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Researchers at Microsoft Research Asia used GPS data from more than 33,000 Beijing taxicabs over two years, amassing enough data to analyze every road in the city. This data not only showed areas where traffic slowed down, but also showed where journeys started and finished, and how a commuter traveled in between.
Read MoreIn September 2011, the Nashville, Tennessee, Area Metropolitan Planning Organization selected firms that will use GPS monitors as part of a unique study of the connections between transportation and health. The study will begin with a survey of the daily travel and commuting patterns for 6,000 residents.
Read MoreGPS tracking has provided researchers and city planners with an important source of information for improving transportation systems. Studies using GPS tracking can help planners learn about where people are going, what methods of transportation they are taking, and how funds can best be spent to improve the system.
Read MoreGPS-enabled phone applications are connecting businesses to their customers in new ways. Smartphone applications such as FourSquare, Google Latitude, and Yelp use GPS-enabled phones to allow users visiting a restaurant or store to check in and instantly share their location with friends.
Read MoreSpace can contribute not only to the products and services that individuals purchase and use, but also to those used by entire companies. A spinoff technology based on NASA’s Nebula cloud computing platform is now helping companies to use their information technology resources more efficiently.
Read MoreMore than 31 million students have participated in ISS-related educational demonstrations and more than 1 million students have conducted experiments linked to the space station. That number will grow even more with two new educational programs that began in 2011. The Plants in Space project, funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, allows students to compare observations about ISS plant growth to those on Earth. In September 2011, astronauts on the space station planted Brassica rapa seeds with the goal of investigating the influence of light on root orientation.
Read MoreMany countries use satellite technology for education. With the August 2011 launch of the PAKSAT-1R communications satellite, Pakistan has joined this group of nations. The satellite, which provides TV broadcasting, internet, and data communication services, extends modern communications to the whole country. Pakistan’s prime minister urged the national space agency to focus on tele-education for improving the quality of life in remote areas. The technology allows Pakistani students in outlying areas with little or no access to educational resources to link up with classrooms in major cities.
Read MoreIn addition to locating humans in danger, satellite tracking is also used to monitor animals. About six or seven mountain lions are believed to live in the Santa Monica Mountains in California, and the National Park Service had been tracking one of these animals for nearly two years using a GPS collar.
Read MoreMany GPS-enabled applications allow walkers, runners, and cyclists to track the path of their exercise route, providing location, speed and other statistical information. The information collected is usually used for tracking personal progress toward fitness goals, but these applications can have other interesting benefits.
Read MoreThe California Department of Fish and Game developed an application for mobile phones to help stop illegal fishing. The application allows fishermen to use a GPS-enabled phone to determine their location on a map of California’s marine protected areas.
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