“The promise of GPS technology for increasing safety and security, reducing congestion, and improving efficiency are limitless. Quite simply, GPS has become the enabling technology for transportation.”
Jeffrey N. Shane, Former Under Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation
GPS makes driving easier
It is estimated that delays from congestion on highways, streets, and transit systems throughout the world result in productivity losses in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Other negative effects of congestion include property damage, personal injuries, increased air pollution, and inefficient fuel consumption.
The availability and accuracy of the Global Positioning System (GPS) offers increased efficiencies and safety for vehicles using highways, streets, and mass transit systems. Many of the problems associated with the routing and dispatch of commercial vehicles is significantly reduced or eliminated with the help of GPS. This is also true for the management of mass transit systems, road maintenance crews, and emergency vehicles.
GPS enables automatic vehicle location and in-vehicle navigation systems that are widely used throughout the world today. By combining GPS position technology with systems that can display geographic information or with systems that can automatically transmit data to display screens or computers, a new dimension in surface transportation is realized.
Benefits
- Higher levels of safety and mobility for all surface transportation system users.
- More accurate position determination to provide greater passenger information
- More effective monitoring to ensure schedule adherence, creating a transit system more responsive to transportation users needs.
- Better location information with electronic maps to provide in-vehicle navigation systems for both commercial and private users.
- Increased efficiencies and reduced costs in surveying roads.
