Navigation


 * Navigation**

The American Heritage Dictionary defines navigation as the "process of planning, recording, and controlling the course and position of (a ship or aircraft)." However, it is possible to say that this definition has become slightly outdated, for navigation has spread beyond ships and aircraft. Nowadays, navigation is used in ships, aircraft of all types, cars, trucks, buses, and many other types of vehicles that we use to get from one place to another. At the same time, like many things in this day and age, IT has been vitally incorporated into the way we navigate, whether it be a hike up a mountain, or a flight to Tokyo, or maybe just a detour to the workplace. For the most part, in first world countries, the use of maps and written plans and calculations are becoming more and more obsolete. Due to the emergence of **Global Navigation Satellite Systems**, people can use Global Positioning Systems or (GPS) to navigate their way to any destination. Wikipedia gives a simple explanation for GPS: "A GPS receiver calculates its position by measuring the distance between itself and three or more GPS **satellites**. Measuring the time delay between transmission and reception of each GPS radio signal gives the distance to each satellite, since the signal travels at a known speed. The signals also carry information about the satellites' location. By determining the position of, and distance to, at least three satellites, the receiver can compute its position using **trilateration**. Receivers typically do not have perfectly accurate clocks and therefore track one or more additional satellites to correct the receiver's clock error." For a more technical and in-depth explanation, or other information regarding GPS, see **Wikipedia's main article**. For many automobiles being produced currently, they come with an option of a GPS on board navigation system, and if not, one can be installed for a fee. The driver can then utilize the service, provided that they are in a country which offers it and has the aforementioned resources in place. Check out **Automotive Navigation System** for more information. Airplanes as well use GPS technology and other navigation systems, and they depend heavily on this technology, whether being flown manually or through auto-pilot. Both the pilots, and the air-traffic controllers at many of the international airports in the world use this navigation technology. They use moving maps relaying information about courses, speeds, altitudes, and destinations about all the planes in the air. Also, more portable navigation systems can be rigged into smaller aircraft such as gliders. Ships of all kinds use maritime GPS navigation systems when at sea, and with them they can know their exact location at any given point, or use it for auto-steering or charting. Moreover, it comes with features such as Man Over Board (MOB) plotting, which records the exact position of where a person who has fallen overboard is. GPS navigation is not limited to large crafts however, and are commonly used in bicycling and hiking/trekking. Another rather unknown use for the technology is for **aiding the blind**, which also relates to [|**the modification of hardware for special needs**]. For a specific look at the uses of GPS in navigation for different modes of transport, see **Application of GPS in navigation** Advantages

Disadvantages
 * Highly accurate (greatest inaccuracy: 10 meters; least inaccuracy: 0 meters)
 * Greatly increases safety in traveling; the risk of getting lost is decreased and therefor it is less likely to find oneself in a compromising situation
 * Gets rid of the hassle of maps, instead you use a portable GPS device with software
 * Free service in the U.S. (taxpayers receive GPS as a free service, but map software must be purchased)
 * Soon to be free and running in Europe, Russia, and possibly China
 * Non-stop service (24/7 service year round)
 * Highly portable and adaptive (comes in hand held device forms, or small on-board computers)
 * Can be integrated into many existing systems such as cars, boats and planes through computers

Social and Ethical Issues
 * Very costly (U.S. pays $400,000,000 a year including old satellite replacement)
 * Has some minor errors (small inaccuracies for the pin-point location, but no greater than 10 meters)
 * Occasional jamming or interference by electromagnetic fields, power surges, solar flares, etc.
 * Difficult to set-up (need for resources, technology, personnel, and the ability to launch many satellites into orbit)
 * Only available in first-world nations for the most part (eg. United States, European Countries)
 * 1. Reliability**


 * It needs to be a non-stop reliable service because airplanes and many major transportation lines depend on it
 * The need for at least three satellites to be on a specific location at any given moment causes a inconvenience due to aging satellites
 * Succeptible to electronic interference from magnetic fields and solar flares, which can hinder the reliability
 * 2. Integrity**


 * The data the satellites collect is correct
 * The data the GPS systems receive is correct
 * The map software is correct
 * The data transmitted from a tracking device to the satellites is correct
 * 3. Security**


 * If the system is secure or if it can be hacked into and altered, or militaristicly can it be affected
 * 4. Privacy and Anonymity**


 * The GPS navigation can pose as an invasion of privacy because any third-party can use it to track or follow someone, and can constantly be aware of their location.
 * 5. Authenticity**


 * N/A
 * 6. Intellectual Property**


 * Map software, can it be pirated? Who makes them? Who owns them?
 * 7. Equality of Access**


 * The U.S. is the only country with a fully running Global Navigation Satellite System
 * Europe is initiating a system
 * Russia is restoring a system
 * China is seriously considering a system
 * Due to the costs and technology needed, many other countries are unable to even consider the system
 * 8. Control**


 * Increases control of planes and ships
 * Increases control of any people or peoples who want to track a person or group
 * 9. Globalization and Cultural Diversity**


 * Helps link the world together (GLOBAL is found in each system's name)
 * 10. Policies and Standards**


 * The system needs to meet certain standards for it to be fully functional; the standards of manufacturing the devices and the satellites, the policies of use
 * 11. People and Machines**


 * Instead of people dealing with maps, they deal with computer systems
 * People do not need the skill of reading maps or charting routes anymore
 * Computer Technology takes over yet another part of every day life-navigation