An Overview of the

Global Positioning Satellite System

(GPS)
Edward J. Delp
N9YTE
October 25, 2000
n9yte@n9yte.net
http://www.n9yte.net

Overview
The Navigation Problem
Earlier Approaches
GPS Description
How does GPS Work?

Acknowledgement
Many of the graphical images used in this
talk are courtesy of Peter H. Dana of the
Department of Geography, University of
Texas at Austin http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/
notes/gps/gps.html
The best web site for GPS

The Navigation Problem

The ancient question:
Where am I?
Earth coordinates:
latitude and longitude
Lafayette: N40/W86
Latitude can be
determined by Sun
angle
What about longitude?

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and Longitude

Longitude Problem
No easy way to determine longitude
On July 8, 1714 the Longitude Act was
established in England to solve the
longitude problem
Two solutions were proposed
-- use of stars and moons
-- the time solution

Longitude
Longitude : The True Story of a Lone
Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific
Problem of His Time
Dava Sobel

Longitude Problem: References

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/longitude/

The Time Solution

Where am I? <=> What time is it in
Greenwich, England?
The ability to find ones position is based on
how well one can tell what time is it?
The development of the chronometer
To find longitude to within 0.5 degree
requires a clock that loses or gains no more
than 3 seconds/day

Longitude
How does this work?
The earth turns 360 degrees in 24 hours:
15 degrees = 1 hour
If you know the time in Greenwich when it
is local noon at your location one can find
your longitude relative to Greenwich
Must know datum reference to use maps

Datum Reference

Lone Pine Cemetery - N400 13.8 E260 17.24

Satellite Navigation
US Department of Defense has need for
very precise navigation
In 1973, the US Air Force proposed a new
system for navigation using satellites
The system is known as: Navigation System
with Timing and Ranging: Global
Positioning System or NAVSTAR GPS

NAVSTAR GPS Goals

What time is it?
What is my position (including attitude)?
What is my velocity?
Other Goals:
- What is the local time?
- When is sunrise and sunset?
- What is the distance between two points?
- What is my estimated time arrival?

GSP System
Simply stated: The GPS satellites are nothing
more than a set of clocks in the sky

GPS Segments

Space Segment: the constellation of

satellites

Control Segment: control the satellites

User Segment: users with receivers

Space Segment

Space Segment

System consists of 24 satellites in the

operational mode: 21 in use and 3 spares
3 other satellites are used for testing
Altitude: 20,200 Km with periods of 12 hr.
Current Satellites: Block IIR- $25,000,000
2000 KG
Hydrogen Maser Atomic Clocks

Hydrogen Maser Clock

These clocks lose one second every
2,739,000 million years

GPS Orbits

GPS Orbits

Control Segment
Master Control Station is located at the
Consolidated Space Operations Center
(CSOC) at Flacon Air Force Station near
Colorado Springs

Control Segment

CSOC
Track the satellites for orbit and clock
determination
Time synchronization
Upload the Navigation Message
Manage DOA

Operational Capabilities
Initial Operational Capability - December 8,
1993
Full Operational Capability declared by the
Secretary of Defense at 00:01 hours on
July 17, 1995

GPS Transmitted Signal

Two signals are transmitted on carriers:
L1 = 1575.42 MHz
L2 = 1227.60 MHz
These are derived from the system clock of
10.23 MHz (phase quadrature)
Modulation used is Direct Sequence Spread
Spectrum
(code division multiple access - CDMA)

GPS Signals

GPS Clock Signals

Two types of clock signals are transmitted
C/A Code - Coarse/Acquisition Code
available for civilian use on L1 provides
300 m resolution
P Code - Precise Code on L1 and L2 used
by the military provides 3m resolution

Spread Spectrum
Spread Spectrum is used because
- resistance to jamming
- masks the transmissions
- resist multipath effects
- multiple access
All 24 GPS satellites transmit on the same
two frequencies BUT use a different ID
sequence

GPS Signals
The satellites transmit as part of their
unique Spread Spectrum signal a clock or
timing signal
The range or distance to the satellite is
obtained by measuring how long it takes for
the transmitted signal to reach the receiver
This is not the true range due to clock
errors - what is obtained is know as the
pseudo-range

GPS Position
By knowing how far one is from three
satellites one can ideally find their 3D
coordinates
To correct for clock errors one needs to
receive four satellites

GPS: How does it work?

Typical receiver: one channel C/A code on
L1
During the acquisition time you are
receiving the navigation message also on L1
The receiver then reads the timing
information and computes the pseudoranges
The pseudo-ranges are then corrected

GPS: How does it work?

Corrected ranges are used to compute the
position
This is a very complicated iterative
nonlinear equation

Navigation Message
To compute your position one must know
the position of the satellite
Navigation Message - transmitted on both
L1 and L2 at 50 bits/s for 30 s
Navigation message consists of two parts:
- satellite almanac
- clock bias

Why Do I Need
To See 4 Satellites?
The problem is that the clock signal from
the satellite is corrupted by atmospheric
refraction
Another major problem is that the receivers
clock is not very accurate
For a 2D fix <=> 3 satellites

Why Do I Need
To See 4 Satellites?

Denial of Accuracy (DOA)

The US military uses two approaches to
prohibit use of the full resolution of the
system
Selective Availability (SA) - noise is added
to the clock signal and the navigation
message has lies in it
Anti-Spoofing (AS) - P-code is encrypted
The military sometimes turns off both DOA
techniques

Differential GPS
Used to improve accuracy
Put a satellite on the ground at a precise
position
Differential signal is not transmitted on
standard satellite frequencies

Uses of GPS
Airplane and Boat Navigation
Continental Drift
Surveying
Precise Timing
Iceberg Tracking
Archaeological Expeditions
Mobile Multimedia

GPS Clock Rollover

GPS System Time rolled over at midnight
21-22 August 1999, 132 days before the
Year 2000
On 22 August 1999, unless repaired, many
GPS receivers claimed that it is 6 January
1980
http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/gps/geninfo/
y2k/gpsweek.htm

Conclusion
GPS will find more civilian uses
DOD has promised to eliminate SA
Russia has a system known as GLONASS
The EU is discussing deploying its own
system

References
B. Hofmann-Wellenhof, H. Lichtenegger,
and J. Collins, GPS: Theory and Practice,
Third Edition, Springer-Verlag, 1994.
T. Logsdon, The Navstar Global
Positioning System, Van Nostrand, 1992.
A. Leick, GPS Satellite Surveying, Second
edition, Wiley, 1995.

References
T. A. Herring, "The Global Positioning
System," Scientific American, pp. 44-50,
February 1996.
N. J. Hotchkiss, A Comprehensive Guide to
Land Navigation with GPS, Alexis, 1994.
Special Edition on the Global Positioning
System, Satellite Times, March/April 1996.
D. Sobel, Longitude, Walker, 1995.

Web Sites
GPS Program Office:
http://www.laafb.af.mil/SMC/CZ/homepage/
US Coast Guard Navaigation Center
http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/default.htm
GPS Precise Orbits
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GPS/GPS.html
GPS World Magazine
http://www.gpsworld.com/