In the late 1990s, Magellan released the first turn-by-turn navigation system for civilian drivers. The PathMaster hard-wired into a car, allowed users to see a map on a display screen and follow directions. The large computer received GPS data from an antenna and sent it to the display. A small card with a portable hard drive containing map data was inserted into the computer.
This equipment, originally built by NAVSYS of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the basis of a federal experimental emergency response system from 1995. Tested in Colorado, the system relied on GPS data and map databases to provide the location of emergency cellular calls. Based on this testing, the Federal Communications Commission established regulations which required the caller's location to be provided to first responders for all mobile E-911 calls. Commercial services—Ford’s Rescu, General Motors OnStar—superseded this test system.
The Magellan Systems Corporation produced some of the earliest handheld GPS units for civilian use. In 1986 company engineers began experimenting with electronic mockups. This is the earliest keyboard. Together with the "breadboard" (2010.0154.01) and power supply (2010.0154.03), this object was used to test circuitry and components at Magellan while developing the first civilian GPS receiver.
The Magellan Corporation, founded in 1986, worked to develop a handheld, battery-powered GPS receiver for the civilian market. Launched in 1988, the NAV 1000 was the first hand-held receiver introduced to the consumer market. Magellan anticipated that people would use these devices for hiking, boating and other recreational purposes.
In the late 1990s, Magellan released the first turn-by-turn navigation system for civilian drivers. The PathMaster hard-wired into a car, allowed users to see a map on a display screen and follow directions. The large computer received GPS data from an antenna and sent it to the display. A small card with a portable hard drive containing map data was inserted into the computer.
The Magellan Systems Corporation produced some of the earliest handheld GPS units for civilian use. In 1986 company engineers began experimenting with electronic mockups. This is the earliest “breadboard” receiver. Together with a keyboard (2010.0154.02) and power supply (2010.0154.03), this object was used to test circuitry and components at Magellan while developing the first civilian GPS receivers.
The Magellan Systems Corporation produced some of the earliest handheld GPS units for civilian use. In 1986 company engineers began experimenting with electronic mockups. This is the earliest power supply unit. Together with a "breadboard" receiver (2010.0154.01) and a keyboard (2010.0154.02), this object was used to test circuitry and components at Magellan while developing the first civilian GPS receiver.
The Outback Sts is a GPS-based farming system designed to provide precision guidance for farm machinery. The system was manufactured in 2012 by Hemisphere GPS (renamed AgSolution in 2013), a company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Roy Bardole used this touch-screen computer and a GPS antenna to receive enhanced GPS signals for working corn and soybean acreage in Iowa. With the equipment, he could set a work area perimeter, instruct tractors and implements to steer automatically on either a straight or contoured path, and log data about the work accomplished.
Satellite navigation helps farmers meet the challenge of increasing crop yields and lowering costs. They can use precise positioning to plant and harvest faster and more efficiently than ever before, and by applying fertilizers and pesticides more precisely, they can reduce the environmental impact of raising crops.