The commercial uses of Global Positioning System (GPS) are diverse with applications across various industries. Some applications are simple, such as determining a position, whereas others are complex blends of GPS with communications and other technologies. The rapid growth of commercial applications in recent years has surprised many industry observers and firms building GPS satellites and equipment. The differing needs of commercial and civil GPS users and the availability of alternative solutions for meeting them have led to a highly diverse and competitive market for GPS technologies, equipment, and services.
The market for commercial uses of GPS can be segmented by the differing needs of customers for time and spatial information. Initially, one of the original purposes of GPS was to improve en route navigation for military ships and aircraft. However, there are dozens of uses of GPS today, with new applications being reported each month in academic, business, and public media. Adoption of GPS in aviation, maritime and waterways, highway and construction, public transportation, railroads, communications, emergency response (e.g., ambulance and fire), surveying, weather, scientific, space, environmental protection, recreation (e.g., sports events), law enforcement and legal services, and agriculture and forestry have created a wide opportunity to the GPS market.
According to our research report “World GPS Market Forecast to 2013”, it is projected that shipment of GPS devices will grow at a CAGR of more than 20% during 2011-2013 to reach around 900 Million units by 2013. Besides, the global navigation satellite systems’ (GNSS) technology, which is expected to be embraced by the positioning facilities through mobile phones and route guidance devices in the car, development of the GNSS market is anticipated by the next 20 years.
The growing number of smartphones, technology convergence, mobile commerce, and location-based shopping are all expected to boost the GPS market worldwide. The driver of this growth is the widespread use of mobile mapping applications in the United States and Europe. GPS is a key component in many of the location-aware smartphone applications that have become so popular in recent times. Thus, the number of subscribers of GPS-enabled location-based services (LBS) is anticipated to grow substantially in near future, with market revenue touching the mark of US$ 10 Billion by 2013. Speedy enhancements and developments in digital mapping software will present this positive outlook for the industry in future.
“World GPS Market Forecast to 2013” provides a complete overview of the GPS market worldwide. All the current trends and developments of the GPS industry have been evaluated in the report. Key geographic markets, including the US, Canada, Japan, and other Asian countries, are specially focused in the research.