06/10/2021

GLOBAL POSITIONING
SYSTEM (GPS) - 2

Mayang Bunga Puspita, S.Si., M.Eng.

mayang.puspita@ub.ac.id

Line of Sight Transmissions

Line of sight is the
ability to draw a
straight line between
two objects without any
other objects getting in
the way. GPS
transmission are line-
of-sight transmissions.
Obstructions such as trees, buildings, or natural
formations may prevent clear line of sight.

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Light Refraction
Sometimes the GPS
signal from the
satellite doesn’t
follow a straight line.

Refraction is the
bending of light as
it travels through
one media to
another.

Signal Refraction
Signals from satellites can be like light.
When they hit some interference (air patterns
in the atmosphere, uneven geography, etc.)
they sometimes bend a little.

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Signal Interference

Sometimes the
signals bounce off
things before they
hit the receivers.

Satellite Distribution
When the satellites are all in the same part
of the sky, readings will be less accurate.

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PDOP
PDOP = Positional Dilution of Precision

All of this
combines to make
11,000 miles
the signal less 11,000 miles
11,000 miles

accurate, and
gives it what we 11,000 miles

call a high “PDOP.”

•A PDOP of <4 is excellent
•A PDOP of 4-8 is good
•A PDOP of >8 is poor

Accuracy and Precision in

GPS
• Accuracy
– The nearness of a
measurement to the
standard or true value
• Precision
– The degree to which several
measurements provide
answers very close to each
other.
What affects accuracy and
precision in GPS?

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Sources of Error

• Selective Availability
– Intentional degradation of
GPS accuracy
– 100m in horizontal and 160m
in vertical
– Accounted for most error in
standard GPS
– Turned off May 2, 2000

Sources of Error

• Geometric Dilution of
Precision (GDOP)
– Describes sensitivity of receiver to
changes in the geometric
positioning of the SVs
• The higher the DOP value, the
poorer the measurement
QUALITY DOP
Very Good 1-3
Good 4-5
Fair 6
Suspect >6

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Sources of Error
• Clock Error
– Differences between
satellite clock and receiver
clock
• Ionosphere Delays
– Delay of GPS signals as
they pass through the layer Satellite
of charged ions and free
electrons known as the
ionosphere.
• Multipath Error
– Caused by local reflections GPS
of the GPS signal that mix
with the desired signal
Antenna
Hard Surface

Differential Correction
Differential correction is
a technique that greatly
increases the accuracy
of the collected GPS
data. It involves using a
receiver at a known
location - the "base
station“- and comparing
that data with GPS
positions collected from
unknown locations with
"roving receivers."
ISU Base Station - http://134.50.65.125/

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Differential GPS
• Method of removing errors that affect GPS
measurements

• A base station receiver is set up on a

location where the coordinates are known

• Signal time at reference location is

compared to time at remote location

• Time difference represents error in

satellite’s signal

• Real-time corrections transmitted to remote

receiver = Error
– Single frequency (1-5 m)
– Dual frequency (sub-meter) Reference Remote
location location

• Post-Processing DGPS involves correcting

at a later time www.ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS
Online post-processing

Postprocessing / Real-time
Before

After

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Datums and Coordinate

Systems
Why should I worry about datums and
coordinate systems when using GPS?

• Many datums and coordinate

systems in use today

• Incorrect referencing of
coordinates to the wrong datum
can result in position errors of
hundreds of meters

• With, sub-meter accuracy

available with today’s GPS,
careful datum selection and
conversion is critical!

Which is the correct location?

Same location can have many reference positions,

depending on coordinate system used

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In a Nutshell

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and Longitude

are spherical
coordinates on the
surface of the earth.
Latitude is measured
North or South of the
Equator. Longitude is
measured East or West
of Greenwich. GPS uses
Latitudes and
Longitudes to reference
locations.

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Waypoints
Waypoints are locations or landmarks that can
be stored in your GPS. Waypoints may be
defined and stored in the unit manually by
inputting latitude and longitude from a map or
other reference.
Or more usually,
waypoints may be Direction
entered directly by of
waypoint
Your
taking a reading with the Waypoint location
Date Latitude and
unit at the location itself, and Longitude
Tim
giving it a name, and e

then saving the point.

Data Dictionary
GPS units collect data
in:
– Points
– Lines
– Areas
These are called
features.
A data dictionary is a
means by which we
collect specific
information about a
data feature.

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