COVER STORY
IT’S MORE
THAN JUST A
MAP
Advancements in location technology would not only alter the way individuals interact with technology, but also create a new paradigm, where the primary users of location would be machines and platforms. By Aditya Chaturvedi September 1, 1983: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KAL007), which was a scheduled flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage, Alaska, strayed into the Soviet airspace. What followed was profoundly tragic and led to escalation of tension between the two Cold War era superpowers. The plane was shot down by a Soviet Su-15 interceptor, killing all 269 passengers and crew-members on board. For years, theories were floated around how the tragedy could have been averted. One wonders how things could have been a lot different if the pilot had access to GPS and location technology. Soon after the incident, then US President Ronald Reagan offered to let all civilian commercial aircraft use the GPS system once it was fully operational.
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www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2019
