Evolution of GPS technology and its subsequent use in commercial markets

摘要

The global positioning system (GPS) is not something that the average person thinks about and how it has affected our civilisation. In many of the systems it is used in, people don't think of it as the primary technology being used for the task at hand. It is a technology that has been taken for granted. Yet, without this technology, many of society's activities would be disrupted in some way. In this paper the beginnings of GPS are traced while also exploring how it has embedded itself into a wide range of today's products. We will see how companies found new markets for their products with this technology and how this technology has displaced other technologies and practices. We also learn about the firms that found ways to use this technology. What were some of the problems they faced? Were they successful in integrating the technology into their products? Which companies failed to see the value of the technology and how were they affected?