New innovations in GPS technology have greatly improved their accuracy and expanded the possible applications.

The first of these is SiRF technology. GPS units containing these specialist chips have a much greater accuracy than standard models. The latest SiRF Star III chipset has a dramatically better performance for getting a GPS signal from satellites and getting you a location on your GPS. The 3 key advantages of the SiRF star III chipset are:

• faster location acquisition times
• high sensitivity for better locking of satellite signals (including WAAS/EGNOS) in tough areas like under dense foliage or in canyons
• low power drain for longer battery life

Originally GPS was always an entirely separate unit from which stored locations would have to be transferred to a computer via a cable for use on spreadsheets, maps etc. The advent of GPS cards, such as the GlobalSat BC-337 CompactFlash GPS Receiver, for PDAs and laptops has made integration of your positions into software much easier. These too can come with SiRF technology. These cards can be used with other CF-compatible devices. The GlobalSat BC-337 can also be fitted to some bat detection devices to allow you to record exact positions on echolocation recordings.

As wireless technology improves in general, there is no doubt it will benefit GPS systems. Already some of the latest GPS units are able to transfer data such as routes and positions wirelessly between compatible units like the Garmin Colorado 300 - a great way to share survey data between colleagues. Bluetooth GPS devices are able to connect wirelessly to other devices such as computers and PDAs which support Bluetooth.