Why GPS is in your future
Uses, Strengths, Weaknesses and benefits of employing GPS
Uses
Uses for GPS range from purely recreational [hiking, backpacking, biking, “geocaching”]
to highly complex and detail-oriented tasks [military, navigation, surveying, construction,
mapping, agriculture, vehicle tracking]. Equipped with a GPS receiver, a user can utilize
any point as a reference to get to another point. Applications for GPS are limited by the
imagination of its users.
Strengths
GPS signals are free to all. This means that no cost locational/navigational data is
available to anyone with a receiver.
GPS availability is worldwide, 24-hours per day, 365 days per year. Additionally, low
entry cost means that suitable user equipment can be relatively inexpensive, dependent
upon accuracy requirements
Weaknesses
GPS may not work well without a relatively unobstructed view of the sky. For example,
tree canopies may interfere with good reception of the GPS signals thereby preventing
adequate signal capture at the receiver.
GPS may be subjected to intentional accuracy degradation by implementation of
measures by the U. S. Government. By reactivating selective availability, which will be
discussed in the next section, the accuracy levels achieved through the use of consumer-grade
GPS equipment will be on the order of ± 100 meters.
Benefits
Today’s GPS receivers are lightweight and compact thereby allowing ease of transport.
GPS permits rapid location determination and provides the ability to quickly relocate
specific geographic points. Repeatable locational data collection with minimal equipment
set-up time required provides cost-reductions by allowing the user to concentrate on
obtaining usable data and move on to other points requiring observation.
|
