There is also a strict control of the manufacture and export of GPS devices and technology from the United States to prevent enemy states from using its own technology against its own military forces. As we all know, the United States Military uses GPS for most Military positioning needs such as with targeting and target acquisition like when they have re-fitted previously dumb-bombs making them into precision guided ones with the addition of GPS referencing electronics. This is one of the primary reasons why the US and many other Western nations criticizing the Chinese for their test of a satellite killing system for it could be used to knock out the 24 GPS satellites that are currently deployed over pre-set geostationary points over the earth. This could disable the communications and targeting systems of most Western nations who rely heavily on GPS.
So don’t go expecting your hand-held GPS receiver to tell you to hit the brakes for you are in front of your destination but rather expect to be within the vicinity of the desired location. The problem is greater when traveling to places where mapping may have been carried out yet not referenced with GPS meaning, no bringing out of the local map and checking it against your GPS device.
Believe it or not, there have been instances of accidents that have been caused by GPS devices giving wrong data getting people into one way streets, going down closed streets and many more. This is a classic case of people relying too much on technology forgetting to take into account common sense, sending them into harm’s way. Remember, technology is there to make the experience easier not to make us rely totally on the said technology in question. Time will come when technology will be so reliable that it may be safer to trust in a microprocessor to do the driving rather than trusting your own reflexes. With sensors all over the vehicle managing the engine, checking the road conditions and controlling the conditions inside the car leaving you to read the morning paper on your tablet Pc as you commute to work. But, that’s for future posts to tackle but do expect them soon for they are in the conceptual stage as hybrid cars were a few years back.

Written by Marcel on March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

GPS has become common as your car stereo was a few years back, and many take for granted the previously solely-military use only technology. As the technology has come out in many types such as hand-held and built-in types for automobiles, they have also had their fair share of criticism from drivers and people alike. First, these systems only work flawlessly in areas that have been extensively mapped and referenced with proper equipment. Meaning a mean error of around a few meters is to be expected. For something that is hailed to be something that would take the fear out of going to an unknown place with the right directions, it is quite contrary for it’s abilities.
To go deeper into the said or expected error, the main reason being, the technology is still mainly intended for military use only and the only people with the proper equipment to use GPS with pin-point accuracy to within less than a few meters is, guess who, the military. The GPS system used by civilian and government agencies is the same, the difference is in the way they obtain data. Civilian GPS gadgets get signals from at least 2 or three satellites in space which are used for reference (the very best collaborates that information with one ground station and then factors in the positional reading from the two satellites triangulating the current position.
All civilian versions have a built-in error factor which eliminates the use of civilian GPS technology for insurgent or other terrorist activities. The military use more than one satellite for referencing plus cross-referencing with two ground based stations making their positional data more accurate to within a few inches, and they also have sophisticated algorithms that computes the exact target coordinates.

Written by Marcel on March 10, 2008 | 1 Comment