While GPS technology has recently become omnipresent with a variety of applications that pertain to everyday life, its roots lie in military and space applications. During the Second World War, several patents were filed to improve position tracking of military vehicles by use of emerging satellite technology. Existing tracking devices such as DECCA and LORAN had limited effectiveness when ground-based obstructions prevented tracking. In order to circumvent this problem, space programs from Europe to the US to Russia began developing orbiting satellite programs. While incremental improvements in orbital applications were made, it was not until 1957 that the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first orbiting satellite. American analysis emanating from the tracking of Sputnik revealed the potential of using variants in Doppler distortion to pinpoint the location of the satellite, which would develop the underpinnings for military applications of GPS tracking.

For years, GPS lacked civilian applications as the technology remained classified and restricted to military-only navigation use. A satellite is launched that utilises GPS to detect nuclear explosions during the Cold War, serving as a deterrent to atomic testing, and opening the door for further applications. During the 1980s, a series of additional satellites were launched, raising the total number of GPS-capable devices in orbit to 24. In 1983, a turning point in GPS applications came after Korean Airlines Flight 007 became lost in Soviet Territory. Without any radar-based communication, neither military nor civilian ground control were able to communicate with the pilots. As a result, U.S. President Reagan responded to demands to open up GPS to allow civilian plane tracking by opening up GPS satellite use to non-military applications. This marked the beginning of application development that resulted in today’s popular consumer tracking devices. Still, military applications maintained control over the satellites, and, during the First Gulf War, the US military restriction use of the satellites, removing the restrictions at the conclusion of the war.

An international agreement reached in 1993, denoted the IOC (Initial Operational Capability) establishes a framework for global, unrestricted civilian GPS use. After years of negotiations, the agreement went into effect in 1995 with the FOC (Full Operational Capability), opening the door for full commercial development of GPS technology and a phasing out of military control by the year 2000 as a result of an executive order by President Clinton. As a result of full capabilities, the accuracy of GPS tracking improved, allowing for pinpoint real-time navigation information useful for drivers and improvements in logistical supply chains.

Recently, a number of competing satellite navigation technologies have been developed, including the Russian GLONASS system, China’s COMPASS navigation, India’s IRNSS and the European Galileo framework. Recent developments in GPS have led to scientific advances in telecommunications, geology and several other fields.