UNIT-V GPS APPLICATIONS

• GPS Applications: GPS in surveying, Mapping and Geographical

Information System, Precision approach Aircraft landing system,

Military and Space application, intelligent transportation system.

• GPS orbital parameters, description of receiver independent

exchange format (RINEX) , Observation data and navigation

message data parameters, GPS position determination, least

squares method

• 
 GPS In Surveying

GPS eliminates need for establishing control before a survey.

 GPS Surveying Techniques

Commonly used GPS Surveying techniques are

i. Static [Link] Static iii Kinematic iV. Pseudo-kinematic V Real Time Kinematic
GPS SURVEYING TECHNIQUES
 MAPPING & GIS
• GIS stands for Geographical Information System. GIS is a computer

program that is designed to capture, analyze, interpret and store data that

has been transmitted from navigation systems such as GPS and make the

information available for use.

GIS can be used to create or generate a map that can then be interpreted to show patterns such as the

movement of people from one place to another and so on.

In other words, GIS makes the information from GPS more sensible such that without GIS, GPS would

not be manipulated and utilized to its maximum.

Applications of GIS
• 1. Data mapping: GIS is used to provide visual representations of data. Almost 80 percent of the
data received has some spatial element in it and GIS helps to visualize the data in order to make
some sense out of it.
• 2. Proximity analysis: GIS is used to show the relationship between two different locations and
the proximity of two locations on a map.
• 3. Location analysis: Data collected and analyzed by GIS system is used to determine the best
location of a new retail outlet or a new football pitch in relation to other football fields.
 Precision Approach Aircraft Landing system
• A precision approach is an instrument approach and landing using precision
lateral and vertical guidance with minima as determined by the category of
operation.[1] In contrast, a nonprecision standard instrument approach procedure
only provides horizontal guidance.
• Note. Lateral and vertical guidance refers to the guidance provided either by:
• a) a ground-based navigation aid; or
• b) computer generated navigation data displayed to the pilot of an aircraft.
• c) a controller interpreting the display on a radar screen (Precision Approach
Radar (PAR)).
[Link]
• The controller uses the PAR display to guide the pilot or flight crew through the
final stages of landing, providing horizontal and vertical guidance.
• In real time, ATC directs the pilot/flight crew to change heading or adjust the
descent rate to keep the aircraft on a path that allows it to touch down at the
correct spot on the runway.
GPS IN MILITARY & SPACE APPLICATIONS
GPS IN MILITARY & SPACE APPLICATIONS
 GPS IN MILITARY & SPACE APPLICATIONS
• Global Positioning System (GPS) is revolutionizing and revitalizing the way nations
operate in space, from guidance systems for crewed vehicles to the management,
tracking, and control of communication satellite constellations, to monitoring the
Earth from space.
• Benefits of using GPS include:
1. Navigation solutions-providing high precision orbit determination, and
minimum ground control crews
2. Attitude solutions -- replacing high cost on-board attitude sensors with low-cost
multiple GPS antennae 
3. Timing solutions -- replacing expensive spacecraft atomic clocks with low-cost,
precise time GPS receivers
4. Constellation control -- providing single point-of-contact to control for the orbit
maintenance of large numbers of space vehicles
5. Formation flying -- allowing precision satellite formations with minimal
intervention
6. Virtual platforms -- providing automatic "station-keeping“
7. Launch vehicle tracking -- replacing or augmenting tracking radars with higher
precision, lower-cost GPS units
GPS IN INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
GPS IN INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
GPS ORBITAL PARAMETERS
GPS ORBITAL PARAMETERS
 GPS ORBITAL PARAMETERS

Argument of periapsis (ω) is the angle (starting from the center

of the orbit) between an orbiting body's periapsis and its
ascending node.
Description of Receiver Independent Exchange Format (RINEX)

•RINEX is a data interchange format for raw satellite navigation system data. This

allows the user to post-process the received data to produce a more accurate result 
•The final output of a navigation receiver is usually its position, speed or other related
physical quantities. However, the calculation of these quantities are based on a series
of measurements from one or more satellite constellations
•RINEX is the standard format that allows the management and disposal of the
measures generated by a receiver, as well as their off-line processing by a multitude of
applications
•The RINEX format is designed to evolve over time, adapting to new types of
measurements and new satellite navigation systems  RINEX enables storage of
measurements of pseudorange, carrier-phase, Doppler and signal-to-noise from GPS
 (including GPS modernization signals)
• Every manufacture is having its own proprietary output file format of GPS data
collected. The GPS data in RINEX file format is universal acceptable as it is a receiver
independent file format. RINEX file is an ASCII file format. 
 Description of Receiver Independent Exchange Format (RINEX)
The file structure of a RINEX file is as follows:

Up till now two major RINEX format versions have been developed:
RINEX version1 – presented and accepted by the 5th International Geodetic Symposium on
Satellite Positioning in Las Cruces, 1989.
RINEX version 2 – presented and accepted by the 2nd International Symposium of Precise
Positioning with the Global Positioning System in Ottawa, 1990.
RINEX Version 3 –  The new version also includes the unofficial Version 2.20 definitions for
space-borne receivers.
Description of Receiver Independent Exchange Format (RINEX)

• The RINEX version 3.00 format consists of three ASCII file types:
• Observation Data File : C/A code, P or Y code, L1 and L2 or Time, Phase, and
Range
• Navigation Message File : epoch, satellite clock information
• Meteorological Data File : Pressure (mbar), Dry temperature (deg Celsius),
Relative Humidity , Wet zenith path delay (millimeters)(percent)

