SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

GPS (global positioning system)

MMD Questions on GPS

1) How a Fix is obtained by a GPS? (January‟2008)

2) Describe the satellite segment of the GPS system .Explain the reason why
although 24 satellites are provided in the GPS system, only a minimum of four
may be actually available for position fixing? (August‟2008)
3) Describe the segments of GPS. Explain how the position of a ship is calculated
using Satellites? (January‟2009)
4) State the possible errors of GPS. What are the means adopted for recognizing
and rectifying them?
5) W.r.t. GPS system, explain DGPS, Significance of GDOP on fixes, Navigational
message. (January „2010)
6) Show how GPS gives a position fix with equations? How does Receiver find our
satellite clock off-set and User‟s Clock Error?(February‟2010)
7) Describe the Space segment of GPS in detail. How do the various error affect the
position fix? ( FEB‟2015)

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 GPS stands for “ Global Positioning System”

 GPS is a satellite-based navigation system.
 It works on the principle of “Timing & Ranging”, using the fact that signals
transmitted by satellites travel at a known speed of 3 x 108 M/s.
 Time taken by signal to travel is measured to obtain distance of satellite from the
earth.
 This way each satellite gives position sphere which on intercepted with the
earth‟s surface, gives position circle.
 Two such position circles give 2-D and three such position circles give 3-D
positions.
 An additional satellite measurement is taken by GPS receiver to account for
receiver Clock bias and thus correct all satellite “Pseudo Ranges” to correct
ranges and make the position free of errors.
 This is needed because Receiver clock is not very accurate like the expensive
Atomic Clocks fitted on satellites.

Advantages of GPS over other Position Fixing systems :

1. More accurate than any other existing system of position fixing method.
2. It provides Worldwide coverage and is unaffected by weather conditions and man
made or electrical interferences.

The GPS signal consists of :

 Pseudo Random Code: This code identifies the particular satellite , because
each satellite is having unique code.
 Ephemeris Data : This data is constantly transmitted by each satellite and
contains important information, such as status of the satellite, current date and
time.
 Almanac Data ; This data tells the GPS receiver where each satellite should be
at any time throughout the day.
Each satellite transmits Almanac data showing the orbital information for that
satellite and for every other satellite in the system. In other words each satellite
transmits a message which essentially says “I am satellite X, My position is
currently Y and this message was sent at time Z.”
The user‟s GPS receiver reads the message and saves the ephemeris and
almanac data for fixing the position.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

Each satellite transmits two codes, i.e.

„P‟ (Precision) Code and C/A (Coarse Acquisition) Code respectively.

C/A Code ( Coarse Acquisition Code)

 It is made up of a sequence of '0‟s and „1‟s, called „Chip‟

 The duration of each chip is about 1 μs and entire sequence is of 1 millisecond.
 The C/A code has a frequency of 1.023 MBits/sec.
 In terms of distance measurement, it approximates to 293 meters.
 The code sequence of 1023 such chips are arranged in pseudo random order,
which is known to the receiver and the entire sequence is repeated every after
one millisecond.
 This C/A code is to be used by civilian users.
 For GPS this C/A code gives 100 mtr accuracy.
 For DGPS this C/A code gives 10 mtr accuracy.

„P‟ Code ( Precision Code)

 The „P‟ code has a chip frequency of 10.23 Mbits/sec.

 The duration of each chip is about 0.1 μs
 In terms of distance measurement, it approximates to 29.3 meters
 The full length of the code is of 267 days.
 Each satellite is allocated only a 7 days piece of the code. During this period,
there is no repetition of this code.
 „P‟ code is reserved for military and its allies
 For GPS this „P‟ code gives 30 mtr accuracy
 For DGPS this „P‟ code gives 3 mtr accuracy

These codes are modulated by phase modulation technique on two carrier

frequencies, i.e.

L1= 1575.42 MHz (L1 signal consists of both the codes, i.e „P‟ code & C/A Code)

L2= 1227.60 MHz (L2 signal consists of only „P‟ code.)

 This extremely long code length of the „P‟ code, would make it difficult to look on
to the „P‟ Code initially,
 Therefore every after 6 seconds, the satellite transmits the time that has been
lapsed since „P‟ code has started.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 This will enable the receiver to find the appropriate part of the „P‟ code quickly

 This is achieved by initially locking on to the C/A code and then

transferring to the „P‟ code, by using Hand Over Word (HOW) contained in
30 seconds navigational message.

