GPS

•What is it?
•How does it work?
•Errors and Accuracy
•Ways to maximize
accuracy
•System components
From Lecture by Robert Long, University of Vermont

Many materials for this lecture adapted from Trimble Navigation Ltd’s GPS Web tutorial
at http://trimble.com/gps/index.html
 GPS
•Stands for Global Positioning System
•GPS is used to get an exact location on or above the
surface of the earth (1cm to 100m accuracy).
•Developed by DoD and made available to public in 1983.
 GPS
•GPS is a worldwide radio-navigation
system formed from 24 satellites and their
ground stations.
•Satellites orbit earth every 12 hours at
approximately 20,200 km
•GPS uses satellites in space as reference
points for locations here on earth
•Ground stations help satellites determine
their exact location in space.
Hawaii
Ascension Island Kwajalein
Diego Garcia
Colorado Springs
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a worldwide
radio-navigation system formed from a constellation of
24 satellites and their ground stations.

GPS uses these sattelites as reference points to

triangulate positions accurate to a matter of meters. In
fact, with advanced forms of GPS you can make
measurements to better than a centimeter!

http://www.trimble.com/gps/index.html
 Three Segments

                                                  

                                
Here's how GPS works in five logical steps:

1. The basis of GPS is "triangulation" from satellites.

2. To "triangulate," a GPS receiver measures distance

using the travel time of radio signals.

3. To measure travel time, GPS needs very accurate

timing which it achieves with some tricks.

4. Along with distance, you need to know exactly

where the satellites are in space. High orbits and
careful monitoring are the secret.

5. Finally you must correct for any delays the signal

experiences as it travels through the atmosphere.
 GPS Uses
•Trimble Navigation Ltd., breaks GPS uses into five
categories:
•Location – positioning things in space
•Navigation – getting from point a to point b
•Tracking - monitoring movements
•Mapping – creating maps based on those positions
•Timing – precision global timing
 How does GPS work?
• GPS derives position relative to satellite
“reference points,” using triangulation
• The GPS unit on the ground figures out its
distance to each of several satellites

12,500
km
11,200
11,500 km
km
 How Does GPS Work?

•We need at least 3 satellites as reference points to

“triangulate” our position.
 How Does GPS Work?
Sphere Concept

Source: Trimble Navigation Ltd.

A fourth satellite narrows it from 2 possible points to 1 point

 How Does GPS Work?
• This method assumes we can find exact distance
from our GPS receiver to a satellite. HOW???
• Simple answer: see how long it takes for a radio
signal to get from the satellite to the receiver.
Distance = Velocity * Time
• We know speed of light, but we also need to know:

1. When the signal left the satellite

2. When the signal arrived at the receiver
 How Does GPS Work?
•The difficult part is measuring travel time
•This gets complicated when you think about the need
to perfectly synchronize satellite and receiver.
 How Does GPS Work?
•To do this requires comparing lag in exactly similar
patterns, one from satellite and one from receiver.
•This code has to be extremely complex (hence almost
random), so that patterns are not linked up at the wrong
place on the code.

Source: Trimble Navigation Ltd.

 How Does GPS Work?
•The code also has to be generated from each source at
exactly the same time.
•So, the satellites have expensive atomic clocks that
keep perfect time—that takes care of their end.
•But what about the ground receiver?
 How Does GPS Work?
•Here is where the fourth satellite signal comes in.
•While 3 perfect satellite signals can give a perfect
location, 3 imperfect signals can’t, but 4 can
•Remember the sphere example…
If receiver clock is correct, 4 circles should meet
at one point. If they don’t meet, the computer
knows there is an error in the clock: “ They
don’t add up”
 How Does GPS Work?
•A fourth satellite allows a correction factor to be
calculated that makes all circles meet in one place.
•This correction is used to update the receiver’s clock.
 How Does GPS Work?
•The receiver then knows the difference between its
clock’s time and universal time and can apply that to
future measurements.
•Of course, the receiver clock will have to be
resynchronized often , because it will lose or gain time
 Accuracy Depends On:
• Time spent on measurements
• Location
• Design of receiver
• Relative positions of satellites
• Use of differential techniques
 Sources of Error
• Gravitational effects
• Atmospheric effects
• Obstruction
• Multipath
• Satellite geometry
• Selective Availability
 Errors and Accuracy (cont.)
•Gravitational pull of other celestial bodies on the satellite,
affecting orbit
•Atmospheric effects - signals travel at different speeds
through ionosphere and troposphere.

Source: Trimble Navigation Ltd.

Both of these errors can be partly dealt with using

predictive models of known atmospheric behavior and by
using Differential GPS.
 Errors and Accuracy (cont.)
•Obstruction - Signal blocked or strength reduced when passing
through objects or water.
Weather
Metal
Tree canopy
Glass or plastic
Microwave transmitters

•Multipath – Bouncing of signals may confuse the receiver.

 Errors and Accuracy (cont.)
•Satellite Constellation Geometry
Number of satellites available
Elevations or azimuths over time

(P.D.O.P.)
 Errors and Accuracy (cont.)
•PDOP
Indicator of satellite geometry
Accounts for location of each satellite relative to others
Optimal accuracy when PDOP is LOW
Satellite 1 Satellite 1

Satellite 2

Satellite 2

Low PDOP High PDOP

 Locating Satellites
•We know how far we are from the satellites, but how
do we know where the satellites are?
•Because the satellites are 20,000 km up, they operate
according to the well understood laws of physics, and
are subject to few random, unknown forces.

