1.

0 INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

1.1 Introduction:

The Global positioning system (GPS) is a satellite based navigational system that was developed by
U.S. Department of Defence (DOD) in the early 1970s. Initially, GPS was developed as a military
system to fulfil U.S. military needs. However, it was later made available to civilians, and is now a
dual system that can be accessed by both military and civilian uses. GPS is shortened form of
NAVSTAR – Navigation System with Time And Ranging Global Positioning system.

GPS is a solution for one of man’s longest and most troublesome problems. It provides on answer to
the question ‘Where on earth am I?’

One can imagine that this is an easy question to answer. You can easily locate yourself by looking at
objects that surround you and position yourself relative to them. But what if you have no objects
around you? What if you are in the middle of desert or in the middle of the ocean ? For many
centuries, this problem was solved by using the sun and stars to navigate. These methods worked well
within certain boundaries. Sun and Stars cannot be seen when it is cloudy. Also positions cannot be
determined very accurately.

GPS consists, normally of constellation of 24 – operational satellites. This constellation, known as

Initial Operational Capability (IOC) was completed in July 1993. The official IOC announcement,
however, was made on December 1993. To ensure continuous worldwide coverage, GPS satellites are
arranged so that four satellites are placed in each of six orbital planes. With this constellation
geometry, four to ten GPS satellites will be visible anywhere in the world, if the elevation angle of 10 0
is considered. Only four satellites are needed to provide the positioning or location information in the
form of precise estimation of position, velocity and time (PVT) by using a GPS receiver.

1.2 History of Development of GPS

For centuries, the heavenly bodies were used to set time standards and to locate astronomical
observations. But if cloud, rain or fogs etc obscure the stars and planet at night, the astronomical
approach to position location and navigation fails.

To circumvent the problem, Dead Reckoning or Initial Navigational System are being used which
actually tells the change in position. Thus, if the initial position is known, the final position can be

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obtained using this system. Unfortunately, dead reckoning or initial navigational system suffers from
positional error with elapsed time.

In order to get rid of this, an electro system called Long Range Navigational System (LORAN) was
developed. It is the first true all weathered system for finding out position of a receiver. It is based on
the principle that if two radio transmitters are located at known position, and if each transmits a short
pulse in synchronization being received by a receiver, the separation in time of the arrival of two
pulses would determine a line of position (actually a hyperbola) characteristics of time interval
between the received pulses. Thus either from three synchronized ground stations or from two sets of
transmitting stations, two lines of position are obtained leading to a point of intersection and that is
what the unique location of receiver.

Station 1 (Known) Station 2 (Known)

Receiver Position Unknown

Subsequently, Omega System (using continuous radio wave), LORAN-C etc were developed based
on the principle of synchronization of ground system. But all these systems are two-dimensional i.e.
they can locate position in latitude and longitude only.

With time, satellites are being used in finding the position of a receiver. The TRANSIT system is the
first of this kind. It is based on the principle that if the ephemeris of a satellite is known, the position
of any receiver can be determined by observing the Doppler Shift in the signals broadcasted by the
satellite. But it is also a 2D system, so there was search for an all weather radio navigation system
having capability to fine the 3D position of a receiver to an unlimited number of users instantaneously,
continuously. The quest leads to the development of GPS.

1.3 Objective of GPS

The main objectives of GPS System are: -

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 GPS was developed with the objective to provide accurate estimates of PVT with root mean
square errors of 10 m in position, 0.1m/s in velocity and 100ns in time.

 These estimates are to be available to an unlimited number of users all over the globe
continuously and nearly instantaneously.
 GPS was planned to offer two kinds of services:
 Standard Positioning Services (SPS) for open, unrestricted civil use
 Precise positioning services (PPS) for the DOD authorized users.

 Access to full capability of the system (i.e. PPS) is restricted by encryption in two ways:

 By Selective Availability (S/A)

 By Anti Spoofing (AS)

1.4 Global Positioning System Architecture :

GPS Segments
GPS consists of three distinct segments:
1. The space segments - Satellites orbiting the earth
2. The control segments - stationed positioned on the earth's equator to control the satellites.
3. The User segment - Any body that receives and uses the GPS signal.

1. Space Segment

 The space segment is designed to consist of 24 satellites orbiting the earth at approximately at
height 20,200 km in every 12 hours.

 The satellites are arrayed in 6 orbital plane inclined 550 to the equator.
 The space segment is so designed that there will be a minimum of four satellites visible above a
150 cut - off angle at any point of the earth's surface at any time.
 Four satellites are the minimum that must be visible for most applications. Experience shows that
there are usually at least 5 satellites visible for most of the time and quite often there are 6 or 7
satellites visible.

