APRS™ - Automatic Position Reporting System
APRS was developed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, for tracking and digital communications with mobile GPS equipped stations with two-way radio. In the 12 years since its introduction, it has grown to encompass just about every aspect of Amateur Radio.
APRS
is a real-time tactical digital communicatons protocol for exchanging
information between a large number of stations covering a large (local)
area. As a multi-user data network, it is quite different from
conventional packet radio.
APRS is different from regular packet in four ways. First by the integration of maps and other data displays to organize and display data, second, by using a one-to-many protocol to update everyone in real time, third, by using generic digipeating so that prior knowledge of the network is not required, AND FORTH, since 1997, a worldwide transparent internet backbone, linking everyone worldwide. APRS turns packet radio into a real-time tactical communications and display system for emergencies and public service applications (and global communications).
Although the recent interfaces to the Internet make APRS a global communications system for live real-time traffic, this is not the primary objective. But like all of our other radios, how we use APRS in an emergency of special event is what drives the design of the APRS protocol. Although APRS is used 99% of the time over great distances, and benign conditions, the protocol is designed to be optimized for short distance real-time crisis operations.