Global positioning systems will be 10 times more precise now that the Clinton administration has decided to unscramble satellite signals that had been reserved for military applications.
The decision enables refinements in details for civilian users of the 22-satellite GPS, who should be able to find trucks and trailers to within 30 feet of their locations.
Until now, the U.S. military, which launched the system that circles the Earth, had restricted signals so that the best location-finding resolution for civilian applications was 300 feet.
Steve Werrlein, business development manager for Vantage Tracking Solutions in Herndon, Va., said some of the company’s trucking customers had expressed a desire for more precise readings.
For the full story, see the May 22 print edition of Transport Topics. .
