Global

positioning
system
(GPS)

BY SREE RISHIKA
 CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
 WHAT IS GPS?
 HOW DOES IT WORKS
 GPS components
 GPS frequency
 User Equivalent Range Errors
 How GPS Determines a Position
 ADVANTAGES OF GPS
 DISADVANTAGES OF GPS
 CONCLUTION
 INTRODUCTION

 The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a

satellite-based navigation system

 that consists of 24 orbiting satellites, each of

which makes two circuits around the Earth every
24 hours.

 These satellites transmit three bits of

information – the satellite's number, its position
in space, and the time the information is sent.
 WHAT IS GPS?
 The Global Positioning System
(GPS) is a system made up of 24
satellites.

 GPS works in any weather

conditions, in the world, with no
subscription .

 The U.S. Department of Defense

(USDOD) originally put the
satellites into orbit for military
use.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
 Each satellite transmits a
unique signal .
 GPS satellites circle the Earth
twice a day in a precise orbit.
 GPS receivers use this
information and trilateration to
calculate a user's exact
location.

 Essentially, the GPS receiver

measures the distance to each
satellite by the amount of time
it
 Once your position has been determined,
the GPS unit can calculate other
information, such as:
 Speed
 Bearing
 Track
 Trip distance
 Distance to destination
 Sunrise and sunset time
GPS COMPONENTS

 SPACE COMPONENT

 CONTROL SEGMENT

 USER SEGMENT
 SPACE COMPONENT

 The space component consists of about 31 GPS satellites.

 The United States Air Force operates these 31 satellites, plus three to
four decommissioned satellites that can be reactivated if needed.

 The complete coverage that satellites offer makes the GPS system the
most reliable navigation system in modern aviation.
CONTROL SEGMENT
 The control segment is made up of a series of ground
stations used to interpret and relay satellite signals to
various receivers.
 The control segment of the Global Positioning System is
a network of ground stations that monitors the shape
and velocity of the satellites' orbits.
 The accuracy of GPS data depends on knowing the
positions of the satellites at all times.
 The orbits of the satellites are sometimes disturbed by
the interplay of the gravitational forces of the Earth and
Moon.
 Ground stations include a master control station, an
alternate master control station, 12 ground antennas,
and 16 monitoring stations.
 USER SEGMENT

 The user’s GPS receiver is the user segment (US) of

the GPS.
 The user segment of the GPS system involves
various receivers from all different types of
industries.
 National security, agriculture, space, surveying,
and mapping are all examples of end users in the
GPS system.
 In aviation, the user is typically the pilot, who
views GPS data on display in the cockpit of the
aircraft.
 The user’s GPS receiver is the user segment (US) of
the GPS.
GPS FREQUENCIES
 Each GPS satellite transmits data on two frequencies, L1
(1575.42 MHz) and L2 (1227.60 MHz).
 The atomic clocks aboard the satellite produces the
fundamental L-band frequency, 10.23 Mhz.
 The L1and L2 carrier frequencies are generated by
multiplying the fundamental frequency by 154 and 120,
respectively.
 The measured travel times of the signals from the
satellites to the receivers are used to compute the
pseudoranges.
 The pseudorange is the "distance" between the GPS
satellite at some transmit time and the receiver at some
receive time.
 Because the transmit time and the receive time are
different .
User Equivalent Range
Errors
 Satellite clock
 Upper atmosphere (ionosphere)
 Receiver clock
 Satellite orbit
 Lower atmosphere
 Multipath
Satellite clock

 GPS position calculations depend on measuring

signal transmission time from satellite to receiver;
this, in turn, depends on knowing the time on both
ends.

 NAVSTAR satellites use atomic clocks, which are

very accurate but can drift up to a millisecond
(enough to make an accuracy difference).

 These errors are minimized by calculating clock

corrections (at monitoring stations)
Upper atmosphere
(ionosphere)
 GPS signals pass through the upper atmosphere
(the ionosphere 50-1000km above the surface),
signals are delayed and deflected.

 The ionosphere density varies; thus, signals are

delayed more in some places than others.

 The delay also depends on how close the satellite

is to being overhead (where distance that the
signal travels through the ionosphere is least).
Receiver clock

 GPS receivers are equipped with quartz crystal

clocks that are less stable than the atomic clocks
used in NAVSTAR satellites.

 Receiver clock error can be eliminated, however,

by comparing times of arrival of signals from two
satellites (whose transmission times are known
exactly).
Satellite orbit

 GPS receivers calculate coordinates relative to

the known locations of satellites in space.

 The GPS Control Segment monitors satellite

locations at all times.

 calculates orbit eccentricities, and compiles these

deviations in documents called ephemerides.
Lower atmosphere

 The three lower layers of atmosphere

(troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere)
extend from the Earth’s surface to an altitude of
about 50 km.
 The lower atmosphere delays GPS signals, adding
slightly to the calculated distances between
satellites and receivers.
 Signals from satellites close to the horizon are
delayed the most, since they pass through the
most atmosphere.
Multipath
 GPS signals travel from satellites through the
atmosphere directly to GPS receivers.
 GPS receivers must discriminate between signals
received directly from satellites and other signals
that have been reflected from surrounding
objects, such as buildings, and even the ground.
 Antennas are designed to minimize interference
from signals reflected from below, but signals
reflected from above are more difficult to
eliminate.
How GPS Determines a Position
 The working/operation of Global
positioning system is based on the
‘trilateration’ mathematical
principle.
 The position is determined from the
distance measurements to satellites.
From the figure, the four satellites
are used to determine the position
of the receiver on the earth.
 The target location is confirmed by
the 4th satellite.
 And three satellites are used to
trace the location place.
 A fourth satellite is used to confirm
the target location of each of those
space vehicles.
 Global positioning system consists
of satellite, control station and
monitor station and receiver.
ADVANTAGES OF GPS
 Navigation
 Low Cost
 Crime and Security
 Easy to Use
 Employer Monitoring
 Safety
 Neighborhood Search
 Traffic and Weather Alerts
 Available Anywhere
 Updated and Maintained
 Exercise Monitoring
 Flexible Navigation
 Military Usage
 Surveying
 Buildings and Earthquake
Navigation

 Perhaps the most common use for GPS is in

navigation systems.

 Combined with map technology, it becomes a

powerful tool for road vehicles and boats.

 GPS can pinpoint a device's location with

accuracy and by comparing coordinates, the
statistics can be used to calculate a devices
direction of movement and speed
Low Cost
 The satellites behind GPS are paid for, maintained
and upgraded by the US Department of Defense.

 That means that the system is essentially free,

although you may have to pay for a device and
software to utilize it.

 Smartphone apps, such as Google Maps, that

use GPS are also usually free.
Crime and Security
 GPS can be used as a valuable tool by law
enforcement to track criminals or terrorists, using
devices they attach to vehicles, or through
tracking the perpetrator's smartphone.

 GPS tracking devices can also be used to deter

theft by employers or ordinary people.
 Easy to Use

 Navigation using GPS is generally very easy and

requires minimal skill or effort, certainly when
compared to traditional methods and
technologies, such as map-reading.
 In most cases, the user just has to input the
destination and the device will do the rest.
 GPS is also an easier and more efficient
technology to use for tasks like surveying and the
study of the movement of tectonic plates (see
below).
DISADVANTAGES OF GPS

 Inaccuracy
 Lack of Local Knowledge
 Driving Distraction
 Signal or Battery Failure
 Reliance on US Department of Defense
 Privacy Issues
 Commercial Exploitation
Inaccuracy
 GPS devices rely upon receiving signals from at
least four satellites.
 If they connect with only three, the positioning is
not fully accurate.
 Problems can occur when obstacles, such as
walls, buildings, skyscrapers and trees obstruct a
signal.
 Extreme atmospheric conditions, such as
geomagnetic storms, can also cause problems.
 In addition, the mapping technology which is
used in conjunction with the GPS may not be up
to date and cause navigational errors.
Lack of Local Knowledge

 Local knowledge counts for a lot when traveling.

 Relying solely on GPS technology means that you

can miss out on information that might be useful
for your journey.

 For instance, whether a piece of road is prone to

flooding or other hazards at certain times of day,
whether there are any scenic views, or whether
the road is closed during certain periods.
 Signal or Battery Failure

 Sole reliance on GPS can cause problems if you

suffer a signal failure, or you are using a battery-
operated device that runs out of power (GPS
devices are almost always power hungry).

 Unless you have some form of backup, such as

traditional paper maps, you can easily find
yourself lost with no idea which way to go.
 CONCLUTION
 GPS is a fantastic tool of the 21st century offering many functions:
waypoint, MOB….
 However, received information is not always reliable, and it would
have been interesting to see in which cases it is not.
 Furthermore, the space segment is completely controlled by the
American Army which enables them to completely remove the satellite
cover in certain countries in the event of a war…
 This aspect mobilized Europe towards the creation of its own GPS
system: the project GALILEO, which should be in place2008.
 The future of GPS appears to be virtually unlimited; technological
fantasies abound.
 The system provides a novel, unique, and instantly available address
for every square yard on the surface of the planet–a new international
standard for locations and distances.
 To the computers of the world, at least, our locations may be defined
not by a street address, a city, and a state, but by a longitude and a
latitude.