• Each file type consists of a header section and a data section. The header section
contains global information for the entire file and is placed at the beginning of the
file. The header section contains header labels in columns 61-80 for each line
contained in the header section.
• Each Observation file and each Meteorological Data file basically contain the data
from one site and one session. Starting with Version 2 RINEX also allows to include
observation data from more than one site subsequently occupied by a roving
receiver in rapid static or kinematic applications
• RINEX version 3 navigation message files may contain navigation messages of
more than one satellite system (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, SBAS )
Observation data & Navigation Message Data Parameters

• Every satellite receives from the ground antennas the navigation data which is sent back
to the users through the navigation message.
• The Navigation Message provides all the necessary information to allow the user to
perform the positioning service. It includes the Ephemeris parameters, needed to
compute the satellite coordinates with enough accuracy, the Time parameters and Clock
Corrections, to compute satellite clock offsets and time conversions, the Service
Parameters with satellite health information (used to identify the navigation data set)
• Ionospheric parameters model needed for single frequency receivers, and the Almanacs,
allowing the computation of the position of ”all satellites in the constellation”, with a
reduced accuracy (1 - 2 km of 1-sigma error), which is needed for the acquisition of the
signal by the receiver.
• Besides the "legacy" L1 C/A navigation message, four additional new messages
have been introduced by the so called GPS modernization: L2-CNAV, CNAV-2, L5-
CNAV and MNAV. The "legacy" message and the first three of the modernised GPS
are civil messages, while the MNAV is a military message
 Observation data & Navigation Message Data Parameters

• The current “legacy” Navigation Message (NAV) is modulated on both carriers at 50 bps. The
whole message contains 25 pages (or ’frames’) of 30 seconds each, forming the master frame
that takes 12,5 minutes to be transmitted.
• Every frame is subdivided into 5 sub-frames of 6 seconds each; in turn, every sub-frame consists
of 10 words, with 30 bits per word (see figure 3).
• Every sub-frame always starts with the telemetry word (TLM), which is necessary for
synchronism. Next, the transference word (HOW) appears. This word provides time information
(seconds of the GPS week), allowing the receiver to acquire the week-long P(Y)-code segment.
 Observation data & Navigation Message Data Parameters

• The content of every sub-frame is as follows:

• Sub-frame 1: contains information about the parameters to be
applied to satellite clock status for its correction. These values are
polynomial coefficients that allow converting time on board to GPS
time. It also has information about satellite health condition.
• Sub-frames 2 and 3: these sub-frames contain satellite
ephemeris.
• Sub-frame 4: provides ionospheric model parameters (in order to
adjust for ionospheric refraction), UTC information (Universal
Coordinate Time), part of the almanac, and indications whether the
Anti-Spoofing, A/S, is activated or not
• Sub-frame 5: contains data from the almanac and the constellation
status. It allows to quickly identify the satellite from which the signal
comes. A total of 25 frames are needed to complete the almanac.
• Sub-frames 1, 2 and 3 are transmitted with each frame (i.e., they
are repeated every 30 seconds). Sub-frames 4 and 5 contain
different pages (25 pages each) of the navigation message.
• Hence, the transmission of the full navigation message takes 25 ×
30 seconds = 12.5 minutes. The content of sub-frames 4 and 5 is
 GPS POSITION DETERMINATION

• Global Positioning System is a satellite navigation system

that furnishes location and time information in all climate

conditions to the user. It provides continuous real-time, 3-

dimensional positioning, navigation and timing worldwide.

• The GPS consists of three segments:
• 1) The space segment: The space segment is the number

of satellites in the constellation and ensure that the users

will have, at least, 4 simultaneous satellites in view from any

point at the Earth’s surface at any time

• 2) The control segment- It comprises of a master control

station and five monitor stations monitors GPS satellite

signals and then send that qualified information to the

master control station where abnormalities are revised and

sent back to the GPS satellites through ground antennas

•  3) The user segment comprises of the GPS receiver, which
FIG-VARIOUS SEGMENTS OF GPS
receives the signals from the GPS satellites and determines

how far away it is from each satellite. 

 GPS POSITION DETERMINATION

• Operation of the Global positioning system is based on the

‘trilateration’ mathematical principle. The position is

determined from the distance measurements to satellites.

• From the figure, the four satellites are used to determine the

position of the receiver on the earth. The target location is

confirmed by the 4th satellite. And three satellites are used to

trace the location place.

• The global positioning system consists of satellite, control

station and monitor station and receiver. The GPS receiver

takes the information from the satellite and uses the method

of triangulation to determine a user’s exact position

• GPS position determination is based on a concept termed

time of arrival ranging.

• There are two type of GPS position determination. Lower Fig-GPS Position Determination
precision application such as navigation use code phase

pseudo range. While in geodetic surveying, carrier phase

pseudo range are used as it allows high precision.

 GPS Position determination-Least Squares method
• In least squares, the GPS receiver first estimates a position. Ranges
from the estimate to the satellites are made and then compared with
the ranges as observed. The differences between the estimated and
computed ranges are the values we want to minimize.
• These differences are depicted as a, b, and c in the 2-D diagram
above. In the over-determined position, the estimated ranges will never
match the observed ranges.
• There will always be differences between the geometrically consistent
computed ranges and the observed ranges. These differences are the
residuals. Additional position estimates are made until the sum of the
squares of the residuals is a minimum, i.e., we have a least squares
solution.
• Notice in the diagram at left that one of the intrinsic qualities of least
squares is that it results in positions which favor the best available
geometrical combinations, in this case, the intersections of ranges A
and B and A and C. Refer Attachment of
• Weighted Least Squares (WLS) is least squares with a twist. The twist
Mathematical
Expression for Least
is that even if a few range measurements exhibit noise, we can still use
Square Method for GPS
them, but they will be worth less in the least squares algorithms
position Determination