The global positioning system is a navigational system that makes use of satellites launched by the government of the US to gain information regarding location anywhere in the Earth. Originally, this system was intended for use only for the military but during the 1980s, the use of the system became open to the public. The GPS is composed of 24 satellites placed into orbit around the Earth estimate at 12,000 miles above the Earth. They revolve around the Earth at an average of twice every 24 hours.
The satellites used for the global positioning system transmit their signal regardless of the weather conditions on the planet. A receiver wired for GPS take the information being sent by the satellite and used the signal to triangulate and determine said user’s exact location. In order to determine the location, the receiver makes a comparison between the time said signal was sent by the satellite and the time the receiver received the signal. The difference in the time allows the receiver to determine the distance from the receiver to the satellite. To determine the uer’s location, the receiver also calculates the time difference from the transmission of the signal and the time the receiver receives the signal from other satellites.
In order for a GPS receiver to determine a 2-dimensional position (the latitude and the longitude) and track movement along a flat surface, it has to be locked on the signal of at least 3 satellites. In order to determine a 3-dimensional position (the latitude and longitude plus the altitude), it has to be locked on to the signal of 4 or more satellites. After the position has been calculated, other information like the speed, track, distance to a destination, and other things can also be determined.
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