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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
EVOLUTION OF GPS
WHAT IS GPS?
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
(PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION)
INFORMATION IN A GPS SIGNAL
GPS ELEMENTS (GPS SEGMENTS )
TRACKING
APPLICATIONS OF GPS
COST OF THE SYSTEM
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
Where am I? Where am I going? Where are you? What is the best way to get
there? When will I get there? GPS technology can answer all these questions.
GPS satellite can show you exact position on the earth any time, in any weather,
no matter where you are! GPS technology has made an impact on navigation
and positioning needs with the use of satellites and ground stations the ability to
track aircrafts, cars, cell phones, boats and even individuals has become a
reality.
A system of satellites, computers, and receivers that is able to determine the
latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth by calculating the time difference
for signals from The Global Positioning different satellites to reach the receiver.
System (GPS) is a worldwide radio-navigation system formed from a
constellation of 24 satellites and their ground stations. GPS uses these "Manmade stars" as reference points to calculate positions accurate to a matter of
meters. In fact, with advanced forms of GPS you can make measurements to
better than a centimetre! In a sense it's like giving every square meter on the
planet a unique address. GPS receivers have been miniaturized to just a few
integrated circuits and so are becoming very economical. And that makes the
technology accessible to virtually everyone. 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.
EVOLUTION OF GPS
The technology evolved from, Mr.
Marconis transmission of radio
waves. This was applied for society
during
the
1920's
by
the
establishment of radio stations, for
which you only needed a receiver.
The same applies for GPS- you only
need a rather special radio receiver.
Significant advances in radio were
bolstered by large sums of money
during and after the Second World
War, and were even more advanced
by the need for communications
with early satellites and rockets, and
general space exploration. The
technology to receive radio signals
in a small hand-held, from
20,000kms away, is indeed amazing.
Throughout the 1960s the U.S. Navy
and Air Force worked on a number
of systems that would provide
navigation capability for a variety of
applications In 1973 finally, the U.S.
Department of Defense decided that
the military had to have a super
precise
form
of
worldwide
positioning. And fortunately they
had the kind of money ($12 billion!)
it took to build something really
good. In short, development of the
GPS satellite navigation system was
begun in the 1970s by the US
Department of Defense. The basis
for the new system was atomic
clocks carried on satellites, a
concept successfully tested in an
WHAT IS GPS ?
The Global Positioning System
(GPS) is a satellite-based navigation
system made up of a network of 24
satellites placed into orbit by the
U.S. Department of Defence that
continuously
transmit
coded
information, which makes it possible
to precisely identify locations on
earth by measuring the distance
from the satellites. The satellites
transmit very low power specially
coded radio signals that can be
processed in a GPS receiver,
enabling the receiver to compute
position, velocity and time thus
allowing anyone one with a GPS
receiver to determine their location
on earth. Four GPS satellite signals
are used to compute positions in
three dimensions and the time offset
in the receiver clock. The system
Control Segment:
It consists of a system of tracking
stations located around the world.
The control segment is composed of
all the ground-based facilities that
are used to monitor and control the
satellites. This segment is usually
unseen by the user, but is a vital part
of the system. The NAVSTAR
control
segment,
called
the
operational control system (OCS)
consists of 5 monitor stations, a
master control station (MCS) and 3
uplink antennas. The satellites send
down subsets of the orbital
User Segment:
The user segment is composed of
GPS
receivers composed of
processors and antennas that allow
for sea, land and airborne operators
to receive the broadcast. The
receivers convert space vehicle
signals into position, velocity and
time. A total of 4 satellites are
required
to
compute
these
calculations. In order to make this
simple calculation, then, the GPS
receiver has to know two things:
The location of at least three
satellites above you
The distance between you and each
of those satellites.
The GPS receiver figures both of
these things out by analyzing highfrequency, low-power radio signals
from the GPS satellites. Better units
have multiple receivers, so they can
TRACKING
GPS tracking means to trace
something or someone with the
Global Positioning System. The
below diagram illustrates the basic
AVL system. It shows the GPS
signal arriving from satellite to
vehicle. The vehicle location is
communicated to the PC (Control
Center) via wireless network. But
for thousands of years Homosapiens
has had the opportunity to observe
the movement and general habits of
members of his own species as well
as of wildlife, particularly by
following their tracks. It was a hard
and particular unsafe affair. Hence
the development of satellite tracking
by the Argos consortium was a
quantum leap in the human Tracking
business. Since 1994 the Global
Positioning System has been
available for civilian use at no cost.
Nowadays GPS makes it available to
everyone to track nearly everything.
Objects as well as persons can be
.
APPLICATIONS OF GPS
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books:
Outdoor Navigation with GPS by Stephen W. Hinch
The GPS Handbook by Robert I. Egbert
WebPages:
http://www.gpsinformation.net
http://www.AllGPS.com
http://garmin.com
http://colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps
http://trimble.com