EG2401 Engineering Professionalism Final Report Project 3: Global Positioning System (GPS an! t"eir #ec"nologies For: $r% &! Rais'l slam
$one by Gro'p 2: )ie* +an ,ob Seran arialan on 5'n )ong
-0112.1/ -011240R -011240R -0111/3E -0111/3E
Table of Contents Introduction.................... ............................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ............................ ................. 1 Field 1 – The Telecommunications (Mobile Phone) Industry ..................... ................................ ..............................2 ...................2 1.1
The effe effects cts of of GPS (Glob (Global al Posit Position ionin in System System)) Tec Techno hnoloy loy on the the Mobile Mobile Phone Phone Indu Industry stry
2 1.!
"thica "thicall #ilemm #ilemma(s a(s)) raised raised by the Im$lem Im$lementa entatio tion n of GPS into into Mobile Mobile Phon Phones es ................3
1.% 1.%
Poss Possib ible le Solu Soluti tion on(s (s)) to such such #ile #ilemm mmas as.................... ............................... ...................... .................................. ....................... 4
1.&
Im$act Im$act on Future Future Genera Generatio tions ns 'hen 'hen e' Condit Condition ionss are are introd introduce uced d ............................5
Field ! – The Ciil *iation *iation Industry ..................... ................................ ..................... ..................... ..................... ........................... ................. 6 !.1
The effects of GPS Technoloy Technoloy on the Ciil *iation *iation Industry ....................................6
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"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS in Ciil *iation *iation Industry ........................7
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Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas................................................................8
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Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced ............................9
Field % – The +nmanned +n manned ,eh ,ehicle icle Systems Industr y............................................................10 %.1
The effects of GPS Technoloy Technoloy on the +nmanned ,ehicle ,ehicle Systems Industry ................10
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"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into +nmanned ,ehicle ,ehicle Systems
.................... ............................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ...................................... ........................... 11 %.%
Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas..............................................................12
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Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced ..........................13
Field & – The *riculture Industry .................... .............................. ..................... ...................... ........................................ ............................. 14 &.1
The effects of GPS Technoloy Technoloy on the *riculture Industry .....................................14
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"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS the *riculture Industry .......................15
4.3
Possible Solution(s) to such Dilemmas................. Dilemmas............................................... .............................. 16
4.4
Imact on !utu"e #ene"ation $hen %e$ &on'itions a"e int"o'uce'.. .17
Conclusion..................... ............................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................................... .......................... 18 -eferences..................... ............................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ............................................... ..................................... 19
Introduction The Global Positionin System or other'ise /no'n as GPS is a form of technoloy such that it encom$asses arious satellites (at least four or more) in s$ace for 'hich it forms a naiation system that accurately $roides information relatin to time and location in all ty$es of 'eather conditions reardless of any obstructions on the surface of the earth. The GPS is a crucial system for 'hich it $roides ital information to those in the military as 'ell as commercial and ciil consumers around the 'orld. 0o'eer as a matter of fact it 'as actually intended for the sole $ur$ose of military a$$lications only before bein made aailable to the $ublic in the early 1234s. Today anyone 'ith a GPS receier could access the system5 and than/s to its function of $roidin real6time three6dimensional $ositionin and naiation it is no' used all oer the 'orld in a multitude of a$$lications. Such a$$lications 'ill be discussed in the subse7uent sections of this re$ort for 'hich this re$ort 'ill also discuss ho' such fields hae successfully rea$ed the benefits of the GPS and ho' it has a$$lied these adantaes to its conenience. Furthermore 'hile the fact that the im$lementation of GPS into arious fields hae definitely im$roed the 'ay 'e lie our life in one 'ay or another ho'eer introducin a ne' technoloy into a field 'ould most often brin about uncertainties in the beinnin as 'ell as cultiatin star/ differences in o$inions (disareements) bet'een seeral different $arties. *s such this re$ort also aims to uncoer some of the ethical issues 'hich may be brouht u$on by the enforcement of GPS into such field(s) 'ith the intention of hihlihtin $ossible solutions 'hich may brin an end to these ethical dilemmas throuh some of the analytic methods 'hich 'e hae learnt throuhout the course (e.. the decision6ma/in chart) and also to accentuate the im$lications it may hae on future enerations 'hen ne' conditions are introduced into the scene.
