Sat Nav, the smart way to find your way around

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or Sat Nav for short is the standard generic term for satellite navigation system.

A GNSS allows small electronic receivers to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) to within a few metres using time signals transmitted along a line of sight by radio from satellites.

Originally conceived and designed by an International team in the USA called NAVSTAR it was a system used to keep the 'Star Wars' I.C.B.Missiles locked onto Russian and other world-wide Cities as the missiles were moved around the States on trains.

(As of 2007, the United States NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully operational GNSS although the Russian version GLONASSis being restored. The Indian next generation service is expected to be up and running in 2012 and the European Galileo version is expected to be operational in 2013.)

Utilizing a number (24) of GPS satellites to track the movement the accuracy is said to be down to 1" (one inch or two and a half centimeters)!!

Now that the use of this facility has been made available to the general public the accuracy has been downgraded for commercial usagebut none the less it is still an extremely important means of location anywhere in the world.

Users of 'Google World' trying to locate positions in the world from their computers will testify to this.

If you want to utilize this facility without downloading the full Google package why not check out the Map-My-Walk page on this site.

( Who would have thought that the original 'Navistar' would one day be used to track individual personnel as they walked for pleasure?)

Quite simply a GNSS allows small electronic receivers to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude) using time signals transmitted along a line of sight by radio from satellites. Thus if you have one in your hand or in the vehicle then you are able to accurately pinpoint your exact position anywhere in the world.

Even the 'Hangar 18' in New Mexico USA where the infamous 'Roswell' incident took place in the area know as 51.is on the world map so if you are out in the desert in New Mexico and you wander off course your Sat Nav can still pin-point your position. In all probability you will be picked up by security long before you get more than a few feet from the perimeter fence so you may not be needing it for a while.

So if you are out on the hiking trails and you have a SA NAV or GPS tracker on you then you in theory, should never get lost.

Happy walking.

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