GPS Software
Published by: SoftDistrict, in Tutorials
November16th2009
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. Nowadays people from all over the world, not only USA uses this reliable system that offers positioning services.
GPS has three major components: satellites (between 24 and 32) that orbit the Earth, four control and monitoring stations in different parts of the Earth, and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites send signals from space that are used by GPS receivers to provide three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus the time.
GPS is now a valuable aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for map-making, tracking and surveillance. GPS has become of real help in all transportation systems worldwide, in the air, on the ground or on the sea. Not to mention emergency services that use GPS to locate the victims of accidents or disasters they are supposed to rescue. The accurate timing provided by GPS is an important tool in all activities of our lives. But GPS is not used only by professionals. Normal people from a variety of fields use it on a daily basis to ease their life.
The first navigation system that used a satellite was called Transit and was tested in 1960 by US Navy. Five satellites, but they could only provide a navigational fix once every hour. In 1967it was followed by Timation, a satellite that placed accurate clocks in space, a technology that GPS relies on. Then, during the 1970s Omega Navigation System was developed - the first worldwide radio navigation system. The system became more and more accurate as they introduced atomic clocks in artificial satellites.
The first GPS devices were built according to the model of the radio navigation systems such as LORAN and the Decca Navigator that were used during World War II.
So the early days of the GPS were only known by the army and a few scientists. And it was used in military and political problems. But then there was an unfortunate event in 1983 that allowed this technology to be used by civilians, too. That was the shooting down of the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 because it got into the USSR's prohibited airspace. President Ronald Reagan then decided that such things should be avoided and GPS use became part of common use. The first satellite was launched in 1989 and the 24th and last satellite was launched in 1994.
Initially only the military staff had access to the highest quality and the signal available for civilian use was intentionally degraded ("Selective Availability", SA). This stopped in 2000 and improved the precision of civilian GPS from about 100m to about 20m.
A GPS receiver regularly receives signals from the satellites and in this why it is capable of calculating its position on Earth. All the messages sent by GPS satellites contain information about the time when the message was sent, the precise orbital information and the general orbits of all GPS satellites.
The exact position of the GPS receiver is calculated using at least three satellites because there are three dimensions of space. However, even a very small clock can cause a large positional error. That is why receivers use four or more satellites to find out the exact location and time of the receiver. Most of the people who use GPS technology are not interested in using the exact time, but only location. Only some specialized people use this kind of applications like time transfer, traffic signal timing, and synchronization of cell phone base stations.
GPS navigation software usually deals with one of the following two categories: navigation and route tracking. The navigation feature allows you to establish an itinerary and gives you clear instructions how to get there. This software is based on a vector -based map, usually for cars or other motorized means of transport. Navigation tracking allows you the route that you followed or will follow in the future and usually shows a map with a red line on the screen; you must follow this line in order to get to the targeted place or represents the trip you have already made.
These two types of software are seldom offered in the same package.
Track - A track is a trace of the places you have been to with your vehicle (often called a "breadcrumb trail"). The software of your GPS unit receives your position and time and records this data as points on a map. If you want to see this track, all you have to do is access the memory of your GPS and the display will show the itinerary taken as a series of dots or a line connecting the dots on a map.
Route- the software shows you the recommended itinerary for the trip you want to take. You introduce a set of information such as starting point and finish point and, according to this data the screen displays you the best route to follow. It is very similar to the first feature of the GPS presented above, except the fact that the first one is in reverse.
Waypoints are used to mark particular locations, important cities, towns or relief forms you meet on the way to your intended destination. They are used only as reference and guidance because sometimes there are different routes from one place to another and waypoints help you follow the right path.
You can use this software on a laptop computer with GPS receiver attached to it. You should know that most GPS software that you find in shops is compatible only with Windows and Mac OS X, yet some can support Linux as well. However, it is easier for you to use the GPS software on your palm, PDA or smartphone. These devices can also be used as a wireless modem for a computer; so that you can upload the information about the route you want and download the recommended itinerary.
The GPS software you can find in stores differs only by means of maps available. Some of them have embedded maps (Nav N Go, ROUTE 66,TomTom Navigator, TomTom Mobile, Destinator, Garmin nRoute, Garmin BaseCamp - released in March 2009, GPS Tuner, Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009). Others have an open source and free navigation software with maps (OpenStreetMap). There is a kind of navigation software with scanned or downloaded maps stored in the computer (Master Navigator Software, OziExplorer). And finally Navigation software with maps downloaded from a remote server: Google Earth (Windows, Mac, Linux), google maps, GPS Tuner (Version 5.x on Windows Mobile, Smartphone), Navit, VZ Navigator (smartphone)
Latest Versions of GPS software: GPS Utility Version 5.0i Beta released 8th November 2009, GPS Utility Version 5.02 released 23rd August 2009 and GPSU Import File Converter 1.27 released 7th May 2009.
