Talking about what is "GPS" and electronic map

Global Positioning System, or GPS for short. For self-drivers, GPS is no longer unattainable. At present, there are many varieties of GPS on the market, some of which are developed by domestic companies using OEM boards and handheld computers, and the prices range from two to three thousand to five or six thousand; there are also car GPS receiving systems that are made with DVD.

The two most important functions of GPS are positioning and navigation. In the above products, imported OEM boards are used as GPS receivers. With the receiver, satellite signals can be received, and three satellites can be positioned. When it comes to navigation, electronic navigation maps are needed.

North America and Europe already have door-to-door electronic navigation map versions, and the latest national road map software is less than $ 100. We do n’t have such software yet, and as mentioned earlier, China is building a national highway network, and all regions are investing heavily in urban renewal (Beijing alone, there were more than 150 roads started in 2003). At present, the better electronic maps of national highways and provincial highways can be close to 90% accurate. There are maps of provincial capitals and major tourist cities. Importantly, these maps can be updated once or twice a year.

In addition to OEM products developed by domestic companies, GARMIN and MEGELLAN can also be seen on the market. I have been using GARMIN products all these years, especially after 2002, they started to sell Chinese-made GPS for cars. The latest STP can be used for voice navigation, and it is equipped with the latest electronic navigation map (road 1: 1000000, city 1 : 100000), the part of city navigation is quite accurate. In April 2003, I visited Chongqing for the first time, relying on the voice guidance of STP, it was easy to find the hotel to go in the wind and moon and night.

Friends who have been exposed to GPS may know that the price of domestic GPS is much higher than that of foreign countries-not only in mainland China, but also in Hong Kong, GPS is also expensive. In addition to the reasons for tariffs and localization, consumers are largely spending their money on the Chinese version of the electronic navigation map developed by themselves. In this sense, even if you buy the latest GPS with relatively low price from abroad, the global road map information on the built-in or attached CD-ROM version is old and not exhaustive. If there is no corresponding detailed English version of the Chinese road map , It can only be used as a GPS receiver. This is also the reason why GPS navigation systems equipped in some luxury cars cannot be used.

The third use of GPS is for surveying and mapping, or more precisely for recording. You can write down the coordinates of the places you think are important as you need, or you can record the trajectory of the vehicle. Nowadays, the memory of GPS is getting larger and larger, and many can record more than 2,000 track points, which is enough to record your trajectory throughout the day. If necessary, the data can be uploaded to the laptop at any time. Many of the routes described in this book are the travel trajectories measured on the ground in this way, which is guaranteed to be more accurate than any map.

The application of GPS is becoming more and more popular. China has also launched three Beidou satellites for navigation. Home appliance giants like Haier have also extended their antennas to car navigation systems. I believe GPS will become more and more civilian.