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Global Positioning Systems

Have you heard of GPS? This is a technology which is starting to come into its own in New Zealand.

A GPS device allows you to work out your location and will provide you with latitude and longitude information as well as giving you directions to any location the device can find in its maps.

How does it work?

A GPS device works by reading a signal from a satellite that is in orbit around the earth. The satellite broadcasts a signal and the GPS units will read the signal strength and angle to calculate your location. They are usually accurate to within a few metres so are very useful when working out distances or directions.

Driving Directions

Most GPS devices are designed to be used in a car, truck or boat. The maker or retailer selling the GPS will load in a map for you that includes street locations and names as well as names of local businesses or facilities where available.

This means you can enter a street address or business name into the GPS unit and it will work out:
•    How far away it is
•    The shortest driving or walking distance to that point
•    Estimate travel time
It will then display this information on a screen for you to check.

A good GPS for the car will include a special suction mount for the windscreen. It will also have a text-to-voice converter. This means it will read out directions verbally while you are driving so that you can concentrate on driving without distractions.

Many new GPS units also allow you to load in a new voice, so you can have a male or female voice providing directions or even famous voices such as Homer Simpson, Sean Connery, Claudia Schaffer and more, though there a small cost to purchase them.

What to buy?

There are many big name brand GPS units available, including Garmin, Tomtom, Uniden, Navman and more.

You should make sure to purchase a unit that has been loaded with NZ maps and that also offers downloadable map updates via the internet. In some cases this will be a subscription fee based service.

Prices start from around $300 for an entry level GPS unit.

There are no ongoing fees for use of the system so there are no monthly costs to worry about unless you wish to get map updates and other extras.

Mobile Phone GPS

Many mobile phones are now available with a GPS system built in. This means you can have most of the features of a GPS device along with the functionality of a mobile phone and the price for these is generally lower than buying two separate devices.

The Nokia E71 mobile phone is one such unit which provides maps, directions and voice instructions directly from the phone.