I am sure you don't need me to tell you what automobile GPS systems are, but if you are reading this and you are not quite sure, then I will just tell you that they are electronic devices that know where you are.
Potential for Car Journeys
The clever thing is, that they know where you are in relation to other places. As soon as you know where you are, and where you want to go, then a whole raft of possible uses for automobile GPS systems suddenly becomes open to you for your car journeys.
Where Am I?
The main component of the system is a reliable method of determining your current position. This is based on satellite navigation and the device needs to get a 'fix' on your position from at least 4 different satellites out of the 31 (2008) in orbit above the Earth. This is so that it can effectively know where you are, both horizontally and vertically on the surface of the Earth. The electronics for this are fairly well established these days since the US military developed the GPS system for its own use. GPS navigation became officially available to the public in 1996 (wikipedia), and since then, the use of automotive GPS systems have blossomed. In the early days, the accuracy allowed by the US military was limited to a less-accurate version of the military's then current system. Now, however, accuracy has been improved and positions are often able to be determined within a 6 metre radius, depending on the receiving technology, the local terrain and a clear line-of-sight view to the satellites.
Where Are You?
A position for the automotive GPS system in your car is not much good without a map of the area, so that the device knows where it is in relation to other places. The map is probably the next most important part of the system. Any route from A to B must be reduced internally to a series of co-ordinate points describing all possible ways you might arrive at that destination. Each place where the road or highway changes direction or forks, must have an absolute co-ordinate associated with it. The smaller the distance between these points, the better and more accurate the map inside the unit will be. Knowing this, you can understand how a really good software map is essential, and why new updated maps are necessary to take into account new and improved features along all your potential journeys.
Show Me Where I Am.
Once the position in relation to other places is determined, the unit needs to be able to output the information in a way that is immediately understandable to the motorist. Traditionally this is done through a small flat screen as part of the unit's construction and sometimes also via text-to-speech spoken output through a loudspeaker.
Where I Want To Go.
An output that is clear, and easily understood is essential, but so too is an input, so that the start and destination of the journey may be entered into the automotive GPS system. The main ways this is done, is through a touch screen interface, using buttons and text boxes to describe your destination. However, major manufacturers have also developed speech recognition systems capable of being used as input to the unit, and now other smaller manufacturers are following suit. This is likely to become the primary input method in the future, as it allows the driver to operate the unit and still safely keep both his hands on the driving wheel.
Conclusion.
Now that I have described the main components of an automotive GPS system, you can understand how all the different makes and models available on the market have these four main core functions. Manufacturers add value and make models different, by building into their systems other inputs or outputs, extra features, better more accurate maps, quicker acquisition of satellite positional 'fixes', points of interest, etc. The solution to determining which automotive GPS system to buy, is nothing more than deciding which extra features you require for your driving needs. These needs can be found out by analysing how you are going to use the GPS system that you will buy, however, sometimes deciding which make and model is really best for you, can be the most difficult part of the buying process.
Paul Wyllie writes articles related to GPS Navigation Systems. Visit his website to find more help in deciding which out of all the GPS Navigation Systems for cars is the best one for you to buy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Wyllie
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