Category: Applications

  • Samsung Offers Gear S Smart Watch with GPS + GLONASS

    Samsung Offers Gear S Smart Watch with GPS + GLONASS

    RNG_SamsungGearS_three-view-O
    Photo: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics has unveiled its next-generation smart wearable device, the Samsung Gear S watch. The Gear S has assisted GPS+GLONASS, as well as 3G connectivity, allowing users to be active while always being able to access their smartphone information.

    Designed with a  two-inch curved Super AMOLED display and flexible band, the Samsung Gear S is also equipped with an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, a heart rate monitor, and a barometer. The AMOLED display has an easy-to-use interface that allows users to read messages and notifications in a single glance with features such as conversation view and condensed font.

    Connected to 3G networks, people can receive notifications from social networks, calendars and applications, even when away from their phones. Users can instantly receive incoming messages and easily reply to SMS using the onscreen keyboard or enhanced S voice functionality. The Samsung Gear S also lets users make and receive calls directly from their wrist as well as getting calls forwarded from a smartphone. The device lets users enjoy seamless communication by freely switching between connections, automatically connecting and synchronizing information once it is paired to a smartphone.

    Samsung Gear S smart watch face detail. Photo: Samsung
    Samsung Gear S smart watch face detail. Photo: Samsung

    It also provides standalone features such as turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation provided by HERE. Health and fitness features include enhanced multi-sensors, built-in GPS, robust S Health features and applications like Nike+ Running so users can track their runs while leaving their smartphone at home.

    “Samsung is leading the exciting and rapidly developing wearable category with continuous innovation that aims to enhance the lives of technology fans,” said Ines van Gennip, marketing director, IT & Mobile Division, Samsung UK & Ireland. “The Samsung Gear S is set to redefine the idea of the smart wearable device and the culture of mobile communication, enabling people to live a truly connected life anywhere, anytime.”

    The smart watch will be available in October.

  • All Eyes on Galileo

    The year 2014 is most certainly the Year of Galileo.

    After rising up from near elimination in 2008 due to much confusion about how to fund it, the European Union, that same year, decided to allocate 3.4 billion euros to fund the ground infrastructure and the initial satellites. Unlike the U.S. GPS and Russian GLONASS systems, Galileo is civilian-funded as opposed to being funded primarily from defense budgets, which makes it politically much more difficult to gain funding. But, they did it.

    That was six years ago.

    Since then, ground infrastructure has been designed and built. Six test satellites have been designed, built and successfully launched into orbit. In early 2013, the first position fix using only Galileo satellites was achieved. With all the necessary test satellites launched and systems tested, the anticipation of FOC (Full Operational Capability) satellite launches has been high, because it would signal the rapid deployment of the Galileo navigation system that would so complement GPS and so benefit the high-precision GNSS user community.

    Soyuz Flight VS09, carrying Europe's fifth and sixth Galileo satellites, lifts off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
    Soyuz Flight VS09, carrying Europe’s fifth and sixth Galileo satellites, lifts off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

    That moment arrived last month, on August 22, with the launch of the first two Galileo FOC satellites. The significance of the first FOC launch is that it would trigger an aggressive launch schedule comprised of one launch every three months, at two satellites per launch — equaling eight satellites launched per year. With four test satellites already in orbit being converted to operational satellites, one can envision 16 Galileo satellites in orbit by the end of next year. While not a complete constellation at that point, it would offer plenty of upside — worldwide I might add, as I’ve written about in the past — by adding more satellites in view and accelerating the adoption of the new L5 signal, which is also supported by GPS.

    Between Europe deploying Galileo and China deploying its BDS (BeiDou) system, the world of high-precision GNSS is going to change a lot in the next couple of years. There will be more receiver choices at much lower prices for RTK receivers.

    But, the satellite navigation business is not a forgiving one. The devil is in the details, and the number of details has got to be overwhelming. Consequently, there have been many casualties.

    The Russians have taken their lumps, losing a total of seven GLONASS satellites to faulty rocket launches in just the past four years.

    In 2009, the U.S. placed into orbit a GPS satellite, SVN-49, that never has been set healthy, rendering it a “$100M test satellite.”

    Now, the Europeans have joined the club.

    The “pucker factor” during the satellite launches is always high, so on August 22, when two Galileo satellites mounted on a Russian Soyuz rocket at the Arianespace launch pad in French Guiana were pushed up into space, there must have been a sigh of relief that the launch seemed to go smoothly. Even I was excited, Tweeting “#Galileo Launch Successful, Satellites Deployed. Booyah!”, shortly after the launch.

    However, looks can be deceiving.

    It turns out that somehow, some way, the two Galileo satellites, after years of planning, were inserted into the wrong orbits.

    The liftoff and first part of the mission proceeded nominally, reports Arianespace, leading to release of the satellites according to the planned timetable, and reception of signals from the satellites. However, the targeted orbit was circular, inclined at 55 degrees with a semi major axis of 29,900 kilometers. The satellites are now in an elliptical orbit, with excentricity of 0.23, a semi major axis of 26,200 km and inclined at 49.8 degrees.

    With navigation satellites, we’ve seen disastrous launch failures and defective satellites placed in orbit, but I can’t recall ever hearing about navigation satellites being inserted into the wrong orbits. It’s difficult not wonder how such a seemingly simple error could occur, yet sympathize with the Galileo program managers given the complexity of the task, but also appreciate the consistency and reliability of GPS satellite deployments.

    Galileo satellites fastened to upper stage.
    Galileo satellites fastened to upper stage.

    The Russians quickly commented on the satellite deployment anomaly since it was a Russian Soyuz rocket launcher, speculating that it was a software bug. The Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted an unnamed source from the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos that “the failure of the European Union’s Galileo satellites to reach their intended orbital position was likely caused by software errors in the Fregat-MT rocket’s upper stage.”

    It’s too early to say if the Galileo satellites will ever become serviceable. The Monday following the launch, an independent inquiry commission was formed to “establish the circumstances of the anomaly, to identify the root causes and associated aggravating factors, and make recommendations to correct the identified defect and to allow for a safe return to flight for all Soyuz launches from the Guiana Space Center (CSG).”

    Despite being in the wrong orbit, it seems that the satellites are under full control and ready to proceed with the next stage of the launch and early operations phase activities. However, one option is not using on-board fuel to propel the satellites into a higher orbit.

    This subject will certainly be a hot topic at the Institute of Navigation (ION) GNSS conference being held next week in Tampa, Florida. A full staff of GPS World editors and administration folks will be attending, including yours truly. It’s the premiere GNSS technical event of the year, so I’m sure there will be plenty of scientists and program managers commenting and speculating on the future of these two satellites.

    If you’d like the latest news on this and other GNSS-related subjects during the conference next week, follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GPSGIS_Eric. There are lots of interesting subjects at the ION GNSS+ conference. Take a look at the conference agenda here. I’ll be attending many of the presentations related to high-precision GNSS and report to you in next month’s newsletter. To give you a flavor, following are some of the presentations that I’m going to try to attend.

    • The Triple-frequency Multi-system RTK Engine for Challenging Environments
    • Mobile Mapping Using Smartphone
    • Analysis of Using Smartphones for Indoor Mobile Mapping
    •  GPS Program update
    • Galileo Program Update
    • Glonass Program update
    • BDS Program update
    • GLONASS Only and BeiDou Only RTK Positioning
    • Comparing Multi-constellation and Multi-frequency Based on GPS/Beidou RTK Positioning
    • Combined GPS+BDS+Galileo+QZSS for long single-baseline RTK positioning
    • Real-time PPP with Galileo, Paving the Way to European High Accuracy Positioning
    • High-Precision GNSS — What will it Look Like in 2020?

    See you next month.

  • Dual-Frequency Pinwheel Antenna Designed for Optimal Positioning 

    Dual-Frequency Pinwheel Antenna Designed for Optimal Positioning 

    The NovAtel GPS-702-GG-HV high-performance pinwheel antenna comes in three colors. Photo: NovAtel, Inc.
    The NovAtel GPS-702-GG-HV high-performance pinwheel antenna comes in three colors. Photo: NovAtel, Inc.

