It was way back on May 2, 2000 that the U.S. Government discontinued its use of Selective Availability in order to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide. Twenty-four satellites around the globe processed their new orders, and instantly the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Tens of thousands of GPS receivers around the world had an instant upgrade.
Prior to this date, only the military had the ability to receive accurate GPS readings. Now, people throughout the world could pinpoint their precise location. For reasons unknown, this is often referred to as the flipping of the “Big Blue Switch”.
It did not take long before a group of GPS enthusiasts decided to play a little game with this. A bucket was placed in the woods to see if anyone could find it...
To learn more about the big day, check out the official Geocaching Blog!