|

Author:
Simon Wyryzowski

GPS or Global Positioning Systems is a term that most commonly conjures up images of vehicle navigation systems, space-age satellite technology, and interactive maps for outdoors-types and sportsmen. But the reality is that there are far more applications of Global Positioning Systems beyond GPS vehicle tracking or map navigation that everyday people like us can benefit from. All it takes is a bit of creativity, and some trial and error. Here are a few of the many possibilities that can benefit you right now in your busy and hectic life.
1. Know where your children are using services from companies like uLocate Communications.
2. Keep track of elderly members of your family, so that they don’t wander off alone.
3. Plan a road trip around interesting points of interests, landmarks, campsites, diners, etc, and hear fewer "Are we there yets?"- and of course get the most out of that expensive gas.
4. Get emergency road side assistance at a touch of a button from your vehicle, so you can get help exactly where and when you need it.
5. Keep a visual journal and bookmark collection of your favorite hot spots, sceneries, and points of interests, that may not be listed in any travel guide (You can create your own mini travel guides and memories).
6. Find lost pets easily using collars with built-in GPS, better than running around in your pajamas hollering like a maniac.
7. Feel safer with cellular phone 911 calls, so emergency personnel can pinpoint your location once you make an emergency call. Please double check your carrier service to see that it has GPS features and get a primer on how it works if possible.
8. Get to your interview, or any important time sensitive destination or engagement, faster by finding shortcuts and correct directions.
9. Find a good Italian restaurant near your movie theatre on the fly.
10. Track your luggage, laptops, and anything of importance while traveling.
11. Track and find family, friends in a crowded concert, graduation, or any social gathering.
12. When going on a vacation, feel free to separate from group for a while to venture on your own based on your own interests and find them later on with your GPS enabled device- even in an unfamiliar place.
Our ability to use GPS so far is limited by the relatively poor connection to the satellite feeds when we are indoors in buildings, homes, or behind anything that could obstruct the GPS connection. However with the investment and development in a new satellite network called Galileo which should be completed in the near future, these problems should be eliminated drastically. Despite these problems, GPS still offers a world of benefits as mentioned earlier, and with any technology, it will only get better.
In addition to more practical usage applications, GPS will make a great educational and fun gift for your loved one’s and friends as well. Consider just two of the many creative and educational uses of GPS:
1. Stay physically active and fit by playing RayGun! A locational based cell phone game based on GPS technology.
2. Become more cultured, make global friends, and learn about the world playing GeoCache, a global GPS based treasure hunt.
With many affordable feature-rich models to satisfy anyone’s preferences and budgets, now is as good a time as any to learn more about GPS technologies, which are surely to become more assimilated into the mainstream within the decade. One day we will take these things for granted just like we do now for the internet and cell phones. The key is to dive in, without paralyzing yourself with the overwhelming array of choices in the GPS market, and enjoying some truly amazing technology.

About The Author

Simon Wyryzowski is a GPS enthusiast and regular contributor to GPSZoom.com. For even more practical, creative, and common uses including GPS tracking services for people, please visit http://www.gpszoom.com/.
Copyright 2005 GPSZoom. This article may be reprinted as long as it's contents are not modified and the author's credits and live link are left intact.

| Article Keywords: GPS

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to GPS... GPS Tracking – 3 Effective Uses To Consider Some of the available GPS tracking software packages today enable the user to interact with the tracked unit in a number of ways. Thus, the communication goes both ways so that from a base station, the user can check the status of its target object and send new instructions to it like remote commands if necessary. One of the most well-known and widely used applications in the field of global positioning is the GPS tracking. In the first place, a GPS tracking system uses GPS to identify the location of a person, vehicle and pet. It also records the position at regular intervals in order to create a track file or log of activities. The recorded information can then be stored within the GPS tracking unit, or it may be transmitted to a central location or internet connection computer. This transfer can be done through the use of a cellular modem, two-way radio, or satellite. A GPS tracking system actually has a number of uses. In this article I will discuss mainly three of the well-known uses of this GPS application. 1. As mentioned earlier, a GPS tracking system is used to track pets. Well, this idea is relatively new, so there are not a lot of choices and the technology can be pricey. But, I have a few samples of GPS tracking devices used to track pets: • GPS Pet Tracker X5000 by Micro Tech – This device is now marketed to the owners of dogs and cats, not only in the US but in many other parts of the world. According to its proponents, this unit sends its location information over the GSM cellular network and will send SMS messages to three phone numbers at intervals of two to 120 minutes. Also, the user can call the tracker to obtain the information. • Pointer Dog-GPS by Pointer Positioning Solutions – This device is made primarily for hunting. It...