How GPS system in cell phone works

Since the late seventies, GPS has become an important aid to navigation around the world. It was first designed for the US military, GPS became publicly available years later and it is now considered an important feature in lots of consumer products. There are three basic ingredients that make everything work: satellites, earth interlaced scanning stations and receivers. GPS provides specially coded satellite signals that can be assembled in a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to compute position, velocity and time.

Today, most cell phones are not just confined to carry on a conversation. Features like mp3 player, digital camera and video camera have all become standards in the latest cell phone models. It is anticipated that the GPS feature will soon be added to this list, and it will offer the ability of tracking any cell phone user.

The capability of tracking a cell phone user becomes critical in emergency situations, like a car accident, through the use of 911 emergency phone call, where every minute may be a matter of life or death. In situation like this, the GPS system may pinpoint the precise location of the road accident, enabling emergency services to be quickly dispatched.

It is important to indicate that so far most GPS system in cell phone is confined to tracking information only. However, one can have navigational capability through the use of full screen cell phone/PDA combos with map displays and other cellular phone accessories, and third party paid services. If one does not want to sign up for a monthly paid subscription service, he can make use of one time paid only software programs that will enable some of the navigational adequacy.

Although there are many advantages in using GPS cell phones, there are some people who are concerned about the breach of personal privacy. Since the US Congress has not authorized location tracking without actual evidence of wrongdoing, there have been court hearings which have not approved the demands of government agencies in obtaining the cell phone GPS tracking information for suspects or ordinary citizens.

This privacy matter has made some improvement towards the cell phone users rights, since there are some laws that have been passed which guarantees that GPS cell phone users will have some assurance from the release of the tracking information, with the exception of 911 emergency cell phone calls. It is expected that these laws will assure that the benefits of GPS in cell phones will be enjoyed by everyone without infringing any body's privacy.

Sometimes when there is a technological innovation, there are also some interests about privacy or some rights infringements. But no matter how much of a concern this is, it seems that halfway measures will always have to be reached, so that new technologies will take their places in every one's lives. After all, we all live in a globalized consumer world.