GPS uses a constellation of satellites to provide location and time information to GPS receivers. It began as a U.S. military system in the 1960s and 1970s but became available for civilian use in the 1980s. The system uses at least 24 satellites that orbit the Earth twice a day, transmitting signal data that triangulates the receiver's position and provides other navigational information. Some key benefits of GPS include reducing costs and improving safety, security, and customer satisfaction for vehicle and asset tracking applications.