What exactly is a GPS device and why do i need one?

“Excuse me, can you give me directions to...”

You may have heard this more than once or even ask the question yourself, with a smile you try your best to guess the easiest route or you'd simply point to an area to help your fellow man in the right direction. In the past few years however, I’ve been hearing this infamous question less and less, so why is that?

Well the answer lies with technological progress. First we launched satellites into orbit to spy on the universe, and then decided to point them down to gather data for scientific/military purposes. Today we’ve condensed surveillance technology into a more compact form, that sits comfortably on our dashboards. Yes I’m talking about Mobile GPS (Global Positioning System) devices.

We have certainly come a long way from the year 2000. Any man in the 1980’s would fall down laughing if you told him we are getting information via space satellites for vehicle navigation. The fact is, this seemingly space-age technology has rapidly become available for civilian use and it amazes me how normal it has become. What’s more baffling is how quickly we’ve adapted to this technology previous thought to be exclusively used by the military.

Enter the Eagle Eye

GPS devices have enhanced almost every aspect of life, from daily vehicle navigation to outdoor adventurist and enthusiasts. Now the reason why I’m referencing the block-buster movie Eagle Eye is because the central theme in the movie was centred on the amazing capacities of vehicle/person tracking, information analyses and positional mapping. As extremely advanced as that may sound, the truth is that your GPS device has most of these capabilities, but on a smaller scale. Many people don’t fully understand what it means to have a GPS receiver in their cars or GPS-enabled smartphone in their hand.

So why can’t we simply use our GPS gadgets like the super spies in the movies and track bad guys and their locations? Well we can, but to an extent. The government has been clever enough to restrict the full capabilities of a GPS receiver to function only within the range of a few kilometres (10-15 kilometres for the most). Reason being, military-grade missile receivers has a range well above 500 meters from its target. So this means that your GPS receiver’s limitation of a few kilometres prevents it for being confused with some dangerous cruise missile, making it safe for consumer use. You see, the government can be good once you get to know them.

Now before I start sounding like a conspiracy geek, let me bring this back to the positive.

GPS devices for everybody

Apart from the previously discussed in-car GPS navigation, many other practical applications have been integrated by this amazing surveillance technology for everyday use.

Handheld GPS – Christopher Columbus may have “discovered” America with a compass but doesn’t mean you have to. Today's handheld GPS devices are predominantly used by outdoor enthusiasts for walking, hiking and mountain climbing. Huge paper maps and inaccurate compasses where replaced by digital GPS units to plan routes or distances via satellite before embarking on an outdoor adventure.

Sport & Fitness GPS – Similar to the handheld receiver, sport and fitness GPS devices can monitor heart-rates, calories and distance when running. Set up a route for a jog and time your progress with accuracy and precision. It’s like having your own personal trainer telling you how far you've gone or still needs to go.

Aviation & Marine GPS – Mostly used by professionals such as marine biologists or aircraft pilots. Personally i think its crazy dangerous to have either profession but someone has to do it. For sea lovers GPS receivers can retrieve critical data from the ocean floor or set a course to a designated area for that next big catch.

For aviation experts, the GPS devices can calculate locations or distances and feed the data into a specialized computer for an autopilot. So sit back and enjoy the flight and remember to put your trays in their upright position.

There are of course many other areas where the use of GPS units are being applied. While the world’s best military organizations still holds the true power of Global positioning systems, the modern day application of this amazing technology has become a widely useful tool for everyday activities.

Will we be lost without our trusty new GPS gadgets or will the big fold out area map make a comeback? Whatever the question, I will still make the effort to ask my fellow man for directions to the nearest... (fill in with appropriate location, use your GPS if necessary)