Which component is essential for a UAS to gather location data?

A Global Positioning System (GPS) is essential for a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) to gather location data because GPS technology uses a network of satellites to provide precise positional information. This allows the drone to determine its geographic location in real time, which is crucial for navigation, tracking, and data collection purposes.

While other components like a flight controller manage the operation of the UAS and a camera system can capture visual data, neither of these provide the specific capability to determine location. A radio transmitter may facilitate communication between the UAS and the operator, but it does not contribute to acquiring geographical positioning. Thus, GPS is uniquely essential for location data gathering in unmanned aerial systems.