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GPS: facing direction

2 replies · 2,530 views · Started 13 July 2009

Is it possible for the GPS receiver to know your orientation (i.e. where you're facing)? It seems the map does not turn when I turn, therefore I cannot use it as a compass for example.

A nasty consequence of the GPS not knowing where you're facing is that, at the start of a Walk route, you have no idea in which direction you should be heading. What I do is just start walking in a random direction and then look at the map to see whether I'm going in the right direction. After that it's easy, of course, but it would be so much easier if the GPS could tell "where I'm looking" by orientation of the mobile.

Can anyone clear this up for me? Thanks in advance!

longtalker wrote:Is it possible for the GPS receiver to know your orientation (i.e. where you're facing)? It seems the map does not turn when I turn, therefore I cannot use it as a compass for example.

A nasty consequence of the GPS not knowing where you're facing is that, at the start of a Walk route, you have no idea in which direction you should be heading. What I do is just start walking in a random direction and then look at the map to see whether I'm going in the right direction. After that it's easy, of course, but it would be so much easier if the GPS could tell "where I'm looking" by orientation of the mobile.

Can anyone clear this up for me? Thanks in advance!

GPS receivers can easily calculate which direction you are travelling but they have a lot more difficulty if you are not moving/motionless.
For standing still direction finding, the handset world probably also require a magnetic compass on the GPS chipset.