INTRODUCTION TO GPS

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OBJECTIVES

 History of GPS
 Define GPS and its functions
 Knows the different segments of GPS
 Understand on how GPS works
 Applications

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What is GPS
➢ all weather
➢ 24-hour
➢ high precision
➢ worldwide satellite positioning
and time system
➢ operated by the US Department
of Defense
➢ positioning accuracy from +/- 100
meters to centimeter level

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 WHAT IS GPS?

 Short term for NAVSTAR GPS

 Navigation System with Time and Ranging
Global Positioning System

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THE HISTORY OF GPS

➢ 1950’s – military and civilian for navigation and

position determination using satellites
➢ development of several military systems with different level
of accuracy
➢ 1973 – Air Force was named as the Executive
Service by Dept of Defense for the initial
development of a Defense Navigation Satellite
System (DNSS)
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 THE HISTORY OF GPS

➢ →Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging

Global Positioning System (NAVSTARGPS)
➢ to provide US military and its allies a means to navigate
worldwide without dependence on ground based
navigation aids
➢ to provide guidance and weapons tracking for aircraft,
ships, armor and missiles (so-called “smart weapons”
systems).
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 THE HISTORY OF GPS (CONT)

➢ 17 satellites on early design

➢ 24 satellites as decided by Pentagon in order to prevent
gaps or failures in the global system
➢ Today’s satellites – version “Block II”
➢ 1978 – launching of 1st GPS satellite – Phase 1, Block I system
➢ 1980’s and 1990’s – development and launching of 23 Block II
satellites
➢ 1994 – launching of the 24th satellite → completed the system
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which we used today

 THE HISTORY OF GPS (CONT)

➢ It was in 1980s that civilian scientists began to use GPS for

non-military purposes like data collection, this grow
dramatically → dithering of the signal received by civilian
GPS receivers (Selective Availability)

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 HOW GPS RECEIVER CALCULATE
POSITION?

 Satellites sent signals

•Time
•Position
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SIGNAL FROM ONE SATELLITE

The receiver is
somewhere on this
sphere.

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SIGNALS FROM TWO SATELLITES

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THREE SATELLITES (2D POSITIONING)

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 HOW MANY SATELLITES REQUIRED?

 At least 3 for 2D
positioning
 But at least four is
better → 3D
positioning

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HOW THE GPS STRUCTURED?

Space Segment

User Segment

Control Segment

Ground
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Antennas 15

Master Station Monitor Stations

SPACE SEGMENT

➢ Not less than 30 satellites

➢ Orbiting at approximately
20,000 km, each 12 hours
➢ Minimum of 4 SVs above 15
degrees elevation
➢ Usually six or more (orbit)
 normally identified by their
PseudoRandom Noise (PRN)
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SPACE SEGMENT

➢ Transmit two radio frequencies

➢ L1 – 1575.42 Mhz
➢ L2 – 1227.6 MHz
➢ Derived from the fundamental
frequency generated by very precise
atomic clocks
➢ Modulated by 2 pseudo random
codes: C/A-code and P-code
➢ Also navigation message, contains
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SV health and ephemeris 17
 CONTROL SEGMENT
US Space Command

Cape Canaveral
Hawaii
Kwajalein Atoll

Diego Garcia
Ascension Is.
• 5 control stations
• Master control at Colorado Springs, USA
• Monitor health of satellites, determine their orbits and
clock corrections
• Transmit data to satellites
• Initiate satellite movements

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Master Control Station Monitor Station Ground Antenna

CONTROL SEGMENT

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Ground monitor used from 1984 - 2007

 USER SEGMENT

➢ 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).
➢ Recreation.
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Antenna
 USER SEGMENT

 The user segment in GPS

consists of two categories of
receivers that are classified by
their access to two services that
the system provides. These
services are referred to as the
Standard Position Service (SPS) and
the Precise Positioning Service (PPS)
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Antenna
 USER SEGMENT

 The SPS is provided on the L1

broadcast frequency and more recently
the L2 at no cost to the user
 PPS is broadcast on both the L1 and L2
frequencies, and is only available to
receivers having valid cryptographic
keys, which are reserved almost
entirely for DoD use.

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Antenna
HOW DO SATELLITES SEND SIGNALS?

