About GPS Guidance Systems
Global Positioning System receivers are electronic devices that display your position on a map and guide you to a destination. GPS receivers are available as a built-in feature on vehicles, as standalone devices and as a service on cell phones.
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The Basics
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GPS receivers determine your position by triangulating signals from a series of 24 U.S. Department of Defense satellites in orbit around the Earth. A receiver with signals from three satellites can calculate its latitude and longitude. By charting changes in its position, the receiver is able to calculate how fast it is moving, and in what direction. By comparing this live information to stored map data, the receiver can display your progress on a map, including information about distance and time to your destination.
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Cost
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The global positioning radionavigation system is available to the public at no cost. This does not include a subscription fee for traffic information, if your GPS receiver can receive it.
Traffic
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Some GPS systems can receive traffic information over a separate signal. These systems use the information to advise you of adverse conditions or even route you around accidents. The three main traffic providers in the United States are Traffic Message Channel (TMC/FM), MSN Direct and XM NavTraffic. You may require an additional traffic receiver to use these services.
Text to Speech
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Higher-end models have a text-to-speech feature. With text-to-speech, your GPS will announce street names, instead of just generic instructions.
Voice
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Some Magellan and TomTom GPS receivers can be controlled by voice commands.
Bluetooth
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Many GPS receivers can be paired with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to act as a speakerphone.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit "It Just Works" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Xurble (Gareth Simpson) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
