Global Positioning System (GPS)

The global positioning system (GPS) enables the navigation system to determine the current position of the vehicle by using the signals transmitted from the satellites in orbit around the earth. The satellites transmit the satellite identification signal, orbit information, transmission time signal, and other information. When the GPS receiver receives a signal from four or more satellites simultaneously, it calculates the current position of the vehicle based on the distance to each satellite and the satellite's positions in its respective orbit.