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What is the GPS (Global Positioning System)?

What is the GPS? How GPS works and its applications:
Basically, GPS is an electronic information system created by the US military and began to be used by them in 1972. It was actually much more a basis for testing than an aid tool. Many changes were necessary before reaching the present version. However, and given its usefulness and versatility for the precise location of a geographical point, after a few years left the barracks and settled in the civil field, reaching today become one of the most important tools, along with the cell phone , which humanity has.
If you want to know everything the GPS system has to offer you, do not hesitate to continue reading this complete post.
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What is the GPS?
GPS (Global Positioning System) is the abbreviation for Global Positioning System. It is a satellite radio-navigation system developed by the Department of Defense of the United States of America that allows any user to know its location, speed and height, 24 hours a day, under any atmospheric condition and at any point on the globe.
The history of GPS begins after the Second World War, when the US Department of Defense was determined to find a solution to the problem of accurate and absolute global positioning. They spent several projects and experiences over the next 25 years, including Loran, Transit and others. All these systems allowed to determine the global position but were limited in accuracy or functionality. However, at the beginning of the 70s, an idea was seen that would solve all the problems of the previous systems, with the help of a new project called GPS.
To understand how the global positioning system works, we must first know that the GPS is composed of three components: the spatial, the control and the user.
The spatial component consists of a constellation of satellites in Earth orbit approximately 20200 km, distributed in 6 orbital planes. These planes are separated from each other by approximately 60 in length and have inclinations close to 55 in relation to the Earth's equatorial plane. It was conceived so that there are at least 4 satellites visible above the horizon at any point on the surface and at any height.
The management part consists of five chase stations distributed on the world and a main management station (MCS-Master management Station). This part tracks the satellites, updates their orbital positions and calibrates and synchronizes their clocks. Another important function is to determine the orbits of each satellite and anticipate its trajectory during the next 24 hours. This information is sent to each satellite and then transmitted by it, informing the local receiver where it is possible to find the satellite.
The user component includes all those who use a GPS receiver to receive and convert the GPS signal into position, speed and time. It also includes all the necessary elements in this process, such as antennas and processing software.

How does GPS work?
The basic fundamentals of GPS are based on determining the distance between a point: the receiver, to other reference points: satellites. Knowing the distance that separates us from 3 points we can determine our position relative to those same 3 points through the intersection of 3 circles whose radii are the measured distances between the receiver and also the satellites. In reality, at least 4 satellites are necessary to determine our position on the globe correctly, but let's leave that for later. Each satellite transmits a signal that is received by the receiver, which, in turn, measures the time it takes for the signals to reach it. Multiplying the time measured by the speed of the signal (the speed of light), we obtain the receiver-satellite distance, (Distance = Speed x Time).

However, satellite positioning is not that simple. Obtaining accurate distance measurement is not an easy task. The distance will be determined through the codes modulated within the wave sent by the satellite (codes C / A and P), or by the analysis of the carrier. These codes are complicated. The receiver was prepared so that it only deciphers those codes and none more, in this way he is immune to interference generated by natural or intentional sources. This is one of the reasons for the complexity of the codes.

How is a GPS used?
GPS technology is already found in several moveable devices that we tend to use in our daily lives. There are many models of cell phones, watches, handheld computers, notebooks and car trackers. The most popular use is in vehicles, used as a map navigation system, ideal for orienting distracted drivers. GPS is additionally wide employed in the civil and industrial aviation business, and is also requested in maritime navigation. Everyone benefits from this technology. It ought to be noted that some countries, such as Syria, North Korea and Egypt, prohibit the use of GPS.
The use of any GPS receiver model is comparatively straightforward, although reading the manual and some knowledge about geographic orientation will make a big difference. If we want to "squeeze" a GPS of a certain model, we must enroll in a course, browse the many forums that exist or find a friend who has a similar GPS model and savvy to enter the fascinating world of satellite-assisted navigation.
The market has many makers of GPS receivers and every one have low-priced models, which can be installed on the windshield of the vehicle or even in the belt, while traveling on the roads, also providing altitude and speed with precision. Some models make it possible to download data to a computer or vice versa. It is doable to trace a route on the pc and send the planned route to the GPS in order that it will then guide U.S..
When it is programmed in advance, it will help you locate the previously defined points or a route you traced on our PC or that someone previously traveled and downloaded it from another GPS. In field work this device can mark the geolocation of a house, the place of an accident, planting areas or any geographic coordinate that is needed.
Just like the other radio device, the GPS must see the sky to receive the signals transmitted by the satellite network. On very cloudy days and with cheap GPS, it is likely that the GPS can not get enough signal, in these cases it is better to wait a few minutes in the place until the device can get a signal.
If we are going to use the GPS for delicate operations, we must opt for a GPS that allows the placement of an external antenna, which must be installed in the highest part of the vehicle, such as the roof or trunk. In this way the sky display is clearer than if the internal GPS antenna was being used inside the vehicle. If the model has no option for an external antenna, you must fix it on the windshield so that the antenna achieves the highest possible visibility of the sky.

