What Is The GPS?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is made up of a system of 27 satellites (24 are in working order, and three are extra back-ups in case one breaks down). This system was designed for military navigational use, but soon was available to everyone. These satellites orbit the earth twice a day sending information to receivers on earth of the exact time and place of the receiver and are arranged so that no matter where you are on earth, there should be at least four satellite signals that you can obtain. If you own a handheld receiver, you can determine your precise location anytime and anywhere on earth. The GPS receiver works by locating a minimum of three of the twenty-four satellites and measuring the time between the receivers and the satellites and finding the distance between each. By figuring out the distance, the satellites then use a type of mathematics called algorithms and 3-D trilateration to figure out a very precise position. You must have a minimum of three satellite transmissions to find your longitude and latitude and if you want to find your elevation as well, you will need four satellite transmissions. This diagram can help to explain Trilateration:
People will just have to be patient and be grateful for the technology provided for us. Other disadvantages of the GPS are that high mountains, deep canyons, dense forests, and jungle canopy restrict its performance, and it requires battery power that can fade out at any time. The location will be much more precise and easily calculable. at you are 625 miles from Boise, 690 miles from Minneapolis, and 615 miles from Tucson. The third type of error is called an Ionisphere Error. Multipath Errors are caused by signals that are reflected while entering the receiver, causing the signal to jumble and possibly create wrong positioning and errors in calculations. Some have certain requirements such as they need software bundles to be purchased with them, they are required to have cables connected to computers or an energy source, some can only be used if you have a certain program on your computer with it, and some are also awkward to handle and hard to understand. Both the satellite and receiver must have clocks matched to the EXACT time. There still are many improvements needed for the GPS systems, but there will always be with new technology that is always changing. By using this information, you know that you can only be in the area where all three "mile radii" are overlapping which is Denver. Not only can you use the GPS to locate your location, but you can also input data of your location and find the distance between you and another inputted location. The first is called an Ephemeris Data Error. You could store your map of where you have traveled so that you can use it to help yourself get back to where you were before, if needed. GPS systems are very complicated and intricate and it is very hard for people who do not work with these systems every day to understand exactly how they work. If your GPS breaks down and you are in the middle of a forest with no clue of which way to go, you will need to be able to use a compass and a map to get yourself out of there.
Common topics in this essay:
System GPS,
Receiver Errors,
Hand-held GPS,
Positioning System,
Ionisphere Error,
Tropospheric Errors,
Clock Errors,
Multipath Errors,
Navigational System,
Data Error,
receiver satellite,
gps systems,
global positioning,
gps receiver,
radio waves,
receiver satellite receiver,
radio wave,
pseudo-random code,
satellite causing,
longitude latitude,
satellite transmissions,
global positioning system,
position receiver earth,
longitude latitude elevation,
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Acceptance Essays
