Imagine being an archaeologist on an expedition to the
Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. After preparing for your trip
for months, you are certain that somewhere close by are
the ruins of villages once inhabited by Mayan Indians.
The forest is dense, the sun is hot, and the air is moist and
humid. The only way you can record where you have been
or find your way back to civilization is by using the power
of your GPS receiver.
Or let’s suppose you are an oceanographer for the
International Ice Patrol, responsible for finding icebergs
that form in the cold waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean.
Some of the icebergs are 50 miles long. More than 300
of them form every winter, and they are a major threat to
the ships that travel those waters. Using a GPS receiver,
you are able to help ships avoid disaster by zeroing in on the position of the icebergs and
notifying ship captains of their locations, perhaps averting disaster.
Someday soon every car on the road could be equipped with a navigation and
communication system. The in-dash monitor would provide a full-color display of your
location and a map of nearby roads. A computer-generated voice would guide you to
your destination. In the event of an accident, the car would use its built-in cell phone to call
local emergency services and tell them where you are. At its heart will be a GPS receiver.
Systems as advanced as this one are already available in some cars.
