Global Positioning System

Global Positioning System, or GPS, is a network of Earth-orbiting satellites that transmit on precise frequencies that allow handheld devices like the Garman GPS-V to determine a person's global location accurately to within a few meters. A good introduction to the technology is found here: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2000/12/08/gps_intro.html - BillZimmerly

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The widespread availability of consumer gps receivers has lead to the formation of several location hobbies...

• http://confluence.org -- The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures and stories will then be posted here. See WardCunningham and StevenNewton at the confluence nearest Mount St. Helens: http://confluence.org/confluence.php?lat=46&lon=-122&visit=1

• http://geocaching.com -- GPS users locate 'treasure' caches stashed all over the world. All the cache visitor is asked to do is if they take something they should try to leave something in return. See GeoCaching.

• http://www.zefrank.com/sandwich/ -- locate two positions on the globe exactly opposite each other. photograph a piece of bread on the ground at each position.

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Java APIs exist for processing GPS information on devices see http://javagps.sourceforge.net/

And with the latest (2005) WindowsMobile, MS is giving examples of GPS usage at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/articles/gps.mspx

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Researchers are already thinking of GPSs on other planets ie Mars see http://arl.stanford.edu/~rover/scpa_3d.html

I am more down to earth. I like to know whether there is a way to tell where my helpful Call-Centre operator is located, within the India subcontinent.

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