GPS (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series)

I started this book looking to learn more about GPS worked, particularly with smartphones. I got more history and less technology than I was looking for, but the book was still well worth reading. It clearly explains GPS development in the context of the development of the microprocessor, the Internet, satellites, cellular communications and the smartphone. The book also places the development of GPS and other satellite positioning systems such as the Russian Glonass in the context of historical events such as the downing of Korean Airlines Flight 007 and the first and second Gulf Wars.All in all, a good quick read and a solid foundation for more technical reading.

I picked up GPS by Paul E. Ceruzzi because I thought it would be interesting to learn about the subject matter. My commendation to the author for managing to keep me interested enough over its 205 pages, where I understood hardly anything at all, yet not once did I fall asleep during my read (not even on the bus). I find it a miracle I got through this in only four days. It was a chore to get through the first 72 pages, wherein the author talked about early navigation systems. Not until one third of the book was over did we learn about the birth of GPS.Ceruzzi implied that GPS technology makes maps obsolete. I do not rely on GPS for anything, so maps are what I turn to. I wouldn't dismiss foldout maps so flippantly. One should also never rely solely on technology to get oneself to a destination. If you do not have a backup plan with a map or an atlas, you are just as lost as not having a phone number memorized should your cellphone power source fail you.I did learn about satellite systems around the world (GPS is not a monopoly) and how they worked--in name only. The foreword states that this MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series aims to make its subject matter "accessible", but that presumes the reader has a highly technological background. I just had to accept whatever the author was writing about GPS as I read along.