As we move through the 21st century, we see, on a day-to-day basis, astonishing developments and breakthroughs in technology. In today’s fast paced world, where almost everyone has cell-phones, PDAs, or other handheld communication tools, developments in the field of wireless communications are ones of great interest. With the technology of the 21st century, we can now track people through their cell-phones using GPS. Although some view this as an invasion of privacy, it has proved very useful in not only helping people who are lost but also finding missing persons.
GPS, an acronym for Global Positioning Satellite, is a system originally designed for Government use that enables us to determine the location of a specific item. GPS works by sending out a type of microwave signal, which the GPS receiver then picks up. Cell phone GPS works the same way. The cell phone, when turned on, disperses a signal to the GPS receiver, which can then determine the position, speed, and direction in which the cell phone is moving. It is also able to keep track of the time at which it connects with the phone via GPS signal. A call does not have to be in progress on the cell phone for the GPS receiver to determine its position. This has contributed greatly to the popularity of cell phone GPS, as it allows the phone’s user to use applications, such as navigators.
Before the popularity of cell phone GPS, a different technique was used for mobile phone tracking. To track a cell phone, triangulation was used. This method determines the location of a cell phone by triangulating in on it via cell phone towers. At any given time, a cell phone, when it is in service areas, is connected to the nearest cell phone towers. With triangulation, one must simply determine which three or more towers it is connected to in order to know where the phone is. As the phone moves, it switches towers, so one can easily see the direction in which the phone is traveling. However, cell phone GPS tracking is much more accurate. Whereas triangulation will determine the location with accuracy of what can be tens of meters, GPS can do so with approximately 5 meter accuracy. This makes cell phone GPS much more convenient than any other method of cell phone tracking.
Cell phone GPS, because it is so accurate and does not require a call to be in progress to track a cell phone, is now being used to aid in 911 calls and missing person situations. Whenever a 911 call is made, the 911 receiver automatically determines where it is coming from using cell phone GPS tracking. Also, when a person is reported missing, if their cell phone is on and has GPS capabilities, the authorities are able to determine its location, thus aiding the missing person investigation.
Although cell phone GPS has proved very useful in determining the position of a cell phone for emergency situations, GPS in cell phones is also being used for more commercial purposes. Many cell phone service providers, such as Verizon Wireless, who offers the VZ Navigator, have incorporated into their service navigation systems that are available on their cell phones. These systems use GPS to determine the phone’s location, and then use a map and, often times, vocal commands, to direct the cell phone user to their desired location. In this way, cell phone GPS is much like GPS navigation systems found in many cars. Cell phone GPS navigation services have become increasingly popular due to their compact size (the size of the phone, rather than a separate system in the car), and pinpoint accuracy.
Cell phone GPS is, overall a very useful tool. Aiding in the safety of people everywhere by being used for 911 calls and missing person situations, and helping users find their way to desired locations, are the current popular uses for cell phone GPS. However, as our technological world is always evolving, cell phone GPS may, someday soon, have even more useful features.
