What Are the Advantages of GPS?

A device taking advantage of GPS is equipped with maps and locations from around the world. Smartphones and tablet PCs are able to pinpoint a location and provide accurate step-by-step directions from Point A to Point B. If you make a wrong turn, devices like these will provide an updated route based on your new location. They can save you a considerable amount of time navigating foreign areas, finding a local restaurant or locating the nearest emergency service facility.

Devices that use GPS receive real-time updates, allowing them to monitor traffic and re-direct you to a faster, more efficient route. In some instances, it can provide you with traffic flow information so you can assess for yourself whether a specific route is worth the expected traffic. Both TomTom and Garmin produce models that feature frequently updated traffic information. Models that include the letter T in their names are generally receiving traffic updates.

Law enforcement is finding numerous uses for GPS technology. Some law enforcement agencies have used GPS devices to monitor vehicles and individuals suspected of a criminal or terrorist activity. By doing so, law enforcement officials have prevented heinous crimes and caught criminals that would have otherwise gotten away.

According to the Congressional Research Service, law enforcement used GPS to catch a convicted rapist who had served 17 years in prison. The man was a suspect in 11 attacks on women in Virginia over a six-month period, and authorities attached a GPS device to his van.

"By tracking his movements with the device, police were able to intercept him in Falls Church, VA, where he was dragging a woman to a remote area, according to the report."

The ability to stop criminals in their tracks, before further crime is committed, makes GPS technology valuable to law enforcement officers.

During a tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster, emergency services and law enforcement officials need to find stranded motorists. GPS technology provides tracking information and helps predict the natural disaster’s damage severity for emergency relief. With GPS, ambulances and law enforcement officers track and locate victims of natural disasters quickly and efficiently.

Before construction and development can begin, land surveying must be completed. This is costly and time-consuming and requires a variety of individuals. The GPS has slowly replaced traditional land surveying techniques with the Federal Highway Administration for more accurate surveying. By using GPS, companies have reduced labor costs and increased accuracy and survey an area in a matter of a few hours – rather than days.