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Field 1 – The Telecommunications (Mobile Phone) Industry 1.1 The effects of GPS (Global Positionin System) Technoloy on the Mobile Phone Industry The introduction of the GPS into the 'orld of telecommunications bac/ in the early 234s 'as res$onsible for the eolution of the current eneration hand $hones and hae also chaned the role for 'hich mobile $hones $lay. Seeral decades ao hand $hones 'ere e8traaantly $riced $oorly su$$orted bul/y and out of the reach of many. eertheless mobile $hones today are so $o$ular in such a 'ay that you can neer run into a sinle $erson 'ithout one. 9andline $hones are also increasinly abandoned in faour of hain cell $hones instead 'hich are deemed chea$er and more conenient. :er time hand $hones accumulated seeral ne' features 'hich included diital cameras consistin of a fe' mea$i8els (e.. ! Mea$i8els) alon 'ith 'ireless internet access technoloy (e.. %G) and subse7uently the GPS too 'as soon added into hand $hones. The introduction of the GPS technoloy has affected mobile $hones in such a 'ay that it created many beneficial adantaes 'hich 'ere not $resent bac/ in the days 'hen oia 3310 'as still $o$ular. *n e8am$le 'hich e8$licitly hihlihts the adantae of usin the
GPS in hand $hones include the fact that that the traditional 11 system 'hich often used house $hones to identify the location of the ictim 'as becomin increasinly inconenient as more and more $eo$le continued to discontinue their landline in faour of usin hand $hones. *s such by hain cell $hones to contact the 11 system instead o$erators had to as/ the ictim of their location and this 'as an unnecessary ris/ to ta/e as location erification could ta/e a ery lon time and to add fuel to flames life ;eo$ardi
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=ith such adancement in technoloy the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made it a mandatory re7uirement for the Global Positionin System to be im$lemented into mobile $hones eer since hain seen the benefits of such im$lementation. 0o'eer 'ith such reat adancements in technoloy al'ays comes reat res$onsibility and hain our lies reolin around the use of GPS has also brouht u$ a certain ethical issue ($roblem) only to be 7uestioned by many.
1.! "thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into Mobile Phones =hile hain the GPS technoloy im$lemented into the cell $hone as a com$ulsory condition has definitely made the lies of ciilians more conenient such enforcement also has its dra'bac/s. The most $rominent ethical issue raised by the enforcement of GPS includes the fact that a $erson4s $riacy is indirectly bein inaded as the GPS is ca$able of trac/in an indiidual4s moement reardless of time and $lace. Many $eo$le are una'are of the fact that they are bein monitored continuously by arious telecommunication serices ia satellites and the fact that a $erson can be monitored by somethin also means that an indiidual could be trac/ed by anythin else as 'ell. This issue of hain to accept an 'nconsente! ris can be percei6e! to be more risy as this ris/ is inoluntarily im$osed onto the $ublic. 0ain to acce$t such a ris/ also includes the fact that a $erson is 'illin to hae his or her information to be e8tracted from his or her mobile $hone ia GPS. Such abuse of technoloy is clearly hihlihted in seeral modern day mobile $hone a$$lications such as ToyS$y*$$ Phone Trac/er > Glyn$se allo's an indiidual to trac/ and monitor a $erson4s actiity for such actiity includes te8t messaes call history $hotos and een bro'ser history (Fottrell !31?). Thus this scenario described here is clearly a iolation of seeral ethics such as rule –utilitarianism as an indiidual4s freedom is illeally constrained by another $erson (or an orani
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im$lementation of GPS does in fact iolates the freedom of an indiidual but this e8$loit has made the life of the society more conenient and saes many lies in the $rocess (ease of use by the 11 serices de$artment). Subse7uently it also difficult for the oernment to decide on the limits and e8tent for 'hich the Global Positionin System iolates our freedom. Thus it is hard to ;ustify such $erce$tion as GPS technoloy has already manifested itself as somethin so interal in our lies. To sum u$ 'hile the com$ulsory enforcement of GPS technoloy into mobile $hones has clearly brouht about seeral im$acts (such as the ability for relief serices to trac/ a $erson and the ability for a $erson to naiate his 'ay easily) such im$lementation also has its do'nsides but neertheless such do'nsides can only be considered as a disadantae if a $erson $erceies it as so.
1.% Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas Current solutions bein em$loyed to tac/le such dilemmas include strict reulations 'hich limits to use of GPS to a certain e8tent and such reulations (ethical codes) include@ I. #"e E11 Protocol – =here la' enforcement aencies and emerency res$onse $ersonnel can only use your $hone data to trianulate your a$$ro8imate location if and only if an emerency call is initiated5 II. #"e Pro6i!er 7ompliance – =here the FCC mandates that as of !311 all cell $hone serice $roiders oer an eiht6year $eriod $roide information about coerae areas they tend to e8clude from location serices5 eertheless such reulations mentioned aboe are still considered insufficient and $ossible solutions to the aforementioned dilemmas are described in the decision ma/in chart ne8t $ae. Some of the solutions 'hich 'ere included in the decision ma/in chart 'ould facilitate the $rocess of hain to $ublic to be a'are of them bein trac/ed after all such issues 'ill only occur if and only if the ris/ of bein trac/ed is inoluntarily im$osed onto someone 'ho is un'illin to do so. Such solutions include hain an indiidual to sin a terms and conditions areement to ma/e sure that he or she has fully consented to such ris/ and thus clearly hihlihtin the fact the ris/ of bein trac/ed is absolutely oluntary
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ST*-T@ The $ublic is increasinly unha$$y 'ith the $riacy issues im$osed by the im$lementation of GPS technoloy into hand $hones5 A The bo8es belo' are diamondsB =ill forcin the $ublic to sin a terms and % *re the conditions form before $ublic a'are %o buyin a mobile $hone that they are ma/e them consent to bein such ris/sE trac/edE
Continue to loo/ at =ill disablin alternatie solutions and GPS in some %o com$romises 'hich are deices sole areeable 'ith the the issue 'hile $ublic5 as 'ell as still adherin to definin a clear hard mainstream limit to 'hat deree a utilitarianismE GPS is able to trac/ a $erson
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The $ublic has areed to acce$t the ris/ of bein trac/ed 'hile embracin the benefits of the GPS5 and as such the im$lementation of GPS 'ill not iolate any ethics as the $ublic are 'illin to do so. (-ct 8tilitarianism 9 irt'e Et"ics Satisfie!)
