Isn't it amazing that Christopher Columbus got credit for the wonderful "discovery" of the New World, and yet he had no idea where he really was!  I guess he was too proud to pull over and ask for directions. After all, he was a man!

These days, there's really no excuse for being lost anywhere on the planet.  The reason is the incredible revolution that has taken place quietly and rapidly that involves the Global Positioning System -- GPS.  With this technology, you or I can have a device in our hands that can direct us to within a few yards of any other place in the world (and the military hardward is rumored to be accurate to within inches!)

This week, in honor of Columbus Day, learn a bit more about how these gizmos really work and what they can do for you.  Just think, you may never be lost again -- which is a lot more than Columbus could ever dream.

See you soon -- we assume that you know where WE are. If not, click here for a  MAP

Jim Nixon,
The Cleaners

"I don't need GPS."
Think again!

You have been benefitting from GPS technology and probably not even known it.  Here are some applications that are now commonplace:

• Many delivery fleet vehicles are now equipped with GPS, to get your packages and other items to you faster and more accurately.
• Public transportation systems use GPS receivers.
• Public safety and medical emergency vehicles can be routed to the scene where they are needed most efficiently with GPS receivers.
• Some rental cars feature the devices.
• Mapping and surveying are done using it.

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Look! 
Up in
the Sky!

You may have heard someone say, "I'll find my way.  I've got GPS."  Actually, that's not accurate.  GPS means Global Positioning System.  As such, it's not something you can carry around in your pocket.  The system is made up of  satellites that transmit data to any of millions of receivers -- from hand-held devices to those based in airplanes, on the battlefield, or in the family automobile, among others.

The system came about because the U.S. Department of Defense (D.O.D.) needed a super-accurate way to know exactly where people or things are on the surface of the planet.  Only a government would have the funds to make research and development of such a system possible, since it involves 27 satellites in orbit around the earth (24 are active, 3 are for back-up), as well as ground-based systems to control and regulate the system.  However, once the system was in place and had shown its value, the D.O.D. quickly opened up the technology to everyone, and it has revolutionized how we move people and items from place to place. (The picture above is an artist's conception of the satellite system from the Department of Defense.)

How Does It Work?

It goes back to some of those math classes you slept through in school.  Yes, the teacher was right when she said this stuff had real-world applications.  GPS utilizes the simple principle of trilateration -- a fancy way of saying you get readings from four different satellites, and together they pinpoint where you are.  Here's an explanation of how that works:

Imagine you are standing in the middle of a town, and you ask someone, "Where am I?"  The wise-acre you ask says, "You're 500 miles from Smithville."  Gee, that narrows it down!

Actually, it does.  You now know you are anywhere along a circle that is 500 miles away from Smithville ("A" on the diagrams above.)  You decide you want to narrow it down a bit, since you could be in any number of places, so you ask the next passerby the same question.  Unfortunately for you, this one is a cousin of the first guy, and she says, "You're 275 miles from Jones City."  Aha!  Now we're getting somewhere.

If you are 500 miles from Smithville AND 275 from Jones City ("B" on the diagrams above) you now have two circles of possible places you could be, but they intersect in just TWO places (see blue dots.)  You ask a third citizen, and realize the whole town is infested with crazies, because he says, "You're 430 miles from Harrison."

Now you've got it nailed!  This means a third circle can be drawn 430 miles out from Harrison.  And it will intersect the other two circles in JUST ONE place -- Fruitcake City, where you are standing.

With GPS, all that figuring is done for you in nanoseconds.  And, because you're dealing with a 3-dimensional world, you need a 4th satellite to absolutely pinpoint your position on the earth.  The receiver in your hand does all this by figuring out the position of 3-4 satellites above you, and the distance between you and each of them, by timing a signal's journey from satellite to receiver.

