Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
43
Global positioning systems as a practical
fieldwork tool: applications in mountain
environments
Ian Heywood, Graham Smith, Bruce Carlisle and Gavin Jordan
INTRODUCTION
navigation purposes, all GPS receivers will store
collected coordinates and associated information
in their internal memory so they can be
downloaded directly into a computer. The ability
For centuries, geographers have found fascination
in where things are in relation to each other. This
obsession has manifested itself in the geographer's
desire to map everything and more recently
(within the last century) to seek out and
understand spatial relationships both in and
between human and physical systems. Knowing
where something is located in both space and time
is therefore a prerequisite for almost all
geographical research. Traditionally, geographers
have used numerous techniques to determine both
the relative and actual location of spatial
phenomena. These have ranged from the very
accurate and precise techniques of the surveyor to
the more general methods of the social scientist.
Recently, however, a new technique for locating
spatial phenomena has found particular favour
with geographers. This is the use of a satellite
navigation system or global positioning system
(GPS). These portable locational devices can be
mounted on a vehicle, carried in a backpack or
held in the hand and used to record location at
almost any point on the Earth's surface (Plate
43.1). Location information is obtained literally at
the push of a button, with accuracy ranging from
150 m to within a few millimetres, depending
upon the quality and number of receivers used and
whether a military or civilian version of the system
is accessed. Originally designed for real-time
Plate 43.1 GPS in the field.
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