Introducin a GPS tole to turn the technoloy on or off at a $erson4s biddin may also hel$ ho'eer this is com$letely unreliable as unforeseen circumstances 'ould render the benefits of GPS useless ('hereby a $erson forets to turn on his or her GPS in des$erate times of emerency).
1.& Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced
The introduction of the ne8t eneration GPS technoloy (or other'ise /no'n as the GPS loc/ III) startin from early !31D 'ill no doubt increase the efficiency of the current eneration ones by at least ten folds thus renderin the technoloy much more accurate 'hile coerin a larer rane of areas (e.. Mountainous reions). In addition em$loyin the ne8t eneration GPS 'ould enable enhanced indoor rece$tion thus allo'in a $erson to be trac/ed in a much more com$licated manner. *s such the adent of GPS loc/ III 'ould allo' future enerations to use their mobile $hones in an e8ce$tionally so$histicated manner as further im$roements include less interference from radio sinals increased sinal strenth and 7uality. These ne'ly introduced conditions here hihlihts the $ossibility that a mobile deice may manifest itself
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into an ob;ect of increasin im$ortance as the future 'ill become a more danerous $lace to lie in – and hence ne8t eneration 'ill consider a mobile $hone 'ith its enhanced trac/in abilities – to be a deice of safety no matter 'here they could be. eertheless its substantial im$roement in trac/in 'ill also mean that mobile $hones 'ill become more danerous than eer – as a $erson 'ill be easily and accurately trac/ed by arious $eo$le and orani
Field ! – The Ciil *iation Industry !.1
The effects of GPS Technoloy on the Ciil *iation Industry
Many are a'are of the GPS technoloy that is bein used in cars and shi$s. 0o'eer only a handful /no' that aircraft 'as the $ioneer batch to utilise GPS naiation. GPS in aiation are used to ie $recise information on aircraft4s current location and its headin. It entered into aiation industry in 13 'hen the +nited States *ir Force (+S*F) tested out the GPS aided combat system durin the :$eration Gulf Storm. #ue to its efficacious uidance it 'as $roed as a crucial instrument for 'arfare and soon installed in all of the aircrafts +S*F o'ned. It 'as only made aailable to ciil aiation in the year 1%. Since its introduction it has $roen its sinificant benefits to aiation industry at many instances. In Se$tember 1% orean *irlines Fliht 332 ("332) 'hich 'as scheduled from e' Hor/ to Seoul 'as shot do'n by a Soiet +nion4s Su61? Interce$tor 'hen it ("332) accidentally eered off course and fle' oer $rohibited Soiet4s airs$ace. *ll of the !D $asseners and cre' aboard 'ere dead. This ery incident made Federal *iation *uthority (F**) $ronounce the use of GPS in ciil aiation to $reent such accidents from ha$$enin aain. The introduction of GPS into ciil aiation industry brouht numerous amounts of benefits to *ir Traffic Controllers (*TC) airline o$erators as 'ell as $asseners. From efficient fliht route $lannin relatie ease of naiation and im$roed a$$roaches to air$ort run'ays are fe' of the many $aybac/s from usin GPS. Prior to the use of GPS aircrafts used manetic com$asses and landmar/sinfrastructures ('ay$oints) on the earth4s surface to naiate to their destination. 0o'eer this has 7uite a fe' disadantaes. Firstly manetic com$asses 'ere not ery accurate es$ecially 'hen the
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aircraft is flyin close to the $oles of the earth. Moreoer manetic com$asses $oint to true north rather than earth4s north. This allo'ed for the aircraft to eer off from its oriinal $ath 'hich $osed a set of its o'n $roblems. Secondly usin 'ay$oints as a form of naiation 'as ery inefficient form flyin as this did not allo'ed the $ilots to ta/e Jshortcuts4 oer the sea. *s such ;ourneys 'ere relatiely lon and $asseners had to $ay more for the fliht tic/ets due to increased fuel cost. +sin the aboe mentioned trianulation method GPS satellites communicates 'ith receiers fitted on the aircrafts and $roides information on the altitude s$ace based $osition and s$eed at all $hases of the fliht to the $ilots as 'ell as to the round cre's. *s such it is able to fly aboe oceans 'hich made ;ourneys shorter and eentually chea$er for $asseners.
