How does GPS navigation work? One of those short questions that has an extremely long answer.
So we’ll try to do our best to answer it without going on and on and on and on about GPS (Global Positioning System).
At the heart of our iCN, PiN and SPiN navigation devices is the GPS receiver, which has the simple task of finding at least three GPS satellites out of the 27 currently orbiting the earth.
GPS fix
When you switch your Navman on, it starts searching for satellites to get its GPS fix – and remember if you are stationary, the time to first fix is faster than when moving in a vehicle. Initial fix times can be from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the relative location of the satellites and time which has elapsed since the last fix.
The Navman receiver then calculates how far it is from each of the satellites. It does this by multiplying the time it took for each signal to reach the receiver by the speed of light.
Once it has done this for each of the satellites it has found, it typically establishes your position to an accuracy of within just 5 metres or 15 feet.
Now that it knows where you are, your Navman displays that information on its map, so you have a nice and easy way to see your location.
Best routing
With that information safely stored in its memory, the built in computer plans the best route to your chosen destination.
Throughout your journey, the Navman will continue to be in contact with the satellites and provide you with additional and helpful information, such as how far you’ve travelled and your ETA, for example.
Points of Interest
The Navman’s computer stores approximately 2 to 5 million Points of Interest (POIs - depending on the model) – which include gas stations and parking lots – and also lets you add your own POIs.
These are then added to the maps on the Navman, so you can choose to visit them as part of your journey or even have them as a destination. On certain Navmans, you’ll find Active POIs which alert you whenever you are near a point of interest.