•This allows us to know where a satellite should be

at any given moment.
•Also tracked by radar to measure slight deviations
from predicted orbits.
 Locating Satellites (cont.)
•This location information (ephemeris) is relayed to the
satellite, which transmits the info when it sends its
pseudo random code.
•There is also a digital “almanac” on each GPS
receiver that tells it where a given satellite is supposed
to be at any given moment.
•Other information is relayed along with the radio
signal: time-of-day, quality control info.
 Errors and Accuracy (cont.)
•Selective Availability (S.A.)
Until May of 2000, the DoD intentionally introduced a
small amount of error into the signal for all civilian users.
SA resulted in about 100 m error most of the time
Turning off SA reduced error to about 30 m radius
 Ensuring Accurate Locations
• Adequate satellites
 Low PDOP (≤ 4 excellent, 5-8 acceptable)
 Averaging
• Clear weather
• Minimize multipath error
• Use open sites
• Appropriate planning (ephemeris, skyplots)
 Differential GPS
•Increase accuracy dramatically
•This was used in the past to overcome Selective
Availability (100m to 4-5m)
•DGPS uses one stationary and one moving receiver to
help overcome the various errors in the signal
•By using two receivers that are nearby each other,
within a few dozen km, they are getting essentially the
same errors (except receiver errors)
 INTRODUCTION TO GPS

Differential GPS
•DGPS improves accuracy much more than disabling
of SA does
•This table shows typical error—these may vary

Source: http://www.furuno.com/news/saoff.html
 How does DGPS work?
•The stationary receiver must be located on a known
control point
•The stationary unit works backwards—instead of
using timing to calculate position, it uses its position to
calculate timing
 How does DGPS work?
•Can do this because, precise location of stationary
receiver is known, and hence, so is location of satellite
•Once it knows error, it determines a correction factor
and sends it to the other receiver.
 A Simplified Conceptual Look at Differential Correction
A GPS position can be calculated when the MC-GPS tracks
4 or more satellites:
Latitude
Longitude
Altitude
Ephemeris & Almanac Data Sent
Time Differential Correction (DGPS)
of GPS Job

m
Mode
ia
tte dV
smi
ran
at aT
D Corrected Point
1-5 Meter Error

Uncorrected Point with 50-100 Meter Error

Base Station at a
Known Location
(Optional) RTCM
Calculates GPS Errors SLIDE COURTESY CMT
Real Time Corrections Broadcast Service
 How does DGPS work?
•Message sent to rover with correction factor for all
satellites.
•More reference stations becoming available.
 Other DGPS Concepts
•Real-time vs. Post-processing
•Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
 System Components
• Receiver
 Receives satellite signals
 Compiles location info, ephemeris info, clock calibration, constellation
configuration (PDOP)
 Calculates position, velocity, heading, etc…
• Data Collector
 Stores positions (x,y,z,t)
 Attribute data tagged to position
• Software
 Facilitates file transfer to PC and back
 Performs differential correction (post-processing)
 Displays data and permits file editing.
 System Components
- Receivers
• Course/Acquisition (C/A) Code Receivers
 Civilian grade
 Use info in satellite signals to calculate position
 12-40m CEP* without differential correction
 <1-5m CEP with differential correction
 Do not need to maintain constant 15m

communication (lock) with satellites

 Can be used under forest canopy

CEP: 50% of positions are within a

horizontal circle of a radius equal
to the specified length.
 System Components
- Receivers
• Carrier Phase (P-Code) Receivers
 Military or survey grade
 Uses actual radio signal to calculate position
 ± 1cm SEP* (50% of locations within sphere of this radius)
 Must record positions continuously from at least 4 satellites for
at least 10 minutes – requires clear view
• Number of Channels
• 4 satellites for accurate 3D positions, 5 or more for highest
accuracy
• 9-12 satellites required to track all visible satellites at given
moment
The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is a GPS-based
navigation and landing system that provides precision guidance to
aircraft at thousands of airports and airstrips where there is currently
no precision landing capability

Systems such as WAAS are known as satellite-based augmentation

systems (SBAS). WAAS is designed to improve the accuracy and
ensure the integrity of information coming from GPS satellites.

The FAA is using WAAS to provide a Lateral Navigation/Vertical

Navigation (LNAV/VNAV) capability with commissioning in 2003.

WAAS testing in September 2002 confirmed accuracy performance

of 1 – 2 meters horizontal and 2 –3 meters vertical throughout the
majority of the continental U.S. and portions of Alaska.
 The Wide Area Augmentation System

How it Works
•WAAS consists of approximately 25 ground reference stations that
monitor GPS satellite data.
• Two master stations, located on either coast, collect data from the
reference stations and create a GPS correction message.
•The corrected differential message is then broadcast through one of
two geostationary satellites.
•The information is compatible with the basic GPS signal structure,
which means any WAAS-enabled GPS receiver can read the signal.
 Network of Reference Stations

Network of Reference Stations Geostationary Satellites

Master Stations Geo Uplink Stations
•Master Stations
 WAAS Reference Stations

Copyright 2001
Todd Walter
 Benefits of WAAS
Primary Means of Navigation - Take-Off,
En Route, Approach and Landing

More Direct Routes - Not Restricted By

Location of Ground-Based Equipment

Precision Approach Capability - At Any

Qualified Airport

Decommission of Older, Expensive Ground-

Based Navigation Equipment

Reduced/Simplified Equipment On Board Aircraft

Increased Capacity - Reduced Separation Due

to Improved Accuracy

Copyright 2001
Todd Walter
Courtesy: FAA
100 meters: Accuracy of the original GPS system, which was
subject to accuracy degradation under the government-
imposed Selective Availability (SA) program.
15 meters: Typical GPS position accuracy without SA.
3-5 meters: Typical differential GPS (DGPS) position
accuracy.
< 3 meters: Typical WAAS position accuracy