gpsd
« Back to VersTracker
Description:
Global Positioning System (GPS) daemon
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 3.27.1@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 18, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: System utilities
Tags: gps positioning daemon ais geolocation serial
Install: brew install gpsd
About:
gpsd is a service daemon that monitors one or more GPSes or AIS receivers attached to a host computer through serial or USB ports, making GPS data available to applications via TCP port 2947. It supports a wide variety of GPS hardware and provides a standardized interface for location data. The daemon simplifies GPS integration by handling low-level protocol parsing and data multiplexing.
Key Features:
  • Supports 180+ GPS models and receivers from major vendors
  • Provides JSON and GPSD protocols over TCP/IP
  • Automatic device discovery and multiplexing
  • Minimal CPU footprint with efficient polling
Use Cases:
  • Providing GPS data to navigation and mapping applications
  • Time synchronization using GPS-derived precision time
  • Maritime AIS data monitoring and logging
  • Robotics and autonomous systems localization
Alternatives:
  • gpxpy – Python library for parsing GPX files; not a live GPS daemon
  • gpspipe – Part of gpsd suite; provides CLI access but not a standalone alternative
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Dec 24, 2025 5:06am 3.27.1 0 VERSION_BUMP 491f58fc
Dec 18, 2025 2:35am 3.27 0 VERSION_BUMP e16d34de
Sep 12, 2025 9:27am 0 VERSION_BUMP c1f23396