With the advent of GPS technology, it has become possible to determine the precise location of any GPS receiver on the globe. GPS technology is often combined with mapping software in order to visually indicate the location of a GPS receiver on a map. Some of the portable devices that are currently available on the market include a screen for displaying a map along with a visual indicator that represents the GPS location of the device, however, there are several drawbacks associated with these devices.
Downloading geographic maps onto the portable devices from a network is very time consuming and there are often licensing fees associated with map use. In addition, the size of the screen is typically minimized in order to reduce the overall size and weight of the portable device. This may result in a user spending valuable time attempting to understand the map if insufficient information is provided on a single screen.
As with any map, time is also spent becoming oriented with one's surroundings and correlating them to the map on the screen. If the user is not particularly map literate, it may take a very long time for the user to determine his or her location. Further, in a region that is poorly mapped or a region that includes few roads or landmarks, mapping one's GPS location on a portable device may not be very useful.