Mobile Spy Phone Glossary
Cell Phone GPS Basics
Cell Phone GPS Basics
Soon GPS will become almost as basic as the telephone, or more likely included with every cell phone. GPS can calculate locations accurate to a matter of. In fact, amazingly with advanced equipment it is possible to make measurements to less than a centimeter!
In a sense it’s like assigning every square meter on earth its very own address. GPS receivers have become very affordable through miniaturization to just a few integrated circuits. Nowadays days GPS is incorporated into cars, boats, planes, construction equipment, movie making gear, farm machinery, laptop computers and especially smartphones.
Tracking mobile phones is a active topic with a lot of interest. A lot of the discussion dealing with cell tracking, cell phone GPS and cell phone tracker software applications would be more meaningful with a GPS Satellite primer and glossary.
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that GPS receivers use to estimate three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus precise time. The GPS network is made up of 3 primary segments: Space Segment, Control Segment and User Segment.
The GPS Space Segment consists of twenty-four to thirty-two satellites that orbit the earth at a height of about 12,000 miles. These satellites are referred to as the GPS Constellation, and they make an orbit once every 12 hours. They are not geosynchronous, but rather move at over 7,000 mph. They are solar powered but have battery backup for when they are in the earth’s shadow. They are placed so that there are at least 4 satellites ‘visible’ from any point on earth. Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them properly positioned. The satellites have a lifetime of about 10 years until all their fuel is exhausted.
GPS Satellites are not communications satellites. Geostationary or communications satellites are at a much higher orbit of about 22,300 miles above the equator. These satellites are used for weather forecasting, satellite TV, satellite radio and most other types of global communications. At exactly 22,000 miles above the equator, the earth’s force of gravity and centrifugal forces are canceled and are in balance. This is the ideal location to place a stationary satellite. The earth rotates at about 1,000 miles an hour, and because of their high earth orbit the geostationary satellites need to move at about 7,000 mph to maintain position. This is just about the same speed as GPS satellites, but since stationary satellites are 10,000 miles further away they stay in place relative to the earth.
The GPS Control Segment incorporates Master Control Station, an Alternate Master Control Station, and a host of dedicated and shared Ground Antennas and Monitor Stations that work together to ensure the satellites are functioning to specification and the information they beam down to earth is accurate.
The GPS User Segment is composed of of GPS receivers taking the shape of handsets and , laptops, in-car navigation devices and hand-held tracking units along with the people that use them, and the software programs that make them work.
GPS receivers compute position by precisely timing the signals transmitted by GPS satellites. This information includes the time the message was transmitted, precise orbital information (the ephemeris), and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac).
Keep in mind that there is a fundamental difference between smartphone GPS Tracking and GPS Navigation. GPS mobile phone tracking is usually related to someone maintaining records of either real-time or historical mobile phone location, while Navigation deals with the smartphone user determining how to get from point A to point B. Neither use works without some sort of third-party software application.
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Global Satellite System Glossary of basic terms.
GPSThe Global Positioning System consists of 24 GPS satellites, portable GPS receivers, and various ground-based support facilities.
GPS receiverThe either a standalone handset device or electronic unit mounted on a vehicle dashboard or other movable item such as an ocean freight container, and now particularly common to be found inside mobile phones . Abbreviated “GPS” in common use.
Global Satellite System FAQ
Why does GPS receiver only work outside?
GPS satellites are orbiting such that from any location on the globe there are at least four satellites visibile at all times. Although the satellites send signals by radio wave, the signal needs a clear of site to the receiver. If the GPS satellite drops behind the horizon, or a building, or even heavy cloud cover, the radio signal may not reach the receiver.
What do the satellites do?
The GPS satellites are broadcasting the time. Both the satellite and the GPS receiver use atomic clocks for extreme accuracy. By measuring the difference between the time given by the satellite and the time in the GPS receiver, it can calculate the distance between it and the satellite.
How does the GPS satellite know where it is?
The satellites keep location stored internally in calculated tables. But they can deviate off course over time. To make adjustments, the satellite communicates with ground stations positioned around the world. Each time it connects with the ground stations, the satellite adjusts its internal location tables.
Does a GPS receiver send information back to the satellite?
No, they don’t do that. GPS equipped cell phones will send data but it isn’t going back to the satellite.
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