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Where y'at? An introduction to Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

1. Where y'at?
   1. New Orleans response
2. Who knows their address?
3. Who knows how to get home?
4. Who knows the latitude and longitude of their home to 3 decimal places of precision?

Introduction to measurement of location

1. Question has plagued humanity for ages
   1. Location of home
   2. Location of resources
      1. Water
      2. Food
      3. Dangers
2. Knowing location of one place implies knowing distances between places
   1. How are distances measured?
3. Ancient wonders were measured simply: distance and direction (measuring tapes, protractors, compasses)
   1. Great Wall
   2. Pyramids
   3. Topographic survey of India, US, etc.

   Measurement methods did not change until the electronic age

=="Modern" location measurements

1. WW2: Radio at the forefront of electronic technology
   1. RADAR for detecting objects (friendly and enemy vehicles)
   2. Development in to ground-based LORAN system
      1. More about LORAN technology later: basics are the same as GPS
2. Cold war
   1. Missile launching, silo-to-silo

   knowledge of ground resources possible (high-altitude spy photo, satellite images)

   1. Most efficient killing machine: nuclear submarine

   Problem: how to surface quickly, get location, fire missile, and dive

   Solution: GPS

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