GPS and World Metrology

BIPM/NMIJ-AIST Workshop/Symposium
May 17-21, 2005
Dr. Demetrios Matsakis
U.S. Naval Observatory
GPS = Global Positioning System
 An Idea that Grew
Conceived as a military system
Planned for civilian use after KAL007 disaster
Selective Availability zeroed in 2000
Carrier Phase Technology
Second and third frequencies for civilians
More and better satellites
 An Idea that Reproduced
GPS Enhancements
Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
European Geostationary Navigation Overlay
Service (EGNOS)
Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS)
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
GLONASS
GALILEO
Compatibility and Interoperability with GPS
GPtS = Global Positioning and Timing System

B
b
A a

c
C

Time is at the Core of GPS

GPS receivers measure distance from satellites A, B, and C by the
pseudoranges a, b, and c. Pseudoranges are measured as travel times,
and converted to distances.
If the receiver is at known position and calibrated, time can be obtained
from observing one satellite.
If the receivers time is known and its timing delays are calibrated, its
antennas position is at the intersection of spheres centered on the
satellites with radii a, b, and c.
If the receivers time and position are not known, they can be inferred
from observations of four satellites - but the time offset must be
calibrated.
62
 Carrier Phase of GPS Signal

Does not carry direct timing information

But it provides necessary and sufficient
information for many applications
A hundred times more precise
700 ps carrier wavelength << chip lengths
IGS: International GNSS Service
 Most Error Sources are Related to Time

Multi-path
Ionosphere delay
Troposphere delay
Equipment delay
Temperature effects
Humidity effects
Satellite clock errors
Antenna position errors
Satellite orbit errors
Every Error Source can be a
Measurement Opportunity

Position Measurements
Geodesy Measurements
Ionosphere Measurements
Weather measurements
Frequency Measurements
Time Measurements
 Position Measurements
Every modern surveyor uses a GPS receiver
WGS84/ICTRF coordinates
Translates coordinates to national standards
Someday there will be GPS/GNSS systems in
Every car
Every cell phone
Every childs clothing
Every box of sushi?
 Geodesy and GPS
Earthquakes
Polar Motion
Continental Drift
Length of Day
Schematic Illustration Of The Forces
That Perturb The Earths Rotation
At
m
f ice loaosph
Melting o din eri
el g c
l ev ng
a i
Se oad
l
El
gy ec

Gro
olo tro
hr en m
a

und
p co gne
re
Co up tic
lin

wat
g

er
Winds

Viscous
torques

-
a rth es Ocean
E uak Currents
q
r &

on
tra l
la ar

na
cti
So un

tio

Plate tectonics
L

ita
At
av
Gr

Source: Thomas Gold, Nature

Geodetic Survey Institute

http://mekira.gsi.go.jp
1224 GPS sites
CORS Array in USA
THE TSUNAMI
Position of North Pole, 1984-2002

Source: http://giub.geod.uni-bonn.de/vlbi/IVS-AC/combi-all/start.html
Variations In Length Of Day (pre-GPS)
sec. of time/day
0.003

0.002

0.001

0.000
45000 45500 46000 46500 47000 47500 48000

1982 MJD 1990

The Earth turns faster in the northern winter
Length of Day modern data
Length of Day

decade fluctuations

Long-term trend
Weather and GPS

IGS formal errors are .6 mm pwv

Ionosphere and GPS

2-hour snapshots, 0-85 TEC

http://www.cx.unibe.ch/aiu
 Relativity and GPS
Will not work without relativistic corrections
Tested every day, and every night
Gravitational red shift > Time Dilation >>0
One-way test of isotropy of speed of light
Michelson-Morely experiment was round-trip
Analysis by Petit and Wolf of the BIPM
 Atomic Time and GPS
International Atomic Time (TAI)
Insensitive to Earths rotational slowdown
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
Leapseconds inserted
1 day = 24 *60*60 International Seconds (SI)
Days of leap seconds have 86401 SI seconds
Clocks from >50 participating laboratories
Asia playing a growing role
GPS and UTC(USNO)
GPS COMMON-VIEW
Common-View Limitations
Linking Clocks Around the World
International Synchronization
Before and After GPS
Real-time Time Transfer
UTC(USNO)-USNO(AMC), ns, real-time
 Two Way Satellite Time and
Frequency Transfer (TWSTFT)
USNO Two-Way Satellite Time Transfer
Earth Terminals
GPS and TWSTFT Sensitivity
Type Time Time Time Frequency
stability stability Accuracy accuracy
1000 s 24 hr 24 hr 24 hr

GPS Direct Broadcast 5 to 10 ns * 2 ns 3 to 10 ns 4x10-14

(GPSDO-single freq.)

GPS Common-View 5 ns 1 ns 1 to 5 ns 2x10-14

(2500 km baseline)

GPS Carrier-Phase 20 ps 0.1 ns 1 to 3 ns 2x10-15

TWSTFT <0.1 ns 0.1 to .2 ns 1 ns 2-4x10-15

 TWSTFT vs. GPS
Time Transfer Noise
Precision (15 minutes averaging)
1. 10 ps -- carrier phase TWSTFT (??, Unproven)
2. 20 ps -- carrier phase GPS
3. 100 ps -- TWSTFT
4. 5 ns - GPS Common View
Accuracy, limited by systematic errors
1. 1 ns -- all TWSTFT methods
2. 3 ns -- all GPS methods
 TWSTFT vs. GPS
Administrative Costs
Data analysis
1. TWSTFT is simple and real-time
2. Carrier phase GPS requires mathematician
Others will reduce your data for free
Almost real-time (several hours latency)
Hardware
1. GPS hardware less expensive, lower maintenance
2. TWSTFT requires electricians and technicians
3. TWSTFT must rent satellite time
 Prediction: Time Transfer in 2010
(date of predictions: 2000)
1 Direct GPS: 1 ns
2 Post-processed carrier-phase GPS: 10 ps
accuracy
3 Real-time carrier phase GPS almost as good,
using predicted orbit and reference clock data
4 Carrier-phase based Two Way Satellite Time
Transfer will be at 1 ps level
5 Optical time-transfer technology will be
advancing to operational levels
 Prediction: State-of-the-Clock-Art in 2010
(date of predictions: 2000)

1 UTC will be computed hourly using:

Masers for hours to weeks
Trapped-ion for days to months
Atomic fountains for days to years
2 Exciting clocks, just becoming operational,
will include
Optical Frequency Standards
Space-based trapped-ion and beam clocks
 Predictions For End-User, 2010
(date of predictions: 2000)
Trend towards cheaper clocks, with greater
reliance on time transfer to GPS, etc.

With the removal of SA and future upgrades,

rubidium clocks steered to GPS may be replaced by
crystals steered to GPS.

Improvements to middle-end clocks may languish,

though they will never, ever stop.
 Conclusions
GPS has changed metrology forever
GPS, GALILEO, and their enhancements
such as QZSS will continue to transform
metrology