Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin.
These materials may be used for study, research, and education in not-for-profit
applications. All commercial rights are reserved. Please credit the author,
Peter H. Dana, The Geographer's Craft Project, Department of Geography,
The University of Texas at Austin.
GPS is funded by and controlled by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD).
While there are many thousands of civil users of GPS world-wide, the system
was designed for and is operated by the U. S. military.
GPS provides specially coded satellite signals that can be processed in
a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to compute position, velocity and
time.
Four GPS satellite signals are used to compute positions in three dimensions
and the time offset in the receiver clock.
The nominal GPS Operational Constellation consists of 24 satellites that orbit the earth in 12 hours.
There are often more than 24 operational satellites as new ones are launched to replace older satellites.
The satellite orbits repeat almost the same ground track (as the earth turns beneath them) once each
day. The orbit altitude is such that the satellites repeat the same track
and configuration over any point approximately each 24 hours (4 minutes
earlier each day). There are six orbital planes (with nominally four SVs
in each), equally spaced (60 degrees apart), and inclined at about fifty-five
degrees with respect to the equatorial plane. This constellation provides
the user with between five and eight SVs visible from any point on the
earth.
The Master Control facility is located at Schriever Air Force Base (formerly Falcon AFB) in Colorado.
These monitor stations measure signals from the SVs which are incorporated
into orbital models for each satellites. The models compute precise orbital
data (ephemeris) and SV clock corrections for each satellite. The Master
Control station uploads ephemeris and clock data to the SVs. The SVs then
send subsets of the orbital ephemeris data to GPS receivers over radio
signals.
The GPS User Segment consists of the GPS receivers and the user community.
GPS receivers convert SV signals into position, velocity, and time estimates.
Four satellites are required to compute the four dimensions of X, Y, Z
(position) and Time. GPS receivers are used for navigation, positioning,
time dissemination, and other research.
Navigation in three dimensions is the primary function of GPS. Navigation
receivers are made for aircraft, ships, ground vehicles, and for hand carrying
by individuals.
Precise positioning is possible using GPS receivers at reference locations
providing corrections and relative positioning data for remote receivers.
Surveying, geodetic control, and plate tectonic studies are examples.
Time and frequency dissemination, based on the precise clocks on board
the SVs and controlled by the monitor stations, is another use for GPS.
Astronomical observatories, telecommunications facilities, and laboratory
standards can be set to precise time signals or controlled to accurate
frequencies by special purpose GPS receivers.
Research projects have used GPS signals to measure atmospheric parameters.
GPS Positioning Services Specified In The Federal Radionavigation
Plan
Precise Positioning Service (PPS)
Authorized users with cryptographic equipment and keys and specially equipped
receivers use the Precise Positioning System. U. S. and Allied military,
certain U. S. Government agencies, and selected civil users specifically
approved by the U. S. Government, can use the PPS.
Civil users worldwide use the SPS without charge or restrictions. Most
receivers are capable of receiving and using the SPS signal. The SPS accuracy
is intentionally degraded by the DOD by the use of Selective
Availability.
SPS Predictable Accuracy
100 meter horizontal accuracy
156 meter vertical accuracy
340 nanoseconds time accuracy
These GPS accuracy figures are from the 1994 Federal Radionavigation Plan.
The figures are 95% accuracies, and express the value of two standard deviations
of radial error from the actual antenna position to an ensemble of position
estimates made under specified satellite elevation angle (five degrees)
and PDOP (less than six) conditions.
For horizontal accuracy figures 95% is the equivalent of 2drms (two-distance
root-mean-squared), or twice the radial error standard deviation. For vertical
and time errors 95% is the value of two-standard deviations of vertical
error or time error.
Receiver manufacturers may use other accuracy measures. Root-mean-square
(RMS) error is the value of one standard deviation (68%) of the error in
one, two or three dimensions. Circular Error Probable (CEP) is the value
of the radius of a circle, centered at the actual position that contains
50% of the position estimates. Spherical Error Probable (SEP) is the spherical
equivalent of CEP, that is the radius of a sphere, centered at the actual
position, that contains 50% of the three dimension position estimates.
As opposed to 2drms, drms, or RMS figures, CEP and SEP are not affected
by large blunder errors making them an overly optimistic accuracy measure
Some receiver specification sheets list horizontal accuracy in RMS or CEP
and without Selective Availability, making those receivers appear more
accurate than those specified by more responsible vendors using more conservative
error measures.
