Introduction/History

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver. The GPS project was developed in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous navigation systems, integrating ideas from several predecessors, including a number of classified engineering design studies from the 1960s. GPS was created and realized by the U.S. Department of Defense (USDOD) and was originally run with 24 satellites. It became fully operational in 1994. In addition to GPS, other systems are in use or under development. The Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) was in use by only the Russian military, until it was made fully available to civilians in 2007. There are also the planned Chinese Compass navigation system and the European Union's Galileo positioning system. 1973 1974 1979 1977 1978 1985 1979 Decision to develop a satellite navigation system based on the systems TRANSIT, TIMATION und 621B of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. System tests

First receiver tests are performed even before the first satellites are stationed in the orbit. Transmitters are installed on the earths surface called Pseudolites (Pseudo satellites) - A total of 11 Block I satellites are launched in this period. Decision to expand the GPS system. Thereupon the resources are considerably shortened and the program is restructured. At first only 18 satellites should be operated. 1988 the number of satellites is again raised to 24, as the functionality is not 1

satisfying with only 18 satellites. Launching of the first Block I satellite carrying sensors to detect atomic explosions. This satellite is meant to control the abidance of the agreement of 1980 1963 between the USA and the Soviet Union to refrain from any nuclear tests on the earth, submarine or in space. The financial situation of the project is critical, as the 1980usefulness of the system is questioned again and 1982 again by the sponsors. When a civilian airplane of the Korean Airline (Flight 007) was shot down after it had gone lost over 1983 Sovjet territory, it was decided to allow the civilian use of the GPS system. The accident of the space shuttle "Challenger" means a drawback for the GPS program, as the space shuttles were supposed to transport Block II 1986 GPS satellites to their orbit. Finally the operators of the program revert to the Delta rockets intended for the transportation in the first place. 1989 The first Block II satellite was installed and activated. Temporal deactivation of the selective availability (SA) during the Gulf war. In this period civil receivers 1990 should be used as not enough military receivers 1991 were available. On July 01, 1991 SA is activated again. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is announced. 08.12.199 In the same year it is also definitely decided to 3 authorize the world wide civilian use free of charge. March The last Block II satellite completes the satellite 1994 constellation. 17.07.199 Full Operational Capability (FOC) is announced. 5 Final deactivation of the selective availability and 01.05.200 therefore improvement of the accuracy for civilian 0 users from about 100 m to 20 m. 20.03.200 Launching of the 50st GPS satellite. 4 Launch of the first IIR-M GPS-satellite. This new type 25.09.200 supports the new military M-signal and the second 5 civil signal L2C. 2

What Is Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by any with signals from three or more satellites.

Segments of Global Positioning System

There are three segments of GPS they are: Space segment

Control segment

User segment

SPACE SEGMENT

The space which consists of at list 24 satellites, 21 active plus three operating space is the heart of the system. The satellites are in high orbit of about 12,000 miles above the earth surface. Operating at such a high altitude allows the signals to cover a greater area. The satellites are arranged in their orbits so a GPS receiver on earth can always receive from at list four of them at any given time. CONTROL SEGEMENT It controls the GPS satellites by tracking them and then providing them with correct orbital and clock (time) information. 5

The control segment is composed of a master control station (MCS), an alternate master control station, four dedicated ground antennas and six dedicated monitor stations There are five control stations located around the world- four unmanned monitoring stations and one master control station. The four unmanned receiving stations constantly receive data from the satellites and the send that information to the master control station. The master control station corrects the satellite data and together with two other antenna sites, sends (uplinks) the information to the GPS satellites. There are five control stations located around the world- four unmanned monitoring stations and one master control station. The four unmanned receiving stations constantly receive data from the satellites and the send that information to the master control station. The master control station corrects the satellite data and together with two other antenna sites, send (uplinks) the information to the GPS satellites.

 USER SEGEMENT The user segment simply consists of you and the GPS receiver. As mentioned previously, the user segment consists of boaters, pilots, hikers, hunters, the military and anyone else who wants to know where they are, where they have been or where they are going.

How GPS Works

SATELLITE SIGNALS Each satellite has its own unique signal. It continuously broadcasts its signal and also sends out a time stamp every time it starts. The receiver has a copy of each satellite signal and determines the distance by recording the time between when the satellite says it starts its signal and when the signal reaches the receiver. GPS TRILATERATION Each satellite knows its position and its distance from the center of the earth. Each satellite constantly broadcasts this information. With this information the receiver tries to calculate its

position. Just knowing the distance to one satellite doesnt provide enough information. When the receiver knows its distance from only one satellite, its location could be anywhere on the earths surface that is an equal distance from the satellite. 9

 All the receiver can determine is that it is some where on the perimeter of a circle that is an equal distance from the satellite. The receiver must have additional information.

With signals from two satellites, the receiver can narrow down its location to just two points on the earths surface.

Knowing its distance from three satellites, the receiver can determine its location because there is only two possible combinations and one of them is out in space. In this example, the receiver is located at b. Most receivers actually require four to insure the receiver has full information on time, and satellite positions. 10

 The more satellite positions that are used, the greater the potential accuracy of the position location.