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"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS in Ciil *iation Industry
*lthouh the benefits $roided by the GPS are abundant the benefits itself $ose $roblems to the aiation industry. The first thin is oer6reliance. GPS had been constantly im$roed eer since it 'as first introduced in the 1D3s. There are at a fe' instances the reliability of GPS is still 7uestioned. Kust li/e any other deices 'hich use -adio Fre7uency (-F) are $rone to -F Interference (-FI) GPS is no e8ce$tion. Most of the Ciil *iation Industry uses the band 91 6 1?2?.&! M0< and 9? 6 112D.&? M0<. There are restrictions on the intentional broadcast of sinals near the fre7uencies stated aboe. 0o'eer there are a fe' deices includes but not limited to GSS (Global aiation Satellite System) Kammer (a $riacy $rotection deice) 'hich emits sinal near to that of GPS. =hen these deices are 'ithin the $ro8imity of an air$ort (ultimately aircrafts) they tend to interfere 'ith GPS sinal from and to the aircraft affectin its reliability and eentually the safety of the ta/in offlandin. The ethical issue here is the oerreliance and its ulnerability. :n contrast 'ith the old days 'here $ilots are only allo'ed to land if the run'ay is isible to their eyes $resently systems are aailable for een 'hen the meteoroloical conditions ma/es the isibility do'n to a fe' 13 th of meters. It is called Instrument 9andin Systems (I9S) or C*T 1 (Cateory 1) 9andin a$$roach. These systems use multi$le instruments includin the GPS to aid the $ilot to land safely onto the run'ay 'hen the isibility is bad. Cou$led 'ith bad 'eather and the inference of GPS $ose a reat daner to the aircraft. Pilots 'ould be ery busy $re$arin for I9S a$$roach by monitorin instruments such as *rtificial 0ori
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('hich comes in the instrument $anel 'hen it senses discre$ancies in sinal). In fact this is 'hat ha$$ened in !33& 'here a $lane crash near enalla 'hich $ut to death all si8 $eo$le on board (Thomas !311). *nother ulnerability that aircraft GPS $ose is the ability to shut them off intentionally by the $ilots. :ne e8am$le that ha$$ened in March !31& that addresses this issue is the 'orld famous case of Malaysian *irlines fliht M0%23. It is belieed that the $ilot 'as the main reason for disa$$earance of the aircraft and he turned off the all the communications 'ith the round control includin the GPS. *s a result till date no one e8actly /ne' 'hat ha$$ened to the state6of6the6art oein 222 as 'ell as the !!2 $asseners. Since $ractically anyone can ;am the GPS sinal intentionally (GPS !31&) oer6reliance on GPS by the ciil aiation around the 'orld $ose a reat ris/ on the innocent $eo$le traellin by air. 0ere riht ethics is iolated. -iht ethics holds that $eo$le hae essential rihts such as the riht to life liberty and freedom that other $eo$le hae a duty to res$ect. *ruin from this $oint of ie' due to the fla's of the GPS $eo$le lies are bein ris/ed. =hat ma/es it 'orse is as discussed earlier in field 1 the ris/ they are bein $osed is un$erceied ris/. Common $asseners are obliious of the ris/ $ossessed from -FI (9ad/in 12) and een they themseles could be the reason for GPS sinal ;am 'hich miht cost their lies. 0o'eer if 'e ;ust loo/ at it from utilitarian rounds – 'hich 'eihs the benefits of somethin to its dra'bac/ GPS may considered as irtuous thin as so far there are only a cou$le of accidents inolin failure of GPS com$ared to the thousands of safe flihts achieed by GPS.
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Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas
Continuous im$roements on the GPS $roed to be ery successful. Currently the ne'er eneration of satellites are bein used for transmittin sinals. The hihliht feature of these satellites are the use of dual fre7uency channels to communicate 'ith the GPS receiers such as the one installed in commercial airlines. This $articular feature directly addresses the aboe mentioned ethical dilemma reardin the ;ammin of the GPS receier4s sinal throuh GSS systems. Instead of usin ;ust one fre7uency channel to transmit the data it no' uses ! channels – one hih and one lo'. The data transmitted throuh one channel is counter chec/ed aainst the other channel. The use of this increases the reliability and
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minimises the interference by the nearby GSS and satisfies the utilitarian and irtue ethics. "en if someone 'anted to sabotae the aircraft by usin a ;ammer the interity of the ne' system 'ill not allo' for it. *s a bonus this techni7ue also corrects the ionos$here scintillations issue that causes radio sinal deradation. *nother solution $ro$osed by our rou$ is the use of location and s$eed indicatin GPS module that should be installed onto aircraft 'hich could not be turned off by anyone durin a fliht. *lthouh one miht arue that it seems to be disres$ectin the $ilot – not beliein his consciousness. =e $ro$ose from $oint of ie' for 'hich in the eent of the $ilot becomes inca$acitated due to unforeseen circumstances the $asseners lies should neer be $laced at ris/. y usin irtue ethics duty ethics and utilitarian rounds $asseners beliee and trust that they 'ill arrie their destination in safely and $iece it is the duty of the airline o$erators and the $ilots to trans$ort them out of harmLs 'ay. It should not be made $ossible 'here a sinle $erson could ;eo$ardise the 'ellbein of all $asseners. Moreoer $asseners should also be made clear of the $otential ris/s that miht arise by their o'n actions of usin their $ersonal electronic deices 'hich miht cause interference to the GPS systems. +sually 'hat ha$$ens in an in6fliht briefin is the fact that $asseners are ;ust told to s'itch off their deices to $reent interference. Most of the unreasonable $asseners 'ithout /no'in the e8tent of their actions sim$ly inore the rules stated by the fliht attendant. :ur rou$ feels that it is the duty of airline o$erators to e8$licate the conse7uences 'hich 'ould occur due to the -FI durin the in6fliht briefin $asseners 'ould be more mindful of their actions.