The SVs transmit two microwave carrier signals. The L1 frequency (1575.42
MHz) carries the navigation message and the SPS code signals. The L2 frequency
(1227.60 MHz) is used to measure the ionospheric delay by PPS equipped
receivers.
Three binary codes shift the L1 and/or L2 carrier phase.
The C/A Code (Coarse Acquisition) modulates the L1 carrier phase. The C/A
code is a repeating 1 MHz Pseudo Random Noise (PRN) Code. This noise-like
code modulates the L1 carrier signal, "spreading" the spectrum over a 1
MHz bandwidth. The C/A code repeats every 1023 bits (one millisecond).
There is a different C/A code PRN for each SV. GPS satellites are often
identified by their PRN number, the unique identifier for each pseudo-random-noise
code. The C/A code that modulates the L1 carrier is the basis for the civil
SPS.
The P-Code (Precise) modulates both the L1 and L2 carrier phases. The P-Code
is a very long (seven days) 10 MHz PRN code. In the Anti-Spoofing (AS)
mode of operation, the P-Code is encrypted into the Y-Code. The encrypted
Y-Code requires a classified AS Module for each receiver channel and is
for use only by authorized users with cryptographic keys. The P (Y)-Code
is the basis for the PPS.
The Navigation Message also modulates the L1-C/A code signal. The Navigation
Message is a 50 Hz signal consisting of data bits that describe the GPS
satellite orbits, clock corrections, and other system parameters.
The GPS Navigation Message consists of time-tagged data bits marking the
time of transmission of each subframe at the time they are transmitted
by the SV. A data bit frame consists of 1500 bits divided into five 300-bit
subframes. A data frame is transmitted every thirty seconds. Three six-second
subframes contain orbital and clock data. SV Clock corrections are sent
in subframe one and precise SV orbital data sets (ephemeris data parameters)
for the transmitting SV are sent in subframes two and three. Subframes
four and five are used to transmit different pages of system data. An entire
set of twenty-five frames (125 subframes) makes up the complete Navigation
Message that is sent over a 12.5 minute period.
Data frames (1500 bits) are sent every thirty seconds. Each frame consists
of five subframes.
Data bit subframes (300 bits transmitted over six seconds) contain parity
bits that allow for data checking and limited error correction.
Clock data parameters describe the SV clock and its relationship to GPS
time.
Ephemeris data parameters describe SV orbits for short sections of the
satellite orbits. Normally, a receiver gathers new ephemeris data each
hour, but can use old data for up to four hours without much error. The
ephemeris parameters are used with an algorithm that computes the SV position
for any time within the period of the orbit described by the ephemeris
parameter set.
Almanacs are approximate orbital data parameters for all SVs. The ten-parameter
almanacs describe SV orbits over extended periods of time (useful for months
in some cases) and a set for all SVs is sent by each SV over a period of
12.5 minutes (at least). Signal acquisition time on receiver start-up can
be significantly aided by the availability of current almanacs. The approximate
orbital data is used to preset the receiver with the approximate position
and carrier Doppler frequency (the frequency shift caused by the rate of
change in range to the moving SV) of each SV in the constellation.
Each complete SV data set includes an ionospheric model that is used in
the receiver to approximates the phase delay through the ionosphere at
any location and time.
Each SV sends the amount to which GPS Time is offset from Universal Coordinated
Time. This correction can be used by the receiver to set UTC to within
100 ns.
The GPS receiver produces replicas of the C/A and/or P (Y)-Code. Each PRN
code is a noise-like, but pre-determined, unique series of bits.
The receiver produces the C/A code sequence for a specific SV with some
form of a C/A code generator. Modern receivers usually store a complete
set of precomputed C/A code chips in memory, but a hardware, shift register,
implementation can also be used.
The C/A code generator produces a different 1023 chip sequence for each
phase tap setting. In a shift register implementation the code chips are
shifted in time by slewing the clock that controls the shift registers.
In a memory lookup scheme the required code chips are retrieved from memory.
A GPS receiver uses the detected signal power in the correlated signal
to align the C/A code in the receiver with the code in the SV signal. Usually
a late version of the code is compared with an early version to insure
that the correlation peak is tracked.
