It is said that the kind of GPS technology you use in your personal navigation devices as well as smartphones these days originated from the war ravaged battlefields, as armies needed to send missiles in the right and most exact point possible – anything to the left or to the right (basically missing by a huge margin) could prove disastrous in terms of relations as well as the loss of innocent human life. Well, just when you’ve been hoping for GPS technology to become far more accurate than before, your wish has been granted – GPS III will be coming your way, with the first of a dozen new satellites rolling out in 2014.
One of the biggest jump in improvements that GPS III offers would be the satellites’ transmitter power that will be increased by a factor of 500 compared to the current constellation. Since this will primarily be a form of defense against jamming, you will definitely do well if GPS III sees action in cities – and heck, even indoors this time around. Talk about making augmented reality on mobile devices more mainstream, and we can also look towards autonomous navigation on household robotic platforms being another reality that will be commonplace for anyone with a job.
The signal strength boost doesn’t only offer double the accuracy, but it can also get your position within two feet instead of 20 today, potentially letting you know which lane you’re in – that ought to make maps and navigation programs more accurate. Of course, with a dozen of these satellites meant to take to the skies from 2014 onwards, GPS III being mainstream will still take some time.
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