Do you know that GPS units are now available for use by members of the Middlebury College Community? GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and it was developed by the US Department of Defense during the Cold War so that Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) could be fired with more accuracy than ever before. Although it is still used by the military today, some of the most extensive users of GPS and other spatially based technologies are non-profit organizations committed to peace, conservation, and education (if you haven't seen them yet, check out the Global Awareness layers in Google Earth).
When used properly, a GPS unit can communicate with satellites (via radio waves) to help triangulate a user's position on the surface of the earth. This information can then be harnessed to make maps, perform analyses, or simply just to visualize where you have been. In fact, with DNR Garmin, the GPS data management software being installed around campus right now (see go/software), it is easy to export your travels directly into Google Earth so you can drape your routes over 3D Terrain and satellite imagery! So be sure to take one out on your next hike and you may realize that you can explore the landscape in a way that you never have before.
What: New Garmin GPSMap 76CSx units, ~1-7 m accuracy
When: Available Now
Where: At the circulation desks, Armstrong and Main
Who: Questions? Contact Carrie Macfarlane, Reference and Instruction Librarian for the Sciences, cmacfarl@middlebury.edu.
How: Check out the documentation on how to use these units and the associated software, DNR Garmin, on the new Maps and GIS Subject Guide (see the help guide links on the right side of the page).