A phase locked loop that can lock to either a positive or negative half-cycle
(a bi-phase lock loop) is used to demodulate the 50 HZ navigation message
from the GPS carrier signal. The same loop can be used to measure and track
the carrier frequency (Doppler shift) and by keeping track of the changes
to the numerically controlled oscillator, carrier frequency phase can be
tracked and measured.
The receiver PRN code start position at the time of full correlation is
the time of arrival (TOA) of the SV PRN at receiver. This TOA is a measure
of the range to SV offset by the amount to which the receiver clock is
offset from GPS time. This TOA is called the pseudo-range.
Position is determined from multiple pseudo-range measurements at a single
measurement epoch. The pseudo range measurements are used together with
SV position estimates based on the precise orbital elements (the ephemeris
data) sent by each SV. This orbital data allows the receiver to compute
the SV positions in three dimensions at the instant that they sent their
respective signals.
Four satellites (normal navigation) can be used to determine three position
dimensions and time. Position dimensions are computed by the receiver in
Earth-Centered, Earth-Fixed X, Y, Z (ECEF XYZ) coordinates.
Receiver position is computed from the SV positions, the measured pseudo-ranges
(corrected for SV clock offsets, ionospheric delays, and relativistic effects),
and a receiver position estimate (usually the last computed receiver position).
Three satellites could be used determine three position dimensions with
a perfect receiver clock. In practice this is rarely possible and three
SVs are used to compute a two-dimensional, horizontal fix (in latitude
and longitude) given an assumed height. This is often possible at sea or
in altimeter equipped aircraft.
Five or more satellites can provide position, time and redundancy. More
SVs can provide extra position fix certainty and can allow detection of
out-of-tolerance signals under certain circumstances.
Latitude and longitude are usually provided in the geodetic datum on which
GPS is based (WGS-84). Receivers can often be set to convert to other user-required
datums. Position offsets of hundreds of meters can result from using the
wrong datum.
Velocity is computed from change in position over time, the SV Doppler
frequencies, or both.
Time is computed in SV Time, GPS Time, and UTC.
SV Time is the time maintained by each satellite. Each SV contains four
atomic clocks (two cesium and two rubidium). SV clocks are monitored by
ground control stations and occasionally reset to maintain time to within
one-millisecond of GPS time. Clock correction data bits reflect the offset
of each SV from GPS time.
SV Time is set in the receiver from the GPS signals. Data bit subframes
occur every six seconds and contain bits that resolve the Time of Week
to within six seconds. The 50 Hz data bit stream is aligned with the C/A
code transitions so that the arrival time of a data bit edge (on a 20 millisecond
interval) resolves the pseudo-range to the nearest millisecond. Approximate
range to the SV resolves the twenty millisecond ambiguity, and the C/A
code measurement represents time to fractional milliseconds. Multiple SVs
and a navigation solution (or a known position for a timing receiver) permit
SV Time to be set to an accuracy limited by the position error and the
pseudo-range error for each SV.
GPS Time is a "paper clock" ensemble of the Master Control Clock and the
SV clocks. GPS Time is measured in weeks and seconds from 24:00:00, January
5, 1980 and is steered to within one microsecond of UTC. GPS Time has no
leap seconds and is ahead of UTC by several seconds.
Time in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) is computed from GPS Time using
the UTC correction parameters sent as part of the navigation data bits.
At the transition between 23:59:59 UTC on December 31, 1998 and 00:00:00 UTC
on January 1, 1999, UTC was retarded by one-second. GPS Time is now ahead
of UTC by 13 seconds.
Carrier-phase tracking of GPS signals has resulted in a revolution in land
surveying. A line of sight along the ground is no longer necessary for
precise positioning. Positions can be measured up to 30 km from reference
point without intermediate points. This use of GPS requires specially equipped
carrier tracking receivers.
The L1 and/or L2 carrier signals are used in carrier phase surveying. L1
carrier cycles have a wavelength of 19 centimeters. If tracked and measured
these carrier signals can provide ranging measurements with relative accuracies
of millimeters under special circumstances.
Tracking carrier phase signals provides no time of transmission information.