    NovAtel, Inc., has introduced the GPS-702-GG-HV to its line of high-performance Pinwheel antennas. Tracking L1/L2 GPS and L1/L2 GLONASS frequencies, customers can use the same antenna for GPS-only or dual constellation applications, reducing equipment costs and need for future redesign, the company said.

    With the same form-factor and choke ring performance as the company’s other pinwheel antennas, the GPS-702-GG-HV has been enhanced even further to provide the robustness needed for use under high-vibration conditions.

    The phase center of the antenna remains constant as the azimuth and elevation angle of the satellites change. Signal reception is unaffected by the rotation of the antenna or satellite elevation, so placement and installation of the antenna can be completed with ease. With the phase center in the same location for both the L1 and L2 signals and with minimal phase center variation between antennas, this antenna is designed for baselines of any length.

    Enclosed in a durable, waterproof housing, the GPS-702-GG-HV comes in three colors: NovAtel standard grey, as well as desert tan and olive drab for military customers. The antenna is available for order beginning September 12.

  • Vibrating GPS Shoes Help Lead the Way

     

    An Indian high-tech start-up is offering a GPS-enabled smart sports shoe that vibrates to give the wearer directions, according to an article in gulfnews.com.

    The red sneakers count the number of steps taken, the distance traveled, and calories burned. The shoes go on sale this month under the name LeChal, which means “take me along” in Hindi.

    The shoes come with a detachable Bluetooth transceiver that links to a Lechal smartphone app to direct the wearer using Google Maps, sending a vibrating signal to indicate a left or right turn.

    They are the brainchild of 30-year-old Krispian Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma, 28, two engineers who founded their tech start-up Ducere in a small apartment in 2011 and now employ 50 people. They say they have 25,000 advance orders for the shoes, which will retail at between $100 and $150.

    Lechal_app_screen
    The Lechal app works with Google Maps. Photo: Lechal
  • AT&T to Host Hackathon, Demonstrate Connected Platforms at CTIA

    AT&T will be a major participant during CTIA’s Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas next week. Connected car, connected home and wearables will all be on display throughout AT&T’s activities:

    • The first AT&T Hackathon to take place at CTIA will give developers access to new APIs for the car and home.
    • A 60-foot x 40-foot booth showcasing the latest Connected Life products.
    • A keynote address delivered by AT&T Mobile and Business Solutions President and CEO Ralph de la Vega and AT&T Mobility President and CEO Glenn Lurie, in which they will host a panel on the Future of Connected Car.

    AT&T Hackathon at CTIA 

    AT&T is kicking off the week’s events with its very first CTIA Hackathon, Code for Car and the Home, which will match developers with companies, tools and services to innovate in the connected car and automated home marketplace.  Developers will turn ideas into apps using APIs and other technology resources from 30-plus industry sponsors. More than 300 developers are expected to compete in the two-day Hackathon which begins at 10 a.m. PT on Saturday, September 6, in the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. More than $100,000 in cash and prizes are available.

    Connected Life Booth

    When the Super Mobility Week show floor opens at 11 a.m. PT on Tuesday, September 9, AT&T will showcase the latest in wearables, connected cars and homes. Volvo and Audi will demo their connected car experiences and a simulator will be on-site to showcase AT&T Drive, the company’s connected car platform. AT&T Drive is a modular, global solution that allows automakers to pick and choose what services and capabilities are important to them in order to differentiate their solutions in the marketplace.

    Attendees can also explore how to stay connected to the home by visiting the AT&T Digital Life station. Digital Life is an all-digital, all-wireless automation and home security platform that equips customers with control of their homes from virtually anywhere.  On-site activations will include demos such as augmented reality so visitors can learn about the Digital Life service and products, an interactive wall to experience the simple, easy to use Digital Life app and a hologram home to showcase how Digital Life integrates everything you need in one place, to help make your life safer and easier, and provide you with more freedom to live your life.

    AT&T is the leader in emerging devices and will showcase the latest wearables from Fitbit, Jawbone, LG, Martian and Pebble. Additionally, Timex, the first authentic watch brand to enter the smartwatch space, will be on-site showcasing the new Timex Ironman One GPS+. The new smartwatch is the first GPS-connected fitness watch to connect to the mobile internet wirelessly, transmitting performance data, location, messages and more.

    Also on display will be the AT&T EverThere and FiLIP safety devices.  AT&T EverThere is a small wearable device that can detect falls and quickly identify location, automatically connecting the user to a 24/7 call center for response and support. FiLIP is a smart locater for kids that keeps parents and kids in touch at the push of a button.

    The  booth, number 4423, will be in the Connected Life section of the show floor at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Visitors can locate the booth by using the interactive floor plan.

    Connected Car Keynote

    On Wednesday, Sept.10, Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobile and Business Solutions and Glenn Lurie, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility, will wrap up the show when they take the stage to discuss the Future of Connected Car.

    The following guest panelists will join them on stage to discuss this rapidly growing landscape:

    • Mary Chan, President, Global Connected Consumer, General Motors
    • Arun Bhikshesvaran, CMO, Ericsson
    • Mike Kennewick, Co-Founder and CEO, VoiceBox
    • Diarmuid O’Connell, VP, Business Development, Tesla Motors

    The keynote will kick off at 9 a.m. PT.

  • CartoPac 5.0 Optimized for Windows 8 to Manage Data in the Field

    CartoPac International Inc. has announced a major new release of the CartoPac Mobile Platform. CartoPac 5.0 extends the mobile platform with support for Windows 8 and introduces the CartoPac Workflow Manager, which provides a structured process to manage the use of geospatial data across the enterprise.

    CartoPac will demonstrate the applications and technologies of Version 5.0 in the free CartoPac Mobility Webinar Series beginning on September 30.

    The CartoPac Platform is a configurable suite of field and office tools designed to maximize the productivity of crews as they digitally map, inventory and inspect critical assets using GPS-enabled mobile devices. Seamlessly integrating with the Esri ArcGIS Server, CartoPac is used extensively by oil and gas companies, pipeline operators, electric utilities, state/local governments and environmental engineering firms to populate the enterprise GIS and asset-management systems with captured infrastructure information.

    The new CartoPac Workflow Manager (CWM) in CartoPac 5.0 provides organizations with a structured workflow to view, edit, validate and approve asset data as it moves from the field back into the enterprise. CWM ensures that individuals responsible for data are notified as it comes into the organization so they can incorporate the data into systems related to work-order fulfillment, risk analysis, integrity modeling and other asset management processes.

    CartoPac developed CWM for the management of heavily regulated assets in the field, such as gas pipelines and electric distribution infrastructure. A module within the CartoPac Server, the CWM extension creates an audit trail of all the edits and modifications made to the data sets that represent the monitoring and maintenance of real world assets in the field.

    “CartoPac Workflow Manager fills the gap between data collection and enterprise asset management systems to enable organizations to maximize the value of their data,” said CartoPac CIO Scott Crouch. “CWM enables organizations to show regulators they have a structured process for tracking and responding to the conditions of their critical assets and has proven to be key component for assisting companies with their regulatory compliance and integrity management programs.”

    Further expanding the capabilities of the CartoPac mobile components, version 5.0 has been optimized for the Windows 8 operating system running on standard GPS-enabled laptop computers and tablet devices. This migration means that crews can use CartoPac to collect and manage asset data in the field on the same hardware devices they will use back in the office to run their daily business applications.

    “The attractive cost, integration with GPS and expanded performance of Windows 8 tablets and laptops will enable organizations to put more personnel into the field, ensuring that vital infrastructure is mapped, inventoried and properly managed,” said Crouch “Laptop/tablet-equipped maintenance personnel in the field will now be able to run CartoPac solutions on the hardware they already use for tracking repairs and closing work orders.”

