Applications of global positioning system technology in land transportation systems

The global positioning system (GPS) allows the accurate positioning of an object using satellite signals There are a lot of applications of this technology in many scientific fields all over the world. In recent years, the rapid increase in the development of the geographic information system technology (GIS) has led to the development of GPS/GIS applications. Therfore, the geometric and geographic information obtained by the use of GPS can be introduced to GIS database and thus thematic maps can be produced. In the framework of this paper, a short overview of applications in the area of transportation in Greece and abroad is presented. Emphasis is placed on an ongoing application in railway mapping, through the presentation of its pilot phase in Greece. The use of modern technologies, the problems identified and the results produced are presented and discussed.