GPS and Navigation

Subject Topics:
Geography, Geometry and Trigonometry

GPS and
How haveNavigation
humans navigated their
world, in the past, and in the
present?
What does GPS stand for?
How do you think GPS works? What
is involved?

Early Greek Contributions to Navigation

Theres a lot that goes into GPS.

Here are some of the organizations
Click
on each symbol or banner to go to their
involved:
websites to learn more.

The home of the

discovery of GPS
and research
operations for
the Navy.

Department of
Defense

US Naval
Observatory

The Nat. Geodetic Survey is

responsible for maintaining the
National Spatial Reference System and
the Continuously Operating Reference
Station network.

The US Geodetic Survey Runs the Continuously

Operating Reference Station (CORS) network
across N. America.
Our Nearest
Stations Are:

Can you find

your nearest
CORS Location?
Click Here to
Find Them.

What Satellites are Overhead

Right Now?
Click the satellite picture to find out.
How Do Satellites and GPS
units communicate?
31 satellites
Radio Waves (mechanical waves)
Pseudo Random Code (PRC)
Atomic clocks and accurate time
Geodesy (accounting for the uneven
features of the Earths surface)
Mathematical equations
What else?

How long does it take a radio

signal from a satellites to reach
your
GPS (D)=
unit?
Distance
time it takes the satellite
radio wave to travel (T)
x Speed of light (300 km/ms)
or D=T x

(300/ km/ms)

What is the difference between

satellites using triangulation and
trilateration?

a
b

Triangulat
ion

Trilatera
tion

GPS and Navigation

Triangulation: Where in the World?

90
latitude
(+)

Longitude and
Latitude
0
latitude

90
latitude
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/lessons
(-)
/plot_course.html

There are 60 minutes per degree

of longitude or latitude,
written as ('), and there are 60
seconds per minute (").

If you were looking at the top of

the Earth, from the North Pole,
much like looking down at the face
of a clock, fill in the degrees
of longitude on the diagram below
starting with the prime meridian
(0) at 6 oclock.

Convert degrees of longitude and latitude

into precise minutes and seconds:
Decimal x 60 = minutes (') remaining decimal x 60 =
seconds (")

EXAMPLE: Longitude of 77.023

Remember: Degrees remain the same
.023 x 60 = 1.38, so 1 becomes the
minutes 771'
.38 x 60 = 22.7994 becomes the seconds so
77 1' 22.7994"
Convert
degrees of longitude with minutes

seconds back into degrees only:

Degrees + (minutes/60) +
(seconds/360)
Click here for the National Geodetic
Society Online Converter for degrees into
minutes and seconds.

and

Practice Converting
Degrees of Longitude
and Latitude into
Minutes and Seconds
and Then Find and
Label the Locations
on Student Map 1.

Location
US Navy
Yard
USNA
Memorial
Washington
Memorial
US Naval
Observator
y
National
Gallery of
Art

What is the
significance of each
GPS Units
Latitude
GPS Units
location?
(Longitude)
(degrees)
(Latitude)

Longitude
(degrees)
38.889

77.009

38.8723

76.995

38.889

77.049

38.920

77.066

38.891

77.0199

How are
the
streets in
Washington
DC laid
out?
How are
the
streets
labeled
and
numbered?
How is a
road
number
determined
?
What are
the
quadrants?
Can you
find the

When Measuring Distances with GPS What Are

Confidence Intervals? WAAS Values?
Distance (d) measured
using GPS from point to
point
Shortest possible
distance confidence
interval (Sd):
D - 2(WAAS value)= Sd
Longest possible
distance confidence
interval (Ld):
D + 2(WAAS value)= Sd

Calculate the confidence interval for the shortest possible

distance and longest possible distance from the steps of the
US Capitol to the National Gallery of Art. You measured the
distance on your GPS to be 800 m, your WAAS is 10 m.
Shortest possible
distance confidence
interval (Sd):
D - 2(WAAS value)= Sd
Longest possible
distance confidence
interval (Ld):
D + 2(WAAS value)= Sd
Confidence intervals are
written as:

(Sd) d (Ld) or d
(Sd , Ld)

Longest Possible Confidence

Interval = _______ m
Distance (d)=
_______ m

_____ m

Nationa
l
Gallery
of Art,
GPS
Positio
n

_____ m

Shortest
Possible
Confiden
ce
Interval
=
_______
m

US
Capitol,
GPS
Position

Navy Fitness and GPS Challenge Scenario:

Point 1
Point 2
Midpoint
(W)
Point 3
Point 4
Midpoint
(E)

Location
2nd Street & Independence Ave.
SW
2nd Street & Constitution Ave.
NW
Midpoint of Mall 2nd St. between
Independence and Constitution
Ave.
14th Street & Constitution Ave.
NW
14th Street & Independence Ave.
SW
Midpoint of Mall 14th St. between
Independence and Constitution
Ave.

Long.

Lat.

