Global Positioning System (GPS)

Picture showing a worker collecting GPS data for a drainage pipe. A Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that determines precise location and time on earth. While orbiting the planet, satellites broadcast signals, which receivers on Earth decipher and translate into a geographical position. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) consume this information for use in mapping, routing, and other analytical tasks. For more information on GPS, please visit the links below.

http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/

http://www.trimble.com/gps_tutorial/whatgps.aspx

GPS within Monroe County's

In 2001, Monroe County developed the GIS Services Division, (within the Department of Environmental Services) which incorporated the unique visualization and analysis capabilities of GIS into its everyday business goals and processes. An integral piece of this movement was using GPS technology to accurately track the assets of the Monroe County Pure Waters Sewer Districts. Using two Trimble mapping grade GPS receivers, the County was able to complete an inventory of the Pure Waters Division’s assets within two years. This particular project illustrated the value and opportunity that GIS and GPS could add to the county, helping to streamline existing workflows and gather accurate spatial data. The high return-on-investment (ROI) that this technology provided justified an expansion of the County’s inventory of GPS equipment, which now includes several advanced GPS instruments, as well as survey grade technology.

Worker collecting GPS data at the airport using a Trimble R8 high precision unit. Today, the County is utilizing the GIS Services Division more than ever. Current projects taking advantage of GPS technology include the County’s fiber build-out, inventory and maintenance of street lighting infrastructure, survey monuments, and park trail mapping, just to name a few. In addition to these on-going GIS projects, GPS is seen as a value-added technology and is often used to assist with other County projects, such as calculating volumes of our landfills or ground-truthing flood zones estimated by a flood analysis application.

GPS base station on rooftop. As a service to the surrounding community, Monroe County hosts two base stations for the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GLONASS). These base stations provide advanced support for local GPS use, improving accuracy and satellite availability for GLONASS compatible GPS equipment. Monroe County will continue to stay active with the ever-emerging advances in GIS and GPS technology, extending the benefits of these technologies to its constituents and improving the way Monroe County does business.