The carrier signals, while modulated with time tagged binary codes, carry
no time-tags that distinguish one cycle from another. The measurements
used in carrier phase tracking are differences in carrier phase cycles
and fractions of cycles over time. At least two receivers track carrier
signals at the same time. Ionospheric delay differences at the two receivers
must be small enough to insure that carrier phase cycles are properly accounted
for. This usually requires that the two receivers be within about 30 km
of each other.
Carrier phase is tracked at both receivers and the changes in tracked phase
are recorded over time in both receivers.
All carrier-phase tracking is differential, requiring both a reference
and remote receiver tracking carrier phases at the same time.
Unless the reference and remote receivers use L1-L2 differences to measure
the ionospheric delay, they must be close enough to insure that the
ionospheric delay difference is less than a carrier wavelength.
Using L1-L2 ionospheric measurements and long measurement averaging periods,
relative positions of fixed sites can be determined over baselines of hundreds
of kilometers.
Phase difference changes in the two receivers are reduced using software
to differences in three position dimensions between the reference station
and the remote receiver. High accuracy range difference measurements with
sub-centimeter accuracy are possible. Problems result from the difficulty
of tracking carrier signals in noise or while the receiver moves.
Two receivers and one SV over time result in single differences.
Two receivers and two SVs over time provide double differences.
Post processed static carrier-phase surveying can provide 1-5 cm relative
positioning within 30 km of the reference receiver with measurement time
of 15 minutes for short baselines (10 km) and one hour for long baselines
(30 km).
Rapid static or fast static surveying can provide 4-10 cm accuracies with
1 kilometer baselines and 15 minutes of recording time.
Real-Time-Kinematic (RTK) surveying techniques can provide centimeter measurements
in real time over 10 km baselines tracking five or more satellites and
real-time radio links between the reference and remote receivers.
Noise errors are the combined effect of PRN code noise (around 1 meter)
and noise within the receiver noise (around 1 meter).
Bias errors result from Selective Availability and other factors
Selective Availability (SA)
SA is the intentional degradation of the SPS signals by a time varying
bias. SA is controlled by the DOD to limit accuracy for non-U. S. military
and government users. The potential accuracy of the C/A code of around
30 meters is reduced to 100 meters (two standard deviations).
The SA bias on each satellite signal is different, and so the resulting
position solution is a function of the combined SA bias from each SV used
in the navigation solution. Because SA is a changing bias with low frequency
terms in excess of a few hours, position solutions or individual SV pseudo-ranges
cannot be effectively averaged over periods shorter than a few hours. Differential
corrections must be updated at a rate less than the correlation time
of SA (and other bias errors).
Other Bias Error sources;
SV clock errors uncorrected by Control Segment can result in one meter
errors.
Ephemeris data errors: 1 meter
Tropospheric delays: 1 meter. The troposphere is the lower part (ground
level to from 8 to 13 km) of the atmosphere that experiences the changes
in temperature, pressure, and humidity associated with weather changes.
Complex models of tropospheric delay require estimates or measurements
of these parameters.
Unmodeled ionosphere delays: 10 meters. The ionosphere is the layer of
the atmosphere from 50 to 500 km that consists of ionized air. The transmitted
model can only remove about half of the possible 70 ns of delay leaving
a ten meter un-modeled residual.
Multipath: 0.5 meters. Multipath is caused by reflected signals from surfaces
near the receiver that can either interfere with or be mistaken for the
signal that follows the straight line path from the satellite. Multipath
is difficult to detect and sometime hard to avoid.
Blunders can result in errors of hundred of kilometers.
Control segment mistakes due to computer or human error can cause errors
from one meter to hundreds of kilometers.
User mistakes, including incorrect geodetic datum selection, can cause
errors from 1 to hundreds of meters.
Receiver errors from software or hardware failures can cause blunder errors
of any size.
Noise and bias errors combine, resulting in typical ranging errors of around
fifteen meters for each satellite used in the position solution.
Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP) and Visibility
GPS ranging errors are magnified by the range vector differences between
the receiver and the SVs. The volume of the shape described by the unit-vectors
from the receiver to the SVs used in a position fix is inversely proportional
to GDOP.
Poor GDOP, a large value representing a small unit vector-volume, results
when angles from receiver to the set of SVs used are similar.
GDOP is computed from the geometric relationships between the receiver
position and the positions of the satellites the receiver is using for
navigation. For planning purposes GDOP is often computed from Almanacs
and an estimated position. Estimated GDOP does not take into account obstacles
that block the line-of-sight from the position to the satellites. Estimated
GDOP may not be realizable in the field.