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Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced
Indeed GPS has reolutioni
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System (=**S) ma/es sure the aircraft is al'ays at lin/ to the round su$$ort system ets com$lete information on its headin as 'ell as the safe altitude to fly at a ien coordinates. =ith all these in $lace a $assener4s safety and the fliht4s efficiency becomes unbounded. *s GPS allo's more direct routes bet'een destinations lesser fuels 'ill be burn 'hich eentually leaes smaller
carbon foot$rint increasin enironment and economic
remunerations. Peo$le 'ill hae more confidence in flyin 'hich satisfies the utilitarian rounds.
Field % – The +nmanned ,ehicle Systems Industry %.1
The effects of GPS Technoloy on the +nmanned ,ehicle Systems Industry
+nmanned ehicle systems s$ecifically unmanned aerial ehicles (+*,) is a ty$e of aircraft 'ith no $asseners or on board cre' ($ilotless) on and are ca$able of fliht either throuh the use of on6board com$uters or by remote control. It can be classified into t'o ty$es namely remotely $iloted ehicle (-P,s) and autonomous drones. In this article 'e 'ill e8$lore e8tensiely on autonomous drones 'ith the incor$oration of the lobal $ositionin system (GPS). #rones are commonly used by the military ho'eer it is also im$lemented in search and rescue o$erations and are also bein utilised in other ciil a$$lications such as $olicin and firefihtin. In addition the technoloy albeit on a relatiely smaller scale also allo's hobbyists and other enthusiasts to become deoted drone o$erators. The conce$t of unmanned aerial fliht is not noel. :ne of the earliest records of the use of an +*, for military $ur$oses too/ $lace on !! nd *uust 1&. The *ustrians 'hich had been deelo$in this systems for months attac/ed the Italian city of ,enice 'ith some !33 unmanned balloons loaded 'ith %% $ounds of e8$losies set 'ith a half6hour time fuse. The $icture on the left illustrates the e8$losie balloon. =hen the 'ind is faourable the balloons 'ill be launched and directed to ,enice as close as $ossible. The bomb falls $er$endicularly and e8$lodes u$on reachin the round (Centre des technoloies de lLinformation de lL"tat ACTI"B !33%). "en thouh the balloons are incom$arable to current standards the conce$t 'as so stron that once the 'ined aircraft has been inented the effort to fly them unmanned for military $ur$oses 'as not far behind. Fast for'ard forty years to 1 durin the S$anish6*merican =ar the *mericans 'ere found to be fittin a camera to a /ite
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$roducin the first eer aerial reconnaissance $hotos (Ian > Sha' !31&). Most im$ortantly the first record of interatin GPS naiation into a drone 'as found in 1. =hittle (!31%) mentioned in his article that the
aforementioned drone is /no'n as *mber
deelo$ed
by
*braham
arem4s com$any Leading Systems Incorporated 'hich 'as funded by #efence *danced -esearch Pro;ects *ency the military4s research and deelo$ment de$artment. The set6u$ of GPS naiation allo'ed *mber to $erform autonomous missions u$ to & hours and housed infrared and lo'6liht cameras in a moeable sensor turret under its nose. *t a later stae another drone /no'n as Predator 'as 'ea$onised and e7ui$$ed 'ith 0ellfire missiles 'hich mar/ed the start of drone 'arfare. The $icture on the left 'as the first drone to fire 0ellfire missiles in combat 'hen it 'as de$loyed in *fhanistan to fiht aainst terrorists (o'den !31%).
Furthermore +*,s are becomin increasinly $o$ular in the commercial and $riate mar/et recently. The larest online retailer *ma
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"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into +nmanned
,ehicle Systems
*lthouh drones 'ith GPS $resented seeral benefits it created ethical dilemmas 'hen it 'as de$loyed as a 'ea$on or as a $riacy inader. =hen drones are used to conduct attac/s it enerates a different /ind of ethical debate such that the destructie nature is not the $oint of focus but rather its ca$ability to conduct an attac/ 'ith irtually no daner to the attac/in force 'hich may leads to $er$etual asymmetric 'ars to a less technoloically6inclined o$$onent. In addition there is relatiely little domestic blo'bac/ aainst these 'ars due to the fact that there are a relatiely lo' number of troo$ casualties for a military that has turned to drones. This has ineitably created a foundation 'hereby 'ars can be carried on indefinitely. *nother $roblem is that is no one e8$osed to any form of daner 'hen drones are used ma/in an act of 'ar too easy and far too chea$. =ars should al'ays be the last resort of di$lomacy. Thus the remoal of human element ma/es them by the ery nature unethical. 0o'eer the use of drones satisfies act utilitarianism to a certain e8tent as there is nothin intrinsically 'ron 'ith usin such technoloy 'hich 'ill minimi
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throuh the use of these drone may too lead to the loss of indiidual $riacy 'hich is aainst the rule utilitarianism – a human beins basic riht.
