What is GPS? Application of GPS on mobile devices

Users of mobile devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, laptops or tablets must be no stranger to the map and location determination feature. That is the global positioning system – GPS. So what is GPS?

What is GPS?

GPS is a global positioning system developed and operated by the United States. GPS is an abbreviation of the phrase “Global Positioning System”. It is a system consisting of many satellites orbiting above the earth at an altitude of 20,200 km.

GPS works in all weather conditions, anywhere on Earth, continuously 24 hours and completely free for with some services.

Principle of Operation

GPS satellites circle the Earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit informative signals down to Earth. GPS receivers receive this information and by trigonometry calculate the exact location of the user.

The essence of GPS is to compare the time the signals are transmitted from the satellites with the time they are received. Time deviation indicates how far the GPS receiver is from the satellite, with many measured distances to many satellites the receiver can calculate the user’s location and display it on the machine’s electronic map.

To calculate the 2-dimensional position (longitude and latitude), the receiver must receive signals from at least 3 satellites, with at least 4 satellites, it is possible to calculate the 3-dimensional position (longitude, latitude and longitude). degrees and altitudes). Once the user’s location has been calculated, the GPS receiver can calculate other information such as speed, direction of movement, tracking movement, distance of travel, …

​Other navigation systems

When it comes to global positioning, people often think of “GPS” because it is the most commonly used and many mistakenly think it is the only global satellite system in the world, but in fact GPS is just a among the global navigation satellite systems.

There are two main GPS systems being applied on all smartphones today, A-GPS and GLONASS, in addition to some other types used for specific purposes.

A-GPS

A-GPS is a technology that combines GPS positioning and sensors, telecommunications network signals and infers the current location of the device. A-GPS speeds up the location calculation making your device’s positioning function faster as well as the ability to determine the relative position when the device enters the area of ​​loss of GPS satellite signal.

A-GPS requires Internet to work, so when you enter an area with weak signal or network connection is interrupted, A-GPS no longer works. Meanwhile, the GPS connection is not dependent on the Internet at all.

GLONASS

GLONASS is developed by Russia with 24 artificial satellites. GLONASS is also widely used on mobile devices. When combined with GPS, both of these systems make positioning more accurate.

GLONASS is only activated when GPS is weak to save more optimally on the device’s battery, but the speed of GLONASS is somewhat slow. The accuracy of GLONASS depends on where you use it. It gives more accurate positioning results in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere due to this area having more ground stations concentrated.

BDS

BDS is a Chinese project to develop an independent navigation satellite system, which was initially used only in the domestic area but has now expanded to a global system. BDS also has the full name of The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System or Bac Dau, Beidou, … and is often widely used in traffic navigation, marine areas, weather forecasting, natural disasters, hydropower. ,…

BeiDou uses a series of satellites to provide users with precise positioning with an error of about 5 – 10m. Most of the smartphone chips sold globally are compatible with BeiDou.

Galileo

Galileo is a global positioning system like GPS, GLONASS or BeiDou and it is owned by the European Union (EU). Galileo differs from GPS of the United States and GLONASS of the Russian Federation in that it is a navigation system operated and managed by civil, non-military organizations.

With the built-in dual-band standard, Galileo-enabled devices will be able to get accurate real-time positioning down to the meter range (free for individual users). And even centimeters for businesses and organizations with a fee.

QZSS

QZSS is a navigation system covering Asia and Oceania from Japan. This system, funded by SoftBank, Mitsubishi Electric and Hitachi, will be used for the development of self-driving car technology, automatic harvesting of agricultural products, and more.

Japan’s QZSS uses 4 satellites, including one that always flies above Japan, it is designed with its own operating angle and wide coverage so that the signal is not blocked by buildings and trees. Japan will allow anyone to use QZSS for free if their device supports this navigation system.

IRNSS

IRNSS is a navigation system in the region of India and the northern Indian Ocean that is used in both military and civilian fields, such as helping to manage Indian military operations or predicting disasters… In addition, the system The IRNSS navigation system assists in navigation and monitoring the movement of fleets of vehicles such as trucks or ships.

The IRNSS system will provide precise location information service to domestic and foreign users, up to 1,500 km from the Indian border. There are two types of services: standard location service (SPS) for everyone and limited location service (RS) for authorized and military only.

Application of GPS on mobile devices

The birth of the GPS navigation system is considered a great turning point of science, bringing enormous benefits to people’s lives today. Benefits of GPS navigation devices:

+ Emergency response: Every time a car accident occurs, a GLONASS signal (an alternative to GPS) is automatically sent to the authorities.

+ Entertainment needs: GPS can be integrated into games like Pokemon Go to locate friends near each other, ..

+ Health and fitness: Smartwatch and smart wearable devices can track fitness activities such as running distance, cycling thanks to the support of GPS.

+ Locate the user’s location, find the way with the map.

+ Measure the distance traveled, even the speed of travel.

+ Manage favorites with digital maps to guide users.

+ Allows users to include geographical coordinates when taking photos, or indicate the route of the upcoming road.

+ Search, locate the lost device, lock the phone remotely.

+ Optimizing search results based on area: For example, if you search for restaurants, if you use location, the results near the current location will be prioritized to the top.

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Limitations of GPS

Thanks to the 24/7 operation of GPS and the development of technology, a user can easily be tracked by a hacker (hacker) without even knowing it. Parents keep track of their children by having them wear GPS-enabled devices such as smartwatches.

I have just brought the basic information about GPS as well as the useful uses that GPS brings. Hope it helps you, if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.