GPS has three major components: satellites (between 24 and 32) that orbit the Earth, four control and monitoring stations in different parts of the Earth, and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites send signals from space that are used by GPS receivers to provide three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus the time.
GPS is now a valuable aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for map-making, tracking and surveillance. GPS has become of real help in all transportation systems worldwide, in the air, on the ground or on the sea. Not to mention emergency services that use GPS to locate the victims of accidents or disasters they are supposed to rescue. The accurate timing provided by GPS is an important tool in all activities of our lives. But GPS is not used only by professionals. Normal people from a variety of fields use it on a daily basis to ease their life.
The first navigation system that used a satellite was called Transit and was tested in 1960 by US Navy. Five satellites, but they could only provide a navigational fix once every hour. In 1967it was followed by Timation, a satellite that placed accurate clocks in space, a technology that GPS relies on. Then, during the 1970s Omega Navigation System was developed - the first worldwide radio navigation system. The system became more and more accurate as they introduced atomic clocks in artificial satellites.
The first GPS devices were built according to the model of the radio navigation systems such as LORAN and the Decca Navigator that were used during World War II.
So the early days of the GPS were only known by the army and a few scientists. And it was used in military and political problems. But then there was an unfortunate event in 1983 that allowed this technology to be used by civilians, too. That was the shooting down of the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 because it got into the USSR's prohibited airspace. President Ronald Reagan then decided that such things should be avoided and GPS use became part of common use. The first satellite was launched in 1989 and the 24th and last satellite was launched in 1994.
Initially only the military staff had access to the highest quality and the signal available for civilian use was intentionally degraded ("Selective Availability", SA). This stopped in 2000 and improved the precision of civilian GPS from about 100m to about 20m.
A GPS receiver regularly receives signals from the satellites and in this why it is capable of calculating its position on Earth. All the messages sent by GPS satellites contain information about the time when the message was sent, the precise orbital information and the general orbits of all GPS satellites.
The exact position of the GPS receiver is calculated using at least three satellites because there are three dimensions of space. However, even a very small clock can cause a large positional error. That is why receivers use four or more satellites to find out the exact location and time of the receiver. Most of the people who use GPS technology are not interested in using the exact time, but only location. Only some specialized people use this kind of applications like time transfer, traffic signal timing, and synchronization of cell phone base stations.
GPS navigation software usually deals with one of the following two categories: navigation and route tracking. The navigation feature allows you to establish an itinerary and gives you clear instructions how to get there. This software is based on a vector -based map, usually for cars or other motorized means of transport. Navigation tracking allows you the route that you followed or will follow in the future and usually shows a map with a red line on the screen; you must follow this line in order to get to the targeted place or represents the trip you have already made.
These two types of software are seldom offered in the same package.
Track - A track is a trace of the places you have been to with your vehicle (often called a "breadcrumb trail"). The software of your GPS unit receives your position and time and records this data as points on a map. If you want to see this track, all you have to do is access the memory of your GPS and the display will show the itinerary taken as a series of dots or a line connecting the dots on a map.
Route- the software shows you the recommended itinerary for the trip you want to take. You introduce a set of information such as starting point and finish point and, according to this data the screen displays you the best route to follow. It is very similar to the first feature of the GPS presented above, except the fact that the first one is in reverse.
Waypoints are used to mark particular locations, important cities, towns or relief forms you meet on the way to your intended destination. They are used only as reference and guidance because sometimes there are different routes from one place to another and waypoints help you follow the right path.
You can use this software on a laptop computer with GPS receiver attached to it. You should know that most GPS software that you find in shops is compatible only with Windows and Mac OS X, yet some can support Linux as well. However, it is easier for you to use the GPS software on your palm, PDA or smartphone. These devices can also be used as a wireless modem for a computer; so that you can upload the information about the route you want and download the recommended itinerary.
The GPS software you can find in stores differs only by means of maps available. Some of them have embedded maps (Nav N Go, ROUTE 66,TomTom Navigator, TomTom Mobile, Destinator, Garmin nRoute, Garmin BaseCamp - released in March 2009, GPS Tuner, Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009). Others have an open source and free navigation software with maps (OpenStreetMap). There is a kind of navigation software with scanned or downloaded maps stored in the computer (Master Navigator Software, OziExplorer). And finally Navigation software with maps downloaded from a remote server: Google Earth (Windows, Mac, Linux), google maps, GPS Tuner (Version 5.x on Windows Mobile, Smartphone), Navit, VZ Navigator (smartphone)
Latest Versions of GPS software: GPS Utility Version 5.0i Beta released 8th November 2009, GPS Utility Version 5.02 released 23rd August 2009 and GPSU Import File Converter 1.27 released 7th May 2009.
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