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Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas
If drones are to be effectie they needed to be $art of a clearly defined stratey 'here non6 lethal measures are the $riority and drone stri/es should be the last resort. Kust because they are easy to use and ery effectie at /illin does not mean it should be used in lieu of other o$tions. Therefore if $otential ris/s are detected alternaties should be carried out before resortin to drone attac/s. "8am$le of alternaties could be ste$$in u$ intellience atherin actiities creatin strateic $artnershi$s 'ith oernments of other countries free
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Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced
:ne such $ossible ne' condition is the introduction of a full artificial intellience (*I) to be used in drones es$ecially if it can self6oern its 'ea$ons (ibble !31&). It may $resent seere ethical im$acts on future eneration. *rtificial Intellience is a dual6use technoloy li/e nuclear fission ca$able of reat ood or reat harm. y automation it increases the system effectieness and the reliability it offers. This also means that drones de$loyed in the battlefield 'ill be o$erated autonomously 'hen it searches for the enemy andor een enae the taret. 0o'eer 'ho shoulders the moral cul$abilit y 'hen the *I drone /illsE
Field & – The *riculture Industry &.1
The effects of GPS Technoloy on the *riculture Industry
=ith the eer6ro'in 'orld4s $o$ulation constantly meetin com$lications due to famine $laue and s/irmishes bet'een borders it is ital for chanes to ta/e $lace in the ariculture industry to meet the demands and at the same time to sustain the natural resources. The name e8$erts ae to this is Precision Farmin. The re'ards offered by $recision farmin are tremendous. Farmers are no' able to continue their duty of seedin irriatin s$rayin $esticides and fertilisers 'eedin and eentually rea$in of the cro$s 'ithout any disturbances arisin from bad 'eather conditions. The /ey element that is bein the driin factor behind $recision farmin is the GPS technoloy. The interention of GPS into the ariculture industry traces bac/ all the 'ay into the $ast decade. *s the benefits of GPS became more established researchers and scientists started loo/in out for sectors in 'hich 'ould be e8$anded more efficiently 'ith the use of noble technoloy GPS. *nd one of such sectors 'as the ariculture industry. :er the $ast 13 years more and more farmin machineries such as tractors and haresters hae had their GPS receiers installed cou$led 'ith automation and are able to be far more $roductie than the conentional farmin. Preiously it 'as not easy for the farmers to see the relations bet'een cro$ yields ersus $roduction methods 'hich aries 'ith land. #ue to this $roblem farmers suffered from the lac/ of ability to attain a best effectie $lainsoil manaement strateies 'hich could hae
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im$roed their $roduction. 0o'eer today due $recision farmin and ariculture a$$lication of herbicides $esticide and fertilisers and im$roed control of the chemical dis$ersion is achieed. In 'hich it hel$s the farmers to reduce unnecessary cost increasin cro$ yields and ultimately craftin a more enironmentally friendly and sustainable farm. The intrusion of $recision ariculture altered the 'ay on ho' farmers and ariculture industry utilised the land to rea$ $rofits. Precision ariculture is all about ettin the riht eos$atial information on the soil condition cro$ maturity and animal attention at the riht time. +sin this data timely a$$lication of site6s$ecific treatments to im$roe and increase the cro$ $roduction and at the same time $rotectin the enironment can be achieed. =here initially farmers used the same treatment for all of their cro$s land and animals (res$ectiely) e7ually $recision ariculture no' enables them to use micromanaement techni7ue to treat each indiidually. This 'as $ossible due to the hih technoloy machineries sensors on6board com$uters and ultimately the GPS 'hich feeds the ital root data re7uired for $rocessin. GPS enables them to ma$ their farmlands accurately. It sho's the details on $art of the cro$s needs 'ater the $art needs to be a$$lied 'ith fertili
&.!
"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS the *riculture Industry
Many times the adantaes brouht about by the GPS in the ariculture industry is so reat that 'e often nelect the neatie im$acts caused by it. Some use utilitarian rounds to arue that it is alriht that 'hoeer suffers are the minority. 0o'eer the benefits attained are one set of farmers and neatie im$acts are totally on another set of farmers else'here. Conentionally the only industry 'here automation 'as not inoled is the ariculture industry. It 'as not $ossible to use the automation there due to the inconsistency in the res$onse needed by the soil cro$s and animals. Farmers or 'or/ers (in the conte8t of lare farm) are needed to be $hysically $resent to analyse the on the $art of the cro$s that needed fertilisers soil that need 'eedin and animals that needs attention.
