The challenges of global navigation have spurred investments from governments to meet strategic goals.
Nations with global ambitions require solutions for global navigation. In the 18th century, European empires competed to extend trading systems around the globe. This required improved navigation, so nations provided incentives and prizes for solving a vexing problem: how to determine longitude at sea. Military needs have spurred new actions and innovations. World War II required accurate and reliable navigation in aircraft, requiring new electronic navigation methods. During the Cold War, the United States developed global navigation systems using orbiting satellites. These eventually evolved into the Global Positioning System used by people worldwide. Other nations have continued to develop independent navigation systems.
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