subject: Understanding the Concept of GPS Used by GPS Units [print this page] Understanding the Concept of GPS Used by GPS Units
GPS units, Garmin fishfinders and handheld GPS units are creating waves all over, but many people are just not aware of what GPS is all about. GPS which stands for Global Positioning System is a navigation system (satellite based) comprising of satellites positioned precisely by the U.S. Department of Defense into the earth's orbit. It was built for military purposes initially but by mid 80s, the government agreed to make the system available for civilian use.
The basic purpose of GPS satellite is to pass on signal based information (power radio signals) to earth. GPS based receivers then collect this signal based information to calculate the concerned user's exact location through the usage of triangulation. Most of the GPS units are water resistant as well.
GPS and Accuracy
No doubt GPS units are decently accurate, still many people amongst us have doubts about the overall ability of GPS devices like marine GPS, geocaching GPS and handheld GPS. Garmin GPS utilizes WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) to boost accuracy to an average of less than 3 meters.
GPS is not necessarily dependent on weather conditions but there is a chance that the accuracy may get affected by certain harsh atmospheric factors. Most GPS units utilize a parallel multi channel design which augments its precision. GPS systems have the capacity to work through the day.
Different GPS Units
There are many different types of GPS units available based on the function they integrate. Some of the common GPS devices are handheld GPS units, golf GPS units, wrist GPS, marine GPS systems, fishfinders and geocaching GPS.
GPS Utilization
Such is the requirement and utilization of Garmin GPS devices that it is often said that there is a Garmin GPS receiver for almost every activity. The best part is that GPS does not require any setup charges or subscription fees to use the facility. WAAS and 12 parallel channel technology has made GPS units more accurate which eventually increases its usefulness. Now days, its accuracy is supplemented by differential GPS (DGPS) which corrects the GPS signals to a few meters (3 to 5 meters).
All in all, GPS devices have been a forefront in the technology of tracking and navigation.
