Some of my friends and coworkers ride bicycles and motorcycles to work. Even one of my clients rides a beautiful Vespa Scooter to do his part to save gas and money. I have a lot of admiration for all these individuals. 

I, on the other hand, was looking at technology to save fuel and decrease our family's growing monthly fuel bill. 

I read numerous on-line articles about gadgets and gizmos you could add to your car's engine – but there were equally as many websites debunking these products. I found fuel additives that promised quadrupling your miles per gallon – no surprise these products were also debunked.

Then one day, as I was driving home from the gas station nonetheless, I saw the light. No really. The light of my illuminated GPS screen.

A GPS, or Global Positioning System, calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS satellites high above the Earth. Each satellite continually transmits messages containing the time the message was sent, a precise orbit for the satellite sending the message, and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites. These signals travel at the speed of light through outer space, and slightly slower through the atmosphere. The receiver uses the arrival time of each message to measure the distance to each satellite, from which it determines the position of the receiver using geometry and trigonometry. The resulting coordinates are converted to more user-friendly forms such as a location on a map that is displayed to the user.

How many times, when you travel from Point A to Point B, do you drive a known route that you have driven numerous times before?  Why?  Because you always drive that route?  Or that's the way you were shown by a friend or family member?

But what if that's not the shortest distance from Point A and Point B? Aren't you wasting gas? I calculated that I was doing just that. 

So I configured my GPS for "Navigate by Shortest Distance," and now I let it tell me how to go to local and out-of-town appointments and family activities rather than driving the same routes I always drive.

Which GPS is Best?

Many newer model vehicles come with built-in, in-dash GPS. These units are feature-rich and efficient but usually add an additional $1,500-$2,000 to the price of the car. 

Transportable GPS units, such as Garmin and Tom Tom, offer the flexibility of being able to be moved from one vehicle to another, can often have their internal maps and software updated over the Internet using a USB cable and a PC, but mounting these types can be awkward and cumbersome.

Premium GPS models with subscription services include Bluetooth, traffic updates, weather updates, updated gas prices, daily hotel prices, and more.

Results
My GPS has always taken me where I needed to go. There have been only a few times that it suggested going on some smaller streets that I normally would not go. If I do not take the GPS' advice it simply recalculates and presents me with an alternate route.

And as for fuel savings ... well, obviously a GPS will not improve your vehicle's miles per gallon. But, I am finding that I am driving fewer miles per week than I would normally. So the bottom line is ... yes, I am saving money.

If you or your organization have not yet benefitted from the expertise of the SNBS staff, please take your concerns to Ken Saxe, MCSE, MCSA, MCP, CNE at 717-757-6999 or 800-745-8233, or send him an email by using the form below. Along with the many technical services they offer, SNBS provides Internet and website consulting services.

IT STAFF PROVIDES COMMUNITY SERVICE Our Business Solution folks do more than work with machines and software - they work with people, too. Check out two of their Community Service adventures in these past articles: SN's Technology Professionals Plug into Katrina Restoration Effort (January 23, 2008 issue) SN Volunteers assist with Convoy of Hope (July 23, 2008 issue)