The name GPS is actually used for two different technologies:
- The Global Positioning System (GPS) itself is a way of finding your precise location on Earth. It is made possible by a constellation of satellites orbiting around the planet and sending continuous signals. Depending on which signals your device receives, an algorithm based on triangulation methods can determine your position.
The satellites used by the GPS system all belong to the USA. Equivalent systems have been or are being developed by other countries. For instance, Russia has GLONASS, while the European system, Galileo, is planned to be fully operational in 2020.
- Routing algorithms: From your position and the position of your destination, an algorithm with good knowledge about the roads around you should compute the shortest route from point A, your position, to point B, your destination.
The second bullet point here is made possible due to graphs. As we discussed in Chapter 1, Graph Databases, a road...
