The Global Positioning System (GPS) uses a constellation of over 24 satellites
in precisely-measured orbits around the Earth. It became fully operational
on April 27, 1995, providing 24-hour complete coverage of the planet.
Mapping all of the sliding rocks using traditional surveying methods would
have taken many weeks, many instruments, and a large field crew.
The availability of GPS made a complete map of the entire Racetrack Playa
trail network a possibility. Paula Messina and Phil Stoffer undertook
the project in July, 1996; it took the two researchers just ten days to
map every rock's position, and the path of every trail, to an accuracy
of about 30 centimeters.
The complete trail map shows the inferred motion of over 100 rocks induced
by a pre-1996 sliding rock event.
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