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first published week of: 08/10/2015
In the 20 years since the U.S. Air Force first developed the satellite-based Global Positioning System (better known as GPS), its use as a free public utility has skyrocketed. For most of us, “GPS” is that screen in our car or that app on our smartphone that helps calculate drive times, avoid traffic jams, locate a nearby restaurant or navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods.
What we know less about are all the thousands of effects GPS has on our everyday lives. Here are ten little-known ways GPS helps to keep us on course: