One example of this is the increasing availability of a variety of Global Positioning Systems, often referred to as “GPS”. While civilian utilization was originally hampered somewhat by an intentional GPS inaccuracy, citing “national security”, a few years ago this deliberate inaccuracy was stopped resulting in the current excellent accuracy of the inexpensive GPS systems readily available today.

For those who may not be aware, GPS works by receiving time signals from several of the many GPS satellites in earth orbit. By utilizing a complex mathematical formula, accurate coordinates can be calculated anywhere on earth. While the practical applications of GPS may not be apparent to many readers, it has become universally accepted as a popular recreational tool used by hunters, fishermen, hikers, boaters, and travelers. Either as a free standing pocket size unit, a dashboard mounted unit, or as an attachment to a notebook computer, Pocket PC, or Palm PDA, the prices of these units has dropped as the level of sophistication, availability, and ease of use has increased.

For the past several years, my family has been using a Garmin “eMap” (still available on the market) while traveling. This neat little device, only about 2.5 inches wide, 5.5 inches tall, and less than an inch thick, weighing about 7 ounces with two AA batteries, has literally been around the world, accurately showing us where we are, and what is around us. My eMap contains a built-in base map showing highways and major roads, attractions, lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, railroads, airports, and a database of interstate highway exits. Using an extremely detailed local street-level database, read by my computer from the Garmin MapSource CD, and then downloaded from my computer into an optional 8 megabyte memory card installed in my eMap, I could know my exact position on any street, and find any nearby restaurant by name or type, service station, hospital, shopping center, hotel, theater, or almost any type of attraction. An integral utility showed that my eMap was accurate to within about 20 feet. On recent trips, I have loaded Las Vegas, Dallas, or Houston (including Southeast Texas) into my memory chip, with the available larger chips obviously being capable of storing more information. Storing the locations of my house, my daughters’ apartments, attractions, and other points of interest in my eMap, a quick pressing of the “FIND” button on the front could show the direction and distance from my current location to wherever I want to go. Attaching my eMap to my computer allows me to update its integral database, as well as the MapSource CD, from the Internet.

I have found long flights to often be boring, so I use my eMap on the plane. Held in the window for a few seconds indicated the course, speed, and altitude of the aircraft. The map on the screen showed the current location, and the path the flight had taken. Clicking on the FIND button again, I was able to know when we were flying over the Grand Canyon, and other attractions.

An extremely popular use of GPS systems is outdoor activities. When a topographic map is loaded from a computer CD into the GPS memory, a hiker or hunter can know exactly where he is, and see a graphical representation of the surrounding area. The location of deer stands or other fixed points can be recorded with a click so they can again be easily located. Boaters and fishermen can also find these small GPS units useful. By downloading waterways, lakes, and other bodies of water (including the Gulf of Mexico), into the GPS unit, not just will the user know an exact current location, but can locate any previously recorded location, or find any desired spot. One click and a newly discovered “honey hole” teeming with fish can again be located on another day. On the open water, such as in the Gulf, it becomes simple to set a course and reach any desired location. Navigation becomes a simple exercise. With updated information available on the Internet, that can be loaded into the GPS, maps and navigational information can be kept current.

GPS units come in a variety of formats, including small handheld units like my eMap, dashboard mounted units used in cars, trucks, boats, or aircraft, and small peripheral units connected to a notebook computer, Pocket PC, or Palm PDA. With its greater computing power, many are now using their portable computers as GPS units. When attached to a computer, a GPS can not just show a location and surrounding attractions, but can actually be used to figure routes to any location. Using computer software, such as DeLorme’s Street Atlas, or its PDA and Pocket PC version “XMap”, a real-time street map is on the screen showing the current location. This information is typically updated about once a second. By entering a destination address, attraction, name, or possibly even a phone number, the computer will calculate and show detailed directions to any destination. Side trips, detours, or other stops can be entered, or automatically calculated. The dashboard mounted auto and truck units can also typically use computer CDs, with updated information often downloadable from the Internet.

For the traveler, hiker, hunter, boater, or fisherman, a GPS unit may make an interesting, useful, and appreciated gift this holiday season.

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