Introduction on Google Maps for Global Positioning Systems
What is a Google Map?
Google Maps (for a time named Google Local) is a basic web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free (for non-commercial use), that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API.
Global Positioning System?
The Global Positioning System, or GPS, can show you your exact position on Earth any time, anywhere, in any weather. The system consists of a constellation of 24 satellites (with about 6 "spares") that orbit 11,000 nautical miles above Earth’s surface and continuously send signals to ground stations that monitor and control GPS operations.
Global positioning system applications generally fall into 5 major categories:
1. Location - determining a position
2. Navigation - getting from one location to another
3. Tracking - monitoring object or personal movement
4. Mapping - creating maps of the world
5. Timing - bringing precise timing to the world
As part of the assignment, I would be covering the use of GPS in the U.S. military .
The GPS system has proved to be a valuable aid to U.S. military forces. Picture the desert, with its wide, featureless expanses of sand. The terrain looks much the same for miles. Without a reliable navigation system, U.S. forces could not have performed the maneuvers of Operation Desert Storm. With GPS the soldiers were able to go places and maneuver in sandstorms or at night when even the Iraqi troops who lived there couldn’t. More than 1,000 portable commercial receivers were initially purchased for their use. The demand was so great that before the end of the conflict, more than 9,000 commercial receivers were in use in the Gulf region. They were carried by soldiers on the ground and were attached to vehicles, helicopters, and aircraft instrument panels. GPS receivers were used in several aircraft, including F-16 fighters, KC-135 aerial tankers, and B-52 bombers. Navy ships used them for rendezvous, minesweeping, and aircraft operations.
GPS has become important for nearly all military operations and weapons systems. It is also used on satellites to obtain highly accurate orbit data and to control spacecraft orientation.
Other Google Map Applications
Google Maps for mobile
On November 28, 2007, Google Maps for Mobile 2.0 was released. It introduced a GPS-like location service that does not require a GPS receiver. The "my location" feature works by utilizing the GPS location of the mobile device, if it is available. This information is supplemented by the software determining the nearest cell site. The software then looks up the location of the cell site using a database of known cell sites. The software plots the streets in blue that are available with a yellow icon and a green circle around the estimated range of the cell site based on the transmitter's rated power (among other variables). The estimate is refined using the strength of the cell phone signal to estimate how close to the cell site the mobile device is.
Google Maps in Google Latitude:
Google Latitude is a feature from Google that lets users share their physical locations with other people. This service is based on Google Maps, specifically on mobile devices. There's an iGoogle widget for Desktops and Laptops as well. Some concerns have been expressed about the privacy issues raised by the use of the service.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Maps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-Oq-9enE-k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWNa5b9lMRY&feature=player_embedded
http://www.aero.org/education/primers/gps/whatisgps.html