    To demonstrate the advantages of enterprise asset management, CartoPac has launched the CartoPac Mobility Webinar Series, which will feature applications by electric and gas utilities and highlight new mobile technologies. The first webinar, “Applying New Mobile Technologies to Electric Utility Inspections,” will be presented with EDM International Inc., a Colorado electric utility services company.

    The free “Applying New Mobile Technologies to Electric Utility Inspections” webinar will be held on September 30, 2014, at 4:00 pm Eastern Time. To register, click here.

  • ION Seeks Abstracts for Pacific PNT 2015, PTTI Registration Opens

    Abstract submissions are now being accepted for The Institute of Navigation’s (ION) Pacific PNT Conference, to be held April 20-23, 2015, at the Waikiki Beach Marriott, Honolulu, Hawaii. Abstracts are due November 14, 2014.

    Pacific PNT, where “East Meets West in the Global Cooperative Development of Positioning, Navigation and Timing Technology,” brings together policy and technical leaders from Japan, Singapore, China, South Korea, Australia, the United States, and more for policy updates, program status and technical exchange.

    “Global cooperative interoperability” will frame the technical program. Leaders representing academia, government, industry and the scientific community will convene to solve PNT challenges that impact Pacific Rim development.

    Pacific PNT 2015 is organized by a Pacific Rim advisory board and will feature technical papers presented on a diverse array of topics including:

    • Aircraft Navigation and Surveillance
    • Agricultural, Construction and Mining
    • Algorithms and Methods
    • Alternative Navigation and Signals of Opportunity
    • Aviation Applications of GNSS
    • Challenging Navigation Problems
    • Collaborative Navigation Topics
    • Earthquake & Tsunami Prediction and Monitoring with GNSS
    • GNSS Augmentations
    • GNSS Correction and Monitoring Networks
    • GNSS Environmental Monitoring
    • GNSS Policy/Status Updates
    • GNSS Signal Structures
    • Inertial Navigation Technology and Applications
    • Interference and Spectrum
    • Ionosphere Monitoring with GNSS
    • Magnetic Field Navigation and Mapping
    • Maritime Navigation
    • Nature-Inspired Navigation
    • PNT and Automobile Safety
    • PNT and Social Media
    • PNT for Domestic and Healthcare Applications
    • Precision Agriculture and Machine Control
    • Time and Frequency Distribution
    • UAS Technologies

    Abstracts are being accepted through November 14, 2014.  For more information the ION’s Pacific PNT 2015, visit www.ion.org/pnt.

    PTTI 2014 Registration Opens

    Registration is now open for the ION Precise Time & Time Interval Meeting (PTTI) 2014 to be held December 1-4 at the Seaport Boston Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts. The technical program is available online.

    The annual PTTI conference has a technical program designed to disseminate and coordinate PTTI information at the user level; review present and future PTTI requirements; inform government and industry engineers, technicians, and managers of precise time and frequency technology and its problems; and provide an opportunity for an active exchange of new technology associated with PTTI.

    The Distinguished PTTI Service Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions related to the management of PTTI systems, will be presented on Thursday, December 4.

  • Latest Words from the Acquisition Guru  of the World’s Gold Standard for PNT

    Latest Words from the Acquisition Guru of the World’s Gold Standard for PNT

    Col. William Cooley, Director, U.S.A.F. Global Positioning Systems Directorate.
    Col. William Cooley, Director, U.S.A.F. Global Positioning Systems Directorate.

    Colonel William “Wild Bill” Cooley, director of the GPS Directorate at Space and Missile Systems Center, discusses CNAV signals, GPS IIF launches, and the OCX with Defense Editor Don Jewell.

    There is probably no busier United States Air Force officer than Colonel William “Wild Bill” Cooley, Ph.D., the director of the GPS Directorate at Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), Los Angeles AFB, California. He is the driving force for all things dealing with acquisition and development for GPS. Currently, he is juggling so many objects, it is amazing that he is not totally overwhelmed. Consider the issues with the Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX), GPS IIF, GPS III, and military government user equipment (MGUE), plus a plethora of classified endeavors we can’t even discuss here. He is one busy man, but even with all that, he found time to sit down and answer a few questions in an effort to bring us all up to speed on GPS and PNT.

    Don Jewell (DJ): One of the hot topics at all the symposia lately, here and abroad, has been the broadcasting of additional civilian navigation signals and messages. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) originally objected and sent a strongly worded and probably unadvisable letter to General Shelton (AFSPC/CC) on the matter, but sanity prevailed, and the GPS navigation signals on L2C- and L5C-capable satellites began broadcasting with full navigation messages on April 28. However, we understand DOT still insists some restrictions be put in place for the L5C signal. Can you provide us with an update and a status on that program? Plus, what can users expect in the way of improved accuracy and signal availability?

    Colonel “Wild Bill” William Cooley (WBC): As of April 28, the civil navigation message (CNAV) broadcast was implemented on all operational GPS satellites capable of transmitting the L2C and L5 signals. Currently, seven GPS IIR-M satellites broadcast L2C, and six GPS IIF satellites broadcast L2C and L5. On average, users may expect at least one L2C-broadcasting satellite to be in view at all times.

    The CNAV message content now includes the minimum message set needed to support the positioning, navigation, and timing mission, namely Broadcast Message Types (MT) 10, 11, 30, and 33, which contain information about the satellites’ position, clock, health, and corrections, in lieu of the previously transmitted MT-0 placeholder or default message.

    The Air Force intends to broadcast L2C messages with the health bit set healthy and L5 messages with the health bits set unhealthy until sufficient monitoring capabilities are available for the L5 signal. We expect the accuracy to be slightly less than the Legacy Navigation Message (LNAV) because we are only updating the satellites two times each week. The accuracy should improve to be slightly better than LNAV beginning this December, when we begin updating the CNAV message on each satellite daily.

    DJ: The M-code (military code) and MNAV (military navigation) signals are also being broadcast on M-code-capable satellites. So, the same questions apply: what can our warfighters and government users expect as far as M-code availability and accuracy? What can you say about the multiple messaging capabilities both on the civilian and military (CNAV and MNAV) signals?

    WBC: Like the civil CNAV message, the modernized military-data message MNAV will enable military users to take advantage of all of the performance improvements offered by a modernized military signal. We can expect continued accuracy improvements as newer satellites replace aging satellites.
    MNAV broadcast testing will continue occasionally in support of developmental test events for the next-generation military GPS receiver cards.

    DJ: I know we can get in sensitive territory here in a hurry, but since we are discussing the military signals, can you give us an update on the long-running MGUE and M-code program? When can government users expect to see an actual signal and a receiver with M-code chips and/or modules that utilize the military only signals? Plus — and here’s where we have to be careful — what can you say about the security, availability, and accuracy of the military signal?

    WBC: The M-code-capable military receiver (MGUE) modules in development have successfully acquired and tracked M-code during live-sky tests, and we have many more tests scheduled. MGUE is expected to begin fielding by 2017, at which point at least 18 M-code-capable GPS satellites are expected to be on orbit, providing global four-in-view coverage of full M-code capabilities.

    In the meantime, the most recent GPS IIF satellite launches have raised the total number of M-code-capable modernized GPS spacecraft to 14 (seven GPS IIR-M and seven GPS IIF). This provides four or more M-code satellites in view globally at least 50 percent of the time, and at least one M-code satellite in view continuously. This increasing M-code satellite signal coverage will enable effective, realistic, developmental and operational testing of MGUE receivers.

    The new GPS III block of satellites will provide an M-code signal with greater security, and higher power, comparable availability, and accuracy when compared with the GPS IIF satellites, allowing users to operate closer to jammers and under trees, as well as with greater resistance to jamming and spoofing. Also OCX will offer significantly improved crypto protection and cyber security.

    DJ: Recently, the U.S. Air Force successfully launched the fifth, sixth, and seventh SVs in the GPS IIF family of satellites in less than seven months. Quite a feat! Congratulations are in order for that milestone. However, in the past, the checkout times averaged approximately 30 days. In fact, speed in initializing the IIF SVs and declaring them operational seemed to be an unofficial goal. On GPS IIF-5, however, the rapid checkout timelines have been extended considerably. Can you enlighten us concerning the checkout program and what the government hopes to achieve?

