Soon GPS will become almost as basic as the telephone, or more likely included with every phone handset.  GPS can calculate positions accurate to a matter of.  In fact, incredibly with advanced equipment you can achieve measurements to better than a centimeter!

It’s just like giving every square meter on the planet a unique address.  GPS receivers have become very economical through miniaturization to just a few integrated circuits.  These days GPS is finding its way into cars, boats, planes, construction equipment, movie making gear, farm machinery, laptop computers and especially  mobile phones.

Tracking cell phones is a active topic getting a lot of interest.   A lot of the discussion dealing with GPS tracking, cell phone GPS and cell phone tracking software programs would be more meaningful with a GPS Satellite introduction and glossary.

GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning System.   GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that GPS receivers use to estimate three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus precise time.  The GPS network is composed of 3 main segments: Space Segment, Control Segment and User Segment. 

The GPS Space Segment consists of twenty-four  to thirty-two satellites that orbit the earth in medium earth orbit MEO.  These satellites are referred to as the GPS Constellation, and they are orbiting twice a day.  They are not geosynchronous, they travel at over 7,000 mph.  They are solar powered but have battery backup for when they are on the dark side of the earth. They are placed so that at any given time there are at least 4 satellites ‘visible’ from any point on earth.  Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them properly positioned.   The satellites have a lifetime of about 10 years until all their fuel runs out. 

GPS Satellites are not communications satellites.   Geostationary or communications satellites use a higher altitude 22,300 miles above the equator.  These satellites are used for weather forecasting, satellite TV, satellite radio and most other types of global communications.  At exactly 22,000 miles above the equator, the earth's gravitational force and centrifugal forces are offset and are in equilibrium. This is the best location to position a communications satellite.   The earth rotates at about 1,000 miles an hour, and because of their high earth orbit the geostationary satellites need to travel at about 7,000 mph to keep position.  This is just about the same speed as GPS satellites, but since geo-synchronous satellites are 10,000 miles further away they don’t move relative to the earth. 

The GPS Control Segment is composed of Master Control Station, an Alternate Master Control Station, and numerous dedicated and shared Ground Antennas and Monitor Stations that work together to ensure the satellites are working to specification and the information they send to earth is accurate. 

The GPS User Segment made up of of GPS receivers  taking the shape of smartphones and , laptops, in-car navigation devices and hand-held tracking units along with the people that use them, and the software applications that make them work.  

GPS receivers calculate location by precisely timing the signals sent by GPS satellites.  This information includes the time the message was transmitted, precise orbital information (the ephemeris), and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac). 

Consider that there is a basic difference between cell phone GPS Tracking and GPS Navigation.  GPS phone tracking is normally associated with a third-party keeping records of either real-time or historical mobile phone  location, while Navigation deals with the handset  user figuring out how to get from point A to point B.  Neither use works without some kind of third-party software application.

A very good software package that features  remote control of device settings, and combines Phone GPS Tracking  with SMS text message, Call Log,  MMS multi-media message monitoring, and a web account for storage and review is PhoneBeagle. 

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Global Satellite System Frequently Asked Questions

Why does GPS receiver only work outside?
GPS satellites are orbiting such that from any location on earth there are a minimum four satellites in site at all times. Even though they send signals by radio wave, they needs a clear of site to the receiver. If the GPS satellite drops behind the horizon, or a building, or even heavy cloud cover, the radio signal may not reach the receiver.  

What do the satellites do?
Each satellite is broadcasting the time. Both the satellite and the GPS receiver use atomic clocks for extreme accuracy.  By measuring the difference between the time given by the satellite and the time in the GPS receiver, the GPS can calculate the distance from the satellite.

How do GPS satellites know their location?
The satellites keep position archived internally in calculated tables. But they can get off course over time. To make adjustments, the satellite communicates with ground stations positioned around the world. Whenever it touches base with the ground stations, the satellite adjusts its internal location tables.

Does a GPS receiver transmit information back to the satellite?
No, they don’t do that. GPS equipped mobile phones will send information but not to the satellite.

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