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=ith the interention of GPS automation 'as made much more $ossible into farmlands. 0o'eer all these comes 'ith a reat $rice. In Saudi *rabia lare $art of the land is bein leased by the +.S. com$anies to ro' cro$s for commercial $ur$oses. They em$loy lo' s/illed 'or/ers from 9ess #eelo$ed Countries (9#Cs) to 'or/ in their farmland. =ith sensors embedded 'ith GPS module manual 'or/ers are not needed anymore to the routine $hysical chec/ of the cro$s. =ith GPS naiation tractors and haresters are able to drie on their o'n. The $eo$le 'ho 'ere $reiously em$loyed to do all these ;obs o ;obless. *nd since they are lo' s/illed 'or/ers it is e8tremely difficult for them s'itch industry 'here they can find ne' ;obs. =hen an ariculture com$any sho's financial re$ort that it saed 13Q of its total cost in labour cost it subtly indicates that there 'ere 13Q of their 'or/ers become unem$loyed. Therefore there is a rise in unem$loyment of lo'6s/illed 'or/ers 'here they are sent bac/ to their home countries (-oubini !31&). GPS aided $recision farmin is relatiely e8$ensie. :nly the bi $layers of the aricultural industry are able to utilise and rea$ off the benefits from this technoloy. This ma/es them more $roductie than before. *s such smaller farmers in the 9#Cs are unable to stay com$etitie and often bein thro'n out from this industry 'here their lielihood is com$letely destroyed. This also leads to the ma;or $layers mono$olisin the industry 'here they become the $rice setters of the ari$roducts. This has direct im$act on the consumers 'ho es$ecially lies in urban areas as since they (aribusinesses) are able to set the $rice of the ari$roducts they can set it at a hih $rice since there is no com$etition in this industry. There 'ill be a hih inflo' of income from the consumers to the business o'ners causin reater ine7uity in the society. OThe $o'er of farmin data is insurmountable and it is also danerous (Gil$in !31?). This is the discussion for another ethical dilemma. Since the data collected from the GPS embedded sensors are first bein send to some serer before bein sent to the satellite and then to the com$uter screens of the farmers there is a ery hih chance that someone miht hac/ into the system and steal the data or 'orse mani$ulate the data before the leitimate o'ner can see it. Preiously only the farm o'ners /no' the e8act information about their cro$ yields soil conditions and the number of liestoc/ they hae no' 'ith the $resence of GPS sensors the oer'helmin fear is that if it lies into the hands of eil be it a neihbour fertili
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&.%
Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas
Technoloical adancement 'ill no doubt boost $roductiity and efficiency ho'eer it is also unaoidable fact that it may lead to the unem$loyment of lo' s/ill labour in the economy. This may in turn lead to social disru$tion and human hardshi$. :n the other hand such technoloy 'ill also $roduce ;obs in the area that re7uired hiher s/ill. To increase the em$loyment rate for lo' s/illed labour 'or/ers are encouraed to $ic/ u$ multi$le s/ills as it is a 'ay of insurin themseles aain income loss thouh not necessarily ;ob loss. Thus em$o'erin 'or/ers 'ith a rane of s/ills 'ould facilitate the $rocess of these 'or/ers find a ;ob. In many countries such as the +nited States and Canada trainin schemes are in fact im$lemented for lo' s/ill labours to u$rade themseles or to learn ne' s/ills so that they can im$roe their em$loyability hain the o$$ortunity to earn more and ada$t to chane. eertheless due to the hih6cost nature of the technoloy only the bi $layers 'ill be benefit from this technoloy. 9are farms do in fact $roide ;obs for many $eo$le and clearly $erform an im$ortant role in the economy. 0o'eer they are not the only $art of the mar/et and the need for small farms should not be sim$ly inored by those in the oernment. :ne 'ay to $rotect the small farms is to im$lement a ta8 system for the larer farms and $roide incentie for the smaller farms. In addition this technoloy 'or/s in t'o 'ays. *lthouh it $roides numerous benefits to farmers it is also ulnerable to cyber threat. It is im$eratie that farmers 'ho uses such technoloy ta/e $ro$er cybersecurity measure to ensure their business data remains secure. The farmers should alert the authorities and file a re$ort 'ith the local la' enforcement in the eent of a security breach.
&.&
Im$act on Future Generation 'hen e' Conditions are introduced
=ith the lobal $o$ulation e8$ected to reach billion by !3?3 aricultural $roduction must double if it is to meet the increasin demands for food and bioenery. Gien limited land 'ater and labour resources it is estimated that the efficiency of aricultural $roductiity must increase by !?Q to meet that oal 'hile limitin the ro'in $ressure that ariculture $uts on the enironment. Thus to meet !3?3 aricultural $roduction needs robotics and
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automation $lay a sinificant role. efore lon farmers 'ill em$loy more autonomous systems that automate or aument farmin o$erations such as $runin thinnin and harestin as 'ell as mo'in s$rayin and 'eed remoal. 0o'eer certain ;obs in the farm still re7uire uni7uely human characteristics such as em$athy creatiity ;udment or critical thin/inRand that ;obs of this nature 'ill neer succumb to 'ides$read automation.