    WBC: There are three key dates with regard to checkout timelines: completion of on-orbit checkout, the transfer of Satellite Control Authority (SCA), and the Operational Acceptance of the vehicle. Measured from launch, the nominal on-orbit checkout timeline is 21 days. The nominal checkout for SCA transfer is 28 days. For the IIF-5 mission, the on-orbit checkout occurred in six days and the SCA in 11 days, a record for the IIF program!

    The operational acceptance was completed 60 days later, following an on-orbit observation validating a requirement to see if the vehicle works as expected without receiving any commands from the ground segment in that time period.

    This may explain the perceived extended checkout, which is in reality a delayed operational acceptance.
    The average time to SCA transfer for the first four vehicles is 42 days. The average is inflated due to a long checkout of the first GPS IIF space vehicle, which took 88 days. From IIF-2 to the present, the average SCA transfer time has been 21 days.

    Using SCA transfer time makes the most sense, because that is the time it took the SPO to go through the entire process (to include meetings and documentation) to hand over the vehicle.

    DJ: Can you give us a status update on the entire GPS IIF family of satellites? How are the SVs faring in orbit, and are the clocks proving to be as stable and accurate as forecast?

    WBC: The first seven of 12 GPS IIF satellites are currently on-orbit and meeting all mission requirements. Of the remaining satellites, one is being prepared for launch in October 2014, one is being prepared for shipment to Cape Canaveral AFS, two are in storage, and one is completing production. The oldest satellite is now four years old. The legacy GPS satellites have remained operational well past their design lives, demonstrating the high-quality engineering and mission-assurance practices used on this program. The clocks are improving the overall accuracy of the constellation with the best-ever day (measured in Signal-in-Space User Range Error) in June 2013 of 46.6 centimeters and the best week in April 2014 of 64.6 centimeters.

    DJ: What exactly do the IIFs mean to the GPS modernization program, for the average user and for the GPS constellation and program as a whole?

    WBC: The 12 Boeing-built GPS IIF satellites will provide improved signals that will enhance the precise global positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services supporting both the warfighter and the growing civilian needs of our global economy. The next-generation satellites will provide improved accuracy through advanced atomic clocks, a longer design life than previous GPS satellites, and a new operational third civil signal (L5) that benefits commercial aviation and safety-of-life applications. It will also continue to deploy the modernized capabilities that began with the modernized GPS IIR satellites, including a more robust military signal.

    The anomalies that we have seen on orbit have been resolved either through rework at the factory or through modifications in flight software.

    av_gpsiif7_l1382201472731AM63
    GPS IIF Launch. The seventh of the follow-on generation, rising August 1.

    DJ: Bill, that’s comforting, but what about the clocks on the IIF SVs? There were serious problems with the Cesium clocks on the first couple of launches. Are the operators now able to utilize or activate either the Rubidium or the Cesium atomic reference systems?

    WBC: Don, the answer is yes. The system has triple redundancy with two Rubidium frequency standard clocks and one Cesium frequency standard.

    DJ: What about signal strength and stability on the IIF birds?

    WBC: In addition to an increased number of signals, GPS IIF provides more than the legacy power levels, and all signals on GPS IIF meet stability requirements. For reference, the GPS IIR-M series introduced one new L1 and two new L2 signals, while GPS IIF introduced the new L5 signal. All of these signals are part of the GPS IIF navigation payload and provide information including GPS date and time, satellite health, satellite ephemeris (for individual satellite positioning), and almanac information (for information on other satellites in the constellation).

    The L1 frequency carries the L1 C/A code for civil users, and the L1 P (Y) code and L1 M-code for military users. The L2 frequency carries the first modernized civil signal, L2C, and the L2 P (Y) code and L2 M-code for military users. Finally, the L5 frequency carries the newest modernized civil signal.

    Modernized GPS civil signals provide dual-frequency signals to all GPS users, enabling ionospheric corrections that greatly improve the accuracy. The new L5 signal will be used for safety-of-life applications, including aviation. In addition to an increased number of signals, GPS IIF provides more than the legacy power levels, and all signals on GPS IIF meet stability requirements.

    DJ: Let’s move to the ground segment. OCX, the next-generation GPS Command and Control (C2) system, has literally moved to the right on the schedule timeline for every month it has been in existence since it was awarded in 2010. The end date just keeps getting farther and farther away. OCX is also currently exceeding the original contract budget by a large margin.

    What’s the problem? Is OCX more difficult or complicated than originally planned? Is there any good news to report to users on OCX? What can users expect in the future?

    Just so our readers know, just what is it that OCX brings to the GPS arena that cannot be provided by the current Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) C2 system? Why do we need OCX? And in your opinion is it still a viable option? Are there contingency plans?

    My apologies — that is about eight questions in one, but hopefully you can bring us up to speed on OCX.

    WBC: Actually, the primary drivers of schedule delays for OCX are related to:

    • issues with the integration and testing of Block 0 on the cyber-hardened infrastructure; and
    • the concurrent systems engineering approach for Block 1 and Block 2, which drove a high rate of rework and inefficient staffing.

    The OCX program is a pathfinder for many of the U.S. Air Force’s and Department of Defense’s most rigorous Information Assurance (IA) and Cyber Security requirements, which have turned out to be more complex to implement than anticipated.

    OCX is a challenged program, but there is progress to report. Raytheon completed a hardware compatibility and integration test with the non-flight test bed of the Lockheed Martin GPS III space vehicle. This test validated the network infrastructure’s ability to communicate between the Lockheed Martin Launch and Checkout Capability and the Raytheon Launch and Checkout System, sending commands to the full-sized, functional satellite prototype test bed.

    In addition, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin completed the third of five planned launch and early orbit exercises to demonstrate launch readiness. This exercise used new installments of the Raytheon OCX software and network infrastructure to demonstrate space-ground communications for initial acquisition, orbit-raising maneuver planning and execution, and basic anomaly detection and resolution.

    Another recent accomplishment was the merging of the Cyber Security hardware and software baseline with the Block 0, Launch and Checkout System, mission applications. The completion of this merge allowed the program to enter formal integration and test activities, which are ongoing.

    The full capabilities of OCX provide more than a dozen new capabilities for the GPS mission. OCX enables the full capabilities of the modernized navigation signals: adding L2C and L5 for civil users, M-code secure signal for military users, an internationally compatible L1C, as well as worldwide monitoring of these modern signals for quality and integrity.

    OCX enables operation of the new GPS III satellites. As we discussed previously, OCX will provide the USAF’s most rigorous cyber-security capabilities, built in from the OCX foundation.

    Raytheon just completed implementation of a program re-plan, which implemented lessons learned to date to correct many of the development challenges encountered, and created a lower risk schedule for delivery. With these changes, the program remains a viable and important component of the modernized GPS enterprise.

    DJ: With that in mind, when do you currently plan on having the first GPS III OCX-controlled launch? Original schedules called for a late 2014 date, then it was 2015, and now we are hearing 2016 or as late as 2018 for OCX. Are there viable alternatives, and if so, can you tell us what they are and if they are being pursued?

    WBC: OCX and GPS III are synchronized to support launch of the first vehicle in the second half of 2016, conditioned upon launch manifest availability. Contingency plans are being developed, but will only be implemented if warranted by the risk.

    DJ: Now, Bill, I am not asking you to blow your own horn here, but frankly we have heard nothing but good reports from SMC and the GPS Directorate since you arrived about 14 months ago. That is a short period of time, but evidently you have made your presence felt and have had a major impact on the GPS program overall. What have you done differently that seems to work so well? To what do you ascribe your success so far?

    WBC: Thank you, Don. I’m very happy to hear the reports are positive, but the credit goes to the men and women of the GPS Directorate, our federally funded Research and Development Center personnel, and our contractors. My job is to continually assess the challenges and barriers that slow modernization. I help resolve the challenges or get additional resources if needed to enable the team to accomplish their important mission.

