GPS Market to Reach $240 Billion in Five Years, Report Says

Global Positioning System location-finding and navigation services are generating increasing revenue as the satellite-based technology is embedded in a wider range of mobile devices, according to a report from the European firm ABI Research.

By 2013, GPS for consumer and business use is expected to generate $240 billion, the report said.

ABI said innovative solutions based on the post-processing of the GPS signal are being developed for faster and better coverage, which should help migration of GPS service to handheld devices and digital cameras.

The greater challenge is to develop the technology for indoor use, the report said. GPS technology was designed for specific military applications, and its weak signals do not easily penetrate indoor environments.

For deep indoor environments, GPS will have to be complemented with alternative positioning technologies such as Wi-Fi, motion sensors or TV broadcast signals, ABI said.