3853'15.17"N

77 0'12.67"W

3853'31.01"N

77 0'12.61"W

3853'23.21"N

77 0'12.67"W

3853'31.29"N

77 1'54.90"W

3853'15.09"N

77 1'55.03"W

3853'23.17"N

77 1'54.90"W

Confidence Intervals
Again?)

Distance (d)

(What was your WAAS Value

Confidence
Interval

Length (m)

Point 1 to Point 2 (a)

487 m

Point 2 to Point 3 (b)

2,465 m

Point 3 to Point 4 (a)

490 m

Point 4 to Point 1 (b)

2,462 m

Midpoint W to Midpoint E

2,464 m

To meet the standards in the Navys scenario the Mall must

be a rectangle and not a parallelogram, meaning it must have
90 angles at the corners. Check for right angles using the
Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of the two
diagonals:
c2 = a2 + b2 or c= a2 + b2
Rectangle
Parallelogram?

or

But Wait! How do we account for the

variability of our data and confidence
values when calculating angles?

To account for data variability and range of error

you have to use calculus to account for the WAAS
value which was 6m total (represented by ). The
equation would be:
a=6 m
b=6 m
Calculate for c
c = (a x a + b x b)
a2 + b 2

Why would c be larger than your WAAS

value?

Wrap Up:
Name and explain the role of the different
organizations that contribute to the maintenance of
GPS satellites, coordinates, accuracy, and accurate
time keeping.
What is the difference between triangulation and
trilateration? Explain how they are used by GPS units
and satellites.
What are some factors that might affect successful GPS
measurements? Explain.
When measuring distances between two points, what are
confidence values and how do they affect how
individuals find their locations?
Discuss how GPS technology might be useful when
creating records of naval navigation, crime scenes,

Cartographer

Tracking
Marine
traffic
(click on the image to
visit this site)

provide any advantage to speed and reaching your destination!

Plotting a Course and Velocity Made Good

(VMG)
Ground
Track
Boat
Speed
Star
t
Poin
t

XTE
VMG

NAVIGATION TERMINOLOGY
Knot (kt)
Speed Over Ground (SOG)
Course Over Group (COG)
Rhumb Line
Velocity Made Good (VMG)
Course Offset
Cross Track Error (XTE)

Rhumb
Line

Destinati
on

DEFINITION

VELOCITY MADE GOOD TABLE

Angl
%
e
5
.4%
10 1.5%
15 3.5%

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.5

6.5

7.5

2
2
2.

2.5
2.5
2.6

3
3
3.1

3.5
3.6
3.6

4
4.1
4.1

4.5
4.6
4.7

5
5.1
5.2

5.5
5.6
5.7

6
6.1
6.2

6.5
6.6
6.7

7
7.1
7.2

7.5
7.6
7.8

8
8.1
8.3

2.7

3.2

3.7

4.3

4.8

5.3

5.9

6.4

6.9

7.4

8.5

2.8

3.3

3.9

4.4

5.5

6.1

6.6

7.2

7.7

8.3

8.8

2.9

3.5

4.6

5.2

5.8

6.4

6.9

7.5

8.1

8.7

9.2

3.1

3.7

4.3

4.9

5.5

6.1

6.7

7.3

7.9

8.5

9.2

9.8

3.3

3.9

4.6

5.2

5.9

6.5

7.2

7.8

8.5

9.1

9.8

3.5

4.2

4.9

5.7

6.4

7.1

7.8

8.5

9.2

9.9

3.9

4.7

5.4

6.2

7.8

8.6

9.2

4.4

5.2

6.1

7.8

8.7

9.6

10

10.
5

10. 10.
1
9

10.
6

10.
4

1
20

6.4%

2.
1

25

10.3% 2.
2

30

15.5% 2.
3

35

22.1% 2.
4

40

30.5% 2.
6

45

41.4% 2.
8

50

55.6% 3.
1

55

74.3% 3.
5

60

100%

C= (XY)

C= (YX)

Rhumb Line
Draw and label:
Course over ground
above the rhumb line
(COG).
Angle between your
COG and true North
(Y).
Angle between the
rhumb line and true
C= (X).
Course offset
North

X= Angle between magnetic north and the

Rhumb line
Y= Course over ground angle (COG)

Rhumb Line
Draw and label:
Course over ground
below the rhumb line
(COG).
Angle between your
COG and true North
(Y).
Angle between the
rhumb line and true
North (X).

Click here
to view a
slideshow
about the
Naval
Research
Laboratory
Arctic
Research
Initiative.
Click
here
to visit
the Naval
Postgraduat
e School
Arctic
Modeling
Effort

ARCTIC ICE
NAVIGATION
CHALLENGE
On the map draw a
star at your
starting point at
the Eastern most
entrance of the
Northwest
Passage. Also
label Baffin Bay
and the Gulf of
Boothia.

Wrap Up:
Explain how GPS is used to track marine traffic
and shipping trade and how this information
might be used.
Explain a rhumb line and course offset angles
and how they are used in navigation.
What is velocity made good?
Describe how to use GPS to calculate velocity
made good and course offset angles.
How can GPS technology be useful to scientists
when studying climate change?