For the last five years, the Global Positioning System or the GPS technology has become the major navigation system innovation globally. The earliest existence of a navigation system dates back in the 1940s, which was used during the World War II. Radio frequency was used then. In 1960, the first satellite navigation system was successfully tested by the United States Navy to position accurate clocks in space. A navigation system was made available only for the use of military functions, mainly the United States Department of Defense, due to cost restrictions in research, deployment and operation. However, the nuclear threat to the United States during the late 1970s urged the United State Congress to justify the development and funding of the system.
Following this incident is the shutting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that navigated through the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics prohibited airspace. The Soviet Union interceptors claimed that the civilian airliner was on a spy mission hence posing threat to ignite the Cold War race. All 269 civilians on board were killed. It was this phenomenon which prompted former president Ronald Reagan to issue a directive permitting all civilians to use the GPS for the common good.
The GPS is a navigation system monitored by a space-based satellite and maintained by the United States Government. Anyone with a GPS receiver can locate the accurate position and time of a given place. At present, the reach of GPS has been extensively available to serve various functions such as in the global air traffic system and space explorations, but surprisingly, it serves billions of civilians around the world. When you are on a road trip with friends, you rely on a GPS device to show you where you must be headed. When you’re lost, a GPS device comes in handy. Even mobile phones are manufactured with a GPS technology. What surprises most of us more is the availability of GPS applications for sports, like golf.
Yes! Golfers can simply determine their distance to the hole and up to 14,000+ course targets with just a few clicks of their finger using a GPS handheld device. GPS for golf features hole preview with zoom, distance calculation to hazards and layups, digital scorecard, and over thousands of course databases.
The Garmin Approach® G3 North America is the latest most comprehensive GPS for golfers, featuring more than 17,000 free updated golf course maps in the United States and Canada. For mobile phone users, GolfLogix is the number 1 GPS for golf application in the United States. You can download this application from your Apple, Blackberry, or Motorola, HTC, and Samsung phones.
The GPS technology has indeed expanded over the decades and remains one of the best inventions in the world.