The Global Positioning System has transformed shipping, logistics, travel, aviation, and many other things. Few technologies have had as big of an impact on human civilization over the past few decades as GPS has had. Many governments now use GPS on a regular basis. Let's take a closer look at how they use this technology.

GPS Started as a Military Project

The Global Position System was first developed by the United States government for military applications. Government scientists realized that they could track the position of satellites in space by measuring the Doppler Effect. This also meant that they could use the Doppler Effect to pinpoint the position of a receiver. With this in mind, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) began working on satellite positioning systems.

By the 1980s, the U.S. government had a pretty advanced and robust satellite positioning system. At the time, it was known as Navstar, and up until 1983, it was mostly restricted to military use. That year, the government decided to open up GPS to public use to make things like civilian air travel safer. This would pave the way for GPS rental services. According to GPS.gov, in May 2000, at the direction of President Bill Clinton, the U.S. government ended its use of Selective Availability in order to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide.

How Civilian Governments Organizations Use GPS Today

The United States federal government and many other governments use GPS. It can be used by naval ships to track their positions, for example. GPS coordinates might also be used to coordinate military aircraft. However, GPS is now commonly used for non-military applications as well.

Local governments might use GPS to track trash disposal trucks or shipments of government goods, among other things. If a government is deploying aid after a storm strikes a community, it helps to know where everything is. GPS can also be used to monitor emergency response vehicles. This way, when an emergency arises, it's easy to find who is in the best position to respond quickly.

Governments and other organizations use GPS for many other purposes. Further, governments will likely find new ways to leverage GPS in the future. The same is true for other organizations and individuals.

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