Global Positioning System
4
3.4
- noun
- /ˈɡloʊbəl pəˈzɪʃənɪŋ ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
:
Sistema de Posicionamiento Global
- The Global Positioning System allows drivers to receive real-time navigation updates.
- GPS
- Global Positioning System satellites
- Global Positioning System device
Examples
-
Recently, mobile Doppler radar units, remote Internet uplinks, and advanced global positioning systems have been introduced into storm-interception research.
Academic text (1999) -
Gomez holds a device that determines its exact location using the Global Positioning System.
Academic text (1994) -
You see, this cell phone has a global positioning system.
-
That is a portable global positioning system.
-
One of the problems in the Department of Defense is our dependence on global positioning systems.
Blog text (16) -
Computational devices started to have sensors, accelerometers, and miniature Global Positioning Systems built into them.
Fiction book (2001) -
One of the Clinton administration's most important legacies was to extend the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
Academic text (2003) -
Soil samples exactly located by Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are analyzed for fertility and other characteristics.
Academic text (1996) -
You can use a Global Positioning System to find the quickest route to your destination.
-
Many hikers rely on a Global Positioning System to navigate through unfamiliar landscapes.
Synonyms
205
2.6
A system using satellites and computers to find a device's exact position on Earth
How Autonomous
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.1
- Specialized
1
7.7
- Specialized
4
3.4
- Specialized
3
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
global + positioning + system
The constituents 'global' (worldwide), 'positioning' (determining location) and 'system' (a set of components) combine in a straightforward, compositional way to denote a worldwide system for determining location. Although technical details (satellites, signal timing) are specialized, a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily infer the basic meaning.
Etymology
Global Positioning System gets its name from a simple idea: many satellites around the world send exact time signals to a receiver, and the receiver works out its exact place by comparing those signals. The words Global, Positioning, and System point to a 'world-wide' way to find your 'position', so the name literally says it helps you find where you are on the globe.