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GPS, shorthand for Global Positioning System, has recently begun to expand into a huge array of available systems. This has been due to a combination of ingenuity, increasing accuracy and decreasing cost of components.

Originally, the two dozen satellites (plus extras) put into a medium earth orbit were intended for military applications. The accurate deployment of units and munitions being foremost among them. Civilians were also quickly aware of the potentials of this system.

Initially, the accuracy for non-military applications was intentionally altered to limit the effectiveness of readily available hardware to be used by US military opponents. This obfuscation has generally been dropped and modern civilian GPS units can be as accurate as within 10 feet. The US military however maintains the ability to scramble signals and decrease the effectiveness of GPS at any time.

Other countries are worried by that threat and are working to create their own versions of GPS to avoid those issues. The European Union is one that is completing the process of developing their own satellites for the same purpose. China is widely expected to follow suit if they have not done so already.

The concern is legitimate. With the innovations making GPS hardware smaller and less expensive, the uses for the system have exploded over the years. From hand-held systems used by outdoorsmen to vehicle mounted turn-by-turn directions, the annual sale of GPS devices is now in the millions.

Commercial adoption of GPS is also increasing. Transportation companies are at the forefront of this revolution, equipping shipping containers, semi-trucks and railroad cars with units that enable owners to see where their shipments and containers are at all times. This helps to maintain control over supply lines and handle disruptions as smoothly as possible.

GPS has also taken on a role as Big Brother. It is now possible to get GPS equipped sneakers so that parents can track where their children are and sound an alert if they are ever kidnapped or playing hooky. The same technology is in anti-theft devices in many cars, enabling stolen vehicles to be found more easily, and in some cases even enabling remote engine shutdowns and perhaps the apprehension of thieves. Many cell-phones are also incorporating GPS technology for emergency and non-emergency uses.

GPS games have popped up as well. One of the first was a Pac-Man style game roaming city streets with multiple participants playing the role of ghost or hero. Other LARP (Live Action Role Playing) games have incorporated GPS into their activities.

Less covert, but with many more participants, is the new sport of geo-caching. In this sport, people make individual caches in hidden spots. Some are close to civilization, some are far away. The level of difficulty to get to each cache varies tremendously. The challenge is to download coordinates for various caches and then to go find them. Depending on the cache type, you may just log having found it on a notepad or you may be asked to take a small item and leave another in return. In some cases, valuables are placed in caches to act as an incentive for people to find them. The coordinates are typically posted online, with http://www.geocaching.com/ being the official headquarters for the sport.

These are the major uses of GPS technology. There are many other developments underway. The ones that will succeed are a question at this point. What is not at question is that GPS will continue to become more and more a part of our daily lives, even if we do not realize it.

Learn more about this author, Jack Thornton.
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