FACTORS INFLUENCING POSITION ACCURACY The number of satellites (channels) the receiver can track. The number of channels a receiver has is part of its design. The higher the number of channels---the greater the potential accuracy. The higher the number of channels---the greater the cost. The number of satellites that are available at the time. Because of the way the satellites orbit, the same number are not available at all times. When planning precise GPS measurements it is important to check for satellite availability for the location and time of measurement. If a larger number of channels are required (6-10), and at the time of measurement the number available was less than that, the data will be less accurate The system errors that are occurring during the time the receiver is operating. The GPS system has several errors that have the potential to reduce the accuracy. 11

 To achieve high levels of precision, differential GPS must be used. Differential GPS uses one unit at a known location and a rover. The stationary unit compares its calculated GPS location with the actual location and computes the error. The rover data is adjusted for the error. Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Post processing PRINCIPLES The GPS system operates on the principles of trilateration, determining positions from distance measurements. This can be explained using the velocity equation Velocity=distance/time Rearranging the equation for distance: Distance= velocity x time If the system knows the velocity of a signal and the time it takes for the signal to travel from the sender to the receiver, the distance between the sender and the receiver can be determined. Trilateration Example The signals from the GPS satellites travel at the speed of light--186,000 feet/second. How far apart are the sender and the receiver if the signal travel time was 0.23 seconds? Distance (ft) = velocity (ft/sec) x time(sec) 186,000 ft/sec x 0.23 sec = 42,780 ft We know that trilateration requires three distances. In the GPS the satellites are at known positions and the receiver calculates its position by knowing the travel time for the signals from at least four satellites.

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How Accurate Is GPS

Today's GPS receivers are extremely accurate, thanks to their parallel multi-channel design. Garmin's 12 parallel channel receivers are quick to lock onto satellites when first turned on and they maintain strong locks, even in dense foliage or urban settings with tall buildings. Certain atmospheric factors and other sources of error can affect the accuracy of GPS receivers. Garmin GPS receivers are accurate to within 15 meters on average.

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SOUCES OF GPS SIGNAL ERROR Factors that can degrade the GPS signal and thus affect accuracy include the following:

Ionosphere and troposphere delays the satellite signal slows as it passes through the atmosphere. The GPS system uses a built-in model that calculates an average amount of delay to partially correct for this type of error. Receiver clock errors a receiver's built-in clock is not as accurate as the atomic clocks onboard the GPS satellites. Therefore, it may have very slight timing errors. Number of satellites visible the more satellites a GPS receiver can "see," the better the accuracy.

Buildings, terrain, electronic interference, or sometimes even dense foliage can block signal reception, causing position errors or possibly no position reading at all. GPS units typically will not work indoors, underwater or underground.
Ideal satellite geometry exits - when the satellites are

located at wide angles relative to each other.

Signal multi path this occurs when the GPS signal is

reflected off objects such as tall buildings or large rock surfaces before it reaches the receiver. This increases the travel time of the signal, thereby causing errors.

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 Asset Tracking Accident location, information Speed limit warning (let you know if you are going too fast) Reduced fuel costs Directions are determined more quickly and safely Voice prompts keep drivers eyes on road Dynamically determines best route to any destination and provides turn-by-turn navigation instructions. Reducing the time / cost for searching It works in all weather. DEMERITS Cellular devices can track other cellular device users. Not very cheap. People focus on GPS more than road=accidents. Should be used as backup map but used as 1st resource. Needs good care and handling. External power

AREAS OF APPLICATION Military. Search and rescue. Disaster relief. Surveying. Marine, aeronautical and terrestrial navigation. Remote controlled vehicle and robot guidance. Satellite positioning and tracking. Shipping. Geographic Information Systems (GIS). 15

 Recreation.

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Conclusion
The technology of the Global Positioning System is allowing for huge changes in society. The applications using GPS are constantly growing. The cost of the receivers is dropping while at the same time the accuracy of the system is improving. This affects everyone with things such as faster Internet speed and safer plane landings. Even though the system was originally developed for military purposes, civil sales now exceed military sales

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Summary
The Global Positioning System consists of the control segment that monitors the satellites, the space segment including the NAVSTAR satellite constellation, and us, the user segment. These three segments enable a GPS position (Latitude, Longitude and Height) to be calculated anywhere in the world at any time, in any weather by determining the distance to at least four satellites and knowing where the satellites are in space. Each calculated position has errors that affect its. The estimated accuracy is about 10 miters or so. The accuracy can be improved to the miter or even cm level by using different combinations of technique, receivers and software.

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Reference

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on the Future of the Global Positioning System; National Academy of Public Administration (1995). The global positioning system: a shared national asset : recommendations for technical improvements and enhancements National Academies

http://books.google.com/books?id=FAHk65slfY4C , Chapter 1, p. 16 Astronautica Acta II, 25 (1956) Jerry Proc. "Omega" Jproc.ca. http://www.jproc.ca/hyperbolic/omega.html Retrieved 2009-12-08. "Why Did the Department of Defense Develop GPS? . Trimble Navigation Ltd. Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20071018151253/http://www.trimble.com/gps/whygps.sht ml#0.

"Charting a Course Toward Global Navigation". The Aerospace Corporation. http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/summer2002/01.html. A Guide to the Global Positioning System (GPS) GPS Timeline. Radio Shack. http://support.radioshack.com/support_tutorials/gps/gps_tmline.htm. Retrieved Michael Russell Rip, James M. Hasik (2002). The Precision Revolution: GPS and the Future of Aerial Warfare. Naval Institute Press. http://books.google.com/? id=mB9W3H90KDUC. Retrieved 2010-01-14.

ICAO Completes Fact-Finding Investigation" International Civil Aviation Organization. http://www.icao.int/cgi/goto_m.pl?icao/en/trivia/kal_flight_007.htm. United States Updates Global Positioning System Technology" America.govFebruary 3, 2006. http://www.america.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile English &y=2006&m=February &x=2006 GPS & Selective Availability Q&A "http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/FGCS/info/sans_SA/docs/GPS_SA_Event_QAs.pdfRetrieve d 2010

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