In the electronics world, it is almost impossible to keep track of new developments, such is the pace of change. Who would have dreamed, 25 years ago, that this modern wonder we call GPS would have revolutionised navigation to the extent that anyone can now purchase a small instrument at a reasonable price which will precisely locate the user’s position, anywhere on earth?

The computer, which became widely available in the late seventies and early eighties, is now a commonplace piece of equipment in most homes, and variants such as the laptop have improved so much in terms of available power and facilities, and have plunged in relative and real costs to such an extent, as to be unrecognisable when compared to the early machines.

So what are we like to see in the near future?

GPS has come of age, so much so that the major suppliers of the handheld GPS are expanding the market for these products, and making the instrument more sophisticated by building-in maps and marketing the software for loading such maps into most of their higher-priced ranges. A glance at any GPS catalogue will convince the potential buyer that marine usage is insignificant when compared to overland and automobile usage, constituting about 10% of the total market.

The automobile industry has seized upon the GPS technology and many new cars are being sold with built-in “navigation” systems of varying complexity and usefulness. It follows that the major boat builders will likewise see the advantages of installing more integrated navigation and control systems than are available at present, doing away with the plethora of additional cabling and wiring which most DIY systems entail.

Following the success of the laptop, and the trend to making PC technology ever smaller, the pocket PC is now set to become the next “must have” gadget. This will enable much more complex maps and charts to be displayed than the GPS with built-in mapping software, in fact the same charts that are used on the laptop can be configured to work with one of these miniature marvels, although the problems of screen size become even more acute. Still, being able to carry around a full nav. system in one’s pocket is now quite possible, as linkage to the current crop of GPS receivers is easy to achieve. Remember though, these devices are not waterproof, and will be prone to the problems of extreme dampness, as is the laptop, so carrying such a “system” in your oilskin pocket is not, at present, quite the thing!

Also available are “mouse” GPS devices which plug into the USB port and draw their current direct from the laptop, and TFT flat panel monitors, very much reduced in price these days.