Shrinking GPS Technology Allows for Broader Applications

When it comes to Global Positioning System technology, if you can imagine a use for it then someone is probably already developing it as a product. Advancements continue to impress and progress, giving mankind amazing new capabilities. While most of us are well aware of GPS guided navigation systems, organizations and companies around the world are using GPS technology for tracking, crime prevention, emergency search and rescue, and environmental management, along with numerous other applications.

Thanks to the U.S. military’s ongoing pursuit of technology, many highly sophisticated devices have become familiar to civilians. And we all benefit as they progress with research and development projects.

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Military Shrinking Size of GPS Devices

Applications abound for military use of GPS technology. From tracking supplies and personnel to guiding advanced weaponry toward a target, GPS has infiltrated and advanced military techniques and abilities beyond what could have been accomplished even just a few years ago:

• GPS receivers guide parachute cargo loads to landing destinations


• GPS guides smart munitions toward their targets


• GPS devices help radio users locate each other


• GPS technology enables riflemen to know the distance to their target, increasing firing accuracy.


• GPS navigation keeps unmanned aerial vehicles on course

The military recently began focusing its efforts on reducing the size of GPS technology so as to increase its functionality. By diminishing the size, weight, and power consumption of GPS navigation units, the military will be able to embed them into wearable and handheld computing devices, communications, and navigation devices.

Until now, battery size has kept GPS devices from slimming down. The development of direct digital synthesis allows a device to produce an analog signal digitally, then convert it to analog. Direct digital synthesis devices are small and energy efficient. They are built with fewer components but improve device performance. For now, most direct digital synthesis tools are used in communications systems and in industrial and biomedical applications. As they shrink, however, they can be embedded into a plethora of devices and machinery.

GPS for Everyone

As GPS electronics evolve, their decreasing size and increasing accuracy will allow them to be embedded in all sorts of devices for personal use. What is now military technology will eventually become mainstream and experts predict that it is likely there will be few devices lacking GPS technology.

Trending ideas for the future use of this technology include a lot more potential for personal safety devices to track people and possessions. The prevention of crimes such as theft and abduction is certainly a worthwhile development.

Another application of GPS technology is self-driven vehicles. People who are hindered from driving due to a disability may eventually have access to personal transportation with a self-

driven car. Vehicles carrying munitions or dangerous chemicals can be self-driven, reducing the risk for accident and injury.

Natural disasters and other large-scale events may be measured and managed through GPS tracking. GPS devices with infrared scanners can assess the area of a forest fire and determine its boundaries. This allows responders to assess the danger and spread of the fire and act accordingly.

GPS-enabled site-specific farming gives farmers the tools to create higher crop yields, minimize chemical use, and work in all sorts of weather conditions. By using GPS technology, farmers have greater control over agricultural production and environmental protection.

Environmental applications of GPS technology include mapping and studying environmental change. Researchers are able to access hard-to reach areas and keep track of rare animals. GPS technology allows scientists to track patterns in the weather and earth and potentially predict major events such as floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Perhaps one day all civilians will be able to receive alerts of impending disasters via personal communication devices.

GPS-enhanced technology continues to improve efficiency and safety in aviation. Stronger signals improve ground approach, flight patterns, and poor-visibility flying. More accurate systems improve in-flight and landing safety and overall effectiveness of operations.

Safety and Disaster Relief

• Anticipating earthquakes


• Tracking the spread of fires


• Guiding emergency vehicles


• Sensing and reporting vehicle crashes

Crime Prevention and Response

• Tracking property


• Finding abducted people


• Locating gunshots

Transportation

• Providing information for carpool use


• Preventing accidents


• Providing navigation services


• Tracking freight


• Guiding self-driven vehicles

Agriculture

• Planning farms


• Mapping fields


• Guiding self-driven tractors

Environment

• Tracking and predicting weather


• Tracking endangered animals


• Gathering information


• Studying difficult-access areas

Aviation

• Streamlining air routes


• Increasing safety


• Reducing flight time, workload, and operating costs

These applications are just a tiny sample of the uses for GPS equipment. Daily applications and inventions of this versatile technology continue to serve and advance mankind. What will GPS technology bring in the future? The potential for application of this amazing tool seems limited only by man’s creative abilities.

Shrinking GPS Technology Allows for Broader Applications