Individuals have begun to rely largely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) for their everyday commute since the introduction of smartphones into their daily life. However, among the most frequent issues affecting GPS tracking for many users are weak satellite signals and signal interference. It occasionally performs flawlessly while failing to be accurate at other times.
According to ScienceAlert, researchers have developed a new and improved technology that could eventually replace GPS in some scenarios.Called SuperGPS, it's accurate to within 10 centimetres (or 3.9 inches) and doesn't rely on navigation satellite systems. The new approach makes use of networks similar to cell networks, but instead of streaming data to our phones, the network gets a precise fix on the device.
"A combination of radio transmitters and fiber-optic networks forms the foundation of the system, with some smart tweaks on top," reported the news outlet.
"We realised that with a few cutting-edge innovations, the telecommunication network could be transformed into a very accurate alternative positioning system that is independent of GPS," says physicist Jeroen Koelemeij from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
"We have succeeded and have successfully developed a system that can provide connectivity just like existing mobile and Wi-Fi networks do, as well as accurate positioning and time distribution like GPS."
According to the Delft University of Technology, the aim of the project SuperGPS was to develop an alternative positioning system that makes use of the mobile telecommunication network instead of satellites and that could be more robust and accurate than GPS.