GPS availability:
The GPS is an intelligent device that, from signals emitted from a network of 24 satellites, guarantees the geographical location at any point of the planet. Although the precursor of this system was the US government, the truth is that at present, there are other GPS systems operating in the world, since both Russia and the People's Republic of China and therefore the Europe.
This is because until the year 2000 the United States Department of Defense put many obstacles to the use of the transmission of these signals by civilians and third parties. GPS devices for civil use failed to operate with an accuracy of less than 90 meters. What was done to help, ended up confusing and hindering.
The problems dissipated after the signing of a law declaring the end of the interference that prevented the effective transmission of system signals. Currently, Russia and therefore the u.  s. square measure the countries that own the 2 in operation systems within the world, but as we mentioned, Europeans and Chinese already have their GPS systems in the test phase that will be launched in the not too distant future.
The fact of getting many GPS systems is incredibly vital since the North yank system, for example, could cease to be free at any time, if the Department of Defense of the White House so decides. They have their own system, which integrates with others.

GPS applications: 
The GPS or Global Positioning System is a modern technology that is mainly used to locate the position of an object. The object can be anything from vehicles to a human being. The GPS system has been out there to the general public for twenty years. Today, the GPS system is employed in just about all activities of human life.

GPS in mobile phones: The advancement of GPS technology is used in the mobile phone industry. Some mobile phones are based on the 3G network. Today's mobile phones use the global positioning satellite system. The GPS receiver in mobile phones receives the signal transmitted by the world positioning satellite. This helps determine the location, time and speed of the object, that is, of the cellular device.

GPS in personal vehicles: What works for a transportable additionally works for vehicles like buses, trucks, cars and even motorcycles. GPS technology is getting used principally to trace the position and movement of vehicles. The use of the GPS system in your vehicle helps you to accurately locate the route of your vehicle.

GPS in the police: The Global Positioning System technology is also used by the police to track criminals with monitored outputs.

GPS on game consoles: The GPS system is used on several game consoles allowing players to actually position players on a map. In the market there are really well known and popular games that take advantage of this technology for entertainment.

Maps and GPS coverage:
All cities are covered by GPS satellites. And many times due to lack of information from manufacturers, many people can confuse software coverage with satellite system coverage.
Some navigation software has street maps and routes for some cities and countries, but, depending on the equipment, not all cities are covered by the system. This means that there are cities in which the names of the streets, the directions of travel and other traffic issues are not detailed.
However, if the package doesn't have this risk, it does not mean that the city is not covered by the GPS satellite system. That or those cities, just do not have a map that represents their streets in the team.
Currently, several GPS map softwares are available on the market, for example: Nokia Maps, Tom Tom and Garmin, among many others. Each has a library of street maps and city routes from anywhere in the world. It is possible that some of these programs lack some map of some city of the interior and another one has it. This means, again, that the program does not have that city in its archives even if it has GPS coverage. If you are located in a city with these characteristics, the GPS will only indicate the position in latitude and longitude, illegible for most people. In other words, the limitations of city map coverage depend on the operating software available to GPS devices, not the system itself.
The best devices are those that allow the installation of several programs, such as tablets, smart phones and notebooks. Vehicle GPS generally comes with an installed program that cannot be modified, only updated with new maps and more information. Therefore, once selecting a GPS, the foremost necessary factor is to grasp the small print of the put in package. The program details the cities it includes and the mapped points of interest, among other things.

What is geocaching?
Basically, Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt. Who hides the treasure, shares the coordinates (latitude and longitude) with other people on the internet. Provided with a device that includes a GPS, we insert the coordinates of where the «treasure» is hidden, called cache or geocache, and go to nature in search of it.
The search can be done by a cache that is a few meters away from our location or even on another continent. If our idea is to unplug from the internet and connect with nature, but without neglecting technology, we should know everything Geocaching can offer us.

Geocachig: Where to hide and search?
The place can be varied: a park, a square, a famous or deserted street, a beach or even on top of a mountain. The latter requires specialized technical equipment and is usually done by geocachers (as they are called to cache hunters) who have a technical knowledge about the sport in question, in this case, mountaineering. The places are also classified by difficulty levels, which generally range from 1 to 5.

Geocaching: What is the cache like?
Those caches are usually plastic boxes (mom's tupperware works) that contain some gifts, which are exchanged. This is one of the rules of the game: take a gift and leave another. Another basic rule is to complete a guest book (logbook) present in almost all the chaches. This guest book is used to record how many people discovered the cache and where they are from. In some cases there are specific chaches of some object, such as changing CDs.

Geocaching: Sport or a game?
The classification of Geocaching is still questioned by many, including geocachers. Some call it game, others, sport, others, hunting and others see it simply as a walking and fun activity. Although Geocaching is more than just passing through the place, it carries with it a concern for the environment. One of the recommendations is that the "Cache In, Trash Out" be practiced, that is, leave the place clean and if possible collect some of the garbage from the place.
The practice of Geocaching is growing, gaining followers every day. It is already practiced with great intensity and there are millions of adherents. Now that we know the basics about Geocaching, if we are curious and interested in this link we can find a lot of information to learn more and know how to take the first steps. Good hunting!

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