 The function of these codes is as follows:

 For satellite identification since each satellite has a unique code
 For measurement of the propagation time from satellite to the user.

SEGMENTS OF GPS :

This system is divided into three segments:

1) Ground-based Segment
2) Space Segment
3) User Segment

1) Ground-Based Segment :

1. A Master Control Station (MCS),

2. An alternate Master Control Station,
3. Four dedicated ground antennas, and
4. Six Dedicated Monitor Stations

A) Monitoring Control Station

It consists of four (4) land based Monitoring Stations.

 Hawaii,
 Kwajalein Atoll,
 Ascension Island,
 Diego Garcia,
 Colorado Springs, Colorado and

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 Cape Canaveral

 These Monitoring stations, along with shared NGA (National

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) monitor stations operated in England,
Argentina, Ecuador, Bahrain, Australia and Washington DC.
The Monitoring stations track the path of the satellites, obtain the data
from these satellites and pass the information to the Air Force Space
Command Master Control Station at, Schriever Air Force Base 25 km
(16 mi) ESE of Colorado Springs, which is operated by the 2nd Space
Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) of the U.S. Air Force.

 Then 2 SOPS contacts each GPS satellite regularly with a

navigational update using dedicated or shared (AFSCN) ground
antennas (GPS dedicated ground antennas are located at Kwajalein,
Ascension Island, Diego Garcia, and Cape Canaveral).

 These updates synchronize the atomic clocks on board the satellites

to within a few nanoseconds of each other, and adjust the ephemeris
of each satellite's internal orbital model.

 The updates are created by a Kalman filter that uses inputs from the
ground monitoring stations, space weather information, and various
other inputs.

 Satellite maneuvers are not precise by GPS standards. So to change

the orbit of a satellite, the satellite must be marked unhealthy, so
receivers will not use it in their calculation. Then the maneuver
can be carried out, and the resulting orbit tracked from the ground.
Then the new ephemeris is uploaded and the satellite marked
healthy again.

 The Operation Control Segment (OCS) currently serves as the

control segment of record. It provides the operational capability that
supports global GPS users and keeps the GPS system operational
and performing within specification

 OCS will continue to be the ground control system of record until the
new segment, Next Generation GPS Operation Control System
(OCX), is fully developed and functional.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

B) Master Control Station

It also has one (1) Master Control station and Upload station located at
COLORADO SPRINGS, in USA.

 After receiving the data from the Monitoring stations, the Master
Control Station does the necessary computations to predict the Future
path and positions of all the satellites.
 The Master Control station also determines the ERROR OF THE
ATOMIC CLOCKS in all the Satellites.
 The updated data are fed to the upload station, which in turn transmits
the same data to each satellite, three times a day.
 The Master Control Station can selectively degrade Satellite data. This
degradation is known as SELECTIVE AVAILABILITY and it can cause
position errors of 100 meters.

2) Space Segment :

 The space segment (SS) is composed of the orbiting GPS satellites, or

Space Vehicles (SV) in GPS parlance. It consists of 24 satellites.
 24 satellites are evenly placed, each in three approximately circular orbits,[
but this was modified to six orbital planes with four satellites each.
 The six orbit planes have approximately 55° inclination (tilt relative to
Earth's equator) and are separated by 60° right ascension of the
ascending node (angle along the equator from a reference point to the
orbit's intersection).
 The orbital period is one-half a sidereal day, i.e., 11 hours and 58
minutes so that the satellites pass over the same locations or almost the
same locations every day.
 They move at a speed of 3.9 Km/ Sec
 Orbiting at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km (12,600 mi); The
Satellites are located at a height of 20,200 km above the earth‟s Surface.
 Orbital radius of approximately 26,600 km (16,500 mi),

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 Each orbit is inclined at an angle of to the quinoctial and the

angle between the 2 successive orbits is 0
 The orbits are arranged so that at least six satellites are always within
line of sight from almost everywhere on Earth's surface. The result of
this objective is that the four satellites are not evenly spaced (90
degrees) apart within each orbit.
 The satellites are so arranged in such a manner that at any time signals
can be received from at least 4 satellites having elevation of more
than 9.5 degrees.
 In general terms, the angular difference between satellites in each
orbit is 30, 105, 120, and 105 degrees apart which sum to 360
degrees.
 If any satellite transmits Erroneous Data, or is otherwise not
operating properly, a Ground station marks it “UNH ALTHY”.
 The affected satellite broadcasts its status to the GPS Receiver,
which is programmed to ignore an unhealthy Satellite and use the
next best Satellite.

