OVERVIEW OF GPS

DEFINITION OF GPS

"The Global Positioning System (GPS) is an all-weather, space

based navigation system under development by the Department of
Defense (DoD) to satisfy the requirements for the military forces to
accurately determine their position, velocity, and time in a common
reference system, anywhere on or near the Earth on a continuous
basis."
 Space Segment
GPS

Control Segment

User Segment
 SPACE SEGMENT
• GPS satellites fly in medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of
approximately 20,200 km (12,550 miles). Each satellite circles the
Earth twice a day.
• The satellites in the GPS constellation are arranged into six equally-
spaced orbital planes (A to F)surrounding the Earth. Each plane
contains four "slots" occupied by baseline satellites.
• This 24-slot arrangement ensures users can view at least four
satellites from virtually any point on the planet.
• The Air Force normally flies more than 24 GPS satellites to maintain
coverage whenever the baseline satellites are serviced or
decommissioned. The extra satellites may increase GPS
performance but are not considered part of the core constellation.
• NAVSTAR GPS satellites are more than 20,000 km above the earth in
a posigrade orbit. A posigrade orbit is one that moves in the same direction as the
earth’s rotation.
• Since each satellite is nearly three times the earth’s radius above the surface, its orbital
period is 12 sidereal hours.
• The sidereal (star time) time scale is different from Mean Solar Time (the normal
time scale on which we operate) and different from UTC 4 minute difference.
• When an observer actually performs a GPS survey project, one of the most
noticeable aspects of a satellite’s motion is that it returns to the same position in
the sky about 4 minutes (3 minutes and 56 seconds) earlier each day. This
apparent regression is attributable to the difference between 24 solar hours and
24 sidereal hours, otherwise known as star-time. GPS satellites retrace the same
orbital path twice each sidereal day, but since their observers on earth measure
time in solar units, the orbits do not look quite so regular to them. The satellites
actually lose 3 minutes and 56 seconds with each successive solar day.
 DILUTION OF PRECISION
• The accuracy of a GPS position is
subject to a geometric phenomenon
called dilution of precision (DOP).
• This number is somewhat similar to
the strength of figure consideration in
the design of a triangulation network.
• A low DOP factor is good,
• a high DOP factor is bad.
• In other words, when the satellites are
in the optimal configuration for a
reliable GPS position, the DOP is
low, when they are not, the DOP is
high.
 THE HIGHER THE DOP, THE
WEAKER THE GEOMETRY
 LOW/HIGH DOP
• A)

B)
• DOP is often divided up into components. These componets are
used because the accuracy of the GPS system varies. The satellites
move, so the geometry varies with time, but it is very predictable.

• PDOP = Position Dilution of Precision (3-D), sometimes the Spherical

DOP.
            
• HDOP = Horizontal Dilution of Precision (Latitude, Longitude).

• VDOP = Vertical Dilution of Precision (Height).

• TDOP = Time Dilution of Precision (Time).

 THE SPACE SEGMENT:
PLANNING
• The position of the satellites above an observer’s horizon is a
critical consideration in planning a GPS survey. So, most software
packages provide various methods of illustrating the satellite
configuration for a particular location over a specified period of time.

• For example, the configuration of the satellites over the entire span of
the observation is important; as the satellites move, the DOP changes.
• DOP can be predicted.
• It depends on the orientation of the GPS satellites relative to the GPS
receivers. And since most GPS software allow calculation of the
satellite constellation from any given position and time, they can also
provide the accompanying DOP factors.
 LIVE TRACKING REPORT
https://www.gnssplanning.com/#/skyplot

A Test Report > 25/11/2019 @ 10:32 AM GITAM Campus

FOOTPRINT OF GSO
ANOTHER REPRESENTATION OF SPACE SEGMENT
PLANNING

There are four spikes of unacceptable PDOP,

labeled here for convenience. It might appear
at first glance that these spikes are directly
attributable to the drop in the number of
available satellites. However, please note that
while spikes 1 and 4 do indeed occur during
periods of 4 satellite data, spikes 2 and 3 are
during periods when there are 7 and 5
satellites available, respectively. It is not the
number of satellites above the horizon that
determine the quality of GPS positions, one
must also look at their position relative to the
observer, the DOP, among other things. The
variety of the tools to help the observer
predict satellite visibility underlines the
importance of their configuration to
successful positioning.
 SATELLITE BLOCKS

