Direct Replacement
Throughout history, man has continually studied the world around him in
an attempt to better navigate the globe. Many centuries ago,
explorers navigated by using spatial clues, such as the position of the
sun during the day and the position of the stars at night. Eventually
instruments were invented that improved this type of navigation.
While fairly accurate for their time, these instruments often left explorers
well off their mark, helplessly lost. They usually had to rely on
landmarks to help determine location. Inventions of instruments like
the compass continued to improve navigation, but accuracy was still severely
limited. Amazingly enough, some hikers still rely on compass readings
to determine location even today.
As technology increased, man began to use advances like radar and sonar
to determine relative position. For these techniques, a signal (radio
and sound, respectively) is emitted and bounced back when it strikes an
object. The machines will then calculate relative position based
on the time it takes for a signal to return and the speed at which the
signal travels in the given medium, usually air or water. This information
was combined with raw data radioed from navigators on the battlefield.
The military used rooms full of people who compiled and analyzed these
huge piles of location information. They would then produce maps
and displays for military commanders. This was very tedious and slow
work. In fact, this system was often too slow to be of practical
use, since by the time people were able to interpret and display what was
happening, it was too late. Today, such techniques have been replaced
by the Global Positioning System. The use of GPS satellites to calculate
relative and absolute position anywhere on the globe is a direct replacement
of previous methods.
Enhancement of Activities
The vast majority of enhancement impact occurs within the United States
Military. The Global Positioning System represents significant automation
in current navigation. The increased accuracy of GPS leads to an
increased productivity and into the second stage of automation. However,
this increased productivity leads to a replacement of people. No
longer does the military need rooms full of people pouring over navigational
charts and analyzing satellite and radar images. Many aircraft utilized
crews that included a navigator, whose only job was to constantly calculate
position, bearing, and other navigational information. While some
crews still require this position, most new aircraft are designed to use
GPS receivers and thus eliminate the need for someone to manually calculate
this information. However, despite this replacement of people in
implementation, the system also provides a different set of jobs.
For example, a large number of people are now involved in design, implementation,
and maintenance of the evolving system. Lockheed Martin currently
has hundreds of employees working on the next generation of GPS.
The military also employs a large number of people at Shriver Air Force
Base in Colorado Springs to maintain the health and integrity of the current
system.2
Previously used systems such as radar and sonar navigation have one major
drawback: they can be detected by the enemy. Since these methods
involve emitting a signal to determine location, others can determine the
location of the emission and therefore the location of the craft.
This utilizes a process known as active ranging. The Global Positioning
System is much different. It is a passive ranging system.
Each receiver retrieves data from numerous satellites, and then computes
overall position based on time differentials between the different satellites.
Distance can be calculated based on the speed at which the signal travels.
The system then uses this distance, along with the relative and absolute
position of each satellite as it corresponds to certain known locations.
This passive ranging method is a significant technological advance and
allows military units to calculate position without detection. The
United States military can now navigate the battlefield like never before,
maintaining an incredible strategic advantage. In fact, the military
often has more accurate location data on the enemy then the enemy commanders.
This increase in information accuracy increases the safety and efficiency
of the entire United States Military.
Since GPS was originally a United States Department of Defense project,
the greatest impact of GPS remains in military operations. In times
of war, the military can navigate all of its troops and equipment with
far greater efficiency than ever before. Nearly each and every vehicle
in the field is constantly communicating with GPS satellites to provide
up to date location data. This offers a tremendous advantage, especially
in an unfamiliar environment like the desert in the Persian Gulf region.
Seemingly featureless terrain is no longer a major hindrance to navigation,
as the use of landmarks becomes almost trivial.3 Each soldier can
immediately find out where they are and which direction they need to travel
in, how far they need to go, and other information. Huge convoys
of supply vehicles can be driven by a only a handful of people. The
remaining vehicles can be controlled automatically based on GPS data compared
to the manually driven vehicles. The cruise missiles that attacked
Iraq in the past year were all navigated with GPS, and allowed the military
to efficiently destroy enemy targets without risking pilots and Iraqi civilians.
