Anyone with a smartphone knows what GPS is; it’s what gets us to unknown places as we stare into our digital screens watching the tiny blue dot traverse Google Maps. But very few people know exactly what it is and where it comes from.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is actually a network of 30 satellites which orbit the Earth 20,000km above our heads. It was developed as far back as 1973 by the US government to overcome the limitations of existing navigation systems and was only ever intended to be used by the US military.
How it works
We could write an essay on how it works exactly, but in the interests of brevity, here’s the gist: Wherever you are on the planet, 4 of the 30 satellites are always visible to your GPS ready device. Information about the satellite’s position is transmitted to the GPS receiving device at regular intervals and the device, in turn, calculates your distance from the satellites based on the time it took for the signals to arrive. And from that short, lightspeed exchange of information – your own precise position can be pinpointed anywhere in the world.
The history
The US government decided to hand the technology over for commercial use after a Korean Airlines plane was shot down through mistaken identity on 1 September 1983 – killing all 269 passengers. The aircraft travelling from New York to Seoul had deviated off course, flying through prohibited Soviet airspace. This tragic event prompted the Reagan administration to allow worldwide access to the US’ GPS to improve navigation tracking procedures the world over.
While GPS is not exactly ground-breaking technology today, the combination of mobile devices and the latest app technology has certainly given GPS a whole new lease of life beyond commercial navigation. It’s an enabler for disruptive new services like Uber, Go People, Tinder – and we’re seeing huge developments in the world of location specific marketing.
Where are we heading?
So, after nearly 50 years of US monopoly, it’s not surprising other countries have started to get in on the action by developing their own version of GPS. While Japan and India have recently introduced their own versions, China, Russia and Europe are also developing new technologies similar to the US’ Global Positioning System.
The question remains, why are so many countries across the globe going to so much effort and expense to recreate a technology which seems to be serving the world so well? It’s fair to say – it’s not just about dependence from the US. After all these years, we finally have a vision for new commercial opportunities and the role GPS will play.
New GPS equivalents are aiming to bring dramatic improvements to location accuracy. For example, the Japanese version promises to provide location accuracy down to a few centimetres compared to a few meters with GPS. Other improvements include geo-location satellites which hover directly overhead, fixing the problem presented by tall buildings which block signals.
As we move into the future, the commercial application of positioning technology is set to get wider and it’ll become increasingly integrated in our economies (delivery tracking is one of many examples). That’s why we need much faster and smarter systems. Watch this space!