 GPS Satellite uses atomic time/clock

 Signals are transmitted in 2 separate carriers (L-band)
frequencies: L1 and L2
 Uses PRN codes (pseudo-random numbers)
 Two encodings: public encoding that enables lower
resolution navigation; and encrypted encoding only for US
military

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THE P AND C/A CODES

 Like the Navigation Message, the P and C/A code

are impressed on the L1 and L2 carrier waves by
modulation
 They carry raw data from which GPS receivers
derive their time and distance.

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P-CODE

The P code is generated at a rate of 10.23 million bits per second

and is available on both L1 and L2.
Each satellite repeats its portion of the P code every 7 days, and the
entire code is renewed every 37 weeks.
The encrypted P code is called the P(Y) code. It is done to prevent
spoofing from working. Spoofing is generation of false transmissions
masquerading as the Precise Code.
The P(Y) has been joined by a new military signal called the M-code.
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C/A CODE

 The C/A code is generated at 1.023 million bits per second,10

time slower than the P code.
 Satellite identification is quite straightforward. Not only does
each satellite broadcast a completely unique C/A code on its L1
frequency( and on L1 alone), but also the C/A code is repeated
every millisecond.
 The legacy C/A code is broadcast on L1 only. It used to be the
only civilian GPS code, but no longer, it has been joined by a new
civilian signal known as L2C that is carried on L2.
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L1 CARRIER (WAVES)

 Broadcast at 1575.42 MHz

 Has two codes modulated:
 Coarse/Acquisition (C/A) Code
 1.023MHz

 Precision Code (P-Code)

 10.23MHz
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Antenna
L2 CARRIER (WAVES)

 Broadcast at 1227.60MHz
 Has one code: P-Code → Y-code

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Trimble GPS Patch
Antenna
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SPS AND PPS

The C/A code is the vehicle for the SPS (Standard Positioning Service).
The P code provides the same service for PPS (Precise Positioning Service).

Is Military GPS More Accurate Than Civilian GPS?

The accuracy of the GPS signal in space is actually the same for both the civilian
GPS service (SPS) and the military GPS service (PPS). However, SPS broadcasts on
one frequency, while PPS uses two. This means military users can perform
ionospheric correction, a technique that reduces radio degradation caused by the
Earth's atmosphere. With less degradation, PPS provides better accuracy than the
basic SPS.
http://www.gps.gov/systems/
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NEW FREQUENCIES

 Some satellite frequencies (but not available to all):

 L3 – 1381.05 MHz is used by the United States Nuclear
Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) to
detect, locate, and report nuclear detonations (NUDETs)
in the Earth's atmosphere and near space.
 L4 – 1379.913 MHz is being studied for additional
ionospheric correction
 L5 – 1176.45 MHz was added in the process of GPS
modernization –Block III
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GPS SOURCES OF ERRORS

1. Ionospheric and atmospheric delays

2. Satellite and receiver clock errors
3. Multipath
4. Dilution of precision
5. Selective Availability (S/A)
6. Anti Spoofing (A-S)
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IONOSPHERIC AND ATMOSPHERIC DELAYS

 Signals can
slowed down as
it passes thru
the ionosphere
→ error in time
ranging
calculation

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IONOSPHERIC AND ATMOSPHERIC DELAYS

The atmosphere alters the apparent speed and to a

lesser extent, the direction of the signal as it passes
through the atmosphere.
The ionosphere is the first layer the signal
encounters. It extends from about 50 km to 1000 km
above the earth’s surface.

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MULTIPATH
 Signals does not travel directly to the
antenna/receiver but hits the nearby objects then to
the antenna

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SATELLITE AND RECEIVER CLOCK ERROR

 Even though clocks in the satellite are very accurate

(to about nanoseconds), they do sometimes drift
slightly and cause small errors → US DoD correct
the drift

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 DOP (VDOP, HDOP, PDOP, GDOP)
 Measure of the strength of the satellite geometry and related
to the spacing and position of satellites in the sky.
 Low GDOP is good (8 or less)

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Poorly- spaced → Bad GDOP Well- spaced → Good GDOP

 S/A AND ANTI-SPOOFING

 S/A is a process applied by USDoD to GPS signals → to

deny civilian the full accuracy of GPS (by dithering clocks)
 A-S it denies P-Code part of GPS signal

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 ANTISPOOFING

Subframe 4 also contains a flag that tells the receiver when a

security system known as antispoofing or AS has been activated by
the Control Stations.
Since December 1993, the P code on all Block satellites have been
encrypted to become the more secure Ycode.
Block IIR-M and II-F - both will utilize the new Mcode in 2020
Subframe 4 also holds information about satellites 25- 32.