In Operation Desert Storm, a United States Air Force pilot was shot down
over enemy territory. Each pilot had been equipped with a hand held GPS
receiver, and this pilot was able to use his receiver to find the fastest
route out of the enemy territory. In this particular case the pilotís
life may have been saved by this navigational device.4
Ability to Perform New Functionality
Although initially a military project, GPS use has spread to the commercial
sector. There is a wide range of new applications currently being developed
for commercial use. In fact, most of the new functionality provided
by the Global Positioning System is in the commercial sector. Many
commercial companies are now selling hand held GPS devices, which opens
an entirely new market. Each of these companies in turn employs a
certain number of people to develop, market, and sell their product.
As prices continue to fall and commercial use increases, many new jobs
will be created to handle the increased demand for this product.
Commercial airplanes will have more accurate readings and new computer
systems to help them avoid disasters, and ships lost at see will be instantly
located by emergency GPS beacons. These applications are sure to
save lives. Hikers can carry hand held units to navigate difficult
terrain, and search and rescue teams use GPS to manage massive rescue operations.
Recently, automobile manufacturers have begun to include GPS receivers
built into the dashboard of certain car models to help drivers navigate
the streets.5 Innovations such as these help the average person arrive
at a given destination more safely and quickly. Another relatively
new application includes the placement of a computer chip into the engine
block of new cars. This is designed as an anti-theft device so that
if a car with this GPS chip is stolen, the authorities can quickly and
accurately locate the vehicle.
Some new navigational applications are a bit more trivial. For example,
many upscale golf courses include receivers in each golf cart. This
way, a golfer can drive to their ball and get precise information about
the distance and direction to the hole. Some ski resorts offer the
rental of GPS units to track the path and speed of a skier. After
a day of skiing, users can load the information into a computer program
to produce a visual display of their daily adventures. Such recreational
use of GPS is growing rapidly, as is the impact of the system on such activities.
Some of these innovations remain somewhat controversial. Some people
are beginning to fear that GPS may lead to a loss of privacy. For
example, if the authorities can find your can when it is stolen, can someone
not find it at any time? Could someone not track every move that
your car makes? These are questions not easily answered. As
with most new technology, there are possible negative impacts. With
the increase of accuracy in navigation and location determination may come
a loss of personal privacy. While the current system does not raise
all that many privacy issues, some have openly voiced concerns about future
implementations and use. For example, some fear that in the future
some governments may use GPS to track certain segments of its population,
possibly dissidents or people viewed as threats to the current regime.
While this may seem far fetched, keep in mind that the mere idea of this
kind of satellite navigational system would have seemed impossible only
a few decades ago.
Conclusion
Probably the most controversial aspect of GPS is its application in wartime.
Make no mistake about it; the Global Positioning System is and will remain
a powerful weapon for the United States military. It allows the average
soldier to become a more effective killing machine, makes missiles more
accurate, and allows aircraft and naval craft to maneuver with deadly efficiency.
While GPS increases the safety of each and every member of the United States
military, it decidedly decreases the welfare of any country or group in
opposition. This type of use must be monitored and must not be abused.
The system is a powerful tool, but remains dangerous in the wrong hands.
This use of computer technology to more effectively destroy an enemy is
troubling and raises many ethical and moral issues. While GPS does
in fact save many lives, from avoiding disasters to guiding soldiers trapped
behind enemy lines, it can also be used to kill.
The Global Positioning System is indeed one of the most incredible innovations
of the century. It is constantly becoming more and more common in
various aspects of our society. As the years go by, GPS will become
more and more a part of everyday life. In fact, some predict that
within the next five to ten years, GPS receivers will become as common
as cellular phones and pagers.6 The impact of this computer system
is far reaching and ever growing, and we must remain vigilant to ensure
that the abuse of such a system does not occur. GPS greatly increases
our knowledge of our surroundings, opening doors to places man has never
been. For the most part, the system is a tremendous asset to the
country and in fact the world. The benefits far outweigh the risks
and dangers. However, like any great advancement in military technology,
the Global Positioning System raises as many questions as it answers.
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Last updated 99/03/24
© Dan Wroten, 1999.