GPS and its

Application
Countries using GPS worldwide
Environment

Natural canals are being detected and
accurately mapped using GPS in a project
affecting Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. To
facilitate flow for the Pilcomayo River, which
is heavy in sediment deposits, the precise
height of new channels is designed to keep
sediment moving.
Boosting the gold mining
industries
 In 1998,GPS technology helped the Australian Geological Survey
Organization conduct a 14-week airborne survey of Western
Australians Eastern Goldfields region. The survey was aimed at
improving understanding of the regions geology, with a
particular focus on the areas where thin, weathered material
cover potential gold-bearing rocks. Information that came out of
the survey will help the gold mining industry determine what
activities it will conduct in the region, and will assist the national
and local governments create resource development strategies.
The survey aircraft used GPS navigation equipment to map
ground positions with an accuracy better than five meters. This
type of surveying has also been done to map potential gold-
bearing areas in Queensland.

Seeking mineral deposits 

 An exploration company in Australia is using GPS to search for
mineral deposits in the remote areas of Western Australia.
Detection of certain mineral deposit suggests the presence of
valuable ore bodies.
Direct Traffic Control is a state of the art personal computer
based train control system used to electronically manage and
validate train movements in non-signaled territory. 

With DTC, computers in the locomotives and at the control

centre exchange codes by radio which are used to verify the
authorization of train movements. Train movement advice is
then displayed on the respective computer screens. 

DTC uses GPS to provide warnings to the driver that the end of
an authority is near or if an authority has been exceeded. DTC
also uses GPS to calculate and display the locomotives current
location at all times.
Forestry & Agriculture

 use the gps capabilities in Precision Farming, yield map, soils

types, georreferenced soil samples and so on.
 GPS is used in architectural siting. When used with 3D modeling,
GPS provides a more realistic context for architectural design.

Digital maps of Bangladesh are proving invaluable in the fight
against sleaze in a country branded as one of the most corrupt
in the world. The maps are used together with a computerized
national database to decide where new roads or schools should
be built. The aim is to ensure that tough decisions about
development priorities and spending are governed by local
needs rather than the whim of politicians. 
 "It has become an excellent planning tool to plan and identify
priorities, said Quamrul Islam Siddique, who pioneered the
scheme. "This information is open, transparent and available to
all." 
Natural Disasters
 Reducing damage due to flooding 
 GPS data has been used in Bangladesh to find ways
to mitigate the flooding damage during the monsoon
season. Due to its low-lying geography and the effect
of siltation, Bangladesh is extremely susceptible to
flooding of its inland waterways. Using hydrographic
survey systems that incorporated GPS
measurements, researchers recently collected data
before and after the monsoon season at various sites
in an effort to create mathematical models of
riverbeds and volumes of water discharged in the
waterways. The models will be used in developing
plans to alleviate damage caused by flooding.
Maritime & Waterways

 The Bangladeshi government has undertaken

a plan to install a satellite-delivered
differentiate global positioning system
(DGPS) that it will use to determine exact
position of marine vessels, off-shore objects
and aircraft. The 220 million taka (about
$4.44 million in U.S. dollars) project, financed
by the World Bank, will be implemented by
the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Telecommunications

Facilitating the expansion of telecommunications 
 Telecommunications companies in Australia are currently
taking advantage of GPS to provide information on
positioning in order to manage the telecommunications
infrastructure throughout New South Wales. Dual
frequency GPS receivers, which can attain centimeter
accuracy, are proving very useful in allowing surveyors to
precisely position sensitive telecommunications
infrastructure, such as microwave and satellite
communication antennas, mobile phone transmitter
stations, and radio masts. GPS is also being used to
survey around potential sites for telecommunications
assets in order to enable infrastructure designers to
optimize the heights of transmitter masts and the
positions of guy lines to support the masts.
Infrastructure Development
 Electrifying rural regions :