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SOURCES OF GPS ERROR: AMOUNT

Standard Positioning Service (SPS ): Civilian Users

Source Amount of Error
➢ Satellite clocks: 1.5 to 3.6 meters
➢ Orbital errors: < 1 meter
➢ Ionosphere: 5.0 to 7.0 meters
➢ Troposphere: 0.5 to 0.7 meters
➢ Receiver noise: 0.3 to 1.5 meters
➢ Multipath: 0.6 to 1.2 meters
➢ Selective Availability depends

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➢ User error: Up to a kilometer or more 40
ALMANAC

 The almanac contains the ephemerides of the satellites.

 The Control Segment generates and uploads a new
almanac
 every day to each satellite.

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DIFFERENTIAL GPS

 is a procedure that involves the simultaneous use of

two or more code based receivers
 It can provide positional accuracies to within a few
meters, and thus the method is suitable for certain
types of lower-order surveying work.

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 DIFFERENTIAL GPS

 Enhancement
technique of GPS that
provides improved
location accuracy
from 100m t0 2m or
less.
 Many of errors
eliminate
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 DIFFERENTIAL GPS

 Reference receiver is
switched on first @
known station
 Rover receiver is
then switched on @ Radio data link
unknown station
 Real-time or post-
processing
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DGPS: ERROR AND ACCURACY

 Horizontal position →
±1 m or better
 Dependent on the
distance between rover
and base (reference)
 Noise and multipath are
not certainly eliminated

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REAL-TIME DGPS USES RTCM

 Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services

 Firstly designed for marine navigation
 It is a system of beacons with GPS receivers along major
rivers and lakes that is used as a base and broadcasts
corrections to rovers equipped to receive RTCM format
 No need base receiver
 The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a system of beacon stations
along the U.S. coast and waterways

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REAL-TIME DGPS USES RTCM

 Private agencies have developed additional stations.

The correction signals described above are
broadcast by modulation on a frequency between
285 and 325 kHz using the Radio Technical
Commission for Maritime Services Special Committee
104 (RTCM SC-104) format

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REAL-TIME DGPS USES RTCM

Broadcast:
 C/A code differential corrections
 delta differential corrections
 reference station parameters
 raw carrier phase measurements
 rawcode range measurements
 carrier phase corrections
 and code range corrections
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GPS MEASURING TECHNIQUES (SURVEYORS)

 Static
 Rapid static
 Kinematic
 Real-time Kinematic (RTK)
 Pseudo-Kinematic (or Pseudo-
static)

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 STATIC

 GPS receiver pairs are set up

on either unknown and
known points
 For long lines, geodetic
networks, tectonic plate
studies
 20km and over
 High accuracy but
comparatively slow
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STATIC: HOW LONG TO COLLECT?

 Required precision
 Number of visible satellite
 Satellite geometry (DOP)
 Receiver (single? Dual frequency?)
 Distance between receivers

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 RAPID STATIC

 5km to 20km baseline

 5 – 20 minutes observation
time requirement
 Comparatively fast than static
 Low order accuracy
compared to static

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 KINEMATIC

 to determine the
position of the antenna
only while it is in motion
 Relative positioning
 >2 minutes per station
 “stop-and-go” surveying
 Comparatively fast

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KINEMATIC: LIMITATIONS

 Initialization process is necessary

 Must maintain on the same four or more satellite
during entire survey
 Thus, best performed when there is no overh-
hanging trees or structures in rover’s route

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REAL TIME KINEMATIC GPS

 RTK refers to a stop-and-go method where the

coordinates of points are available in real time
 The rover keeps updating coordinates as it moves
as long as the lock on satellites is maintained
 Suitable for any type of surveying and mapping
(e.g. stake out)

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PSEUDO-KINEMATIC

 This is a combination of both static and kinematic

methods
 It has the speed of kinematic method but there is
no need to maintain lock on 4 satellites
 5-10 mins per station
 Pseudo-kinematic is the least precise of all methods
but is more productive than static
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COMMON ERRORS IN GPS (PROCESS)

 Setting up over wrong point

 Not using well adjusted tribrachs
 Not observing long enough during a session
 Poor planning (selection of points that may cause cycle slips
or multipath or poor PDOP)
 Interruption due to power failure (not checking batteries
prior to departure)
 Reading and recording wrong antenna height

