Technology Corner

The Good Old Days...

Back in the good old days you were able to wander around an unfamiliar area without having a clue as to where you were. Sailors could get blown off course and waste days trying to rectify the problem. In heavy weather this often resulted in the ships striking rocks or running aground. If thick fog descended upon hikers or climbers they had to stop their journey or risk getting completely lost.

Back in the old days maps were drawn by sight. Later on in history Cartographers began to develop devices that could help them to draw better and more accurate maps. It has taken the people of the world hundreds of years to develop precise and reliable diagrams of its surface. Each generation building upon the maps of their ancestors.

Then came satellites. After that things started to get just a little bit simpler. A satellite could take detailed pictures of the world, giving those down below a birds eye view of any given area. It wasn't complicated to simply fill in the detail that the satellite couldn't see.

Even this wasn't enough and so a network of satellites was created that allows anyone with the right type of equipment to pinpoint exactly where they are at any given moment. This system is called The Global Positioning System or GPS as it has become more commonly known. GPS has been with us now for several years and it's technology is being utilized in ever increasing amounts.

These days, to map a road all that is needed is a van that contains all of the necessary equipment. This van simply drives along the road and the onboard computers draw a detailed map. Also a video of the journey is taken. This video has the vans exact position superimposed onto the running tape so that any landmarks or mappable features can be added in the correct position. The maps that are drawn by this GPS van are accurate to within three meters and can be produced in the space of a week.

As you can imagine this system has drastically cut down on the expenditure needed to produce a good map. In fact this system can reduce mapping cost by a factor of ten. For most countries this is a bonus, but for some third world countries a system such as this allows the sort of cartography previously unheard of.

The GPS roller coaster does not end here however. Recently, hand held devices have entered the market. These simply battery operated gizmos have an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and are able to produce an accurate map position at the touch of a button. Some of the more expensive models can even plot a course for you as well. As a result of the sheer compactness of these devices we are starting to see them being fitted to light aircraft (Larger aircraft have been using GPS for a number of years) and yachts. Hikers and climbers are also benefiting from these devices, thus cutting down on the number of distress calls received by the emergency services from hopelessly lost adventurers.

One of the latest items that utilizes GPS is a device that is designed for motorists. A detailed road map is stored within the computers ROM (Read Only Memory) and this is displayed on the LCD readout. The vehicles position is then superimposed onto the map, after being established by the GPS. The computer can then receive traffic information (if they are within range of a transmitter that is sending this type of data) and add this to the overall picture. Some more advanced models can also verbally warn you of impending hold ups and advise you of alternative routes. These devices can also be useful to guide you to your destination, verbally advising you of approaching junctions and direction of travel.

That is of course if you don't mind a computer telling you where to go.

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