3) User Segment :

 It consists of Receiver with built-in computer, Display unit and antenna.

 The Receiver locks on to one satellite and from this satellite it obtains the
Almanac of all other satellites.
 Thereby selects the four most suitable satellites, for position fixing.
 The fix obtained is displayed on the display unit, along with other
information like Course Made Good, Speed Over Ground & UTC.

NAVIGATIONAL MESSAGE

 Each satellite transmits a Navigational Message of 30 sec in the form of 50 Bits

data frame.
 This data, which is different, for each satellite, is supplied by Master
Control Station and is divided into 5 sub-frames.
 Each sub-frame commences with Telemetry Word (TLM), containing
Satellite status, followed by Hand Over Word (HOW) data for acquiring „P‟
Code from „C/A code‟.
 The 1st Sub-frame contains Data relating to the Satellite correction.
 The 2nd & 3rd Sub-frame contain the Satellite Ephemeris defining the position
of the satellite.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 The 4th Sub-frame passes an Alpha-numeric data to the user and will only
be used upload station has a need to pass specific message.
 The 5th Sub-frame gives the Almanac or all other satellites which includes
data on Satellite Health and identity codes. Thus allowing the user for
optimum choice of the satellites for position fixing.

POSITION FIXING:

 In addition each satellite transmits 2 types of Orbit data, Almanac & Ephemeris
(Contains Status of Satellite, Current Date & Time)
 Almanac data contains the health of the satellite & approximate location of each
satellite in the system.
 A GPS Receiver Almanac data from any available Satellite, using information
from the Almanac.
 The Receiver then determines which set of satellites will give the best
geometries for position fixing and then the Receiver obtains Ephemeris from
those satellites.
 The Receiver then assesses the Transmission time and Signal quality from each
satellite and multiplies the difference in Transmission time by speed of the light
to arrive at estimated Satellite‟s Distance.
 Ephemeris data contains the precise orbital parameters of each satellite.
 Position Fixing is done determining the range of the satellite from the Receiver.
 The Range measurement is achieved by measuring the propagation time from
the satellite to the Receiver.
 The Receiver and the Satellites simultaneously generate a code known as the
C/A Code and then by correlating the code, Propagation time is measured.
 The range so obtained from the satellite is R = C x (t-t1)
Where, R = Range, C = Velocity of Radio Waves.
(t-t1) = Time taken for the satellite signal to reach the Receiver.

 All the satellites have a very expensive ATOMIC CLOCK.

 Receiver‟s Clock is known as the USER CLOCK.
 The Receiver‟s clock is not synchronized with the satellite clock, and thus the
range so obtained above is not the True range and is termed as PSEUDO
RANGE.
 Therefore there are four unknown factors:
 The Latitude of the Observer
 The Longitude of the Observer
 The Altitude
 The User Clock Error.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 Through the 30 Sec Navigational Message, the Receiver knows the exact
position of the Satellite in terms of (X1, Y1, Z1).
 Thus the following equation is obtained:
PR1 – C x t = √{(X1 – X)2 + (Y1 – Y)2 + (Z1 – Z)2}

 Where, PR1 is the Pseudo Range from the satellites. & C x t is the Error in
Range Measurement due to the error in User‟s Clock Error.
 Since there are four unknown factors, 4 satellites are used and 4 Pseudo
Range are obtained as follows:
 PR2 – C x t = √{(X2 – X)2 + (Y2 – Y)2 + (Z2 – Z)2}
 PR3 – C x t = √{(X3 – X)2 + (Y3 – Y)2 + (Z3 – Z)2}
 PR4 – C x t = √{(X4 – X)2 + (Y4 – Y)2 + (Z4 – Z)2}
 In case of a Floating ship, only latitude and Longitude is required to be
calculated and hence 3 satellites are sufficient.
 However for 3-dimensional position fixing, such as for aircraft, where altitudes
are also required to be calculated four satellites are required.
 The accuracy of the FIX obtained by the C/A code is 100 meters and that
obtained by the „P‟ Code is 30 meters in case of GPS.
 However for DGPS, the accuracy of the FIX obtained is enhanced by the C/A
code to 10 meters and that obtained by the „P‟ Code is 3 meters respectively.