All this requires such precision of synchronization that absolute time must be known both by the satellites and your receiver.  Each satellite has an atomic clock on board (the most accurate type of clock ever developed, and each costing between $50,000 and $100,000) and it helps the receiver to synchronize to that time through some fancy gyrations.  The best receivers (Differential GPS receivers) also correct for things like the earth's atmosphere, signals bouncing off buildings or other large objects, or other errors that will throw the data off.

You can read all about how it works, in great detail:

• How Stuff Works -- the most entertaining and brain-stretching site for this kind of thing.
• Trimble's site -- Trimble makes GPS receivers, and has animated displays to show you the science behind it.

Neat things to do with GPS.

When they decided to build the Chunnel -- the tunnel that joins England and France under the English Channel -- they had two teams of construction workers beginning their digging miles apart and going under water, to boot.  Yet the two ends of the tunnel met nearly perfectly, thanks to GPS readings as the construction progressed.

In Chicago, there are studies going on that use GPS to accurately measure the amount of sway of the tall skyscrapers in the wind, so that better buildings can be built by engineers who now have real-world data to plug into their equations.

When a GPS receiver was carried to the top of Mount Everest, it was discovered that the mountain is actually a few feet higher than previously estimated.  Now GPS is routinely used to double-check measurements all over the world.

• Read about everyday applications for GPS by the Aerospace Corporation.
• There's a whole magazine devoted to GPS uses and articles!  GPS World is fascinating.  Check it out.
• Buy GPS devices by checking Adventure GPS or Magellan GPS.  Or just put "GPS" into your favorite search engine.

So, what can you do with it?  Here are some more lighthearted uses:

• Mark your position before you leave your car at the mall, and be able to get right back to it without the embarrassment of wandering around for half an hour.
• Record the exact path you took to get somewhere, and either reverse it to get home, or be able to share it with someone else when they want to go there.
• Prove how fast you were going when you are pulled over by the police officer, since it can track speed and distance when left on.
• Estimate your arrival time.  At last!  An answer to that pesky question, "When are we going to get there???"
• Download the right data base, and it can direct you to your favorite restaurants in any town.
• Find the spot where the fish were biting time after time.
• Know where you are without any landmarks.
• Be the hero who leads you all back to camp after hiking in the woods.
• You can mark the location of a great photograph you took, and return there.
• Tie it to the dog or cat's collar and find out where they really go all night.  (Just hope they bring it home with them!)
• Have a progressive dinner that doesn't include names and addresses, only coordinates.
• Record your delivery route so that someone else can do it while you are sick or on vacation.
• Realtors can give it to clients to guide them to a house they want to see, without getting them lost.
• You get to use the excuse, "I must have transposed my coordinates."  Good thing, since that's the only excuse you'll ever have for not arriving!

Not ready for GPS?

Then take full advantage of the many online mapping programs, and still get your trip routed or locate a place of business you need to find.  Try these:

• Map Quest -- routing, prints out maps and directions.
• Yahoo Maps -- see above.
• Map Point -- see above.
• Map Tech -- a neat site that includes the ability to download software and charts for hand-held devices for land, marine and aeronautical reference.
• Maps.com -- plan trips, buy printed maps, look up historical, political and thematic world maps.

Community Service Corner

Remember, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Every year, the month of October is a time to remind women young and old that they need to take care of their health through regular breast self-examination and mammograms.  Breast cancer will strike one in ten women -- so the chances that you will not be touched by this disease in your circle of family and friends is slim.  Be proactive in your health!

What can you do to help?  Regardless of whether you are male or female, you can be struck by breast cancer.  You can also make a difference in the fight.  Join in efforts to promote awareness of this disease.  Buy postage stamps that feature the breast cancer message, and from which funds are donated to research.  Learn more about the disease -- and the reasons for hope.  Get involved in a Relay For Life or Race for the Cure event in your area.  You can help save lives.

• Purchase materials to promote Breast Cancer Awareness.
• Official site of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
• American Cancer society  (Relay For Life) 
• Susan G. Komen Foundation (Race for the Cure)
  
  Don't forget to purchase postage stamps that help fund breast cancer research.