Geography and technology have moved into K-12 schools. Various computer hardware and software companies, as well as organizations such as the National Geographic Society, have assisted schools in their efforts to intergrate geography technology into their programs. The GPS is a constellation of satellites that use triangulation to pinpoint locations on the surface of the Earth through communication with GPS receivers. The receivers may be as small as a portable phone or large enough to require a backpack to carry them. GPS systems may be installed in cars, used by hikers and hunters, or used by GIS analyst to input locational information into the computer.
Geographers use computers and image processing to draw information from imagery.
Cartography is the art and science of making maps. Historically cartographers drew maps by hand, which is a time-consuming, tedious task. With the advent of computers, cartographers now are free to concentrate on good design, rather than on their ability to draw or draft. Computers have provided cartographers a means to enhance maps and map use, through the application of good design principles and the use of color, to name a few. Over the past several years, the Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative at NASA's Stennis Space Center has supported the use of geography technology in the classroom through its education program.