Conclusion The introduction of the Global Positionin System (GPS) has definitely brouht u$on seeral $ositie chanes for 'hich it has com$letely chaned the 'ay for 'hich the society has lied their lies. "ase of naiation the ability to trac/ and safety measurements are ;ust some of the many adantaes introduced by the im$lementation of GPS into the arious fields for 'hich 'e hae discussed in this re$ort. eertheless 'hile hain im$lemented the GPS in arious fields did in fact result in a multitude of adantaes (of 'hich most of them 'ere beneficial to humanity) ethical dilemmas 'ere also raised in the $rocess for 'hich these dilemmas include $riacy issues induced by such im$lementation as 'ell as the $ossible $lottin of terrorist acts. In addition there oes a sayin5 O=ith reat $o'er comes reat res$onsibility for 'hich it can be said the im$lementation of the GPS into the lies of ciilians has resulted in an effect so $o'erful the GPS has no' become res$onsible for ho' the society lie their lies but such res$onsibility has not been sufficiently reulated by the authority to the $oint that ethical dilemmas cease to e8ist. In s$ite of that a $lethora of recommendations has been made and some of these suestions include the fact that the $ublic is made a'are of such ethical issues and to consent to the do'nsides before hain to embrace such benefits. :n to$ of that a clear limit 'hich defines the e8tent of 'hat the GPS is leally allo'ed to do 'ill also facilitate the $rocess of eliminatin such ethical issues. In conclusion it can be said that the GPS is a double eded s'ord 'hich cuts both 'ays5 for 'hich it has both $ros and cons 'hich needs to be deliberately contem$lated. It can be a aluable asset 'hen it is used to ma8imise the eneral 'elfare of the society. eertheless many $eo$le utili
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behaiour remains to be ethical dilemmas concernin the im$lementation of the GPS 'ill continue to e8ist $er$etually.
-eferences o'den M. (!31%). How the Predator Drone Changed the Character of War . -etrieed from htt$@'''.smithsonianma.comhistoryho'6the6$redator6drone6chaned6the6 character6of6'ar6%2&D21Eno6ist ro'n K. 0. (!31%). From precision farming to autonomous farming: How commodity technologies enale re!olutionary impact . -etrieed from htt$@robohub.orfrom6 $recision6farmin6to6autonomous6farmin6ho'6commodity6technoloies6enable6 reolutionary6im$act Carneie Mellon +niersity. (!33&). "PS History, Chronology #nd $udget . -etrieed from htt$@'''.cs.cmu.edusensin6sensorsreadinsGPS0istory6M-D1&.a$$b.$df Chais K. C. > -aune//. (!311). "PS %se in #irplane &echnology: &he "loal Positioning System in #ircraft . -etrieed from htt$@'''.brihthub.comscienceaiationarticlesD21.as$8 C. (!31%). Domino's tests drone pi((a deli!ery. -etrieed from htt$@money.cnn.com!31%3D3&technoloyinnoationdominos6$i<
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Ian S. (!31&). &he -ise of the Predator .mpire: &racing the History of %/S/ Drones. -etrieed from htt$s@understandinem$ire.'ord$ress.com!636a6brief6history6of6u6 s6drones ibble -. (!31?). Can an unmanned drone e a moral agent0 .thics and accountaility in military rootics. -etrieed from htt$@'''.academia.edu2%D3&?2Cananunmanneddronebeamoralaent"t hicsandaccountabilityinmilitaryrobotics 9ad/in P. . (12). .lectromagnetic interference with aircraft systems. -etrieed from htt$@'''.rs.uni6 bielefeld.de$ublicationsIncidents#:CS-esearch-s*rticle"MI.html Mc#aid 0. Stron . > Israel . (!33%). -emote Piloted #erial 1ehicles : #n #nthology. -etrieed from htt$@'''.ctie.monash.eduharraer$ahome.htmlUeinnins Mc#onald . #. (11). "PS in Ci!il #!iation. -etrieed from htt$@auss.e.unb.ca$s'orld"arlyInnoationColumnsInno.11.3.$df Mcnamee M. (!33?). .thical Issues arising from the -eal &ime &rac2ing and 3onitoring of People %sing "PSased Location Ser!ices. -etrieed from htt$@ro.uo'.edu.auciie'content.ciEarticleV133%>conte8tVthesesinfo Murray P. (!311). Precision #griculture 4 High &echnology In!ades &he Farm. -etrieed from htt$@sinularityhub.com!3113%1%$recision6ariculture6hih6technoloy6 inades6the6farm Plant -. ". Pettyroe G. S. > -einert =. -. (!333). Precision ariculture can increas e $rofits and limit enironmental im$acts. California #griculture. doi@13.%2%%ca.3?&n3&$DD Precision agriculture can increase profits and limit en!ironmental impacts. (!333). -etrieed from californiaariculture.ucanr.edulandin$ae.cfmE articleVca.3?&n3&$DD>fullte8tVyes
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Pullen S. > Gao W. W. (!31!). "5SS 6amming in the 5ame of Pri!acy . -etrieed from htt$@'''.insidenss.comautomara$r1!6Pullen.$df -oubini . (!31&). Where Will #ll the Wor2ers "o0. -etrieed from htt$@'''.$ro;ect6 syndicate.orcommentarytechnoloy6labor6automation6robotics6by6nouriel6roubini6 !31&61! Sch'an K. (!31?). -a!en ma2es Steep 6o Cuts in Siou7 Falls. -etrieed from htt$@$recisionfarmindealer.comcontentraen6ma/es6stee$6;ob6cuts6siou86falls Thomas #. (!311). Plane crash lamed on faulty "PS . -etrieed from htt$@'''.bordermail.com.austoryD?D!3$lane6crash6blamed6on6faulty6$s =hittle -. (!31%). &he 3an Who In!ented the Predator . -etrieed from htt$@'''.airs$acema.comfliht6todaythe6man6'ho6inented6the6$redator6 %23?3!Eno6ist
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