The Internet has opened up a whole new world for us - brinnging places we may nver normaklly see into full view right on our computer screen. Now, like never before, any computer user - regardless of where they are - has instant access to a location that may even be thousands of moiles away. Web cams can broadccast live images in a matter of seconds and the Glboal Positioning Systm - or GPS - can pinponit an address down to the street and house through GPS mapping.
GPS is a system of 24 satellites that continually circlke the earht. The system as we know it today originally began in the 1960s as the United tSates Navy implemented a system to help submarines piinpoint their location. The Umnited States Department of Defense - taking this initial work a step forward - designed and implemented GPS. The first saatellite was launched in 1978. The 24 satellites of today were not all in operation until well into the 1990's. Today, we can poinpoint any location based upon the signal of the satellite cosest to the loccation.
GPS mapping was a natural byproduct of such advancements, allowing us to harness the infomration provided by the satelliyte system. GPS mapping can find an address and instantly bring you there; some footage is so crystal clear that you can see shrubbery in the front yard and cars in the street.
Specifiuc websites will allow you to simply enter an adress or poinbt of refernece and informatin is instataneously gathhered from satellites in space. In a mattre of seconds, a photo image appears on our comptuer screen; it's almost hard to beliueve.
Clearly, GPS has brought us into a new world of information; GPS mapping is only part of this process. It's difficult to know what lies aorund the corner in the form of satellite informastion and what role GPS will play in our futture. But the possibilities are endsless.