New technologies applied to tourism : GPS

The GPS (Global Positioning System: Global Positioning System) or NAVSTAR-GPS1 is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that determines the entire world the position of an object, a person, vehicle or vessel, with accuracy to the centimeter (when using differential GPS); usually a few meters of accuracy. Although his invention is attributed to the French and Belgian governments, the system was developed, installed and currently operated by the Department of Defense United States.

GPS works through a network of 32 satellites (28 operational and 4 back) in orbit around the globe, at 20,200 km, with synchronized paths to cover the entire surface of the Earth. When you want to determine the position, the receiver is used to automatically locate it at least three satellites in the network, which receives a signal indicating identification and clock hours each. Based on these signals, the device synchronizes the GPS clock and calculates the time it takes to get the signals to the computer, and thereby measure the distance to the satellite using triangulation (trilateration method versa), which is based to determine the distance of each satellite relative to the point of measurement. Knowing the distance is easily determined one's position relative to the three satellites. Knowing well the coordinates or position of each of the signal they emit, we obtain the absolute position or actual coordinates of the measurement. Also extreme accuracy is achieved in the GPS clock, similar to that of atomic clocks carried on board each satellite.

When we refer to the GPS guides do not speak only of famous guides as essential Campsa or Lonely Planet, which are added to the maps of some models from TomTom device or Nokia Maps software, or even Special Functions for pedestrians of the new maps. We talked about real bets to promote tourism, such as that announced by the manufacturer Mio and tourism promotion XATIC network, which have submitted Geo-Xating initiative, an activity to promote tourism and adventure through the GPS.

The Geo-Xating is an implementation inspired geocaching, a sort of treasure hunt game using GPS. Its website offers 10 hiking paths that reveal treasures of the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia. Each route contains 3 to 4 points that participants should visit to find a chest hidden. The boxes contain a gift and a seal to fill the card, which is downloaded on the web and certifies the routes taken. During the search, the visitors make several visits to fund activities and places that come into play.

In this system comes into play NavPix system, remember that photography is a geo-coordinates that are loaded directly into the GPS and take us to that place without entering any data, only the picture of the place that we want to go.

Thus, if a city we visit a famous landmark that we do not reach, we can avoid asking someone who does not know how to do it (usually the first I decided to ask about insurance) and simply insert a picture from that location and leave now the browser.

If you wish, there are tourist information services, such as Murcia, which give the possibility to download coordinates of restaurants or places of interest are engraved in your browser before you visit or walk around the city.

Less specific than the system we have maps and special features for pedestrians who are incorporating many manufacturers of mobile phones that incorporate GPS, which are becoming more and more. Nokia Maps without going any further.

This service from Nokia has a handy pedestrian navigation mode, which includes practical information to locate (buildings, parks, attractions ...) as well as information on public transport.