Session 6 GNSS#1

Introduction to Surveying and Spatial Sciences
GEOE1018
GNSS#1
GEOE 1018
Aim: To create surveying foundations
Objectives:
1. Appreciate the importance of geodetic networks

2. Unravel GNSS
GEOE 1018
Obj 1/2: Appreciate the importance of geodetic networks
Geodetic (Control) Network

• network of accurate & permanently marked and maintained survey
control points that comprise the framework for a reference system
• Each surveying task relies on these control points
• The positions (coordinates) of these points are detemined traditionally using

triangulation, trilateration and traversing. Nowadays satellite observations
are used to improve/refine the networks.
• choice depends also on terrain, equipment available and accuracy required
GEOE 1018
Geodetic (Control) Network cont …
• The networks belong to the national/international infrastructure and serve

as a basis for surveying and geoinformation services, land registry and many
other location based service.
• The accuracy and integrity of the Geodetic Network underpins the
accuracy of dependent geographic data
• Starting point =
primary trigonometric network
•  subsidiary/ local networks
GEOE 1018
History example:
Triangulation in UK/ India and Oz
GEOE 1018
Triangulation points/pillars
GEOE 1018
The Australian Regional GNSS Network
GEOE 1018
South Australia
GEOE 1018
Network Permanent Survey Mark

Construction/ Description/ Information
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
GEOE 1018
Obj 2/2: Unravel GNSS
Content
• Development
• Components
• Positioning methods
• Errors
• Differential GNSS (dGNSS)
• Usage
GEOE 1018
Development
• Satellite navigation system (Sat Nav) uses satellites to provide

autonomous spatial positioning. It allows small electronic receivers to
determine their location by receiving satellite signals and time information.
• Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
• Navstar GPS (US) the most well known system

NAVigation Satellite Timing And Ranging Global Positioning System
GEOE 1018
Development
• Traditional surveying measures angles, distance & height, whereas GNSS

use time to determine distance and the through trilateration, establish 3D
coordinates
• Surveying GNSS equipment is highly sophisticated …
GEOE 1018
Development
• Other systems have been developed …

GEOE 1018
Development
Regional Navigation Satellite Systems
RNSSs are GNSS augmentation systems, both India and Japan are currently
developing a RNSS.
India's 7-satellite IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System)
Japan has the QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) satellites. QZSS is designed to
increase the number of satellites available at high elevation angles over Japan.
(Curtin University 2019)

GEOE 1018
Development
Focus on Navstar GPS (aka ‘GPS’)
• Designed for military use - beginning in 1973 with first satellite launched 1978 and
fully operational 1993.
• Passive system enabling users to receive information – so many users - similar to

TV/ radio
• Other disciplines soon recognized potential use – including surveying…
• Can achieve position in any condition, at any time

GEOE 1018
Components of GNSS
• Space segment
• Control segment
• User segment
GEOE 1018
Space segment (GPS)
• 6 Orbits with 4 satellites each

• 4-8 satellites visible from any point on Earth
• 12 hours to pass one orbit; in view for 4-5 hours
• Each satellite is ~ 20,200 km above the ground
Orbit ground tracks for three GPS satellites

GEOE 1018
Space segment (GPS)

1978 … today
GPS.GOV 2021
GEOE 1018
Space segment (GPS)
• ‘In addition to longitude, latitude, and altitude, the Global Positioning

System (GPS) provides a critical fourth dimension – time.
• Each GPS satellite contains multiple atomic clocks that contribute very
precise time data to the GPS signals.
• GPS receivers decode these signals, effectively synchronizing each

receiver to the atomic clocks.
• This enables users to determine the time to within 100 billionths of a

second, without the cost of owning and operating atomic clocks’
GPS.GOV 2021
GEOE 1018
Control Segment (GPS)

GEOE 1018
Control Segment (GPS)
• Master Control Station

• collecting tracking data from monitoring stations
• calculating satellite orbits & clock parameters
• Monitoring/ Tracking Stations

• measuring where satellites are and will be …
• Ground Control Stations

• uploading of information to Satellites
GEOE 1018
User Segment (GPS receiver)

• device capable of determining the user position and velocity
by processing the broadcasted satellites signal
To decipher the GPS signal, the receiver must:

• locate the available satellites in view
• acquire the GPS signals
• measure and track the SVs
• recover the SV navigational data
GEOE 1018
User Segment (GPS receiver)
Features that make GPS an attractive means of obtaining spatial data and
positions on the Earth:
- all weather usage
- line-of-sight between stations not required
- faster than conventional methods
- 24-hour availability (subject to U.S. DoD)
- appropriate levels of accuracy achievable
- results provided in a unified world coordinate system (WGS84) that are
easily transferred to GIS or mapping systems
GEOE 1018
GPS signal structure

GPS satellites continuously transmit electromagnetic radio signals
These signals are carrier (sine)

waves that carry the code from
the SV used to estimate the travel
time of the signal
Richard (2015)
GEOE 1018
The two carrier signals used by GPS are:
GPS signal structure - L1 (frequency – of wave - 1575.42 MHz,   19 cm)
- L2 (frequency – of wave - 1227.60 MHz,   24 cm)
GNSS EDM – red/ NIR Rutgers (2021)

GEOE 1018
The carrier signals are capable of transmission over great distances through
the atmosphere but cannot penetrate solid objects.
Each satellite generates two binary codes i.e. Coarse Acquisition (C/A) and Precise
(P) that consist of repeated patterns of 1's and 0’s; and these codes are modulated
with the carriers.
GEOE 1018
Each satellite transmits its own unique codes making it possible for a receiver
to distinguish the simultaneous signals received from each satellite.
A navigation message is also modulated with both carriers that contains:
- satellite orbital elements

