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About GPS receivers
With a GPS receiver connected to your computer, Pocket PC, or Smartphone, you can see your current location on the MapPoint or Pocket Streets map. When a GPS receiver is installed, MapPoint or Pocket Streets checks for your location once every second and displays it on the map. You can configure the map to remain centered on your current location, to rotate to follow your travel direction, and to display a trail showing where you have traveled. You can also use your GPS receiver to provide your location to the Driving Guidance feature when following directions obtained by creating a route with MapPoint.
In the GPS task pane to the left of the map, you can view the latitude and longitude coordinates of your current location and your altitude, the most recent time your GPS receiver recalculated your position, the speed at which you are traveling, your compass heading, and the strength of the satellite signal.
Some versions of MapPoint include a Microsoft GPS device that is designed to work with the program. However, you can also use other GPS devices. To work with MapPoint or Pocket Streets, your GPS receiver must be compliant with National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) standards, and its input/output format (interface) must be set to support the NMEA 0183 version 2.0 or later format. For more information, check the documentation that came with your receiver, or visit http://www.nmea.org/.
To learn how to use Pocket Streets on your Pocket PC, open Pocket Streets Help. To learn how to use Pocket Streets for Smartphone, open the Help file that was installed on your computer when you installed Pocket Streets.
How a GPS receiver works
A GPS receiver takes in data from a constellation of 24 satellites orbiting the Earth. These satellites are arranged so that at least four are always visible in the sky from anywhere on Earth. A GPS receiver attempts to locate signals from at least three satellites, but preferably four or more. With these signals, your latitude and longitude, altitude, speed, and direction can be determined, anywhere on Earth and in any weather.
Note Because a GPS receiver must track data from at least three satellites at the same time, there must be a direct line of sight to the sky when you use the receiver.
Locations are calculated through a process called three-dimensional trilateration, a mathematical formula that uses the positions of the satellites and their distance from the Earth (based on the amount of time it takes the signal to reach the receiver) to determine the point at which the satellite signals and the surface of the Earth intersect. After the GPS receiver acquires the satellite signals, the receiver continually recalculates your position as you travel and provides that data to MapPoint or Pocket Streets as a series of latitude and longitude pairs that can be shown on a map.
More information
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See your current location using GPS
See your current location using Location Finder
Recalculate a route from your current location