GPS Maps

Reading and Making GPS Maps

GPS maps and GPS technology are inventions of the United States military, as many technological advances tend to be.  GPS technology employs the use of several satellites orbiting the earth to send signals to GPS stations around the country and world.  The data from these stations can be transmitted to individual receivers such as the type found in a vehicle, cellular phone, or even wrist watch.  Many of these devices will display a map showing the user’s current location, and in the case of vehicle units, will display a GPS map with the user’s destination.

To read a GPS map, it is important to understand the orientation of the device displaying the map.  A vehicle-based GPS unit, for example, is usually oriented to the direction the vehicle is traveling, and the cardinal directions move much like a compass. The map of a vehicle unit will have a few items on its key to make understanding the map easier, such as markers for the vehicle itself, the destination, and any stops between the starting point and destination.

The GPS map will also have markings such as major streets, side roads, highways, toll booths, and retail locations available for display.  Each GPS unit will have different customizable features, and the owner’s manual will help to make the GPS unit easy to set up. Many GPS maps for automobiles or on hand-held devices, such as a cellular phone or palm unit, are usually very straightforward, with easily recognizable symbols and large print that is simple to read and follow.

Most folks are probably more accustomed to reading GPS maps than they realize. For example, whenever a person is looking at a map for directions or for general orientation, or on the Internet for similar information, they are looking at a GPS map. Google Earth, for example, uses GPS maps of the entire planet to give directions, and in some areas can display pictures right down to individual neighborhood streets or even homes.  Yahoo maps are also GPS generated, and are able to provide easy to follow direction to places with just an address.

Making GPS Maps

GPS maps are made by correlating the photos of the earth by satellite, with known maps, and comparing those to the life satellite feeds in correlation to set point on the earth.  For someone wanting to make a custom map, one only needs to utilize a GPS receiver that is mapping grade. A mapping grade receiver can accurately chart a location to less than three feet, and can be ideal for surveying land and other activities that require on-site mapping. 

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