When most people think of farming, there a lot of images that immediately come to mind—animals, tractors, farm equipment—but what about drones and GPS? Precision farming has been rising in popularity over the last few years and is way  more tech-savvy than most people would expect. read more

The current GPS Satellite constellation is run by the US and features around 30 satellites.

Yesterday, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced they plan to launch their own version of satellite GPS and end Europe’s reliance on America’s GPS system. The ESA has been developing the Galileo system for several years and currently have four satellites in orbit with plans to launch the remaining 26 over the next few years. An article on the International Business Times says that the Galileo system will be nearly twice as accurate as the current GPS system in use and will be able to provide accurate location (within 100 meters) anywhere in the world in as little as 30 minutes, claiming that the current GPS system can take a minimum of 45 minutes (usually longer) to establish a similar location. The ESA website claims Galileo will be accurate within a few meters once fully operational. read more

A study released by Michelin/Harris Interactive shows that more drivers are led astray by GPS than not. Conducted in 2013, the study stated that 63% of U.S. drivers who have used GPS say the technology has led them astray at least once by pointing them in the wrong direction or by creating complex, confusing or incorrect routes. Of the 2,200 individuals surveyed, the average times that GPS took them off track was 4.4 times. According to the survey, nearly 7% of all U.S. drivers who use GPS have been misdirected more than ten times.

So how do you avoid getting lost using GPS? And why does it happen? Great questions. Let’s take a look. read more

We have all heard stories of people who have nearly driven off cliffs or become hopelessly lost following wayward directions from their GPS devices, and so we began to wonder why–and it turns out we aren’t the only ones. An NPR article published last month outlines a study conducted in London testing how people made navigational choices walking through the winding streets of London’s Soho district. read more

A new book titled Flying for GPS published by Len Jacobson explores the beginning and development of the global positioning system and commercial air travel during his 50-year career. The book covers GPS’s evolution from large and expensive military gear to today’s tiny GPS chips located in most cell phones. Unlike many GPS chronicles, Jacobson’s book is about user equipment more than satellites and technical explanations and outlines how a system originally intended for military aircraft has become a utility of everyday life. read more