GPS digital mapping of any location in the world was made possible with the development of the United States with a Global Navigation Satellite System called Global Positioning System or GPS. A very powerful tool that can be used in activities such as digital mapping, land surveying and worldwide navigation, GPS became fully functional in 1995 under the official name of NAVSTAR GPS.
GPS digital mapping is done with the use of the signals sent by a GPS satellite flying above the Earth and a GPS receiver on land will perform the necessary calculations to determine precise locations using the signal it has received. Though GPS digital mapping is not 100% accurate due to certain errors that can be incurred from measurement of signal time arrival, atmospheric causes (since signals passes through the ionosphere), clock errors and distortion due to relativity, it is the most precise tool available so far and its margin of errors can be considered negligible as of the moment. And also, continuous research and improvement of this device is being done by experts to achieve 100% data accuracy that can be obtained from GPS digital mapping.
Using GPS in map-making, the most accurate, up to date and realistic digital terrain maps can be obtained. These three-dimensional digital terrain maps, along with the data acquired from them, are used to make modern researches in the field of geography and navigation.