Introduction: The Global Positioning System, more commonly called GPS, is a satellite-based system that provides navigation for almost everything from cell phones to automobiles. This wonderful technology is very vital in today's economy due to its importance in banking, financial markets, power grids, agriculture, construction and much more. It also protects human life by preventing accidents, aiding in search and rescue missions, and is critical to nearly every aspect of military operations. There are three segments that make up the global positioning system: the spatial segment, the control segment, and the user segment. The segment we know is the user segment. The user segment is what receives GPS signals, determines the distance between a satellite and a receiver, and solves navigation equations, all to get the coordinates of a specific location. The space segment consists of 31 satellites but there are at least 24 satellites that are located approximately 6,000-12,000 miles above the earth. These satellites are arranged this way because it ensures that at least four satellites are in view of literally any point on earth. This ensures the accurate and efficient operation of the global positioning system. The last but probably the most important segment of GPS is the control segment. The control segment is a global network of facilities that track satellites in space and ensure their correct functioning. This includes monitoring their transmissions, performing analysis on them, and sending commands and data. There are three parts in the control segment; the main control station, monitoring stations and ground antennas. The main control station is responsible... middle of paper......GPS.gov: GPS Overview. Np, 1 September 2013. Web. 28 December 2013. .Blewitt, Geoffrey. “GPS Technique Basics: Observation Equations.” Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. Np, nd Web. January 1, 2014. B. Langley, Richard. “The Mathematics of GPS.” University of New Brunswick. Np, nd Web. January 1, 2014. .Three GPS segments. Nd-, University of Texas. .B.Thompson, Richard. “Global Positioning System: The Mathematics of GPS Receivers.” Mathematics magazine. University of Arizona, n.d. Web. January 1, 2014. http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdfGPS Orbit. Nd Government of the United States of America, US Space Segment. Network. January 1st. 2014.