In general, ranging errors from the SV signals are multiplied by the appropriate
GDOP term to estimate the resulting position or time error. Various GDOP
terms can be computed from the navigation covariance matrix. ECEF XYZ DOP
terms can be rotated into a North-East Down (NED) system to produce local
horizontal and vertical DOP terms.
GDOP Components
PDOP = Position Dilution of Precision (3-D), sometimes the Spherical DOP.
HDOP = Horizontal Dilution of Precision (Latitude, Longitude).
VDOP = Vertical Dilution of Precision (Height).
TDOP = Time Dilution of Precision (Time).
While each of these GDOP terms can be individually computed, they are formed
from covariances and so are not independent of each other. A high TDOP
(time dilution of precision), for example, will cause receiver clock errors
which will eventually result in increased position errors.
The idea behind all differential positioning is to correct bias errors
at one location with measured bias errors at a known position. A reference
receiver, or base station, computes corrections for each satellite signal.
Because individual pseudo-ranges must be corrected prior to the formation
of a navigation solution, DGPS implementations require software in the
reference receiver that can track all SVs in view and form individual pseudo-range
corrections for each SV. These corrections are passed to the remote, or
rover, receiver which must be capable of applying these individual pseudo-range
corrections to each SV used in the navigation solution. Applying a simple
position correction from the reference receiver to the remote receiver
has limited effect at useful ranges because both receivers would have to
be using the same set of SVs in their navigation solutions and have identical
GDOP terms (not possible at different locations) to be identically affected
by bias errors.
Differential Code GPS (Navigation)
Differential corrections may be used in real-time or later, with post-processing
techniques.
Real-time corrections can be transmitted by radio link. The U. S. Coast
Guard maintains a network of differential monitors and transmits DGPS corrections
over radiobeacons covering much of the U. S. coastline. DGPS corrections
are often transmitted in a standard format specified by the Radio Technical
Commission Marine (RTCM).
Corrections can be recorded for post processing. Many public and private
agencies record DGPS corrections for distribution by electronic means.
Private DGPS services use leased FM sub-carrier broadcasts, satellite links,
or private radio-beacons for real-time applications.
To remove Selective Availability (and other bias errors), differential
corrections should be computed at the reference station and applied at
the remote receiver at an update rate that is less than the correlation
time of SA. Suggested DGPS update rates are usually less than twenty seconds.
DGPS removes common-mode errors, those errors common to both the reference
and remote receivers (not multipath or receiver noise). Errors are more
often common when receivers are close together (less than 100 km). Differential
position accuracies of 1-10 meters are possible with DGPS based on C/A
code SPS signals.
All carrier-phase tracking is differential, requiring both a reference
and remote receiver tracking carrier phases at the same time.
In order to correctly estimate the number of carrier wavelengths at the
reference and remote receivers, they must be close enough to insure that
the ionospheric delay difference is less than a carrier wavelength. This
usually means that carrier-phase GPS measurements must be taken with a
remote and reference station within about 30 kilometers of each other.
Special software is required to process carrier-phase differential measurements.
Newer techniques such as Real-Time-Kinematic (RTK) processing allow for
centimeter relative positioning with a moving remote receiver.
When time information is transferred from one site to another, differential
techniques can result in time transfers of around 10 ns over baselines
as long as 2000 km.
Receiver costs vary depending on capabilities. Small civil SPS receivers
can be purchased for under $200, some can accept differential corrections.
Receivers that can store files for post-procesing with base station files
cost more ($2000-5000). Receivers that can act as DGPS reference receivers
(computing and providing correction data) and carrier phase tracking receivers
(and two are often required) can cost many thousands of dollars ($5,000
to $40,000). Military PPS receivers may cost more or be difficult to obtain.
Other costs include the cost of multiple receivers when needed, post-processing
software, and the cost of specially trained personnel.
Project tasks can often be categorized by required accuracies which will
determine equipment cost.
Low-cost, single-receiver SPS projects (100 meter accuracy)
Medium-cost, differential SPS code Positioning (1-10 meter accuracy)
High-cost, single-receiver PPS projects (20 meter accuracy)
High-cost, differential carrier phase surveys (1 mm to 1 cm accuracy)
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