2.

3 Detaills of GPS Seg

gments

The
T GPS confiiguration com
mprised of 3 segments, whiich are the opperational elem
ments of the G
GPS
(Figure 2..6):
 Sp pace Segmen
nt
 Control
C Segmeent
 User
U Segment

Figure 2.6
6: Segments off GPS

2.3.1 Spa
ace Segment (GPS Satelliite Constellattion or GPS Satellites orb
biting the Eaarth)

 U.S Air
A Force hass launched first GPS satellite in 1978.. Later on m more satellitess were launchhed to
complete the GPS satellite consstellation to total 24 satell ites orbiting tthe earth at aan altitude of about
20,200 km above the surface of o Earth. Thee high altitudde insures thaat the satellitee orbits are sstable,
precisse and predicctable, and thaat the satellittes' motion thhrough space is not affectted by atmosppheric
drag.

 The GPS
G satellitess comprise off sun seeking solar panels having NiCad batteries prroviding secoondary
powerr. The systemm consists of 24 21 + 3 active spares) nomiinally orbitingg the earth in MEO
2 satellites (2
i.e. Medium
M Earth Orbit at an altitude
a of 20
0,200 Km appproximately aalso named ass GPS Operaational
Consttellation. Each satellite tak
kes 12 hours in completinng one full orrbit and repeaat the same gground
track each day. The satellites arre arranged in
n 6 orbits withh 4 satellites iin each orbit, as shown in ffigure
2.7A and 2.7B. Att present therre are 27 operrational GPS satellites orbbiting the eartth as new ones are
replaccing older onee.

 The GPS
G satellite orbits
o are designed in suchh a manner thhat they ensurre the availabiility of minim
mum 4
satelliites whose visibility is aboove a 15° cut off angle anyywhere on thhe earth’s surfface irrespecttive of
day an nd radio signals from spacce, which are received by the GPS receeivers.
nd night. Thee satellites sen
Data from minimu um four satelllites are requuired for possitioning com
mputations. 155° cut-off anngle is
 taken to compensaate for ground d undulationss. Normally ffor an open gground, with fewer obstrucctions
(undu
ulating topogrraphy, high risse buildings etc.)
e there aree 6 or 7 satelliites visible quuite often.

 A verry accurate atomic

a clock having a fuundamental fr frequency of 10.23 MHZ is a very sppecial
characcteristic of eaach GPS satellite. On boarrd each GPS satellite are ffour atomic cclocks, only oone of
whichh is in use at a time. Thesse highly accurate atomic clocks havinng accuracy oof better thann 10-10
secon
nds enable GPS G to provide the most accurate tim ming system that exists. These clockks are
generrating the signnals via broad
dcasting from the satellite.

Fiigure 2.7A: GP
PS satellite con
nstellation Figure 2.77B: GPS satelliite

ntrol Segmen
2.3.2 Con nt (U.S. DOD
D Monitoring
g or The conttrol and mon
nitoring statiions)

 The U.S.
U Departmment of Defense managess a master coontrol stationn at Falcon A Air Force Baase in
Colorrado Springs, CO. There are a four otheer monitor staations locatedd in Hawaii, Ascension Island,
Diegoo Garcia and Kwajalein. Figure
F ows the locatiions of Contrrol Segment sstations. The DOD
2.8 sho
contro
ol stations measure
m the saatellite orbits precisely. Thhese are classsified accordding to 5 locaations
appro
ox. on the earth’s
e equattor and used d to measurre signals fr from SVs (S Satellite Vehhicles)
incorp
poration withh orbital modeel which enab bles the compputation of orrbital data i.ee. ephemeris & SV
clock correction fo
or each satellitte.

 The main
m functionn of Master Control
C Stationns is to uploaad ephemeris and clock daata into SVs w
which
then send
s their sub
bsets to GPS receivers
r via radio
r signals.

 The control
c segmeent is used inn tracking stattions, updatinng GPS satelllite position located arounnd the
world
d with calibrattion and syncchronization process
p of the ir clocks.

 It monitors and predicts the orb bital path of satellite

s for thhe next 24 hrrs. It also works to successsfully
locatee the expectedd position off each satellite via GPS reeceiver. Monnitor stations easily observve the
satelliite signals. Any
A discrepaancies betweeen predicted orbits and actual orbitss are subsequuently
T satellitess can then brooadcast these corrections, along
uploaaded and broaadcasted to eaach satellite. The
 with the
t other posiition and timiing data, so th
hat a GPS recceiver on the eearth can preccisely establish the
location of each saatellite it is traacking.

Figuree 2.8: Location

ns of Control S
Segment stationns

2.3.3 Userr Segment (M

Military and Civilian GPS Users)

 It com
mprises of anyyone who wissh to determiine his positioon and/or tim
me. The user sshould be equuipped
with a GPS receiv ver to receive the GPS signal. Various applications which can bee performed in the
user segment
s urveying and navigation in
are su ncluding mariine, aerial, maachine controol, vehicle etcc.

 GPS has been ussed by U.S. Military forr the purposee of reconnaaissance, navvigation & m missile
guidaance. Civiliann use of GPS developed att the same tim me as militarry uses were being established,
and has
h expanded far beyond original expectations. Theree are civiliann applications for GPS in aalmost
every field, from surveying to transportatio on to natural resource maanagement too agriculture. Most
civiliaan uses of GPPS, however,, fall into onee of four cateegories: naviggation, surveyying, mappinng and
timing g. Figure 2.9 shows variou
us types of GPPS receivers aas well as theiir uses in variious fields.
 Figure 2.9:
2 User segm
ment

 User Segment com mprises of thee user group equipped

e withh GPS receivvers. The GPS
S receiver recceives
the siignals from SV
S and conveerts these intto position, vvelocity, and time estimattes. Minimumm four
satelliites are requ
uired to comp pute the positional dimennsions of X, Y, Z alongg with Time. GPS
receiv
vers are mainlly used for naavigation and precise posittioning.