Beginning in the 1990s, NASA researchers developed software to correct for GPS signal errors, enabling location accuracy to within inches. John Deere acquired the technology and used it to develop the world’s first widely used self-driving farm equipment. Today, the majority of America's farmland is cultivated by self-driving tractors, many of which still rely on technology developed at NASA.
Uncorrected GPS readings can be off by up to around 30 feet due to data errors. Scientists at NASA, working with funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, aimed at correcting for these errors so that GPS readings would be precise down to inches rather than feet. The result is a software suite that has become one of NASA’s most important contributions to modern society, enabling highly accurate GPS navigation anywhere on the planet.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts self-driving farming equipment within your city's grocery environment!