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 GPS satellite

 Each GPS satellite has four very accurate and precise atomic clocks (Rubidium and
Cesium standards) and has a microprocessor on board for limited self-monitoring and data
processing.
 The satellites are equipped with thrusts, which can be used to maintain or modify
their orbits.
 The clocks operate at a fundamental frequency of 10.23 MHZ. This is used to
generate signals that are broadcast from the satellites.
 The satellites broadcast two carrier waves constantly. These carrier waves are in
the L - Band (used for radio), and travel to the earth at the speed of light. These carrier waves are
derived from the fundamental frequency, generated by a very precise atomic clock.

The GPS satellites essentially provide a platform for radio transceivers atomic clocks, computers and
various ancillary equipments used to operate the system. The electronic equipments allow the
measurement of pseudo range (R) from receiver to satellite, and each satellite broadcast a message,
which allows the user to determine the spatial position of the satellite at any instant. With these data,
the users are able to determine their position by resection.

2. Control Segment

 The control segment consists of one master control station, 5 monitor stations and 4 ground
antennas distributed amongst 5 locations roughly on the earth's equator.
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  These stations are at Colorado Springs, Ascension Island, Diego Garcia, Hawaii and
Kwajalein Island.
 The control segments track the GPS satellites, update their orbiting position and calibrate and
synchronize their clocks.
 A further important function is to determine the orbit of each satellite and predict its path for
following 24 hours.
 This information is uploaded to each satellite and subsequently broadcast from it. This enables
the GPS receiver to know where each satellite can be expected to be found.
 The satellite signals are read at 5 monitor stations and measurements are then sent to the master
control station in Colorado Springs.

 Here they are processed to determine any errors in each satellite. The new ephemeredes
(satellite position as a function of time), Clock corrections and other broadcast message data are
then sent back to three monitoring stations (Diego Garcia, Ascension & Kwajalein) equipped with
ground antennas and uploaded to the satellites and broadcasted.

Satellite

MONITOR STATION MASTER CONTROL STATION GROUND ANTENNA

(MS) (MCS) (GA)

MASTER CONTROL STATION (MCS) - Prediction of ephemeredes and clock behavior

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MONITOR STATION (MS) - Control of ephemeredes and satellite clocks.
GROUND ANTENNA GA) - Uplink of Navigation Message to Satellites

The main operational tasks of the control systems are:

 Tracking of the satellite for the orbit and clock determination and prediction modeling.
 Time synchronization of the satellites
 Upload of the data message to the satellites.

3. User Segment
 The user segment comprises of anyone using GPS receiver to receive GPS signals and
determine their position and /or their time.
 Typical applications within the user segment are Land Navigation for vehicle location,
surveying, marine navigation, areal navigation, machine control etc.
 GPS receivers vary greatly in size and complexity. The typical receiver is composed of an
antenna and preamplifier, radio signal microprocessor, control and display device, data recording
unit and power supply.
 The GPS receiver decodes the timing of signals from the visible satellites and calculates their
distances. This is used to compute its own latitude, longitude, elevation and time. This is a
continuous process and generally the position is updated on a second by second basis.

Receiver
1.5 Basic Principles of GPS

 GPS is based on the principle of resection i.e. Receiver’s position (x,y,z) can be determined
given the distances from objects whose positions are known.
 Analytically, from the known positions of three objects and their distance from unknown
position, we get three-distance equation involving three unknown corresponding to the unknown
position of the receiver.

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 These three equations can be solved for three unknowns (x,y,z).

R1 R2 R3
Fig: 1

Receiver Position

R2

R3

Fig: 2

Receiver Position
R1

 Theoretically, only three distances to three simultaneously tracked satellites are needed. R1, R2 and
R3 in Fig: 1
 In this case the Receiver would be located at the intersection of three spheres – each has a radius of
one receiver-satellite distance. Fig: 2
 Fourth satellite is required to account for Receiver clock offset.
 Then the intersection of three distances from satellite to the receiver would be the position of
receiver.
 Satellites broadcast their position as a function of time in WGS-84 Coordinates system.
 Therefore, the position of receiver is determined in WGS-84 coordinate system, which later
converted into local coordinate system.

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How to calculate Distance from Satellite to Receiver?

 In GPS, the satellites, which broadest their positions, are the objects at known locations.
 The distance between the receiver and a satellite is measured in terms of transit time of the
signal multiplied by velocity of light.

i.e. Distance = Velocity x Time

 The velocity is the velocity of radio signal broadcasted by the satellite at the speed of light (3
x1010 cm/sec).
 There is the time taken for the radio signal to travel from the satellite to the GPS receiver.
 This is little harder to calculate, since you need to know when the radio signals left the satellite
and when it reached the receiver.
 Therefore the travel time is fourth unknown to be estimated in addition to the three coordinates
of receiver’s position.
 A user, therefore, needs a minimum of four satellites in view to estimate his four-divisional
position: three coordinates for spatial position plus time bias.

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