Top headlines
Lead story
Although I try not to rely on GPS navigation, because studies show it erodes your ability to navigate on your own, its general dependability makes it hard to avoid. That’s why it was disconcerting to learn that GPS systems are becoming increasingly unreliable, particularly in places where it’s a lot more important than helping me find the best route across town through rush-hour traffic.
“GPS’s great strength is that under benign conditions, it works remarkably well in precisely the environments where being lost would be most dangerous,” writes Zak Kassas, an electrical and computer engineer at The Ohio State University. “This accuracy, however, masks a growing vulnerability.”
He explains that there has been a spike in cases of GPS disappearing or, worse, giving false information. Military and criminal activity, for example, frequently disrupts the satellite navigation system, putting ships and planes in danger. Not surprisingly, the problem is acute in combat zones, with the Persian Gulf and its globally important and dense shipping lanes the current poster child.
In today’s lead article, Kassas explains how GPS works and how, increasingly, it doesn’t. He also lays out the ways his lab and others around the world are working on alternatives to the venerable – and indispensable – GPS system.
[ Sign up for our weekly Global Economy & Business newsletter, with expert perspectives from around the world. ]