(ephemeris)
- system time and satellite clock
corrections
- status messages and other
correction models
Using the satellite orbital parameters,
the position of each satellite can be
computed by a GPS receiver.
GEOE 1018
So, the GPS carrier wave frequencies of 1575.42 & 1227.60Mhz are in the
L band of radio frequencies extending from 390 MHz to 1550Mhz
For the purpose of GEOE 1018, we’ll be using L1 frequency 1575.42 Mhz
with Coarse Acquisition (C/A) code - which is deemed mapping grade
L2 frequency 1227.60Mhz with Precise (P) code is for survey grade

accuracy (Real Time Kinematic – RTK GPS) … FYI, this wave can remove
some atmospheric error, and achieve accuracy: 0.1 – 1 cm … covered in
later surveying courses…
GEOE 1018
GPS modernisation
Major focus is the addition of new navigation signals; three new signals
designed for civilian use are systematically being rolled out with newer
satellites.
Proposed new signals are:
- L2C; new civilian signal on the L2 carrier (designed specifically to meet
commercial needs - pre-operational)
- L5; new civilian signal; (designed to meet demanding requirements for
safety-of-life transportation and other high-performance applications -
pre-operational)
- L1C; to enable interoperability between GPS and newer GNSS (begins
with launch of GPSIII satellites, fully operational by late 2020s.
GEOE 1018
GPS positioning methods (similar to …)

GEOE 1018
GPS positioning methods
• GPS Satellites continuously transmit signals

to earth T1
• GPS receiver measures the signal time
(satellite - receiver) T2
• Receiver calculates distance between itself
and the satellite using
range (i.e. distance) = speed x time
• Radio signal traveling at speed of light

• Receiver calculates its position by measuring
the distance to at least 4 satellites

GEOE 1018
GPS positioning methods

GEOE 1018
GNSS errors - end user position accuracy is affected by…

• Satellite dependent errors
• Satellite clock
• Satellite orbit
• Satellite geometry
• Receiver dependent errors

• Receiver clock
• Antennae
• Signal dependent errors

• Ionosphere and Tropospheric delays
• Multipath – see next slide…
• Cycle slip
• Select Availability
• User error!!!
GEOE 1018
Why does GPS sometimes show me in the wrong place?
• Buildings/ bridges/ trees can block or reflect GPS signals
ip ath
mult
GEOE 1018
How to improve position accuracy ?
Differential GPS (DGPS)

a) Post-processing DGPS
• Correction data from nearby reference
stations
• Correction calculation performed after
correction
the data is collected
• Special software required Reference
station
• Accuracy:
0.1 - 1m Rover
(or GPS
Receiver)
GEOE 1018
16 DGPS reference stations in Australia

GEOE 1018
Horizontal GPS accuracy: up to…
Vertical accuracy: 2-5 times less than horizontal accuracy

GEOE 1018
Summary
1. Appreciate the importance of geodetic networks

2. Unravel GNSS
Next Session – Introduction to GIS

& spatial data
And remember …
GEOE 1018

Session 6 GNSS#1

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Introduction to Surveying and Spatial Sciences

1. Appreciate the importance of geodetic networks

Geodetic (Control) Network

• The positions (coordinates) of these points are detemined traditionally using

Geodetic (Control) Network cont …

• The networks belong to the national/international infrastructure and serve

Network Permanent Survey Mark

• Satellite navigation system (Sat Nav) uses satellites to provide

• Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)

• Navstar GPS (US) the most well known system

• Traditional surveying measures angles, distance & height, whereas GNSS

• Other systems have been developed …

Regional Navigation Satellite Systems

India's 7-satellite IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System)

(Curtin University 2019)

Focus on Navstar GPS (aka ‘GPS’)

• Passive system enabling users to receive information – so many users - similar to

• Other disciplines soon recognized potential use – including surveying…

• Can achieve position in any condition, at any time

Space segment (GPS)

• 6 Orbits with 4 satellites each

Orbit ground tracks for three GPS satellites

Space segment (GPS)

Space segment (GPS)

• ‘In addition to longitude, latitude, and altitude, the Global Positioning

• GPS receivers decode these signals, effectively synchronizing each

• This enables users to determine the time to within 100 billionths of a

Control Segment (GPS)

Control Segment (GPS)

• Master Control Station

• Monitoring/ Tracking Stations

• Ground Control Stations

User Segment (GPS receiver)

To decipher the GPS signal, the receiver must:

User Segment (GPS receiver)

GPS signal structure

These signals are carrier (sine)

- L2 (frequency – of wave - 1227.60 MHz,   24 cm)

GNSS EDM – red/ NIR Rutgers (2021)

GPS signal structure

GPS signal structure

A navigation message is also modulated with both carriers that contains:

- satellite orbital elements

GPS signal structure

L2 frequency 1227.60Mhz with Precise (P) code is for survey grade

GPS positioning methods (similar to …)

GPS positioning methods

• GPS Satellites continuously transmit signals

range (i.e. distance) = speed x time

• Radio signal traveling at speed of light

the distance to at least 4 satellites

GPS positioning methods

GNSS errors - end user position accuracy is affected by…

• Receiver dependent errors

• Signal dependent errors

Why does GPS sometimes show me in the wrong place?

• Buildings/ bridges/ trees can block or reflect GPS signals

How to improve position accuracy ?

Differential GPS (DGPS)

16 DGPS reference stations in Australia

Horizontal GPS accuracy: up to…

Vertical accuracy: 2-5 times less than horizontal accuracy