GPS in Vegetation Science

Chair of biogeography
Reinhold Stahlmann Uni Bayreuth
 GPS introduction
Surveying Methods
 GPS introduction

GPS or GNSS ?
Global Navigation Satellite System = GNSS

GNSS is a system for positioning and navigation on the ground and

in the air through receiving satellite signals.

The US system:
Navstar - Global Positioning System (GPS).
 GPS introduction

Why is there GPS?

The GPS satellite system was installed by the US Department of

Defense to the control military vehicles and weapon systems.

The US Congress accepted the huge expenditure only under the

condition that there is also the free civilian use.
 GPS introduction
How does GPS work?
Satellites orbit the earth and
send signals.

You are roughly 20,000 km distance to the surface.

 GPS introduction
How does GPS work?
From signals (position + time) distances are calculated
 GPS introduction
Who runs GPS services?
Transit - Navy Navigation Satellite System (NNSS) 1958 to 1996
NAVSTAR-GPS - American Military since 1985
GLONASS-System - Russian Military since 1996
Galileo - European Union from 2014 to 2020 ? ( 5 Mrd. Euro )
China BeiDou, Indien, Japan

So far, about 200 satellites were launched.

Currently about 30 Navstar GPS satellites, 24 GLONASS and
about 4 Galileo satellites are available, some are spare satellites.
 GPS alternatives
Are there alternatives?
GSM tracking

http://www.handy-ortung.org/
Keyword: handyfinder + operator(O2, vodafone, eplus, )

Combining GPS and GSM radiolocation:

A-GPS = Assisted Global Positioning System
 GPS alternatives

WLAN-based localization

Combining GPS, radiolocation and WiFi location:

Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS)

OpenWLANMap
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenWLANMap
as a competitor to commercial providers such as Skyhook Wireless or Google.
 GPS usage
Sold mobile phones and smartphones with GPS

New Phones
Proportion with GPS
 GPS usage
Google services and android phones

Current traffic
conditions
Speed: 35 kmh
GPS usage

Location Based Services

Vouchers via SMS if you

pass the shop ?
 GPS usage

Track your dog, cow or bat?

 GPS usage
Geocaching
Geocaching is a modern form of
treasure hunting or scavenger hunt
http://www.geocaching.de/
 GPS accuracy
Accuracy is the goal
in land register surveying, Monitoring of dams and dangerous places
as volcanoes and landslides slopes
GPS accuracy
GPS accuracy
GPS accuracy

center

4470367.052
5532568.556
 GPS accuracy

Achievable accuracies
= the sum of all errors
 GPS accuracy / error sources
Selective Availability
Before the 2nd of May 2000, the civilian Navstar L1 signal from the
United States was artificially distorted. The achievable accuracy was
100 m.
Error:
50 m
 GPS accuracy / error sources
Clock error / time drift

Error:
50 m
2-3 m
GPS accuracy / error sources
Orbit errors

Error:
50 m
2-3 m
3 m
 GPS accuracy / error sources
Ionosphere + troposphere
The ionosphere is part of the In the troposphere, about 90
atmosphere with significant percent of total air and almost
amounts of ions and free all the water vapor of the Error:
electrons. (Error up to 90 m!) atmosphere included. 50 m
2-3 m
3 m
5-8 m
1-2 m
 GPS accuracy / error sources
Multipath-Effect
The Volkswagen-bus-effect

Error:
50 m
2-3 m
3 m
5-8 m
1-2 m
10 m
 GPS accuracy / error sources
Signal interruption / shield effect

Error:
50 m
2-3 m
3 m
5-8 m
1-2 m
10 m
? m
 GPS accuracy / error sources
The GPS-hole
At an angle of 35 to north and south poles
 GPS accuracy / error reduction

Dilution of Precision
 GPS accuracy / error reduction
Planning a measurement
Visibility analysis
(e.g. http://www.trimble.com/planningsoftware_ts.asp )

http://www.trimble.com/GNSSPlanningOnline/
 GPS accuracy / error reduction

Simulation of shading
 GPS accuracy / error reduction

DGPS: Differential Global Positioning System

Additional correction of data from

one or more reference stations of accurately surveyed points

(high internal accuracy)

virtual reference stations of the land survey offices

 GPS accuracy / error reduction

DGPS: Data transfer

Radio LW, UKW, Telekom (historisch)

Via the Internet:

Virtual Reference Stations of the land survey offices

Correction satellites (SBAS)

In remote areas currently remains only the radio transmission

 GPS accuracy / error reduction
SBAS = Satellite Based Augmentation System

Improvement of air traffic

control (landing approaches
with poor visibility)

Geostationary satellites provide

a correction signal

(Satellite Based Augmentation

System = "satellite-based
improvement system")

Problem: Correction satellites are only in the south near the equator.
Therefore, there is often no reception in some alpine regions.
 GPS accuracy / error reduction
SBAS = WAAS + EGNOS +

WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) - USA

EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) - Europe
GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) India
SDCM ( ) - Russia
MSAS (Multi-Functional Satellite Augmentation System) - Asia, Japan
OmniSTAR (Commercial Service) = world leader in the field of DGNSS correction data transmission

ATTENTION! The usage of SBAS outside the coverage areas

worsens the accuracy !!!
 GPS accuracy / error reduction
SAPOS
The SAPOS service is run of the Germ. Surveying Authorities of
the States (AdV). It is based on a network of reference stations
which evaluate permanently the coordinate differences to several
well-known reference points.
Name Lage Hhe

EPS Echtzeit-Positionierungs-Service 0,5 bis 3 m 1 bis 5 m

HEPS Hochprziser Echtzeit-Positionierungs-Service 1 bis 2 cm 2 bis 3 cm

GPPS Geodtischer Postprocessing-Positionierungs-Service unter 1 cm 1 bis 2 cm

The annual fee is about 150

(+ additional data costs for mobile phone).

Free D-GPS services: dgpsonline.eu, http://sopac.ucsd.edu/

GPS
 Map projections
The earth is not flat
(Pythagoras, Magellan, ...)

The earth is no sphere

Gau and Johann Benedict Listing
 Map projections

The earth is a GEOID

Gau and Johann Benedict Listing
 Map projections

Die Erde ist ein GEOID

(Gau und Johann Benedict Listing)

Map of the undulation of the geoid, in meters

(based on the EGM96 gravity model and the WGS84 reference ellipsoid)
 Map projections

Local adaptation
 Map projections
geodetic datum
Parameters of the rotational ellipsoid are adjusted to fit the
irregularly shaped surface.
Map projections
 Map projections
UTM map projection
UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) divides the Earth in zones of
strips from 80 South to 84 North, 60 vertical stripes and max. 800
km width.
The central meridian is shortened by a factor of 0.9996 (40 cm / km)
Youareexactlyabovethecenteroftheearth