BLOCK BLOCK
BLOCK I
II IIA

BLOCK BLOCK BLOCK

IIR IIF III
 BLOCK I
• The 11 GPS satellites launched from
Vandenberg Air Force Base between
1978 and 1985 were known as Block I
satellites. The last Block I satellite was
retired in late 1995.
• All were prototype satellites built to
validate the concept of GPS positioning.
• This test constellation of Block I
satellites was inclined by 63° to the
equator instead of the current
specification of 55°.
• The Block I satellites weigh 845 kg in final orbit.
• They are powered by three rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries
and 7.25 square meters of single-degree solar panels.
• These experimental satellites have served to point the way for
some of the improvements found in subsequent generations.
• For example, even with the back-up systems of rubidium and
cesium oscillators onboard each satellite, the clocks proved to be
the weakest components.
• The satellites, themselves, could only store sufficient information
for 3½ days of independent operation. And the uploads from the
control segment were not secure; they were not encrypted.
 BLOCK II
• The next generation of GPS satellites are known as Block II satellites.
• The first left Cape Canaveral on February 14, 1989, almost 14 years after the first GPS
satellite was launched.
• It was about twice as heavy as the first Block I satellite and is expected to have a design
life of 7½ years.
• The Block II satellites can operate up to 14 days without an upload from the control
segment and their uploads are encrypted.
• The satellites themselves are radiation hardened, and their signals were subject to
selective availability.
• None of the Block II satellites are in the constellation today.
• However, Block IIA satellites are in the constellation today. They were followed by the
Block II satellites.
• The first of them was launched in 1989 and the last was decommissioned in 2007.
 BLOCK IIA

• Launch Between 1990 – 1997

• 6 months operation without control segment (with degradation)
• Radiation Hardened
 BLOCK IIR
(R := REPLACEMENT)

• First Launch July 1997

• 6 months operation without control segment (without degradation)
• Intersatellite crosslink ranging (AutoNav)
• 3 rubidium frequency standards
• 7.8 Year design life
 BLOCK IIR-M
(M= MODIFICATION)

• Civil Signal
• M-Code and C-Code
• L5 Demo (carrier)
 BLOCK IIF
(F := FOLLOW ON)

• 12 year design life

• Improved rubidium frequency standards
• Direct orbit insertion
• Operational Distress Alerting Satellite System (DASS) repeaters
• Distress Alerting Satellite System
• Three or more antennas track different GPS satellites equipped with search
and rescue repeaters that receive the distress signal and retransmit the
signal to the ground. Since each satellite is in a different orbit, each
received signal has a different Doppler-shifted arrival frequency and time
of arrival. Knowing the position and orbit of each satellite, it is possible to
determine the position of the distress beacon.
 BLOCK III

• Presently, the DoD undertakes studies for the next generation of

GPS satellites, called Block III satellites. These satellites are
expected to carry GPS into 2030 and beyond.
CONTROL SEGMENT
• There are government tracking and uploading facilities distributed
around the world.

• These facilities not only monitor the L-band signals from the
GPS satellites and update their Navigation Messages but also
track the satellite’s health, their maneuvers, and many other
things, even battery recharging. Taken together, these facilities
are known as the Control Segment.
• The Master Control Station (MCS), once located at Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California, now resides at the Consolidated
Space Operations Center (CSOC) at Schriever (formerly
Falcon) Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• They maneuver the satellites from the highly eccentric orbits into
which they are originally launched to the desired mission orbit and
spacecraft orientation.

• They monitor the state of each satellite's onboard battery, solar, and
propellant systems.
• They resolve satellite anomalies, activate spare satellites, and
control Selective Availability (SA) and Anti-Spoofing (A/S).
• The data that feeds the MCS comes from monitoring stations. These
stations track the entire GPS constellation.
• In the past, there were limitations. There were only six tracking stations.
It was possible for a satellite to go unmonitored for up to two hours
each day.
• It was clear that the calculation of the ephemerides and the precise
orbits of the constellation could be improved with more monitoring
stations in a wider geographical distribution.
• It was also clear that if one of the six stations went down, the
effectiveness of the Control Segment could be considerably hampered.
• Today, there are 6 Air Force and the 11 National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency (NGA) monitoring stations.
• Every GPS satellite is tracked by at least 3 of these stations all the
time.
• The monitoring stations collect range measurements, atmospheric
information, satellite's orbital information, clock errors, velocity,
right ascension, and declination and send them to the MCS.
• The MCS needs this constant flow of information. It provides the basis
for the computation of the almanacs, clock corrections, and other
components that make up the Navigation message. The new stations also
improve the geographical diversity of the Control Segment, and that helps
with the MCS isolation of errors, for example, making the distinction
between the effects of the clock error from ephemeris errors. 
 GPS SIGNAL