 Eskom, South Africans national electric utility, has been

using GPS along with geographic information system
(GIS) technology to bring electricity to rural areas in
South Africa, where there are often no street addresses
to guide the electric company. Before using GPS,
electric company field workers had to attempt to map
the coordinates of a home on a map by hand, an often
imprecise technique. Today, field workers involved in
the rural electrification project tote a GPS/GIS receiver
and data logger with them to rural sites to tag the
home with a precise GPS position and to record
information about the type of electric system the
building will use. This enables the installation crew and
any repair crews to easily locate the house and have
knowledge of its electric system when needed.
Archeology & Educational
Research
 Reconstructing an ancient fortress : Surveyors from the
Geodetic Institute of the Technical University Munich
recently employed surveying software that processes GPS
data in a project to map the remains of an ancient Roman
settlement in Syria. Called Al Hallul, this former city's
fortified walls and buildings have been eroding due to
exposure to the elements as well as Bedouins use of its
stones to build new homes. Although many walls were
incomplete, surveyors were able to use the GPS-
dependent software to plot data on the remnants of the
city's walls and buildings. In the end, the surveyors were
able to make a completely reconstructed map of the
original city and in much shorter a time than it would
have taken to manually plot all of the detail points they
surveyed.
Forestry & Agriculture

Repopulating Thai forests 
Thailand has implemented a reforestation
program using GPS equipment. A New Zealand-
based forestry consulting firm worked with the
Thai government on this project, which has
provided Acacia Magnum trees to Thai farmers.
Growing well in infertile tropical soil, this type of
tree is an optimal source of wood fiber for the
paper and pulp processing industries.
Maritime & Waterways

 All Rio de la Plata pilots use GPS to guide their vessels through
the very narrow and shallow channels. We have also tested the
system in the Uruguay and Parana Rivers.
 Mapping underwater obstacles during hydrographic surveys 
 In Argentina, 400 GPS units were installed in fishing boats
operating in national waters to monitor commercial fishing
activities and protect Argentina's fisheries resources, which
account for 4.5 of the country's exports. Using the monitoring
system can verify a fishery's compliance with regulations and
automate catch reports. Commercial fishing operations can file
reports electronically, providing authorities with almost
instantaneous information on fish stocks. Over-fished areas can
be closed and commercial fishing operations can otherwise be
aided to maximize their catch. This system is already in use on
more than 700 commercial fishing boats in Argentina, Australia,
United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand.
Infrastructure Development
Lighting up Indonesia
  The government of Indonesia recently used GPS
technology to evaluate the possibility of using solar and
wind energy systems to provide electricity to remote
villages of Indonesia. Officials wish to use such systems to
ensure that electricity will be environmentally sustainable.
Surveyors visited villages on several islands to create
precise maps detailing power infrastructure locations in
reference to the villages. They used geographic
information system equipment to quickly gather very
accurate measurements and also to collect and store
information about the potential electrical load of each
household surveyed. The Indonesian government was
able to use the collected data to compare villages
electricity needs and establish a priority list for
electrifying communities.
Improving taxi service and
safety 
 Australian taxi cabs are using GPS tracking systems
to increase productivity as well as to protect drivers.
Having the ability to track cabs with system,
dispatchers can ensure that their companies drivers
reach passengers quickly and thus do more business
per day. In addition, cabs GPS receivers are linked to
an emergency response system. When the driver
pushes a button in the case of an attack, the unit
sends message to dispatchers, who can contact
police with the exact location of the incident. The
GPS system can also allow dispatchers to track
stolen cabs and relay the information to the police.
Public Health &
Safety

GPS saves
Flood management 

 A major benefit from the development of GPS is

to prevent ecological disaster. Protecting the
environment remains an important function of
GPS around the world. Notably on a project
impacting Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia,
natural canals are detected and accurately
mapped using GPS, and precise height of new
channels are designed to facilitate flow for the
Pilcomayo River, which fills with sediment. This
will keep sediment moving through Patino
Estuary using river canals to restore the
Pilcomayo's flow. Companies in Argentina use
the GPS's precise-positioning technology to help
police find stolen and hijacked vehicles.
Charting a course through
mountains
 Canada's North Shore Search and Rescue Team
has used GPS to identify trail locations and
features in the North Shore Mountains of
Vancouver, British Columbia. Aerial photography
and other traditional survey methods are not
easy to use in making sense of trails.
Participants in the North Shore mapping project
used GPS to accurately map and assess the
features of the trails nestled in the North Shore
Mountains in order to create a map of the trail
networks that would help the rescue crew in
their operations. They also planned to develop a
map from the data that can help hikers avoid
becoming lost in the trail networks
Aiding the work of an
avalanche rescue crew
  
Iceland's avalanche rescue squad, Karaborg
Hvammstanga, now uses GPS in its work. While
communicating by VHF radio, the mountain
rescue team can take advantage of the GPS
equipment to ensure their and others safety
during avalanche rescues and severe weather
conditions. The GPS equipment the rescuers use
is waterproof, can calculate speed and velocity
allowing for ground conditions, and can accept
differential corrections.