GPS navigation device

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A GPS navigation device is any device that receives Global Positioning System (GPS) signals for the purpose of determining the present location. These devices are used in military, aviation, marine and consumer product applications.

Contents 1 Consumer applications 1.1 Stand-alone GPS navigation devices 1.2 GPS modules 2 Commercial aviation 3 Military 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Consumer applications

Consumer GPS navigation devices come in two variants:

• Stand-alone GPS navigation devices and
• GPS navigation devices that need to be connected to a computer to work

Some consumer devices (called GPS loggers) will record trip information for download. This is useful for trailblazing and mapping by hikers and cyclists.

[edit] Stand-alone GPS navigation devices

It has been suggested that Automotive navigation system#Alternatives be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

These devices feature pre-installed embedded software. Most stand-alone devices are mobile, yet special purpose build devices (eg car devices) may be stationary. The software includes interactive street maps (of certain regions) that may also show points of interest, route information, and step-by-step routing directions. Examples include

• TomTom products
• Garmin products
• Mio products
• Navigon products
• Magellan Navigation consumer products

[edit] GPS modules

Other GPS devices need to be connected to a computer in order to work. This computer can be a home computer, laptop or even a PDAs, or smartphones. Depending on the type of computer and available connectors, connections can be made through a serial or USB cable, as well as Bluetooth, CompactFlash, SD, PCMCIA and the newer ExpressCard.^[1] Some PCMCIA/ExpressCard GPS units also include a wireless modem.^[2] Devices usually do not come with preinstalled GPS navigation software, thus once purchased the user must install or write their own navigation software. As you can choose yourself which navigation software you want, you can match it better to your personal taste. It is very common for a PC-based GPS receiver to come bundled with a navigation software suite. Also, GPS modules are significantly cheaper than complete stand-alone systems (around 50-100 €). The software you install may include maps only for a particular region, or the entire world (if software such as Google Maps, Networks in Motion's AtlasBook mobile navigation platform, etc. is used).

Examples of Bluetooth GPS devices are:

• Holux GPSlim236 ^[3]

For examples of USB GPS devices, see ^[4]:

• Globalsat BU-303 GPS
• Holux ?
• DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 with Street Atlas USA 2009
• Haicom HI-204 III USB GPS
• Canmore GT-730F USB GPS
• NAVMAN GPS e Series
• PlayStation Portable PSP-290

Examples of CF GPS devices are:

• Globalsat BC-337 SiRF Star III Compact Flash)
• Holux GR-271 Slim Compact Flash
• Haicom Hi-303III CompactFlash

Examples of ExpressCard GPS devices with embedded modem are:

• Sony Ericsson ec400g

Some hobbyists have also made some GPS devices and open-sourced the plans. An example is the Elektor GPS units. These are based around a SirFStar 3 chip and are comparable to their commercial counterparts.

[edit] Commercial aviation

Commercial aviation applications include GPS devices that calculate location and feed that information to large multi-input navigational computers for autopilot, course information and correction displays to the pilots, and course tracking and recording devices.

[edit] Military

Military applications include devices similar to consumer products for foot soldiers (commanders and regular soldiers), small vehicles and ships, and devices similar to commercial aviation applications for aircraft and missiles. More precisely, commanders and soldiers use the Commanders Digital Assistant and the Soldier Digital Assistant.^[5][6][7][8]

[edit] See also

• Defense Advanced GPS Receiver
• Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver
• GPS Clocks
• Pulse per second

[edit] References