Virtual GPS? - A reality!!!

Ever wondered how GPS systems work?

When we have Internet, we need not wonder. The answer is right there. How Stuff Works has a good and detailed write-up on how GPS works.

The advent of Internet has given us so much stuff right inside your home. Imagine, the TV ad which used to show, all animals from the Zoo sitting next to you. Internet has also done the same, but not only animals but lot of unwanted stuff too!!!

Way back in the 90's, Napster brought a popular concept called Peer-to-Peer network to our homes. Being the 1st generation of its kind, Napster relied on a Central server technology. This made it easier for the goons to turn it off.
2nd generation of P2P was started by Gnutella community, which was more of a word-of-mouth or a telephone like concept, where in user groups talked to each other with common links and tried to find information. Even though this was hard to be brought down, it was characterized by slow search results and also isolated user groups that could never connect to the rest of the world.
3rd Generation of this network known as "Fasttrack" (I am sure you would not have heard this name) is more popularly known by the clients that connect to this network. viz., Kazaa, Morpheus, Grokster and so on. Fasttrack has quite big number of enhancements and has introduced the concept of Super nodes, spawning and has tried to converge different ways of communication to this network.
All these generations, had go through a Legal war. As these networks were a big threat for the music industry in particular and copy righted material at large.

Of course, the legal battle has started for copy righted material. But who can stop users from using this to share information. (Not copy righted, duh!!!)

Navizon, a product of Mexens Technology is a Peer-to-Peer wireless positioning software.
As with every GPS software, Navizon also works with GPS receivers. Navizon tries to apply the concept of P2P in using GPS as well. Like how in any P2P media sharing tools mentioned above, at least one user has to introduce the song that you are looking for into the network, let's say by ripping it from CD or borrowing it from a friend, Navizon also expects user with GPS receivers to share information. Then the information obtained about various Wireless access points, Cellular towers through these GPS devices, Navizon hosts a virtual GPS system for people with out GPS receivers.

The company also claims that, the users who share will get rewarded as every user of the virtual GPS has to pay a nominal fee of USD 24.99.

More information about Navizon and how it works can be found at :

http://www.navizon.com/index.asp

Let's say this is the first generation of a real virtual GPS system, so Navizon also follows the tradition and tries to work on a Central server system. But I am sure the goons, may not have any issue or legal war with respect to this, because the day your GPS coordinates become copyrighted, you will not be yourself anymore!!!

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