What is GPS?
The Global Positioning Arrangement (GPS) is a satellite-based aeronautics arrangement fabricated up of a arrangement of 24 satellites placed into apogee by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally advised for aggressive applications, but in the 1980s, the government fabricated the arrangement accessible for noncombatant use. GPS works in any acclimate conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no cable fees or bureaucracy accuse to use GPS.
How it works
GPS satellites amphitheater the apple alert a day in a actual absolute apogee and address arresting advice to earth. GPS receivers yield this advice and use triangulation to account the user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a arresting was transmitted by a digital with the time it was received. The time aberration tells the GPS receiver how far abroad the digital is. Now, with ambit abstracts from a few added satellites, the receiver can actuate the user's position and affectation it on the unit's cyberbanking map.
A GPS receiver have to be bound on to the arresting of at atomic three satellites to account a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and clue movement. With four or added satellites in view, the receiver can actuate the user's 3D position (latitude, breadth and altitude). Once the user's position has been determined, the GPS assemblage can account added information, such as speed, bearing, track, cruise distance, ambit to destination, aurora and dusk time and more.
How authentic is GPS?
Today's GPS receivers are acutely accurate, acknowledgment to their alongside multi-channel design. Garmin's 12 alongside approach receivers are quick to lock assimilate satellites if aboriginal angry on and they advance able locks, even in close foliage or burghal settings with alpine buildings. Certain atmospheric factors and added sources of absurdity can affect the accurateness of GPS receivers. Garmin® GPS receivers are authentic to aural 15 meters on average.
Newer Garmin GPS receivers with WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) adequacy can advance accurateness to beneath than three meters on average. No added accessories or fees are appropriate to yield advantage of WAAS. Users can aswell get bigger accurateness with Cogwheel GPS (DGPS), which corrects GPS signals to aural an boilerplate of three to 5 meters. The U.S. Coast Guard operates the a lot of accepted DGPS alteration service. This arrangement consists of a arrangement of building that accept GPS signals and address a adapted arresting by alarm transmitters. In adjustment to get the adapted signal, users accept to accept a cogwheel alarm receiver and alarm antenna in accession to their GPS.
The GPS digital system
The 24 satellites that accomplish up the GPS amplitude articulation are orbiting the apple about 12,000 afar aloft us. They are consistently moving, authoritative two complete orbits in beneath than 24 hours. These satellites are travelling at speeds of almost 7,000 afar an hour.
GPS satellites are powered by solar energy. They accept advancement batteries onboard to accumulate them active in the accident of a solar eclipse, if there's no solar power. Small rocket boosters on anniversary digital accumulate them aerial in the actual path.
Here are some added absorbing facts about the GPS satellites (also alleged NAVSTAR, the official U.S. Department of Defense name for GPS):
The aboriginal GPS digital was launched in 1978.
A abounding afterlife of 24 satellites was accomplished in 1994.
Each digital is congenital to endure about 10 years. Replacements are consistently getting congenital and launched into orbit.
A GPS digital weighs about 2,000 pounds and is about 17 anxiety beyond with the solar panels extended.
Transmitter ability is alone 50 watts or less.
What's the signal?
GPS satellites address two low ability radio signals, appointed L1 and L2. Civilian GPS uses the L1 abundance of 1575.42 MHz in the UHF band. The signals biking by band of sight, acceptation they will canyon through clouds, bottle and artificial but will not go through a lot of solid altar such as barrio and mountains.
A GPS arresting contains three altered $.25 of advice - a pseudorandom code, ephemeris abstracts and annual data. The pseudorandom cipher is artlessly an I.D. cipher that identifies which digital is transmitting information. You can appearance this amount on your Garmin GPS unit's digital page, as it identifies which satellites it's receiving.
Ephemeris data, which is consistently transmitted by anniversary satellite, contains important advice about the cachet of the digital (healthy or unhealthy), accepted date and time. This allotment of the arresting is capital for free a position.
The annual abstracts tells the GPS receiver area anniversary GPS digital should be at any time throughout the day. Anniversary digital transmits annual abstracts assuming the alternate advice for that digital and for every added digital in the system.
Sources of GPS arresting errors
Factors that can abase the GPS arresting and appropriately affect accurateness cover the following:
Ionosphere and blast delays - The digital arresting slows as it passes through the atmosphere. The GPS arrangement uses a congenital archetypal that calculates an boilerplate bulk of adjournment to partially actual for this blazon of error.
Signal multipath - This occurs if the GPS arresting is reflected off altar such as alpine barrio or ample bedrock surfaces afore it alcove the receiver. This increases the biking time of the signal, thereby causing errors.
Receiver alarm errors - A receiver's congenital alarm is not as authentic as the diminutive clocks onboard the GPS satellites. Therefore, it may accept actual slight timing errors.
Orbital errors - Also accepted as ephemeris errors, these are inaccuracies of the satellite's appear location.
Number of satellites arresting - The added satellites a GPS receiver can "see," the bigger the accuracy. Buildings, terrain, cyberbanking interference, or sometimes even close foliage can block arresting reception, causing position errors or possibly no position account at all. GPS units about will not plan indoors, underwater or underground.
Satellite geometry/shading - This refers to the about position of the satellites at any accustomed time. Ideal digital geometry exists if the satellites are amid at advanced angles about to anniversary other. Poor geometry after-effects if the satellites are amid in a band or in a bound grouping.
Intentional abasement of the digital arresting - Selective Availability (SA) is an advised abasement of the arresting already imposed by the U.S. Department of Defense. SA was advised to anticipate aggressive adversaries from application the awful authentic GPS signals. The government angry off SA in May 2000, which decidedly bigger the accurateness of noncombatant GPS receivers.