GPS Technology

For decades, equipment operators took their instructions from stakes in the ground that had to be moved and reset as the work unfolded. Grade stakes will soon be obsolete, thanks to 28 Global Positioning Satellites that send radio signals to earth.

Onboard GPS receivers allow scrapers, dozers, and graders to plot accurate courses with little or no reference to in-ground markers. Johnson Construction adopted GPS in 2006 using Sokkia and Carlson Software to get the most accurate GPS system.