Where Am I? The GPS Phenomena

Global Positioning Systems are a fine example of how a new piece of technology can go from being completely unknown, and in a short amount of time become a necessity in peoples lives. GPS is one of a group of new tools that have reached such a level of acceptance and ubiquity in society that a lot of people would now have trouble living without it. It can be easy to forget that only a few years ago no one had access to a GPS system at all; the evolution of technology it seems can make us realise needs that we never knew existed.

On the 26th of June in 1993 a network of 24 satellites were completed that were to become the Global Positioning System for the Earth. From then on it became possible for people all around the world to access the information that could tell them where exactly in the world they were, longitude, latitude and altitude. This GPS system has had implications far and wide due to its incredible precision which has allowed it to be used for mapping systems and personal navigation.

With GPS systems in cars and campers everywhere, it is easy to forget that it was originally intended for use as a military device. Indeed it was only after the companies involved in the initial manufacture of the GPS saw the commercial reality that they put pressure on the military and the government to open up the GPS as a public navigational tool.

What is very interesting is how we interact with the Global Positioning System and the effect that the GPS has had on our notions of space and navigation. The technology that we use defines the way that we view and live in the world, and the GPS is a kind of extra sensory device floating above the world, an all seeing eye. It has set up an entire field of perception that did not exist before, and has given us an extra level of control over our space. This dramatically changes our relationship with the planet as we are now in charge of our navigations like never before, we are in essence above the earth as well as upon it. Our field of vision has increased since the birth of the Global Positioning System, and it is one of the many ways that the evolution of our species is being effected and projected by shifts in technology.