ERRORS IN GPS POSITIONS:

1) Satellite Clock Error : This is caused by error in Satellite‟s clock with respect to
GPS time. This is monitored by ground based segment and any error in the
Satellite Clock forms part of the 30seconds navigational message. Though
satellite clocks are highly accurate, they are not perfect. Clock errors can cause
positional errors of about 1.5m.

2) User Clock Error : It is caused by user clock not being synchronized with the
satellite clock. Because of this Range measurement will not be correct and is
known as Pseudo range. This error is eliminated within the receiver by extra
satellite measurement (three for 2D and four for 3D positions). Extra
measurement is used to find the extra unknown variable, i.e. the error between
user and satellite clock.

3) GDOP : The lower the value of the GDOP, higher the accuracy of the Fix
obtained. The value of the GDOP is indicated on the display. Since the receiver
knows the position of all the satellites through 30 sec Navigational Message, it is

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

programmed to select the best available satellites considering their elevation

and geometry.

4) Multi Path Error: This is caused due to signal coming to the receiver, after being
reflected from other obstructions in addition to reaching the receiver directly. The
two signals thus received simultaneously cause distortion of signal and in turn
affect the range measurement. This problem is resolved by suitable siting of
antenna. Multipath errors are difficult to detect but good quality sophisticated
receivers can minimize the problem using intricate signal rejection techniques.

5) Ionospheric and Tropospheric Error : Radio waves transmitted by satellites

pass through different layers of atmosphere and space and undergoes change in
its velocity which in turn affects the range measurement and hence the fix. Dual
frequency receivers are able to receive both the frequencies and calculate the
correction and do the compensation with the receiver. Ionosphere position errors
can be about 5 meter , whereas troposphere conditions can cause errors up to
1m.

6) Deviation of Satellite from predicted path: The satellites are monitored and
their paths predicted by ground based segment. Between two consecutive
monitoring there may be small deviations from their respective paths. These
deviations then translate into errors in fixes. These errors can be up to 2.5m.

DGPS : (Differential GPS)

 The differential GPS system is used to enhance the accuracy of the normal GPS
system, so that it can be used for survey, drilling, oceanography etc where higher
accuracy of position fixing is required.
 A DGPS reference station is located at a fixed location, whose position is known.
 A GPS at this station tracks all the satellites in its site, obtains data from them
and computes a position as described above.
 A correction is then computed
using the obtained position and the
known position.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 These corrections are then broadcasted to

GPS user‟s to improve their positional accuracy.
 This correction can be transmitted in two
ways:
 Computing and transmitting a
position correction in terms of Latitude,
Longitude & Altitude, i.e. x, y & z coordinates
and
 Computing Pseudo Range
correction to each satellite, which is then
broadcast to the user and applied to the user‟s
Pseudo Range measurement before the position is calculated by the
onboard receiver resulting in a higher accuracy of position fix.
 In the first method less data needs to be broadcast as compared to second
method
 But the First method is not used as it will not always be possible for the user to
log onto the same satellites, as the DGPS Receiver.
 As satellites cannot be selected manually therefore the second method is used.

Difference Between GPS and DGPS

The GPS and DGPS are the satellite-based navigation systems. The basic
difference between GPS and DGPS lies on their accuracy, DGPS is more
accurate than GPS. DGPS was intentionally designed to reduce the signal
degradation.

GPS provides the accuracy about 10 meters, but DGPS can provide accuracy
around 1 meter, even beyond that 10 cm.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

Content: GPS Vs DGPS

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR
GPS DGPS
COMPARISON

Number of Only one, i.e., Stand-alone Two, Rover and

receivers used GPS receiver stationary receivers

Accuracy 15-10 m 10 cm

Range of the Global Local (within 100 km)

instruments

Cost Affordable as compared to Expensive

DGPS

Frequency range 1.1 - 1.5 GHz Varies according to

agency

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

BASIS FOR
GPS DGPS
COMPARISON

Factors affecting Selective availability, satellite Distance between the

the Accuracy timing, atmospheric transmitter and rover,

conditions, ionosphere, ionosphere, troposphere

troposphere and multipath. and multipath.

