GPS became fully operational in 1995 and since it’s introduction Global Positioning Systems have become one of the most widely used aids to worldwide navigation, land surveying, tracking and cartography. At the core of transportation systems such as aviation, maritime and land navigation is a GPS system. GPS provides accurate timing and locality and has become an essential tool in many commercial and agricultural industries too.

Offering a wide variety of functionality GPS Systems are becoming more and more popular in the worldwide transport industry and penetrating into the domestic markets with hand held models and car sat nav systems growing in unit sales year on year.

The most common types of satellite navigation equipment are:-

• Portable Satellite Navigation Systems for cars
• Handheld GPS systems
• Mobile phone GPS
• Built – in Satellite Navigation Systems for cars

GPS Systems or Global Positioning Systems to give them their full name are one of the worlds most widely utilised communication, positioning and time reference technologies, expanding into homes, transportation, recreation and cellular phone arenas. Satellite technology is never far away from our everyday lives and it will become an increasing integrated part of our ongoing develoment.

By receiving coded reference points from a network of satellites circulating earth, GPS systems provide an exact location point on the globe.  Delivering a longitude and latitude reference detailing in degrees of minutes and seconds.

13°19'43" N is an example of a lattitude translated it reads 13 degress 19 minutes and 43 seconds North.  The following are gps system results for well known global reference points:-

• Arctic Circle: 66° 33? 39? N
• Tropic of Cancer: 23° 26? 21? N
• Tropic of Capricorn: 23° 26? 21? S
• Antarctic Circle: 66° 33? 39? S

Whether you are on foot, in a car, on a bike…At some point throughout your lifetime you will probably use a Satellite Navigation System.