The Global Positioning System or GPS is a navigation technique used to locate the position of any object on the earth to which a GPS device is attached. The GPS technique was developed by the Department of Defense of the United States in the year 1973. It was then designed for the use of military soldiers, vehicles, ships and planes to determine where they are located and where they have to head towards. It could help them find out their position any where in the world. Today the use of Global Positioning System is much more varied and extensive. It has begun to be used for scientific as well as commercial purposes apart from military purposes.

Commercial uses: GPS is used as a navigation and positioning tool. GPS can help locate the position of any moving or static body on earth if it has a GPS device attached to it. GPS is used by all vehicles and transports. Be it aircrafts, ships or cars, all of them make use of GPS devices to know their position and navigation. GPS devices are also used by adventure lovers. GPS is pretty helpful when you go for hiking, fishing or sailing. A fun activity can turn sour if you lose your way. GPS devices ensure that this does not happen. Today even cell phones and watches have GPS in them. It is very useful to have GPs in your watches and cell phones as they will help you when you are in dire straits like if you lose your vehicle and are stranded in an unknown place. GPS devices are also very helpful when you are visiting a new city or country. It is much easier to find your way through a city or even a desert if you have a GPS device with you.

Scientific uses: GPS has proved itself very useful in scientific uses as well. Meteorologists make use of GPS for studying the climatic changes and to make weather forecasts. GPS has perhaps been of the greatest help to geologists in surveying land and making earthquake studies by studying movements of the tectonic plates. Though the research is still in progress it has been largely determined that GPS can help in predicting earthquakes. Scientists will be forewarned about an oncoming earthquake. This will facilitate earthquake preparations and emergency evacuation from sensitive areas and will thereby help save so many lives and property. GPS technique has thrown open many vistas of solid-earth dynamics research.

The Global Positioning System is made up of twenty four satellites that orbit twenty thousand kilometers above the surface of the earth. These satellites monitor the entire globe twenty four seven and send information in the form of radio signals to their satellite receivers on the earth. At these receiving stations the radio signals are converted back into data. There is a data centre that controls and monitors all the receiving stations. It retrieves and analyses the data and makes it available to the scientists all over the world.