Military Technology: Global Positioning System - Essay Example

? Military and Technology Technology is the application of scientific knowledge in the use of various tools and materials to solvethe societies’ problems (Dartford, 1985). Military technology generalizes vehicles, communication gadgets manufactured to be used during war. It’s a result of an innovation or improvement or adjustment from the original innovations. Technology is majorly recognized and appreciated when the society need the solutions to their problems hence demand is a great driving force in the field of technology. Politics is another major factor that determines the acceptance of a certain technology. Military technology is associated with various engineering fields like the mechanical, chemical, mechatronics etc. And the use of this technology requires basic military training as result; some of these harmful gadgets are not left to the civilians like the bombs, guns, missiles etc. However, some technologies were meant for the militants but with time and advancements the government allowed the civilians to be in their possessions (General Books LLC, 2010). My work focuses on the global positioning system (GPS) technology. GPS is space technology that helps in locating objects directed by the satellites. It also indicates the surrounding weather. A GPS receiver is the gadget that uses the space technology to give locations among other benefits. The signals received by the GPS receiver from the satellite is analyzed accompanied by some calculations then the receiver gives feed back in terms of the transmit time and the distance to the satellite all displayed on the receivers’ screens hence can be used by the militants to locate positions. This technology was developed in 1973 to solve the problems associated with navigation. Man had a problem with locating places and this made navigation-a very important aspect in the military so difficult. Before this invention, man tried to solve the positioning and navigation problems by using the stars which were not reliable as they only existed during some nights. The star pattern kept changing, giving wrong information in terms of positioning. Pendulums on the other hand were used to indicate time and they were not only slow but also cumbersome to carry and count the swings. It was also not accurate hence could not be relied on. Design and the principles behind this space technology were not original but were adopted from some radio based systems of navigations that include the Loran as well as the Decca technology which were found in 1940. Atomic clocks used the gravitational forces to indicate time and this solved part of navigation problems however, it gave vague information to the militants as it only showed time but not positioning hence some innovations were still required. Another prior related innovation was the omega system of navigation and it also had several limitations as it was not accurate. The greatest need that led GPS technology innovation was during the cold war ant the United States wanted to use the nuclear bombs for attack. The submarines were to be accurately positioned before releasing their missiles. The air force had to navigate accurately to get the correct positions to release their missiles. The weight and urgency of these needs led to innovation of GPS but the first technology was in adequate as it’s slow to the fast moving air force planes. The technology was advanced to assist in timing too and by around 1974 it had atomic clock. A better product was attained by incorporating the ideas of navigation, and timing hence a better GPS. This was further advanced to Navistar GPS. The invention was based on scientific knowledge i.e. the effect of time in a strong electromagnetic region. It was found that time is slowed and this could be used to indicate time as well as navigation. However, the experiments were based on trial and error method and this cost the government a lot of cash until some positive feedback was attained. The combination of timing and the navigation component was basically on trial and basis although it yielded some good results that advanced the former GPS. This technology was invented in America but with time the idea reached other neighboring nations. Currently the technology is in all continents due to wide applications. United States of America government supported the project by funding it. The president of Korea during those time ensured the GPS was available to the civilians after Korean plane was bombed down to assist the pilots in accurate navigation. The government also ensured the launch of the first satellite which was around 1989.Initially the best quality GPS were for the defense department but Bill Clinton changed this by allowing the civilians to also own such high quality receivers. The technology has been improving for the past years incorporating new and high quality signals than the former. The GPS technology has incorporated the clock technology which is used in the distance measurement. The distance between the earth from a certain satellite can be calculated from the formula distance is equal to time multiplied by distance. Time in this case implies the seconds the signal travel from the source (satellite) to the destination (GPS receivers on earth). The speed of the signal is assumed to be same or rather equal to that of light in a vacuum. Any defect in the timing could lead to errors in the final outcome. Some disadvantages associated with this technology are that it’s expensive to purchase and maintain. It cost the government a lot of money to invent the initial versions of the technology. Advancing it to the current state has cost the government billions of US dollars. The technology requires some training or skills which majority lack hence the technology is used by few people. Its disadvantages to other nations since all the satellites are controlled in the United States their privacies are jeopardized. The technology is affected by interference with the satellites caused by various disasters e.g. the twin tower bombing interfered with the signal qualities and this could lead to plane crash due to improper navigation. The signal reception is affected by tall buildings making the technology useful only in open fields (Laver, 2008). Technicalities associated with the invention are delay of signals from the satellites leading to some sort of errors. The delay is caused by alterations of the pressure generated from the solar radiation and atmospheric effects. The technology was urgently required during the world war, the time frame between its invention and usage was so narrow that it was not sufficiently tested to determine its weaknesses before put into use. Originally, the GPS was invented to assist the militants to navigate, locate positions and indicate time. However the technology is a public domain where anyone can own it. The demand and market for the technology has remained high since various fields have adopted it. For instance, the modern vehicles have installed GPS receivers which display digital maps indicating locations, rate at which the vehicle moves and directing the drivers. The aircraft also has installed GPS to assist in the navigation by the aid of the moving maps displaced on the receivers’ screens, the technology also detects speed wind and directions while the plane is on air and this helps to prevent accidents (Graham, 2008). The technology can be used for surveying where the receivers are used to mark buildings, roads. Geographical information system (GIS) uses the GPS technology to do the mapping. In geology, the GPS sensors are used to monitor even finest movement in the crystal layers. Volcanic activities can be managed by careful monitoring of movement of various earth layers using GPS receivers stuck in the grounds but monitored by computers. The mobile phone industry equips the modern smart phones and tablets with GPS receivers to direct the users by displaying maps on their screens. The technology is also used to track such gadgets incase they are stolen. Their tracking could assist in recovering dead bodies in oceans or forests provided the victims carried such communication gadgets. Some sports use this technology to locate places e.g. hiking .The law department use this technology to track the sex offenders by placing these gadgets in their ankles. Satellites signals sensed by the GPS receivers can be used to predict weather patterns. In the marketing sector, the GIS related research provides the management with information such where to open the new branches. Latest use of this technology is the installation of GPS receivers to be used in tracking stolen vehicles to increase of car hijack cases. Pipeline used to transport petrol, water and other liquids are equipped with GPS receivers to detect any leakages. They also detect defections in the piping for example the bends etc (Turtledove, 2001). To conclude, the GPS technology which was initially for the military department still play a major role in the normal operations of the militants and in addition it has been branded a public domain where any civilian can own the gadget legally. The government from the reign of Bill Clinton realized the importance of this technology in the modern development (Fridell, 2007). The technology is useful in almost every field in the modern world and this huge market has encouraged advancement of this technology to the current state. This technology can still be improved further. References Dartford, M. (1985). Military technology. New York: Exeter Books. Fridell, R. (2007). Military Technology. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications. General Books LLC. (2010). Military Technology:Magnetic Anomaly Detector, Electronic Warfare Support Measures, Military Technology and Equipment, Military Technology. Memphis, Tennessee: General Books LLC. Graham, I., & Green, I. (2008). Military Technology. London: Evans Brothers. Laver, H. S., & Matthews, J. (2008). The art of command:military leadership from George Washington to Colin Powell. Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. Turtledove, H. (2001). The best military science fiction of the 20th century. New York: Ballantine Pub. Group. ` Read More