Of What Use Is A Handheld GPS Navigator Unit?

If you’ve got a handheld GPS navigator unit, you’ve got a great treasure! There are so many things you can do with a GPS navigator that is handheld. Lots of people use handheld GPS navigator units. There are applications for them on land, in the air, and at sea. With a handheld GPS navigator unit, you can figure out where you have been, where you are right then, and where you are going. You can navigate to and from certain places, using waypoints you’ve established from previous visits or coordinates (longitude and latitude) you’ve gotten ahead of time. A handheld mapping GPS also has features available.

On land, there are many applications. They are used constantly by the scientific community because of their accuracy. Surveyors use them a significant amount of time, since they provide the longitude and latitude of wherever the user is at the time. The surveyor can more quickly and easily accomplish the work they are to do. Recreationally, they are used by hikers, bikers, hunters, cross-country skiers, snowmobilers, and geocachers, as well as any other sport where it helps to know where you are at any given time.

In the air, handheld GPS navigator units are used by general aviation and all commercial aircraft. They are not always handheld, as they are often built into the plane, but they work the same way. At sea, a built-in or handheld GPS navigator unit can be used for navigation by boaters – whether recreational or not (Coast Guard, etc.) and for those who enjoy fishing.

What Can They do?

As stated, handheld GPS navigator units can tell one where they are – by longitude and latitude, by elevation, and by many other ways. As for mapping, some units do not have that capability. They have a screen that keeps track of where you are in relation to where you’ve been (track logs), as well as waypoints (like where you parked the car), and any other points you’ve created. It is the basic system. Some also have a city point database, which would give you city locations.

Some units have a basemap. The basemap will show basic things like highways, lakes, rivers, railroads, cities, airports, and exits from the interstate highways. True "mapping units" can download through the computer a detailed map. This can include business and residential streets, restaurants, gas stations, boat ramps, banks, off-road trails, and a whole lot more. Imagine that kind of data contained in a little handheld GPS navigator unit!