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COMMON ERRORS IN GPS (POST)

 Incorrect datum or coordinates for known points

 Incorrect linear units for the project
 Entering incorrect point names and/or antenna
heights

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APPLICATIONS IN AGRICULTURE

 farm planning
 field mapping
 soil sampling
 tractor guidance
 crop scouting
 variable rate applications
 yield mapping
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http://www.gps.gov/applications/agriculture/
 APPLICATIONS IN ENVIRONMENT
 Up-to-date information
 Spatial information
 Tacking of wildlife
 Mapping of oil leak
 Mapping of forest fires
 Migratory pattern
In 2010, GPS helped cleanup crews
respond to the massive oil leak in the
Gulf of Mexico.
Endangered monk seal with GPS-
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enabled tracking device 60

http://www.gps.gov/applications/environment/
APPLICATIONS TO DISASTER MGT

 Precise location of
landmarks for relief
distribution/evacuation
 Track victims
 Identify location of disaster

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APPLICATIONS TO SURVEYING

 Accurate mapping/measurement
 Rapid data collection
 Surveying coast and waterways

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ACTIVITY:

MIND MAP

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GPS SATELLITES

 Availability of at least
24 operational GPS
satellites, 95% of the
time.
 31 operational GPS
satellites.

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GPS AND TRILATERATION

GPS and trilateration rely on measurement of distances to

fix position
Range is the GPS term for distance
Trilateration measure distance from controls on ground
GPS ranging measure distance from satellites orbiting at
nominal altitude of 20,183 km above earth.

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A PASSIVE SYSTEM

GPS signals are broadcast in the microwave part of the

electromagnetic spectrum
It is passive system because only the satellites transmit and
the users only receive them
There is no limit to the number of users without danger of
overburdening the system
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TIME

 Distance is a function of the speed of light (c), signal

 frequency (f ), and elapsed time (t)
 The GPS signals do not return to the satellite
 A clock in the satellite marks the time it departs from the
 satellite and a clock in the receiver can mark the moment it
 arrives
 The range depends on the time it takes a GPS signal to make
 a trip from the satellite to the receiver.
 Therefore the satellite must tell the receiver the exact time it
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 left the satellite

CONTROL

In GPS, the control points are the satellites themselves

but it is somewhat complicated because the satellite is
always moving.
The GPS signal must communicate to its receiver:
1) what time it is on the satellite;
2) the instantaneous position of a moving satellite;
3) some information about atmospheric correction; and
4) satellite identification and where to find the other
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satellites.
 THE NAVIGATION CODE

In order to communicate the needed information by

the receiver, codes are used and carried by 2 carrier waves.
A carrier has at least one of characteristics such as phase,
amplitude, or frequency that may be changed (modulated) to
carry information.
The 2 carrier waves are radio waves that are part of the L-band
(390 MHz – 1550 MHz)
L1-band at 1575.42 MHz is a bit higher than the strict
L-band frequency
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MODULATION TYPES

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 WAVELENGTH

 A wavelength with a duration of 1 second or 1 cycle

per second has a frequency of 1 hertz (Hz)
 The lowest sound human ears can detect has a
frequency of about 25 Hz and the highest is about
15,000 Hz or 15 kilohertz (KHz)
 Most modulated carriers used in in EDMs and GPS
have
 frequencies that are measured in million cycles per
second or megahertz (MHz)
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WAVELENGTH

The 2 fundamental frequencies of GPS are:

L1 at 1575.42 MHz (λ=19.0 cm) and
L2 at 1227.60 MHz (λ=24.4 cm)

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GPS TIME

 GPS Time is the time standard of the GPS system. It

is also known as GPS
System Time (GPST)
 Subframe 4 contains information needed by the
receiver to correlate its
clock with that of the satellite clock.
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 SATELLITE CLOCKS

Each GPS satellite carries its own onboard clocks in the form of a very
stable and accurate atomic clocks regulated by the vibration of
frequencies of the atoms of 2 elements: 2 clocks by cesium and 2 by
rubidium.
The clocks in any one satellite are completely independent from those
in the other, hence they are allowed to drift up to 1 millisecond from
the strictly controlled GPS time.
These individual drifts are carefully monitored by the Control
Segment and is eventually uploaded into subframe 1 of where it is
known as the broadcast clock correction.
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