More about GPS
GPS Glossary
GPS - Global Positioning System, a satellite based navigational aid available to the public
GPS receiver - a device that can lock on to signals from navigational satellites and use them to provide location, altitude and velocity to the user
Sat Nav - Satellite Navigation device, a type of GPS receiver used for routing and mapping
Touch screen - the LCD display on Sat Nav devices that responds to fingertip pressure to change settings
GPS time - the standardised time to which GPS satellites are synchronised, it is not tied to the rotation of the earth so there are no "leap seconds" in GPS time
GPS constellation - the group of approximately 30 GPS satellites orbiting the earth that broadcast microwave signal to be received by GPS receivers
Oscillator - an electronic circuit built into a GPS receiver that provides timing for the microwave signals from the satellites
Microwave signal - a high-energy radio signal that carries a burst of data from the GPS satellites at the speed of light to receivers on earth
Nanosecond - one billionth of a second
Geocaching, also known as a GPS treasure hunt, is an outdoor game for the digital age in which someone "hides" the treasure or "geocache" and the gamers, "geocachers" use their GPS receiver to try to find it
POIs - Points of interest, restaurants, gas stations, emergency assistance, hotels and more, often embedded in the Sat Nav mapping software
Traffic Pack - optional add-on for Sat Navs that taps into traffic news and provides incident alerts and optionally gives you a new route
MP3 player - audio compression format offered in some Sat Nav devices so that users can listen to music, audio books and podcasts on the go