    I am incredibly fortunate in that the GPS team is passionate about our mission to maintain the Gold Standard for position, navigation, and timing (PNT) for the world. The entire directorate understands the critical role we play for civilian and military users worldwide, and that knowledge motivates and energizes us every day!

    I’m the luckiest colonel in the Air Force because I get to work alongside this terrific team of government and contractor professionals on one of the most important missions in the U.S. Air Force.

    DJ: Obviously you are proud of your team, and you know what it means to be a great leader. In closing, do you have any final comments?

    WBC: Don, just that the GPS Directorate and our contractor team, along with our partners at the 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS) who fly the GPS constellation 24/7, take our job seriously and understand the important mission we have: to provide reliable and precise position, navigation, and timing services for America’s warfighters, our allies, and civilian users around the globe. GPS is the Gold Standard for space-based PNT today, and we are modernizing to ensure GPS is the Gold Standard for the future.

  • Assured PNT for Our Future: PTA

    Assured PNT for Our Future: PTA

    Actions Necessary to Reduce Vulnerability and Ensure Availability

    By Brad Parkinson
    (From the 25th Anniversary GNSS History Special Supplement)

    Introduction

    Brad Parkinson
    Brad Parkinson

    About 40 years ago, we had a vision for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). That vision was more than successful, and became known as GPS. In some respects we have been almost too successful: PNT is frequently taken for granted. PNT, in the form of GPS, has become a powerful worldwide enabler for productivity and for safety. Estimated yearly value runs to many tens of billions of dollars. 

    For several years, I have been concerned about comments that denigrate GPS because the signal strength is relatively weak. The speakers have gone on to say it can be completely replaced with inertial or other techniques. Recently, comments by government officials further energized me to look at the full picture.

    What can we do to reduce the vulnerability and ensure that the expectations of the users are going to be met? I summarize my solution as the PTA program and will elaborate in this article. At a top level, the term PTA means: Protect, Toughen, and Augment GPS to assure PNT. Note I say PNT, not GPS. The central issue is assuring access of PNT to the user, not the source of the information. I strongly believe that PTA is both achievable and absolutely necessary. Protecting PNT is particularly important to Europeans as they are just about to launch their fledgling Galileo system.

    Speeches and travel only reach a limited number. When GPS World invited me to write a piece for the magazine’s 25th anniversary issue, it seemed an ideal opportunity to expand knowledge of the PTA program. The following is an edited form of a talk I have given a number of times, most recently at the European Navigation Conference in Rotterdam in April 2014.


    GNSS initiatives and the GNSS community are growing rapidly, and certainly we are very enthusiastic about the progress of Galileo. But some places in the U.S. community are saying, “Well, this GPS band is underutilized; devoting all that bandwidth to a single system is not prudent.”

    I beg to differ with that view. If you look at the separate signals in the L1 band around the world, by the year 2023 they will grow to be well more than 400 individual signals. Those signals service over 2 billion users, from emergency service providers to precision agriculture to crustal monitoring and many, many more. I have an entirely separate talk on “GPS for Humanity,” but that is not our subject today. 

    Calling the GPS frequency band “underutilized” simply points out ignorance, even among our supporters. For example, we say PNT to emphasize that GNSS provides four dimensions. Certainly, timing is the forgotten fourth dimension of GPS, and even our politician friends rarely understand the importance of this aspect. Yet we know that highly accurate timing, supplied by GPS, is absolutely critical for power distribution, for telecommunications, and for the financial sector. 

    It is instructive to summarize the penetration of the PNT “Stealth Utility” into the fabric of our society.

    Market Size. Overall, GPS has more than 2 billion users worldwide. This represents a very diverse user group; we providers are continually seeing new and innovative ways to use GPS. 

    Figure 1, for which I am indebted to Frank van Diggelen, gives an estimate of the number of receivers currently fielded. Notice the number of military receivers: less than half a million. The gray bar depicts the industrial uses such as survey and machine control, which come in at about 4.5 million; these tend to be extremely high enhancers of industrial productivity. 

    Figure 1. GNSS market size, 2012.
    Figure 1. GNSS market size, 2012.

    We have to change the chart scale to depict bigger market segments. For example, recreation, automotive, and computing are shown on the lower half of the chart. In fact, mobile phones will still not fit on the chart. Attesting to the size of the estimated mobile phone base: one company alone will produce more than 900 million GPS-equipped smartphones this year. The pie diagram shows the dominance of mobile devices, but much higher productivity gains come from high-precision devices whose impact is very disproportionate to numbers of receivers. 

     We asked some economists, just what is all this worth? They looked at a subset of all the industries and concluded that GPS has a positive net effect to the tune of at least $32 billion annually. They had an expanded study that suggested about $90 billion annually. So, for those who question the value of GPS, the answer is that the net yearly returns to our national investment are more than 1000 percent. (Note: National investment is about $3 billion annually.)

    To ensure these enormous economic benefits of PNT, there are two fundamental needs, and we providers must assure that they are met. The first and most important need is availability. 

    Availability. When we say availability, it is defined in a certain way; it means that PNT is available at the application-specified accuracy. We usually measure that accuracy at the 90th percentile: only 10 percent of the time can that error be exceeded. 

    Integrity. The second user need is the required integrity. That means that when the user expects a specific accuracy, the system is not lying to him. Integrity assurance is very much a focus of both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and, in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In many cases they require that PNT errors not exceed specified bounds more than once in 10 billion measurements (1 x 10-7). This integrity level requires so many samples, it is virtually impossible to verify experimentally; we have not had that many airplane landings, but it can be calculated. The metric we use is how many minutes GPS is not available — unavailability — at the specified accuracy and integrity. That is more easily understood than availability that aproaches 99.9XXX percent. The usual goal is that unavailability be zero. 

    We have an independent assessment of how well we are doing: FAA’s Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). They put out a report card with a lot of numbers. GPS clearly deserves a grade of A+. 

    And it will get better. The U.S. government’s PNT Advisory Board, which I co-chair, recently advocated that the full navigation message be added at the new civil frequencies, the L2C and L5C signals. The Air Force has now complied, thanks to strong support from General Willie Shelton. This makes two more civil signals fully available. They currently expect 2.9 meter ranging accuracy, but by the end of the year the Air Force operators expect the same full accuracy as the rest of the signals, on the order of 0.5 meter of ranging error. 

    This is an outstanding picture.

    So What’s the Problem? A statement made by a high-level U.S. government official in my presence exemplifies the problem: “GPS is much too vulnerable. We must replace it with new inertials and chip-scale atomic clocks.” 

    I found this statement appalling. Unfortunately, it was a meeting where you don’t normally speak up, and I didn’t. Nonetheless, to me, that was totally wrong. 

    GPS indeed has a very weak signal, and it depends on having clear line-of-sight to four satellites. But in my opinion, a much better statement is what I call the PTA solution. Our goal should be to:

    • Protect the system and the signal. 
    • Toughen the receiver and the system. 
    • Augment GPS as needed to ensure users’ PNT requirements are met. 

    The focus is ensuring positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), not merely ensuring GPS.

    Fundamental Prerequisites for PNT 

    The first prerequisite for GPS-based PNT is a receivable, clear, and truthful (truthful implies full integrity) ranging signal. There are five main challenges to this.

    Too-powerful authorized signalsnearby. This aspect snuck up on our community. The FCC authorizers were about to license a powerful signal in the frequency band adjacent to GPS, drowning out any hope of receiving the GPS signal. This can be called the authorized jammer. All PNT providers must be very vigilant about this; we have seen ignorant elements of the government poised to do great harm with well-intended but destructive actions, without knowledge of the unintended consequences. 

    Natural Interference. This interference, the cause of delays and attenuation, is reasonably well understood, and the subject of much research, dating back to when we first defined GPS. Random events such as solar flares can potentially cause great harm. 

    Inadvertent Natural or Manmade Jamming. A nearby device that creates spurious, destructive emissions can be a serious problem for GPS receivers. This class tends to be manageable by well-designed receivers.

