GNSS
Dr. Shreedevi Moharana
Department of Civil Engineering
National Institute of Technology Warangal
Brief History of GPS
Original concept developed around 1960
In the wake of Sputnik & Explorer
Preliminary system, Transit, operational in 1964
Developed for nuke submarines
5 polar orbiting satellites, Doppler measurements only
Timation satellites, 1967-69, used the first onboard precise clock for passive ranging
Full scale GPS development begun in 1973
Renamed Navstar (NAVigation System with Timing And Ranging Global Positioning System)
First 4 SV's launched in 1978
GPS Initial Operational Capability - December 1993 (Final Operational Capability - April 1995)
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What is GPS?
GPS is a global radio-navigation system formed from a constellation of 24 satellites and their
ground stations.
GPS uses these "man-made stars" as reference points to calculate positions accurate to a matter
of meters. In fact, with advanced forms of GPS you can make measurements to better than a
centimetre!
In a sense, it's like giving every square meter on the planet a unique address!
GPS receivers have been miniaturized to just a few integrated circuits and so are becoming very
economical and that makes the technology accessible to virtually everyone.
These days, GPS is finding its way into cars, boats, planes, construction equipment, movie making
gear, farm machinery, even laptop computers, smart mobiles etc.
Soon GPS will become almost as basic as the telephone.
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Brief History of GPS
GPS is a product of Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) (also known as "Star Wars"
of Ronald Regan)
"It is an all-weather, space based navigation system development by the U.S.
DOD to satisfy the requirements for the military forces to accurately determine
position, velocity, and time in a common reference system, anywhere on or near
the Earth on a continuous basis"
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Brief History of GPS
During the development of the GPS system, the emphasis was placed on the following
three aspects:
1. It had to provide users with the capability of determining position, speed and
time, whether in motion or at rest.
2. It had to have a continuous, global, all-weather 3-dimensional positioning
capability with a high degree of accuracy.
3. It had to offer potential for civilian use.
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Though, GPS is funded and controlled by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) however,
it is being used by civilians for:
- positioning
- georeferencing
- navigation
- time
- frequency calibrations
- etc.
Based on the number of GPS receivers sold globally, road transport applications are the
majority users of GPS positioning — for commercial fleet management and freight tracking,
taxi services, public transport monitoring and passenger information, and emergency
vehicle location, dispatch and navigation.
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GPS General Characteristics
Provides:
Accurate Navigation (10 - 20 m)
Worldwide Coverage
24 hour access
Common Coordinate System
Designed to replace existing navigation systems
Accessible by Military and Civil
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The GPS is an earth orbiting satellite based
system fully operational since 1993,
Signals available anywhere on the earth,
day and night.
Used to determine:
- Position, altitude above the ellipsoid and
precise time
GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day,
20,200 km above the earth a speed of about
14000 km/hr (3.9 km/second).
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Segments of GPS
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1. Space Segment
24 satellites in 6 orbital planes (4 in each plane)
equally spaced (60 deg. apart)
inclined at about 55 deg. with respect to the
equatorial plane
Orbits are nearly circular, with eccentricity less than
0.02, a semi-major axis of 26 560 km, i.e. an altitude
of 20 200 km,
Orbits in this height are referred to as MEO —
medium earth orbit.
The satellites have a speed of 3.9 km per second
and a nominal period of 12 h sidereal time (11 h
58m 2s), repeating the geometry each sidereal day.
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2. GPS Control Segment
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3. User Segment
In general, In GPS
receivers are composed of
an antenna, tuned to the
frequencies transmitted
by the satellites, receiver-
processors, and a highly
stable clock (often a
crystal oscillator).
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GPS Satellite Signals and Data
The satellites transmit two microwave carrier signals
The L1 frequency (1575.42 MHz) carries the navigation message, the SPS
(Standard Positioning Service) code signals known as the C/A (coarse
acquisition) Code, the P (precise) Code used for the PPS (Precise
Positioning Service)
The L2 frequency (1227.60 MHz) carries the P Code used for the PPS
The phase difference between the P-Code on Ll and L2 is used to measure
the ionospheric delay by PPS equipped receivers tracking both frequencies
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GPS Signals
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GPS Modernization
GPS space segment modernization includes new signals, as well as improvements in
atomic clock accuracy, satellite signal strength and reliability
Control segment modernization includes improved ionospheric and tropospheric
modelling and in-orbit accuracy, and additional monitoring stations
Latest generation of GPS satellites has the capability to transmit new civilian signal,
designated L2C
L2C will be easier for the user segment to track and will provide improved navigation
accuracy It will also provide the ability to directly measure and remove the ionospheric
delay error for a particular satellite, using the civilian signals on both L1 and L2
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GPS Modernization
A new GPS L5 frequency (1176.45 MHz) is slowly being added to new
satellites
The first NAVSTAR GPS satellite to transmit L5, on a demonstration basis,
was launched in 2009
L5 signal is added to meet the requirements of critical safety of life
applications
GPS satellite modernization will also include a new military signal and an
improved LIC which will provide greater civilian interoperability with Galileo
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Functions of a GPS satellite
The main functions of a GPS satellite are as follows,
• It receives and stores data from the control segment.
• It maintains a very precise time.
• It transmits coded signals to user receivers through the use of three
frequencies: LI (1575.42 MHz), L2 (1227.60 MHz), and L5 (1176.45
MHz).
• It controls both its attitude (orientation) and position in the orbit using small
rocket boosters.
• It enables a wireless link among the satellites in case of GPS III (Block III)
satellites.
GPS satellite