The is a worldwide radio-navigation system formed from a constellation of 24 satellites that orbit the earth in 12 hours and their ground stations.
GPS uses these "man-made stars" as reference points to calculate positions accurate to a matter of meters. In fact, with advanced forms of GPS you can make measurements to better than a centimeter!
GPS provides specially coded satellite signals that can be processed in a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to compute position, velocity and time.
Related acronyms: GIS
