@mavica we still use time to figure out location today as it happens

that's how GPS and all the other satellite navigation systems work

all the satellites have an atomic clock on board (best explanation for how those work I can give is caesium atom go brrrr) and broadcast the current time over radio

radio travels at the speed of light so the time difference between what you receive and what time it is for you divided by the speed of light is how far you are from the satellite