Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that provides location and time information to receivers anywhere on Earth. The system uses a constellation of 27 satellites that orbit Earth every 12 hours. GPS was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense and was originally only accurate for military use, but has since become accurate for civilian use with applications in vehicle navigation, mapping, precision agriculture and more. GPS works by satellites transmitting coded signals that receivers use to calculate the time it takes for signals to arrive and determine distance from multiple satellites to triangulate the user's position.