     Collateral Interference. An example is a person who wants to evade tracking but is inadvertently jamming nearby GNSS receivers in addition to his own local receiver. 

    Deliberate Jamming or Spoofing. This is perhaps the major concern for developers and users. I will discuss this further later.

    There is a second major prerequisite: satellite geometry. The user who cannot see enough of the sky is called “sky-impaired.” There are two possible underlying problems: 

    • The satellite constellation has “brown-out” because of failures or inadequate numbers; or
    • The user is operating in a mountainous or urban area with high, local shading angles.

    Overcoming sky-impairment requires a denser constellation, or use of multiple GNSS. 

    Protect, Toughen, Augment 

    What can we — as developers, operators, and manufacturers — do to overcome the PNT availability challenges for our users? My solution is PTA. The good news is that quite a few of the actions I recommend are underway — in fact, many of GPS World’s readers are active participants. 

    I am going to examine these three PTA principles, expand on them a bit, and hopefully explain a few things that help focus on a broad solution. 

    Protect the System and the Signal

    This can be organized into seven actions: three PreActions and four ReActions. PreActions are before there is serious interference, and ReActions obviously come after interference is occurring.

    First, the PreActions.

    Protect the Spectrum. The chart in Figure 2 represents the frequency plan for the L1 band, and displays some of the sources of the 400 signals I referenced earlier. The blue star, GPS L1 C/ A, is the only fully operational and reliable signal in the world right now. The red star is the U.S. GPS military signal. You can see it has important power lobes close to the band edge. The black star is M-code, the new military signal of the United States. 

    Figure 2. Frequency plan for the L1 band.
    Figure 2. Frequency plan for the L1 band.

    The Galileo power curve, which is pale green, has very significant nodes close to the band edge. Of course, the Galileo PRS (the magenta star) is right on the band edge. The imperative for these wider bandwidths is that they produce sharper correlation edges and consequently produce greater measurement precision. This leads to greater accuracy, and greater usefulness and utility for many PNT users.

    Reallocation of radio bands adjacent to GNSS poses a significant threat. The band edge of the proposed high-power communication signal (sometimes called broadband) appears as the black vertical line. It is obviously very close to the edges of many of the colored PNT signals. Tests conclusively demonstrated unacceptable levels of interference with L1 C/A.

    Consider the proposed, high-powered terrestrial signal one quarter-mile from a GPS receiver. This produces a power ratio of 5 billion (broadband) to one (GPS). To visualize that power ratio, consider Niagara Falls, which produces about a billion watts. Compared to that, GPS power is a tablespoon of water dropped from five feet, once per second (about 0.2 watts). This is the power ratio that was almost authorized with 40,000 ground-based transmitters in the U.S. At a city block away, the effect is 10 times worse.

    To quantify interference effects, some initial tests were run and measured broadband effects used for analysis. Cell-tower locations near Las Vegas, Nevada, approximated the broadband transmitter locations. The nearby airport, McCarran Field, has three RNAV (GPS) approaches. As expected, GPS users on the ground would be significantly jammed, but the effect on aircraft would be nine times worse than the impact on ground receivers. This is due to altitude (line of sight), geometry, and the sensitivity of aircraft receivers. 

    The 12 broadband transmitters around McCarran Field would jam all of the RNAV GPS approaches to all three runways. Signals of this type would effectively shut down or severely limit operations at the airport. 

    Signals in the GPS band will increase in the next decade as the newer GNSS become operational. The proposed, adjacent broadband is even more incompatible with these newer signals since they will be closer in frequency. Note that the whole approach was rejected, solely on the basis of L1/CA. It was not even tested against the other, more susceptible, modern signals. The worst would have been yet to come, had they been authorized to broadcast in the adjacent band. 

    Adjacent bands can continue to broadcast non-GNSS signals originating in space because the power levels will be comparable with the PNT spectrum. But we must be very vigilant to stop any high-power terrestrial signals from being allowed. They would become, effectively, authorized jammers. There should be no spectrum reallocation to ground transmitters until technology has been thoroughly demonstrated to solve any problems, (particularly for the high-precision users) and there is enough time to re-equip the users. 

    Europeans should have two other important frequency authorization concerns. First, there is a legal barrier within the United States to using Galileo signals. They have not been formally authorized. I think it is a bureaucratic glitch, but it is something we in the United States have to solve; we do want to use all GNSS signals. Stay tuned!

    There is another concern. A group at the Electronic Communications Committee, European Commission, recommends allowing pseudolites in the L1 GNSS band. As an experienced user of pseudolites for aircraft landing and some other applications, I believe this is a very risky idea; pseudolites can be very useful, but frequencies should be found elsewhere to avoid unexpected interference. 

    Stiff Legal Penalties for Interference. The second PreAction is to enact stiff legal penalties for GPS jamming, both in terms of jail time and fines. The goal is to deter the ubiquitous $33 GPS jammer that one can buy on the Internet. 

    On the U.S. FCC website, the agency lists the penalties for having a GPS jammer. Forfeitures range up to $16,000, and they might even put you in jail. The Australians take a much stronger view: up to five years imprisonment or $850,000 in some cases. Some people are alarmed by these heavy penalties and call them brutal. However, they are not always imposed, and if jamming and spoofing is intentional, especially where the landing of airplanes is concerned and lives are at stake, I think a strong deterrent is warranted. 

    Stop Jammer Manufacturing, Sales. The third pre-action is to prevent proliferation by shutting down manufacturing and web sales of jammers. What is the status?

    The FCC website states that manufacturers should comply with the law: stop marketing these devices in the United States and stop selling and shipping to addresses in the United States. The loophole is you apparently can manufacture these devices if you sell them outside the U.S. Now, I have a little difficulty with this. I have pointed this out to the DHS and others; hopefully, stronger action will be taken.

    The FCC told me in an open meeting a few months ago that they were shutting down the websites where these devices are sold. But about three weeks ago, I went online and immediately found a website that sells nine different devices to jam GPS and cellphone devices. Indeed, there were jammers, all very affordable, for jamming just about everything. More recently, the FCC assessed a multi-million dollar penalty against such a jammer manufacturer. We will see if this actually happens. I hope they accelerate these efforts.

    Now for the ReActions.

    Detect Jamming. To stop jamming, the first step is to know when it is occurring. There are a variety of ways to do this. Some devices or concepts are already on the table: for example, a Chronos CTL3510 GPS Jammer Detector, an Exelis Signal Sentry Jammer Detector, and the J911 cell phone detection and reporting of jamming, an example from NavSys.

    The idea behind the NavSys J911 is that all GPS-equipped smartphones have the capability to detect jamming. This does not pinpoint jammer location, but alerts authorities to the problem. Phone location can be reported to a central database for the next two actions.

    Pinpoint Jammer Location. Techniques range from directional antennas to time-difference-of-arrival using Fast Fourier Transforms. The latter was demonstrated for the FAA at Stanford more than 10 years ago: location pinpointed within five meters. Cell towers could implement such techniques, since they have accurate time and could run correlations. There are already commercial GPS jamming locators: something called a JLOC (NaySys Jammer Locator). The British are using similar techniques for jammer detection on some of their freeways. 

    Eliminate Jammer. Having pinpointed the jammer, the next step is to physically eliminate it. What is the status? At Newark Airport there is an FAA, ground-based GPS augmentation system antenna right next to the turnpike. They are part of a blind landing system. In early 2010, there was an infamous jammer interfering with the FAA GPS receiver. It took three months to locate the offending truck driver and shut down the jammer. The good news is that, more recently, in the same general location, they located a similar moving jammer within 24 hours after the interference started. However, these are very special locations. Recent studies have suggested that interference sources are much more widespread. Note: Only certain enforcement personnel are authorized to seize the jammer and arrest its operator. 

    Prosecute. Having located the offender, the law should then be applied to prosecute. Leeway should be applied, commensurate with the circumstances. In this New Jersey case, the authorities say the perpetrator is liable for a forfeiture of $31,875.

