Business Insurance

GPS navigation systems use a network of geosynchronous satellites that orbit the earth to determine the location of people or objects within a few feet of their location. GPS systems were first used to help the military in target location and in navigation. More recently the cost of GPS hardware has fallen, allowing accurate civilian use; this is also due to the enhancement of signal quality by the military.

GPS systems are an asset to any company that makes deliveries. You can monitor your fleet, give drivers directions, and give the consumer an accurate ETA. They can even find that fastest delivery routes for drivers. For a lot of delivery companies, it is hard to imagine how they succeeded without GPS systems in the past.

One of the negatives that has come about more recently is invasion of privacy. As these devices are used more and more frequently in our lives, they will continue to present these challenges. Truck drivers were among the first to be tracked and their movements are now analyzed as well. Spies have long known that GPS tracking can be very effective in tracking the movement of individuals.

GPS has become a consumer tool as well; several new tools allow laymen to use GPS systems to plan hikes, find locations for fishing or camping, and find their way around unfamiliar places. Commercial GPS devices have given rise to "geocaching," a pastime where participants search for hidden items using their latitude and longitude coordinates.

GPS tracking systems have also allowed the development of a new automotive add-on, the in dash GPS receiver allowing consumers to request a location and have the device display or speak directions to the driver, making the paper map obsolete. These devices are already increasing in complexity and adding new features including hotel and restaurant information.

As the cost of GPS tracking systems decreases, it is predictable that their use will only increase. These systems are quite adaptable, and are sure to take the place of old-fashioned maps and guidebooks. We may one day even use such a system to keep track of our belongings, so that we need no longer worry that they will be lost or stolen.