Pentagon turns of GPS distortion

In a landmark decision, the United States defense department turned off the chips in the Global Positioning System that cause GPS coordinates to be off by 50 to 100 ft. Instead, coordinates will be accurate to within about 10 ft.

The US defense department has always broadcast a deliberate flaw to prevent foreign government and terrorists use the GPS system to pin-point missile attacks.

A number of companies provide services to compensate for the deliberate distortion. The future of these firms is now in doubt, since the new GPS coordinates will be accurate. The elimination of the distortion will create new opportunities for commercial applications of GPS, including car navigation systems, compasses and other outdoor professional and recreational systems. William Daley, US Commerce Secretary said, "The release of accurate GPS coordinates - make this powerful information technology far more accessible and affordable to the broad public."