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Smartphones and GPS SatellitesMarch 6th, 2010The first GPS satellite was launched in 1978, under the direct command of the US military forces. More than thirty other satellites have been launched ever since for military, aviation and individual usage worldwide. The very existence of the Global Positioning System has in fact claimed the life of more than one GPS satellite, lost during the launch or on the orbit. Some satellites were taken out of service, others were replaced, but but no effort was spared for making GPS usage top quality. The decoding of the satellite signal is done by a GPS device or receiver that provides the exact geographical location according to three-dimensional coordinates. Science has made such progress that GPS satellite navigation is now incorporated in the design of smartphones. The GPS seems to have become an integrated part of people’s life, but one has to wonder what will happen in a couple of years when the now orbiting satellites will have to be replaced. At present, there are funding and management issues that impair the proper reconditioning of the Global Positioning System. The US Air Force maintains the entire GPS satellite structure, but according to a recent May 2009 report, there are economic difficulties to be overcome. The average user will hardly notice if any of the 31 orbiting satellites will fail, because normally, four satellites at time on the sky are enough to provide adequate information. There is a certain redundancy in the way information is provided, because sometimes, the same GPS receiver can get simultaneous data from six or eight satellites, which is more than necessary. But in the eventuality of no real time positioning with the GPS satellite structures, we’d have to return to the use of maps all over again. The military, maritime and transportation systems would be the most affected without GPS satellite reconditioning. The European states are preparing the launch of an independent satellite navigation system in 2010 that would be an alternative to the American GPS satellite applications that are now most popular. There are other countries that have individual satellite navigation and here we can count India, China or Russia. No matter how things are managed in terms of administration, implementation and foreign policy at the global level, the average user will not be affected by the different modifications in the way the GPS satellite communication works. More and more people will in fact start using GPS devices for increased efficiency of navigation. ————————— Tags: News Articles |
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