Short note on GPS

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a radio navigation system that is used in land, sea, and air to determine the exact location, time and velocity irrespective of weather conditions. It was first used by the US military in the year 1960.

GPS is a system and it is made up of three parts: <i>satellites, ground stations,</i> and <i>receivers</i>. Following are the functionalities of each of these parts:

• <i>Satellites</i> act like the stars in constellations, and we know where they are because they invariably send out signals.
• The <i>ground stations</i> make use of the radar to make sure the satellites are actually where we think they are.
• A <i>receiver</i> is a device that you might find in your phone or in your car and it constantly seeks for the signals from the satellites. The receiver figures out how far away they are from some of them. Once the receiver calculates its distance from four or more satellites, it knows exactly where you are.