In the past, we had to stop our car to see the map. It was reasonable because we used to use big size map posters or a map book. If we looked at the map while driving, it will cover our sight and increase the risk of a car accident. Today is different. The GPS navigation technology will help us to find the destination where we are headed. Its usefulness put it as the device that all vehicle drivers need for their trips.
The GPS itself has been around for decades. It was started when the Department of Defense (DOD) of the US utilized the 11 orbiting satellites to create a new navigation system. It was Ivan Getting that pioneered this system. Through the help of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), they had successfully created NAVSTAR (Navigation System with Timing and Ranging) in 1978.
At that time, the GPS was only allowed to be used by the military. The original purpose of this system was the cold war and space competition with Russia. When Russia launched their satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, MIT researchers detect radio signal changes in various situations. MIT researchers then used that signal to read Sputnik’s orbit. That was the first applicable GPS navigation technology that MIT researchers had.
Based on that discovery, the NAVSTAR then launched. To support this technology, eleven satellites were launched between 1978 and 1985. All of them had one purpose, which is to detect when the Soviet Union tried to break the agreement of not doing nuclear testing and attack the United States. After that, GPS technology started to be applied in various fields other than the military. The earliest application of GPS technology was the civilian airplane in 1983. At that time, this technology was no longer military-only.
It was in response to various accidents involving many civilian planes. The application of GPS technology for civilian transportation was last not that long. During the first Gulf War in 1990, the government decided to stop it for a moment. Then, the public could use it back in 1993. And, it was not only the US. All countries also could use this system. The development of GPS kept moving forward. In 1995, the government launched more satellites. It was all for improving the tracking accuracy.
Since that satellite launching boom, GPS has become more accurate in locating the object. Compared to the past GPS technology, we can see a big difference in its accuracy. The old GPS could locate the target within 100 meters. However, today we can even get a much smaller range than that, which gives us more information about the location of our vehicle, device, and other things that has this technology. Today, the GPS also comes with a more attractive and easy-to-use interface. Additionally, modern GPS also uses an AI system. Who knows what kind of new GPS navigation technology is in the future? The demand for more practicality and safety creates a perfect environment for this technology to grow further.