    Toughen Receivers

    There are at least five well-known ways to toughen receivers, thereby increasing jam resistance: 

    • Increased satellite signal spreading (such as L1C, L5) allowing greater processing gain;
    • Integration with inertial navigation components;
    • Digital beam-steering or null-steering antennas;
    • Increased satellite power such as L5 (a difficult and fairly expensive technique);
    • Local antenna shading, for example, the top of an airplane, which is shaded from the jammer.

    These improvements cascade and are cumulative, but a remaining issue is to make such techniques more affordable.

    To illustrate these anti-jamming techniques, consider the effective area of a 1-kW jammer located on the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. A basic high-quality GPS receiver, within a line-of-sight range of 20 miles, will stop providing PNT. Simply using the newest L1C spread-spectrum GPS signal reduces the jamming area by about two thirds, allowing operation to about 10 miles from the Capitol. Adding inertial aiding allows PNT to within three miles, and adding digital beam-forming antennas and using aircraft natural shading brings the effective radius to about 0.1 mile, about the size of the capital building.

    The point is toughening the PNT receiver with the technologies mentioned is an extremely effective strategy.  It would require over 60,000 jammers to cover the same area as the original non-toughened GNSS receiver.

    Some techniques are very affordable today, while others, such as digital beam-forming antennas, remain too expensive for the ordinary user. In addition, there is a potential U.S. problem of export restrictions. Unfortunately, many of these existing restrictions have simply incentivized non-U.S. development of equivalent capabilities.

    Augment

    The last element of the PTA construct is to augment or substitute PNT sources. We are all aware of the coming revolution in multiple PNT sources from new GNSS. An all-GNSS receiver diversifies the frequencies and the signals, thereby reducing vulnerability to interference. It also improves availability for the sky-impaired user because of densification of satellites sources. Using satellites from multiple constellations can significantly improve availability, provided integrity requirements are met.

    With these additional GNSS constellations, there are three major levels of cooperation:

    • Compatible: no mutal interference;
    • Interoperable: working to allow common time and geodesy system;
    • Interchangeable: using accurately calibrated biases and offset. Any four SVs will suffice.

    The major issue again is probably integrity, because to ensure economic value, availability requires known integrity. As far as the U.S. FAA and ICAO are concerned, for precision aircraft operations the integrity value should be that the system be “out of spec” less than once in 1 billion times. To be productive they also would like zero minutes of unavailability. That may seem extreme, but commercial aviation and public safety demand it. Regarding integrity, some new GNSS are clearly making faster progress than others.

    It is useful to further examine the densifying opportunity of additional GNSS. The chart in Figure 3 shows how densification can impact the user. The number of satellites (SVs) available in the sky (assumed optimal distribution) is shown. The colors refer to whether 0, 1, or 2 SVs are out of commission for maintenance or repositioning (typical maximum is 1 for GPS). The measure of effectiveness is minutes of outage per day. Consider a shading angle of 60 degrees, representing a user near a rugged mountain slope area or a city. With the nominal 24 SV GPS constellation (the GPS specification is 24 despite the U.S. having 31 active SVs), the outages, due to geometry alone, are six to ten hours. Improvement with additional satellites is dramatic and quite non-linear. With 33 satellites (about a 37% increase in density) outages are zero minutes per day to 33 minutes if one satellite is out for maintenance (reduction by a factor of over 10!). Of course, SVs could be from different GNSS constellations if they are truly interchangeable and have the required integrity. The clear message is that about 33 SVs are needed to cover reasonably high elevation angles.

    Figure 3. How densification of additional GNSS can affect the user.
    Figure 3. How densification of additional GNSS can affect the user.

    Integrity Monitoring. Currently, the U.S. GPS control segment continuously monitors GPS satellites. If a fault is found, they set the satellite inoperative until the problem is resolved, which may take many minutes. This alarm time is not fast enough for precision aircraft landing and approach (the requirement is six seconds to alarm). For these rapid integrity alarms, the United States relies on the FAA’s WAAS, and Europe uses EGNOS to monitor the basic GPS L1 C/A signal. Soon, the EGNOS message will include Galileo integrity alerts. Unfortunately, the United States does not yet have a plan for reciprocal WAAS monitoring of Galileo signals. In fact, formal approval to even use these signals has not yet been granted by the U.S. FCC. 

    Self Integrity (RAIM). If an all-GNSS receiver has more than six satellites in view, the user can use the Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) technique. This allows the user to cross-check each measurement against others to find erroneous satellites and guard against spoofing. Take the recent GLONASS situation. With a good RAIM PNT receiver, the user could quickly isolate the large errors from the combined set of GPS/GLONASS measurements. In fact, some deployed receivers did just that. If all GNSS are totally interchangeable, it will be enormously helpful to implement RAIM. 

    The recent, prolonged GLONASS outage saddened us all because it reduced the credibility of all GNSSs. We hope the Russians will be forthcoming in announcing what happened and the corrections that are being made; hopefully, it won’t happen again.

    Fortunately, there is a third independent, real-time tracking network of 200+ sites, known as the Global Differential System (GDGPS). Although NASA administers GDGPS, local-country scientists maintain and operate individual sites in near real time. GPS is monitored down to centimeter precision. 

    A central issue for GDGPS is whether the integrity monitor capability itself has integrity. Because of redundancy and independence, a form of inverse RAIM, hereby named System Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (SAIM), can be used. Figure 4 depicts the number of independent looks or ranging measurements to a single satellite over various points on the Earth. You can see in the dark areas the value is 60, and even in the relatively unmonitored areas around South America, the redundancy is 20. At a typical spot, perhaps off Spain, it depicts 50-fold redundancy. By cross-checking the dozens of GDGPS measurements for each satellite, a strong integrity cross-check can be created. The GDGPS plan is to also monitor Galileo as it becomes operational. Thus, GDGPS has excellent prospects to provide real-time integrity assessments for all users and all operational constellations. We need plans to connect all users to these potential integrity alarms.

    Figure 4. The number of independent looks or ranging measurements to a single satellite over various points on the Earth.
    Figure 4. The number of independent looks or ranging measurements to a single satellite over various points on the Earth.

    There are three classes of ground-based augmentations:

    Pseudolites. Ground augmentations could also include pseudolites broadcasting GPS-like signals for additional ranging. While somewhat helpful, this technique cannot cover large areas and can act as a strong interference source if the signal is in any GNSS frequency band. For this reason, in my opinion, pseudolites should never be authorized in GNSS frequencies.

    Distance-Measuring Equipment. Modernized DME, planned as a GPS supplement by the U.S. FAA, is very valuable for the airborne users. Most ground users derive no benefit from DME because they do not have line of sight to the widely scattered transmitters. Ohio University’s Frank van Gras is working for the FAA on a DME plan should GPS not be available. It involves moving from the so-called legacy DME to the enhanced DME to ensure continuous aviation operations. 

    eLoran. eLoran, covering expandable local regions, uses a powerful signal at an entirely different frequency. It is two-dimensional, but in calibrated areas differential (eDLoran) is perhaps as accurate as 10 meters for harbor areas and similar purposes. 

    I chaired a study of eLoran for the FAA in 2006. Initially skeptical, the study members finally concluded (unanimously) that eLoran: 

    • meets the needs of all identified critical applications: 10–20 meter navigation accuracy for harbor entrance; 0.3 mile required navigation performance (RNP 0.3); stratum 1 frequency precision and 50-ns time accuracy.
    • is a modern system: new infrastructure, solid state transmitters, state-of-the-art time and frequency equipment, uninterruptible power supplies; new operating concepts, time of transmission, all-in-view signals, message channel with differential corrections, integrity; new digital user equipment, processes eLoran and GPS signals interchangeably, compact H-field antennas eliminate p-static.
    • is affordable: Less than $143M to fully complete eLoran, avoid costs of decommissioning existing Loran-C infrastructure; operations and maintenance currently $37M/year, reduced with eLoran-enabled automation.

