Data Hacking

GPS Games
If anything drives the sales of electronic or consumer products, it’s leisure.
Yes, people buy a lot of things for work and because they have to, but nothing
gets people spending money like when they are spending it on fun!
For years, GPS was merely a serious tool with serious applications, such as
navigating, military, and surveying. This was partly because simple GPS
receivers (simple by today’s standards, at least) were considered specialist
and were very expensive, but it was also hard to see what appeal they would
have. However, there were certain hobbyists who waited anxiously for GPS
units to fall to a sensible price. Hobbies that required people to know where
they were on the planet at any given time were an obvious entry point for
GPS to make headway into the civilian market.
A few companies (Garmin and Magellan in particular) took a gamble and
released GPS receiver units aimed at the hobby market. They weren’t cheap,
with basic units costing in excess of $400 to $500, but for people with hobbies
in which knowing your exact position could mean the difference between
life and death, it was a worthwhile investment.
Outdoor enthusiasts were convinced, but the entry of GPS in the consumer
electronics market was more of a ripple than a wave. Since then, interest has
been slow but steady. When hikers, sailors, and pilots were beginning to
become interested in GPS, its accuracy was still hindered by the deliberate
error overlayed onto the civilian signal by the U.S. government. This Selective
Availability, as it was called, meant that users had to put up with errors in
accuracy of up to 100 meters. Figure 12-1 is a diagram showing just what
this level of inaccuracy meant.
chapter
in this chapter
˛ How GPS spawned
games
˛ A tour of GPS
games
˛ Points of confluence
˛ GPS drawing
˛ Hide-and-seek
˛ Foxhunt