Time coordinate WGS84 Local coordinate system

system used

Definition of GPS
Global Positioning System (GPS) provides the accurate position of an
object to the earth. It uses timely signals generated by satellites revolving
around the earth. GPS includes a constellation of 24 satellites and extra for
backup purpose. Four satellites are used for getting the precise position, this
process is known as trilateration.

GPS technology uses standalone receivers, where the location is directly

calculated. This technique is prone to errors such as uncorrected satellite
clock errors, orbital parameter satellite error, ionospheric and tropospheric
delays, multipath errors, geometric errors and datum selection errors. To
reduce these errors new technologies are evolved. GPS can gain nominal
accuracy of 10-15 meters.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

Definition of DGPS
Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) is an improvement to GPS.
DGPS technology can achieve accuracy up to 10 cm. It reduces or eliminates
the signal degradation, resulting in improving the accuracy. The goal of
differential GPS is not to go directly for the location; rather it finds the location
relative to a fixed reference point. DGPS relies on two receivers rover and
reference receiver, rover is the user, and reference receiver is also known as
the stationary receiver.

A stationary receiver is fixed, and its position is known to the system. The
satellite information is continuously beamed towards the rover and the base
station tower. Base station tower uses its known position to calculate the
accurate timing. The stationary receiver sends the information to the rover
receiver to rectify the measurements with the help of stationary receiver‟s
relative position

Key Differences Between GPS and DGPS

1. In GPS, there is a standalone receiver which receives signals from the

satellite whereas in DGPS there are two receivers, reference receiver
and rover (user) where rover receives a calibrated signal from the
reference receiver (fixed base station).

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

2. The accuracy of GPS system is around 15 meters. On the other hand,

DGPS is more accurate and can achieve accuracy up to 10 cm.
3. GPS instruments cover the wide range and can be used globally while
DGPS instruments cover a short range up to 100 km, but this range
could change according to the frequency band.
4. GPS system is less expensive as compared to DGPS system.
5. The signal frequency transmitted by satellites in GPS ranges between
1.1 to 1.5 GHz. On the contrary, in DGPS the satellites do not transmit
fixed range of frequency, the transmitted frequency depends on the
agencies.
6. The factors that affect the accuracy of the GPS system are selective
availability, satellite timing, atmospheric conditions, ionosphere,
troposphere and multipath. In contrast, the DGPS system is affected by
the distance between the transmitter and rover, ionosphere, troposphere
and multipath but at less extent.
7. The GPS uses WGS84 time coordinate system which is an earth-fixed
terrestrial system, earth-centred, and geodetic datum. As against DGPS
uses a local coordinate system.
Conclusion
The Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) is more accurate
technology than its antecedent Global Positioning system (GPS). The
accuracy in DGPS is improved by using two receivers instead of using one,
which finds the precise location using relative positions.

D.O.P. (Dilution of Precision) : A dimensionless number that takes into account

the contribution of relative satellite geometry to errors in position determination.

 Positions tagged with a higher DOP value generally constitute poorer

measurement results than with lower DOP.
 Thus DOP is a measure of the quality of GPS data received from the Satellites.
 The main factors affecting DOP are the number of Satellites being tracked and
where these satellites are positioned in the sky.

 There are 5 types of DOPs:

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 HDOP : It is a measure of the accuracy of 2 dimensional positions.

Higher HDOP values can be caused by Satellites at high elevations.

 VDOP : It is a measure of how well satellites are arranged to give vertical

position. Higher VDOP means less certainty and can be caused if
satellites have low elevations.

 PDOP : It is a measure of overall certainty in GPS position with TDOP

not included in the estimated certainty.
 PDOP = Square root of (HDOP square + VDOP square)
 A perfect PDOP implies one satellite directly overhead and 3 satellites
positioned at 120 degrees intervals just above the horizon.
 PDOP value less than 4 (<4) gives the best accuracy.
 PDOP value between 4 and 8 (4-8) means acceptable accuracy.
 PDOP value greater than 8 (>8) implies poor accuracy.

 TDOP : It is a measure of certainty of how well GPS measures time.

