Posted on 02/13/2019 8:57:19 PM PST by Rebelbase
Full title: Mankind has lost the art of map reading, says the man who INVENTED GPS: Bradford Parkinson says world is 'too dependent' on smartphones that are vulnerable to failure
The inventor of GPS has lamented that people are unable to read maps because they are now 'too dependent' on using their smartphones or sat-nav devices.
Bradford Parkinson, the pioneer inventor of the navigation system relied upon by billions of people, said that he 'worries' about what impact its failure could have.
Professor Parkinson received the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in London last night for his key role in developing the Global Positioning System or GPS, along with the rest of his team: Professor James Spilker, Jr, Hugo Fruehauf, and Richard Schwartz.
They originally began working on the system in the 1970s as a military project but were unaware of the revolutionary impact it would have on wider society.
GPS signal is made by a network of around 30 spacecraft in orbit that transmit positional information and precise timing to receivers around the globe.
It helps cars, trucks, planes, ships and trains to navigate as well as providing a timing reference for the financial industry.
Professor Parkinson said that many of the tasks it performs were not anticipated when it was created but that it is vulnerable to failure, the Times reports.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Thanks for correcting my typo!
“One of my fondest memories from the Army was in helping a platoon become unlost by shooting a pair of back-azimuths to triangulate our exact position on a map.”
Before GPS days back in high school I used to fish cloe offshore with a friend. If we found a good spot he’d look over one shoulder and note a landmark then do the same with the other shoulder on a different landmark.
It was easy to find the marked spot the next time we went out.
Hi Larry,
Heres an exchange I had with Parkinson.
https://insidegnss.com/letters-timation-developers-honor-draws-fire/
And THAT'S the dyin' truth! Many's the time I figured that my own platoon followed me out of sheer curiosity as to what screwy thing I was going to do next!
Before GPS, I used to have my glove compartment jammed with Rand McNally maps. Sometimes I would pull them out just to look at them and find shorter ways to get from A to B. Or longer scenic routes. GPS navigation does not have an option for "scenic route".
And yes, I could usually fold those maps back up the same way I bought them (most people can't do that).
Thank you very much.
Yes, If I recall correctly, at a Republican event in Littleton.
As long as they’re up to date, maps (even MapQuest or Google Maps) can do the job — as long as the human can. :^) I just had an adult client who admitted she couldn’t tell time off a clock with hands, only digital clocks. Asimov kind of warned about that.
GPS uses 10 bits to store the week. That means it runs out... oh heck April 6, 2019
The Register | Feb 12, 2019 | Shaun Nichols
Posted on 02/14/2019 10:35:24 AM PST by dayglored
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3727791/posts
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