What is GPS, how does it work, advantages/disadvantages

GPS Global Positioning System

The GPS is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) developed by the United States
Department of Defence. It is the only fully functional GNSS in the world. It uses a
constellation of between 24 and 32 earth orbit satellites that transmit precise radio signals,
which allow GPS receivers to determine their current location, the time, and their velocity.
These satellites are high orbit, circulating at 14,000km/hr and 20,000km above the earth's
surface. The signal being sent to the earth at the speed of light is what is picked up by any
GPS receiver that are now commonplace worldwide.
The first satellite navigation system, used by the United States Navy, was first successfully
tested in 1960. Using a constellation of five satellites.
A GPS receiver calculates its position by precisely timing the signals sent by the GPS
satellites high above the Earth. Each satellite continually transmits messages containing
the time the message was sent, precise orbital information (the ephemeris orbit path and
speed of each satellite), and the general system health, current date and time of all GPS
satellites (the almanac). The receiver measures the transit time of each message and
computes the distance to each satellite. A form of triangulation is used to combine these
distances with the location of the satellites to determine the receiver's location. The
position is displayed, perhaps with a moving map display or latitude and longitude;
elevation information may be included. Many GPS units also show information such as
direction and speed, calculated from position changes.

Basic Concept of GPS

It might seem three satellites are enough to solve for position using triangulation maths,
however a very small timing error multiplied by the very large speed of light (the speed at
which satellite signals travel) results in a large positional error. The receiver uses a
fourth satellite to solve for x, y, z, and t which is used to correct the receiver's timer.
Although four satellites are required for normal operation, fewer apply in special cases. If
one variable is already known (for example, a ship or plane may have known elevation), a
receiver can determine its position using only three satellites. Some GPS receivers may
use additional clues or assumptions (such as reusing the last known altitude or including
information from a vehicle computer) to give a degraded position when fewer than four
satellites are visible.

Absolute v's Relative Positioning

A key question asked about GPS is How accurate is it? This is based on the generally
publicised information that GPS has a positional error of between 5m & 10m globally.
Considering the satellite signal is travelling 20,000km to its destination, having a 10m error
works out to be a % error of only 0.0000005%!!
Being the fussy species that Humans are, this error margin is still seen to be too
inaccurate for the purposes of positioning of a human being on, for example; a pavement (I
guess 10m could see this person walking in the middle of the road if they were following
the positioning information carefully!) or on a sporting field.
With further developments in GPS technology itself we will see great improvements in
absolute positioning accuracy over the next 10 years (see my next article GPS System
Accuracy).
From a sporting (physical performance) perspective, it is the relative positioning accuracy
that is of real interest to the sporting coach and player. By relative positioning I mean how
far the person has travelled, their speed and time over a set course. Whilst the real start
position might vary due to the 10m absolute error, the actual distance travelled measured
by sports specific GPS devices have this error down to <1% (so in a 100m race, a GPS
will accurately measure 99.0m+). Due to the huge benefit of now being able to measure
these variables real time in an actual game or training environment, this application has
been widely accepted in elite sport programs worldwide.

GPS Strengths and Weaknesses?

GPS has several strengths but just as many weaknesses. Understanding this ensures that
the most is gained from the technology without expecting more than is possible from this
current system.
STRENGTHS

The system is self calibrating Just turn on and use.

Can be used in the field doesn't require a laboratory or artificial environment.

The technology is relatively small (typical GPS system is now no larger than a small
mobile phone).

Supplies the user with Location Based information that can be used for mapping

(cars), location (geocaching), performance analysis (sport), GIS (Geographic

Information Services Google Earth as an example pick a street and the
technology can link to a database showing what retail outlets are in that vicinity).

Works anywhere on earth

Can give bearings, directions.

There is currently no charge to use the signal (US Department of Defence bears the
cost of system maintenance and upgrade).

Several new GPS systems are being installed globally over the next 5 years giving
greater accuracy and usability.

WEAKNESSES

The technology is very power hungry, most systems will only last 8-12 hours before
needing a battery replacement or recharge.

The GPS signal is unable to pass through solid structures so is unable to work
indoors, underground, under the water, or under a dense canopy of trees.

Can be affected by large buildings and is typically unreliable in CBD areas.

GPS accuracy is related to the quality of signal reception, the larger the antenna the
better the signal so absolute miniaturisation is not possible whilst maintaining
good positioning accuracy.

What causes the 5m - 10m error in GPS?

Atmospheric
Inconsistencies of atmospheric conditions affect the speed of the GPS signals as they
pass through the Earth's Atmosphere, especially the ionosphere (the uppermost part of the
atmosphere) These effects are smallest when the satellite is directly overhead and
become greater for satellites nearer the horizon since the path through the atmosphere is
longer.
Multipath
GPS signals can also be affected by multipath issues, where the radio signals reflect off
surrounding terrain; buildings, canyon walls, hard ground, etc. These delayed signals can
cause inaccuracy

Ephemeris and clock errors

While the ephemeris data is transmitted every 30 seconds, the information itself may be up
to two hours old. Data up to four hours old is considered valid for calculating positions, but
may not indicate the satellite's actual position.
Selective Availability
GPS includes a (currently disabled) feature called Selective Availability (SA) that can
introduce intentional, slowly changing random errors of up to a hundred meters into the
publicly available navigation signals to confound, for example, the guidance of long range
missiles to precise targets. When enabled, the accuracy is still available in the signal, but
in an encrypted form that is only available to the United States military & its allies.
Artificial sources
Man-made electromagnetic interference can also disrupt, or jam, GPS signals. In one well
documented case, the entire harbour of Moss Landing, California was unable to receive
GPS signals due to unintentional jamming caused by malfunctioning TV antenna preamplifiers. Intentional jamming is also possible. Generally, stronger signals can interfere
with GPS receivers when they are within radio range, or line of sight.
In my next article I will look at what other forms of GPS technology are available, how to
make the current system cm level accurate as well as what's in store for users of GPS
enabled mobile phones.
Adrian Faccioni
GPSports Systems

References
Trimble Website: http://www.trimble.com/gps/index.shtml
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS