, California.
The company recently showcased CuisineMap at an international
gathering of telecommunications experts. The location-based
application enabled attendees to find good local restaurants
during the meeting. CuisineMap provided a list of some
of the finest restaurants in the area, sorted by proximity
to the user. The application provided a virtual tour
of restaurant choices, helping the user navigate right
to the restaurant door of choice.
Odd uses:
Like commercial applications, the scientific use of
GPS has been a boon too.
"I think we are just beginning to discover some
of the most interesting applications for GPS,"
said Randolph Ware, President of Radiometrics Corporation
in Boulder, Colorado.
He worked early in the use of GPS to study deformation
of the Earth's crust associated with earthquakes, volcanoes,
and tectonic plate motions, and for atmospheric sensing.
Ware points to several GPS networks such as SuomiNet,
funded by the National Science Foundation. Also there
is the Ground Based GPS Meteorology Network (GPS-Met),
sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). The organization has been established to provide
real-time measurements of atmospheric water vapor for
research and daily weather forecasts.
But at the top of the list for odd GPS
uses, Ware noted a small but growing number of people
who use it to find unique points on the Earth's surface.
These specific locations are otherwise undistinguished.
"Enthusiasts are visiting these spots, photographing
them, and posting information regarding these locations
on the web," Ware said. "There is considerable
competition to be the first to visit these sites. I
find this to be an amusing, if not odd, use of GPS."
Just for fun: Hide-and-seek
For those who like the thrill of a high-tech underground
adventure, there is Geocaching.
This involves hiding a cache filled with small prizes
or treasures. The geographical coordinates of the cache
are first recorded via hand-held GPS receiver.
These coordinates are then posted to an Internet service,
such as NaviCache.com. Often clues are provided as to
the location of the cache.
This treasure hunt calls upon those with their own
GPS device to try and locate the secreted cache.
The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations
set up caches all over the world and share the locations
of these caches on the Internet. Once found, a cache
may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards.
That could take the form of maps, books, software, hardware,
CD's, videos, pictures, money, jewelry, tickets, antiques,
tools or games. Preferably, such items could be wrapped
in a way as to be protected from the elements.
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