1. The Coarse/Acquisition code or C/A, which is freely available

to the public

2. The restricted Precision code, or P-code, usually reserved for

military applications.
 COARSE/ACQUISITION CODE

• The C/A code is a 1,023 bit long pseudonoise code (PN or PRN

code) which, when transmitted at 1.023(Mbit/s), repeats every
millisecond.
• These sequences only match up, or strongly correlate, when they
are exactly aligned.
• Each satellite transmits a unique PRN code, which does not
correlate well with any other satellite’s PRN code.
• In other words, the PRN codes are highly orthogonal to one
another
 P CODE
• The P-code is also a PRN,
• P-code is 6.1871 × 1012 bits long (6,187,100,000,000 bits) and
only repeats once a week (it is transmitted at 10.23 Mbit/s).
• The extreme length of the P-code increases its correlation gain
and eliminates any range ambiguity within the Solar System.
• However, the code is so long and complex it was believed that a
receiver could not directly acquire and synchronize with this signal
alone.
• It was expected that the receiver would first lock onto the
relatively simple C/A code and then, after obtaining the current
time and approximate position, synchronize with the P-code.
• Whereas the C/A PRNs are unique for each satellite, the P-code PRN is
actually a small segment of a master P-code approximately 2.35 ×
1014 bits in length (235,000,000,000,000 bits) and each satellite
repeatedly transmits its assigned segment of the master code.

• To prevent unauthorized users from using or potentially interfering with

the military signal through a process called spoofing, it was decided to
encrypt the P-code.
• To that end the P-code was modulated with the W-code, a special
encryption sequence, to generate the Y-code.
• The Y-code is what the satellites have been transmitting since the anti-
spoofing module was set to the “on” state. The encrypted signal is
referred to as the P(Y)-code.
 FREQUENCY INFORMATION
OF GPS SIGNAL
•  Two frequencies are utilized;
1. 1575.42 MHz called L1;
2. 1227.60 MHz called L2.
• The C/A code is transmitted on the L1 frequency as a 1.023 MHz
signal using a Binary Phase Shift Key (BPSK) modulation technique
• The P(Y)-code is transmitted on both the L1 and L2 frequencies
signal using the same BPSK modulation,

• However the P(Y)-code carrier is in quadrature with the C/A carrier.

• A critical benefit of having two frequencies transmitted from one
satellite is to remove the ionospheric delay error for that satellite.
• L2C Signal
• A new signal for civilian use is L2C
•  Signal is transmitted on a frequency other than the L1 frequency
used for the Coarse Acquisition (C/A) signal. It is broadcast on the
L2 frequency.
• Unlike the C/A code, L2C contains two distinct PRN code sequences
to provide ranging information;
• The Civilian Moderate length code (called CM), and the Civilian
Long length code (called CL).
• The CM code is 10,230 bits long, repeating every 20 ms. The CL
code is 767,250 bits long, repeating every 1500 ms. Each signal is
transmitted at 511,500 bits per second (bit/s), however they
are multiplexed together to form a 1,023,000 bit/s signal.
 USER SEGMENT

GPS Receiver block diagram

• Receiving Antenna receives the satellite signals. It is mainly, a circularly
polarized antenna.
• Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) amplifies the weak received signal
• Down converter converts the frequency of received signal to an Intermediate
Frequency (IF) signal.
• IF Amplifier amplifies the Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal.
• ADC performs the conversion of analog signal, which is obtained from IF
amplifier to digital. Assume, the sampling & quantization blocks are also
present in ADC (Analog to Digital Converter).
• DSP (Digital Signal Processor) generates the C/A code.
• Microprocessor performs the calculation of position and provides the timing
signals in order to control the operation of other digital blocks. It sends the
useful information to Display unit in order to display it on the screen
 Track L1 C/A code
and P(Y)code

Track only track C/A

GPS Receiver
code.

YMCA Receiver
(Track L1 C/A, L1
and L2 P(Y), and L1
and L2Mcode)
A Generic block diagram of SPS receiver
NOTE: PICTORIAL DESCRIPTION OF
WHY GPS REQUIRE 4 SATELLITE?