Geolocation
Geolocation is the general process of identifying the real-world geographic position of an object or person. It is the umbrella concept that encompasses various technologies, including GPS, Wi-Fi, IP addresses, or cell towers, to determine a location.
What is the difference between geolocation and GPS?
Geolocation and GPS are related but distinct. Geolocation is the result: the knowledge of a position. GPS is one of the methods to achieve it, and it's the most accurate for outdoor applications.
The other methods
However, geolocation can be obtained by other means. For example, your smartphone can geolocate itself inside a building without a GPS signal by using surrounding Wi-Fi networks (Wi-Fi positioning). A computer can be approximately geolocated via its IP address.
What the vocabulary hides
In the world of telematics, although the term 'geolocation' is often used to talk about vehicle tracking, it is technically more correct to say that 'GPS tracking is the technology used for vehicle geolocation'. Understanding this nuance is important because backup systems might use cell tower geolocation (less precise) if the GPS signal is lost or jammed.
TAGS
positioning methods
GPS
Wi-Fi positioning
cell tower triangulation
IP address location
Related Terms
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