TIME SAVINGS AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH GLOBAL POSITIONING SATELLITE SYSTEM
With the signing of a Presidential Decision Directive allowing the civilian and commercial
use of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Vice President Al Gore and Transportation
Secretary Federico Peņa today ushered in a new era of travel, timesavings and communication.
President Clinton's directive assures that GPS will be available for consumers and business
use. GPS is a satellite-based radionavigation system originally employed by the Department of
Defense that now is increasingly put to use by motor carriers, rail and transit systems, airlines and
commercial shippers worldwide to track vehicles and goods and provide highly accurate threedimensional
position, velocity and time.
The U.S. is already a world leader in developing GPS technology, equipment and services,
Secretary Peņa said at a White House event with the Vice President. The global market for GPS
equipment and services will result in the creation of as many as 100,000 new, high-tech jobs by
the year 2000, with annual sales of more than $8 billion.
Today starts a new era for transportation companies, for their customers and for the
American traveling public, Secretary Peņa said. The birth of this new industry will completely
transform the way we live from driving to work, to delivering a package, to responding to an
emergency. GPS will have profound effects on everyday life, saving people time, cutting costs
and giving people mobility and choices that they never had before.
Most people don't know what GPS is, Secretary Peņa said. Five years from now,
Americans won't know how we ever lived without it. GPS will change the way we live in the way
cellular phones, fax machines and the Internet have impacted daily life.
Peņa cited GPS examples of navigation systems in cars that will provide current traffic
information and directions, eliminating the need for a map. He added that in an automobile
accident, a car's cellular phone could automatically call for help and an emergency vehicle would
be dispatched, saving time and lives. A blind person walking down city streets could wear a GPS
receiver that would provide accurate locations and directions.
Wide-ranging uses of GPS include law enforcement, such as tracking stolen vehicles;
predicting weather; monitoring earthquakes; and recreational activities such as hiking and taking
measurements at sporting events.
Secretary Peņa said all modes of transportation will rely on GPS:
In January, the U.S. Coast Guard declared its GPS augmentation system
operational at many U.S. ports, providing mariners precise navigation signals for
safer and more accurate harbor entry for ships.
The Federal Aviation Administration is developing augmentation systems to permit
use of GPS for aviation en-route and precision approach. Satellite-based control
of air traffic will increase system capacity and reduce delays while maintaining
system safety.
GPS is a critical component of Secretary Peņa's Operation Timesaver goal to
have 75 U.S. metropolitan areas develop intelligent transportation infrastructure.
The Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit
Administration are planning to incorporate GPS into traffic management centers,
buses and emergency response systems.
Data on the location and speed of trains to improve safety, allow better
management of operations and increase capacity and efficiency. The Federal
Railroad Administration is funding demonstration projects of GPS applications for
positive train control.
The President's action assures the continued growth of GPS as the standard guidance
system for all modes of transportation -- aviation, highway, maritime, rail and mass transit -- and
other civil uses, thus providing a giant leap ahead in safety and efficiency, Secretary Peņa said.
For more information, on the latest GPS News see gps navagation.
Author Notes:
David Pochman contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.handheld-gps-reviews.com.
A wealth of information about Global Positioning Systems for commercial or personal use.
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