b.Class Notes #5

GPS (Global Positioning System).

• is a system that accurately determines the precise location of a point on Earth.
• The Global Positioning System in the Unites States includes:
1. Satellites placed in predetermined orbits.
2. Tracking stations to monitor and control satellites.
3. Receiver that can locate at least four satellites, figuring out their distance in relation to each other, and using that information to calculate the precise location of a point in Earth.

Applications

• Turn-by-turn directions in vehicles.
• Navigational aid to pilots and ship captains.
• Provide location for social media in smartphones.

Why is each point on Earth unique?

• A place is a specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic.
• Describing features of a place in an essential building block for geographers to explain similarities, differences, and changes across Earth.
• Geographers describe a feature's place on Earth by identifying its location, the position that something occupies on Earth's surface.