 GDOP : It is the overall certainty of position as well as time measurement

,i.e. including TDOP as well
 GDOP = Square root of (PDOP square + TDOP square)

 The Position Accuracy = DOP x Measurement Precision

 E.g. if DOP is 5 and M.P. is 1 meter, then
 Position Accuracy (P.A.) = 5 x 1 = 5 meters.

Geodetic Datum: It is also called Horizontal Datum.

 It is a reference for specifying positions on the earth‟s surface.
 Each reference (datum) is associated with a particular reference spheroid.
 Positions referred to different datum can differ by several hundred meters.
 WGS 84 stands for World Geodetic Datum (system) 1984.
 All GPS positions are with respect to WGS 84.
 If the chart is not drawn to the same datum, positions from GPS has to be
reduced to the datum of the chart by the difference, known as “Datum Shift”

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

 The datum Shift is given on charts, under the title “Satellite Derived Positions”.
An example is also given showing how to apply datum shift to GPS positions
before plotting them on the chart.
 Eventually all charts will be referred to WGS 84 datum. But this is a lengthy
process. One that can proceed when the relationships between existing surveys
and WGS 84 datum have been established.
 Any differences in positions obtained between GPS and other source should be
reported by mariner on Form H102b (Form for Recording GPS Observation and
Corresponding Chart Positions).
 Most GPS receivers now have the facility to perform transformations of positions
from WGS84 datum to variety of local horizontal datum.
 The general parameters used in the software may differ from those used by the
Hydrographic Office resulting in the possibility that positions may not agree with
the chart, even if the horizontal datum is stated to be the same.
 It is therefore recommended that GPS to be kept referenced to WGS 84 datum
and apply datum shift indicated on the chart.

Spheroid : It is a mathematically regular surface resembling a slightly flattened sphere,

defined by the length of it‟s axes and used to approximate the “geoid” in geodetic
computations.

Geoid: An imaginary surface which is everywhere perpendicular to the plumb line and
which on average coincides with MSL in open oceans. Its shape approximates to that of
a spheroid but it‟s irregular because of uneven distribution of earth‟s mass.

Almanac: A set of parameters included in GPS satellite message that is used by

receiver to predict the appropriate location satellite.

Pseudo Random code: It is a fundamental part of GPS. Physically it is just a very

complicated digital code, i.e. a complicated sequence of “on” and “off” pulses. The
signal is so complicated that it looks like random electrical noise . Hence the name
“Pseudo Random”.

The complexity serves two purposes.

It makes sure that receiver doesn‟t accidentally sync up to the some other signal. The
pattern is so complex that it is unlikely that a stray signal will have exactly the same
shape.

Since each satellite has its own PR code this complexity also ensures that receiver
won‟t accidentally pick up some other satellite‟s signal. So all satellites can use same

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)
 SEIET NOTES ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS- GPS

frequency without jamming each other. And it makes it more difficult for a hostile force
to jam the system. In fact PR code gives DoD a way to control the system.

Scale of charts: At a scale of 1:25000 plotting precision of 0.2 mm means an accuracy

of about 5 meters on ground.

Initialization of GPS:

 Coordinate system for positional display (UTM: Universal Transverse Mercator,

Lat/Long etc)
 Elevation/Antenna Height: Select 2D or 3D mode. When in 2D mode, the
receiver computes position only and to maximize accuracy in this mode the
elevation/antenna height should be entered. In 3D , the receiver computes
position and elevation.
 Lat and Long of the vessel : Enter your approximate position. It will greatly
shorten the time to fix the first position, otherwise it will take 20 minutes to give
the first fix.
 Time: Select UTC or local time.
 Velocity Averaging: Velocity averaging can be used to minimize the effects of SA
on velocity output. The settings are off, 20s, 60s.
 Compass Reference: Select Magnetic or True North.
 Chart Datum : Select the required datum, preferably WGS 84.
 Last Fix Interval : Sets the rate at which positions are automatically saved.
Settings are: Off, 10min,20min, 30min.
 Plot set up : Adjusts the track orientation and track history on the plot screen. For
track select 0.1, 0.5,1.0, 2.0 miles. For orientation choose between Head Up and
North Up.
 Alarms: Select any or all of the following alarms: Anchor alarm; Arrival alarm;
Cross Track alarm .
 Light intensity and contrast settings.

COMPILED BY CAPT. SUBHADIP BANERJEE –

FACULTY, SEIET (KOLKATA CAMPUS)