    And our group concluded it was the most prudent and cost-effective general augmentation or backup to GPS.

    The National PNT Advisory Board also unanimously recommended that we deploy eLoran. The departments of Transportation and Homeland Security supported it; then, after a change of administrations, in a budget crunch, it was defunded, and the dismantling of existing Loran C stations began. Congress now may be taking action, and the recent GLONASS outages should give an impetus to that. 

    Who Will Implement PTA?

    To my knowledge, many elements are currently being pursued, some by GPS World readers. But I can identify no entity that has the authority, the knowledge, the breadth, and the resources to create a single, well-focused program. This reminds me of a fable from Aesop regarding ants. When no leadership emerges, the ants have to band together to solve the problem. Yes, I am suggesting that we are the ants and we all must contribute to the solution, as well as seeking governmental agencies to step up to the responsibility. 

    In that regard I have a “to do” list. We must:

    • Protect PNT.
      • Vigorously defend the spectrum.
      • Work with lawmakers to increase legal penalties for PNT interference.
      • Work with manufacturers and law enforcement to improve timeliness and accuracy of interference identification (crowd-sourcing, every cell phone a detector).
      • Field jammer location equipment.
    • Toughen PNT.
      • Develop industry (ICAO/RTCA/RTCM) standards for deep inertial integration and directional antennas.
      • Develop vector receivers (all GNSS).
      • Continue to implement ARAIM and inertial for integrity (+WAAS/EGNOS).
      • Encourage users to move to rugged receivers.
    • Augment PNT.
      • Expand integrity notifications to include GDGPS.
      • Develop RTCA standards for seamless DME and GPS/GNSS.
      • Implement eLoran and develop RTCM standards for seamless use.
      • Develop an international process for integrity certification of all GNSS (GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou).

    In conclusion, the rumors of the death of GPS, in my opinion, are greatly exaggerated. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water. Instead let’s accelerate and expand PTA to Protect our band, and Toughen our receivers, and Augment GPS to ensure that PNT is available for all users now and in the future. 

    In the words of American poet Robert Frost,

    The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 

    But we have promises to keep, 

    And miles to go before we sleep, 

    And miles to go before we sleep.

    Thank you.


    BRAD PARKINSON has been the Edward C. Wells Endowed Chair (emeritus) at Stanford University, where he is a recalled professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

    He co-founded the well-known Stanford GPS Laboratory and led the development of many innovative uses of GPS, including blind aircraft landing, precision farm tractors, and the prototype of the FAA’s WAAS. He also directed development and was a co-PI for the successful test of Einstein known as Gravity Probe-B sponsored by NASA. He worked in various executive or board capacities at Trimble Navigation, Intermetrics, Rockwell International, and The Aerospace Corporation.

    As an Air Force colonel, from 1972 to 1978, he was the chief architect and first director of the NAVSTAR GPS development program, retiring from the service after orbiting the first GPS satellites and proving GPS capabilities. He is a fellow of five professional societies and recipient of dozens of awards, including:sharing the 2003 Draper Prize with Ivan A. Getting for leading the development of the Global Positioning System.

  • IGS Launches New Website

    IGS_Website

    The International GNSS Service (IGS) has launched a new website.

    Knowledge-base sections have been created for IGS Working Groups to maintain content for public access. The site administrators ask Working Group chairs to provide updated content to their sections.

    Other sections include IGS Real-Time Service, IGS Presents (videos), IGS Multi-GNSS Experiment, news and events.

    Because content has been extensively reorganized with this revision, links from many external websites will need to be updated, and the IGS apologizes for any inconvenience.

    The old website will remain available, though content will not be updated.

    Central Bureau ftp services will remain available at ftp://ftp.igs.org or ftp://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov.

  • Topcon Releases New UAS for Aerial Mapping

    Topcon Releases New UAS for Aerial Mapping

    Sirius-Topcon-UAS-O

    Topcon Positioning Group has released two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for mapping — the Sirius Pro and Sirius Basic. Both systems are designed to produce the most accurate solutions for the automated mapping of a wide range of sites — regardless of terrain — including construction sites, mines and quarries, and for use in land surveying, power line and pipeline inspection as well as precision agriculture field mapping.

    The fixed-wing systems resulted from a partnership with MAVinci GmbH, a UAS development company with which Topcon recently entered into a worldwide distribution agreement.

    “The Sirius Pro system is unique to the UAS marketplace. Instead of using traditional ground control points, Topcon combines RTK (real-time kinematic) GNSS solutions with precision timing technology to provide more accurate mapping results when compared to other products,” said Eduardo Falcon, executive vice president and general manager for the Topcon GeoPositioning Solutions Group.

    “The system is easy to use and rugged — allowing operators to use a simple hand launch with precise automatic operation from takeoff to landing, and it can be flown safely in nearly all weather conditions,” Falcon said.

    The Topcon Sirius Basic is an entry-level system offering many of the advantages of the Sirius Pro with options to upgrade. “The Sirius Basic shares the same hardware components of the Pro model, providing affordability with the same level of sturdiness and ease of operation,” said Falcon. “Additionally, when the need arises for the increased accuracy and productivity of the Pro system, a simple upgrade makes the transition practically effortless.”

    Both systems also offer autopilot assisted manual control, automatic flight planning and safety features.

  • GPS Network Shows Drought in the U.S. West

    GPS Network Shows Drought in the U.S. West

    A GPS station in the Inyo Mountains, Calif. Credit: Shawn Lawrence, UNAVCO.
    A GPS station in the Inyo Mountains, Calif. Credit: Shawn Lawrence, UNAVCO.

    A network of GPS stations in the western United States is revealing the severity of the drought in that region.

    Compared to the nine years before the drought, the GPS data show that the western United States has lost 240 gigatons of water, which is enough to flood the entire region in 10 centimeters of water.

    Investigating ground positioning data from GPS stations throughout the west, researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, found that the water shortage is causing an uplift effect up to 15 millimeters (more than half an inch) in California’s mountains and on average four millimeters (0.15 of an inch) across the west.

    Results of the study, which was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), appear in the August 21 online edition of the journal Science.

    The measurements have a much better resolution — 200-300 kilometers — than data provided by NASA’s GRACE satellites, which shows how the water mass has changed on and below the Earth’s surface.

    California_Drought_Dry_Riverbed_2009
    A dry riverbed in California.

    Researchers Adrian Borsa, Duncan Agnew, and Dan Cayan used data from more than 700 GPS stations in the National Science Foundation’s Plate Boundary Observatory to measure the rising and falling of Earth’s surface due to the presence of water. Water in lakes or aquifers weighs down on the Earth causing the surface to sink, while during a drought the surface rises. Each station provides time and position information that is used to calculate the station’s location to within 1-2 millimeters horizontally and 3-5 millimeters vertically.

    The current drought began in 2012, when data shows that in general, the ground rose by about four millimeters. The rise in the Sierra Nevada mountain range was 15 millimeters.

    While poring through various sets of data of ground positions from highly precise GPS stations within the National Science Foundation’s Plate Boundary Observatory and other networks, Borsa, a Scripps assistant research geophysicist, kept noticing the same pattern over the 2003-2014 period: All of the stations moved upwards in the most recent years, coinciding with the timing of the current drought.

    Agnew, a Scripps Oceanography geophysics professor who specializes in studying earthquakes and their impact on shaping the earth’s crust, says the GPS data can only be explained by rapid uplift of the tectonic plate upon which the western U.S. rests (Agnew cautions that the uplift has virtually no effect on the San Andreas fault and therefore does not increase the risk of earthquakes).

    For Cayan, a research meteorologist with Scripps and USGS, the results paint a new picture of the dire hydrological state of the west.

    “These results quantify the amount of water mass lost in the past few years,” Cayan said. “It also represents a powerful new way to track water resources over a very large landscape. We can home in on the Sierra Nevada mountains and critical California snowpack. These results demonstrate that this technique can be used to study changes in fresh water stocks in other regions around the world, if they have a network of GPS sensors.”

    The study was supported by USGS National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.