Map Notes Part 4

• GPS, a global positioning system
• system that accurately determines the precise position of something on Earth
• Three elements:
• satellites placed in predetermined orbits
• tracking stations to monitor and control satellites
• a receiver that can locate at least four satellites, figure out its distance from each, and use the information to calculate its precise location
• Applications
• turn by turn directions in vehicles
• navigational aid to pilots and ship captains
• provide location for social media application in a smartphone
• a place is a specific point on Earth distinguished by a particular characteristic
• describing the features of a place is an essential building block for geographers to explain similarities, differences, and changes across the earth
• geographers describe a feature's place on earth by identifying its location, the position that something occupies on earth's surface