Introduction to Surveillance Studies

GPS SURVEILLANCE

KEY CONCEPTS

• the evolution of geolocation systems

• spread of GPS to consumer devices

• GPS tracking

Introduction

In the past, humans used constellations to help them navigate—both on land and sea. They had to understand the movement of the Earth in relation to the Moon and stars, which changed with the time of day and the seasons and, further, to use instruments such as a staff of a consistent length or, later, a quadrant or astrolabe with marks and measures, to help chart a course.

Now we use manufactured “stars” in the form of orbiting satellites to give us more precise information about our location on Earth and we don’t have to look up to do it—we can look down onto any handheld device equipped with a Global Positioning ...