The global positioning system (GPS), also known as NAVSTAR-GPS (NAVigation System with Timing And Ranging), was developed by the US Department of Defence. It is a satellite-based navigation system that was first developed by the US in the 1970s, initially for military purposes. GPS has officially been operated since 17 July, 1995. It covers the entire globe. The main purpose of the system is to provide users with data about their location and to facilitate navigation. Anyone can use the service—all you need is a suitable GPS receiver.
The name GPS was first made popular in reference to object localisation systems. Other well-known systems of this kind include the European Galileo (launched only on 15 December 2016), the Russian GLONASS and the Chinese Beidou.
Most modern GPS receivers support two or more systems simultaneously, which increases the accuracy of position data measurement.
Photo by Mark Cruz / Unsplash
« Zurück zur Übersicht