The Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System
(GPS)
Three Parts
• Space segment
• Control segment
• User segment
2
Space Segment
The Airforce insures that at least 24 satellites are
operational at all times.
Thereare six orbital planes (with nominally four

space vehicles (SVs) in each), equally spaced (60
degrees apart), and inclined at about fifty-five
degrees with respect to the equatorial plane.
The satellite orbits are controlled so that at least


six should be available, unobstructed location, at
all times.
Each satellite circles the earth twice a day.


http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html
• Each satellite broadcasts a unique signal that

tells the receiver its location and the exact time.
3
Control
Segment
 The Master Control facility is located at Schriever Air Force
Base (formerly Falcon AFB) in Colorado.
Originally Schriever AFB and
four other stations monitored
and controlled satellite
positions.
During August and
September 2005, six more
monitor stations of the NGA
(National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency) were
added to the grid.
Now, every satellite can be
seen from at least two monitor
stations.
The monitoring stations compute precise orbital data (ephemeris) and
SV clock corrections for each satellite and update each satellite.
4
User Segment
 The primary use of GPS is
navigation.
 Navigation receivers are made for

aircraft, ships, ground vehicles,
surveying, and for hand carrying by
individuals.
 The accuracy of a receiver depends

on the number of channels,
compatibility with other navigational
systems (WAAS, GLONAS, etc.)
and design of the receiver (cost).
 Most civilian hand held units have an accuracy of 10 meters.
 Survey quality GPS units may be as good as one centimeter.
5
Three Segments of the GPS
Space Segment
User Segment
Control Segment
Ground
Antennas
Master Station Monitor Stations

Three Dimensional (3D) Positioning
Four Basic Functions of GPS
 Position and coordinates.
 The distance and direction between any two

waypoints, or a position and a waypoint.
 Travel progress reports.
 Accurate time measurement.

Sources of GPS Error
 Standard Positioning Service (SPS ): Civilian Users
 Source Amount of Error
 Satellite clocks: 1.5 to 3.6 meters
 Orbital errors: < 1 meter
 Ionosphere: 5.0 to 7.0 meters
 Troposphere: 0.5 to 0.7 meters
 Receiver noise: 0.3 to 1.5 meters
 Multipath: 0.6 to 1.2 meters
 Selective Availability (see notes)
 User error: Up to a kilometer or more
Errors are cumulative and increased by PDOP.
Principles
• The GPS system operates on the principles of trilateration,
determining positions from distance measurements.
• This can be explained using the velocity equation.
Distance
Velocity =
Time
• Rearranging the equation for distance:
D ista n c e = V e lo c ity x T im e
ﾠ
ﾠ
• If the system knows the velocity of a signal and the time
it takes for the signal to travel from the sender to the
ﾠ receiver, the distance between the sender and the
receiver can be determined.
10
GPS Presidential Decision Directive
Goals, 1996: •
Strengthen and maintain our
national security.
• Encourage acceptance and
integration of GPS into peaceful
civil, commercial and scientific
applications worldwide.
• Encourage private sector
investment in and use of U.S. GPS
technologies and services.
• Promote safety and efficiency in
transportation and other fields.
• Promote international
cooperation in using GPS for
peaceful purposes.
GPS Signal Structure
How Accurate Is It?
The expected accuracy of

a standard GPS (they do
a vary!) is around 7
meters vertically and
horizontally.
Testing with the Magellan

GPS receivers will
typically experience
accuracy improvements
to around 3 meters.
14
Multi-Satellite Ranging
1 range puts user on Intersecting with a A 3rd range

the spherical face of 2nd range restricts constrains user to 1
user to the circular of the 2 points.
the cone.
arcs.
Pictures courtesy
Some GPS Applications
 art
 watches
 pet collars
 cell phones
 cargo security
 vehicle tracking
 maps & surveying
 outdoor recreation
 time synchronization
 land, sea, & air navigation
 emergency response (fire, ambulance, police)
REFERENCE
 http://www.kowoma.de
 http://www.fc.up.pt
 http://www.usgs.gov
 http://www.brilling.com
 http://www.pole.ibm.com
 http://www.gpsdrawing.com
 http://www.gpsy.com
 http://www.PNT.gov
 http://www.GPS.com
 http://www.fcc.gov

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How does the GPS system determine a receiver's location?

What are the three main segments of the GPS system?

The Global Positioning System

Thereare six orbital planes (with nominally four

The satellite orbits are controlled so that at least

Each satellite circles the earth twice a day.

• Each satellite broadcasts a unique signal that

 Navigation receivers are made for

 The accuracy of a receiver depends

Master Station Monitor Stations

 The distance and direction between any two

 Travel progress reports.

 Accurate time measurement.

The expected accuracy of

Testing with the Magellan

1 range puts user on Intersecting with a A 3rd range

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