GPS TRACKER - SCI & TECH

GPS TRACKER - SCI & TECH

News: On bail, tracked by satellite: How GPS anklets work

What's in the news?

●       Recently, a prisoner in Jammu and Kashmir was released on bail after he was tagged with a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking device to monitor his movements.

GPS Tracker:

1. It is a small, portable unit that allows users to monitor and track its location.
2. It connects to a series of satellites to determine location and consists of 3 segments.

●       The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radio navigation system owned by the USA.

●       Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) refers to a constellation of satellites providing signals from space that transmit positioning and timing data to GNSS receivers. It typically includes GPS, GLONASS, Baidu, Galileo, and any other constellation system.

Components:

1. Space Segment:

●       GPS consists of 27 satellites that orbit the Earth (24 are operational, and 3 are backup satellites) and orbit the earth every 12 hours.

2. User Segment:

●       It has GPS receivers to receive the signals sent by GPS satellites and use them to determine the user's position in space and time.

3. Control segment:

●       Different tracking stations are located around the globe which pick up microwave carrier signals transmitted by the satellites