1. Military navigation: GPS is the basis for practically all navigation in land, sea, and air operations.
2. Commercial navigation: It?s the foundation for practically all air and sea navigation by commercial airlines and shipping companies.
3. Personal navigation: GPS provides individual directions in day-to-day trips and in hiking, camping, and boating with affordable PNDs and now with GPS cell phones. It?s also the basis for the sport of geocaching.
4. Surveying and mapmakers: GPS makes surveying and mapmaking faster, easier, and more precise.
5. Cell-phone E911: GPS provides the locations of emergencies during 911 calls.
6. Location-based services: These mostly cell-phone-related services provide ads and information about the location of commercial businesses nearby.
7. Asset tracking: GPS helps managers determine where fleet vehicles and other high-ticket items are located during shipping or use. It also helps locate stolen vehicles.
8. Timing and synchronization: Decoding the time signal from a GPS satellite provides precise timing pulses with less than 200-ns error. Cell-phone systems use such signals to provide synchronization and time. Radio stations and cable TV systems use them as well for timing.
9. People and animal tracking: Verizon and Sprint Nextel have programs that let users track the location of their child?s cell phone. Equipment also is available to track or locate pets.
10. Robotics: Robotic planes, cars, and unmanned vehicles can find their way with GPS.
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