Many people
hear GPS technology and think of Big Brother watching them and following their
every move. However, there is more to
Global Positioning Systems than just governments and corporation tracking
people and devices. GPS technology is
now used to serve many functions and is used by people of all walks of life . Like any technology this advance is used to
serve people but also abused by people using it for the wrong reasons.
Geocaching is using Global Positioning System technology for modern-day treasure hunts
In May of
2000 twenty-four satellites received new orders and upgraded Global Positioning
System technology instantly improved by considerable margins. After this improvement online brainstorms
were being conducted informally to come up with new ways to use this enhanced
technology. One of the most popular uses
of Global Positioning System technology is a hobby called geocahing. Geocahcing, originally referred to as the “Great
American GPS Stash Hunt”, is an activity in which participants plant hidden “caches”
in secret locations and share the GPS coordinates of the cache on an online
forum, geocaching.com. Other participants,
the treasure hunters, enter the coordinates into their GPS enabled devices and
hunt to find the hidden “cache”. Once
the treasure is found the participant who discovered it is supposed to replace
the current treasure with something of equal or greater value. Although “treasure” is rewarded to whoever
finds the cache participants mostly take part in the hobby for the thrill of
the hunt. This hobby has spread to a global phenomenon
and caches exist in countries all over the world including China , Brazil ,
Niger , Sri Lanka , and
so many more.
 |
| Each dot on the map is a hidden cache |
Drivers are using Global Positioning System technology to identify and “outsmart” speed traps
Along with
the fun and innocent uses of GPS technology, like modern-day treasure hunts,
the technology is also abused. In the
past, drivers have flashed their high beams to warn others on the road about
upcoming speed traps. This method of
drivers “looking out” for each other has become more difficult in light of
speed camera technology being implemented.
Global Positioning Systems offer a high-tech alternative for former high
beam flashers to express their solidarity.
Drivers can now submit known speed trap locations to websites such as
Njection.com and the information can then be directly downloaded from those
sites onto portable navigation devices such as TomTom, Mio, and Garmin. This information will then show up on the
navigation device to warn drivers of speed traps on their intended route so
they can either redirect their drive or slow down in monitored areas. This use of Global Positioning Systems can
certainly be viewed as a positive by many drivers who want to avoid paying
speeding tickets; however, this is an abuse of the technology. The Global Positioning System technology has
been adapted to help people “outsmart” and escape the law which should fall in
the category of abuse.
Global Positioning System technology has infinite
possibilities that have not yet been developed
Like all
technology Global Positioning Systems allow the imaginations of many innovators
to run wild. Global Positioning Systems
seems to offer boundless, if somewhat silly, innovations. Some of these ideas that have not been developed yet include shoe tracking and pet tracking.
Think about how many times a family is ready
to walk out the door and someone can not find their left shoe. This is a surprisingly frequent occurrence
for many families. Not so surprisingly many
parents have suggested, even jokingly, that GPS tracking devices should be
planted in shoes. Countless mothers
would be overjoyed if GPS was included in the design of children’s shoes in the
future.
There are few things that are more
upsetting than losing a pet. This widely
accepted statement has led to some innovation in pet tracking. Many shelters and vets implant microchips
into pets that identify whether or not the pet has a home. However, in order for this technology to be
utilized a pet must somehow find its way into the care of a shelter. If the same idea was broadened to include a
GPS, pet owners could easily track their own pet and eliminate the worry of
where the pet has run off to.
Global Positioning System Technology has been used and abused but innovation is far from finished
When Global
Positioning Systems was originally developed to track military submarines and
ships the inventors could not have imagined all of the possible uses for their
technological advances. GPS offers possibilities
only contained by human imagination. The
future will certainly hold more treasure hunts, law evaders, and hopefully easy
to find shoes.
Hey Holly
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was really informative and researched well. I thought that many of the sections were interesting, such as GPS being used for geocaching. I've heard of this before and it is always one of those things to put on a bucket list!
One thing that I do disagree with is the "abuse" of the GPS technology. In your article, you talked about drivers looking out for other drivers to make sure that they would not fall into the speed traps. This new GPS technology is just another example of the drivers looking out for one another. Sure it may sound immoral to some people, but this has been going on for a while. As you said, high-beaming fellow drivers is a way of warning that has been used for years. My uncle even has a radar system in his car that lets him know when radar (used in speed guns) is being used in the area. I would not look at this as outsmarting law officials, because they have ways to get around certain restrictions too. Using this GPS technology is just another way for people to save money.
I agree with you in the respect that GPS technology will only continue to grow. I mean, look at the new "find my iPhone" app that is frequently used. These GPS trackers have helped save people a lot of money and needless stress from their lost property. The sky is the limit for the GPS technology and I can only see it growing in the future.
Overall, I think your article was very well written and was a joy to read.