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What It Is and How It Works - For those who are unfamiliar with the term, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It's a way of locating a receiver in three dimensional space anywhere on the Earth, and even in orbit about it, and it's arguably one of the most important inventions of our time. GPS can be used in so many varied ways that new technologies are constantly being developed and improved in order to take advantage 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 is specific enough that the GPS software can identify the satellite, it's location in space, and calculate the time that the signal took to travel from the satellite to the GPS 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. In fact, it is often the mapping data which elevates the price of the GPS solution. 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, for example, require that their mapping data contains accurate information about the road network in the region that they will be traveling in, but will not require detailed information about the lie 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. Marine users need very specific information relating to the sea bed, navigable channels, and other pieces of maritime data that enables 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. The advent of GPS fixing has also meant that co-operative fishing has become much easier, where several boats relay their locations to each other while they locate the best fishing waters. There are also GPS devices called 'fish finders', which combines GPS and sonar functions to track and store detailed fishing and maritime information.

Get Started with GPS - Consumers can avail of several GPS devices that are specifically designed for a variety of uses and functions. In-car systems have advanced features like voice guidance, dynamic route calculations, and even upgrading your maps from a CD-ROM. Rugged handheld GPS devices, like those from Garmin and Magellan, have a map inside and are usually used for outdoor activities. They generally do not have any road information, and leave the users to find their own way from A to B.

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, so these tend to be the cheapest, easiest to use and most flexible solutions. Bluetooth technology has also started to make use of GPS, using a single PDA device wirelessly connected to several receivers.

Chiun Masters is a researcher and writer working for http://www.audioavi.com, where you can get quality GPS and audio equipment. Visit us for all your audio equipment needs.