GPS unit, the global positioning brain behind the scenes

A GPS unit is quite a remarkable piece of equipment. People are used to seeing high quality GPS navigation systems with 3D maps zooming into the horizon – as far as they’re concerned, that is the “GPS”. However, a GPS unit is simply a black box that reports back only your coordinates: latitude, longitude, and altitude – nothing more.

Now you can understand why you have those small black boxes they call “Bluetooth GPS modules”. No displays, just a couple blinking lights, how could it be a “GPS”? Those GPS units receive positioning information from the GPS satellites orbiting our planet and send it to your laptop, smart phone, or pocket pc. After that, it’s up to the software you have installed to translate it into a more “visually pleasing” interface – whether it includes road navigation, or just a tracking plot.

Thankfully, "GPS units" are now quite affordable. It’s not hard to find a navigation unit system in a vehicle – not to mention all those who have purchased portable gps units to retrofit in their cars. In fact, getting lost on the road and having to stop to ask for directions will most likely become obsolete in the next few years – if it hasn’t become already.