ICT Samachar
Whether it is for traveling somewhere or tracking someone’s location, the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is widely used to determine location. With the help of GPS, people can track their own or others’ locations and easily navigate from one place to another. Today, GPS has become an essential part of everyday life.
GPS is a satellite-based navigation system that provides information about location, speed, and time under any weather conditions, anywhere in the world.
Origin and Development of GPS
GPS was developed by the United States. Although created by the U.S., GPS is now freely accessible and used worldwide.
The GPS navigation system is built on a network of satellites maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense. There are 32 satellites in orbit for GPS, of which 24 are core operational satellites and 8 serve as backup replacements. GPS works 24 hours a day, in any weather condition, anywhere on Earth.
Importantly, GPS services are free to use. Individuals and organizations around the world use GPS without paying any direct fee.
The Beginning: Sputnik and Early Research
The roots of GPS trace back to 1957, when the former Soviet Union (now Russia) launched its first satellite, Sputnik 1.
After Sputnik’s launch, two physicists—William Guier and George Weiffenbach—from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory began tracking Sputnik’s radio transmitter. By measuring changes in frequency (Doppler effect), they were able to determine the satellite’s location.
Inspired by this discovery, Frank McClure, then director at the same laboratory, proposed the idea of determining the location of objects on Earth using satellites. This marked the beginning of GPS-related research.
Early Satellite Navigation Systems
In 1960, using knowledge gained from tracking Sputnik, the United States launched the world’s first satellite navigation system called Transit. It was primarily used by the U.S. Navy to track nuclear missile submarines. However, the Transit system did not provide highly accurate location data.
During the early 1970s, the U.S. Department of Defense recognized the need for a stronger and more reliable navigation system. In 1973, a secret meeting of 12 engineers was held at the Pentagon, which led to the decision to develop the Defense Navigation Satellite System. This system was later renamed NAVSTAR GPS.
The plan required 24 satellites, each orbiting the Earth twice a day. This would enable continuous global tracking. The satellites were equipped with atomic clocks, allowing signals to be transmitted at the speed of light and enabling highly accurate positioning.
In 1978, the first NAVSTAR satellite was launched. The system significantly benefited the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Force, allowing missiles to accurately hit their targets.
GPS Becomes Public
Initially, GPS was restricted to military use only. However, in 1983, after a Korean Air Lines passenger plane was shot down by the Soviet Union, the importance of GPS for civilian navigation became clear. On September 16, 1983, the United States opened GPS technology for civilian use.
While civilians could access GPS, the U.S. government still controlled signal accuracy and could reduce precision when desired. In March 1990, for example, the civilian GPS signal accuracy was intentionally reduced, making precise tracking difficult.
By 1995, the NAVSTAR mission was complete, with 24 satellites fully operational in space, enabling 24-hour global coverage. However, full commercial utilization of GPS began in 2000 when then U.S. President Bill Clinton ended the policy of intentionally degrading civilian GPS accuracy (known as Selective Availability).
Other Global Navigation Systems
As the importance of GPS became evident, other countries developed their own satellite navigation systems:
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GLONASS – Russia
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BeiDou – China
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Galileo – European Union
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NavIC – India
GPS in Modern Life
Today, GPS technology is used in smartphones, cars, boats, airplanes, fitness tracking devices, emergency services, fleet management, weather forecasting, wildlife tracking, and many other applications.
GPS has become deeply integrated into modern life. It helps people navigate from one location to another, track assets or individuals, create maps, and calculate travel time accurately.
From military origins to everyday smartphones, GPS has transformed how the world moves, navigates, and connects.
