GALILEO, GLONASS And NAVSTAR A Report on GPS for GIS People GISCafe.

com March 2002

Background Global positioning systems (GPS) have dramatically impacted GIS. These systems are providing high accuracy positioning and navigational functionality in the transportation, natural resources, oil and gas, emergency, agricultural and urban planning sectors amongst many others. The Russian Federation GLONASS and the American NAVSTAR systems have been providing GPS services for almost two decades. A third GPS system is, being proposed by a consortium in European. The Galileo GPS system would be owned and operated by Europeans and was recently supported by the European Parliament. Each of these systems is suitable for use by GIS professionals and collectively could result in major benefits, design of new equipment and new applications that will affect GIS users. A debate has ongoing with respect to GALILEO for some time, questioning the need for another GPS system. This article will review the current GPS systems and discuss some of the issues surrounding GLONASS, NAVSTAR and GALILEO and how they relate to GIS professionals. History The GLONASS satellite system and NAVSTAR systems began operation in the early 1980s. Both systems were designed to similar purposes, to allow for precise navigation and accurate positioning. Each of these systems requires a minimum of 24 satellites to operate. The NAVSTAR system operating in 6 orbital planes while GLONASS operates in 3 orbital planes. Because the systems were new at that time, the coverage was limited initially. These systems were not declared fully operational until the mid 1990s, though several users were routinely using them before that time. It took some time before GIS applications incorporated GPS data in the early 1990s. GIS itself was still transitioning to the desk top and many individuals and companies were slowly increasing GIS capability and capacity in terms of hardware, software and knowledge about these technologies. BY the time both of these systems were considered fully operational in 1995, GIS and GPS were well underway towards being coupled and used together. With the fall of the Berlin Wall November 1989, a new perspective occurred with respect to GPS. Suddenly the concepts of dual GPS receivers utilizing both GLONASS and NAVSTAR satellites began to arise. This would potentially mean the existence of almost 50 satellites in the sky available for GPS users. GNSS would result in higher levels of coverage and without a doubt continuous availability of satellites suitable for tracking. GNSS would also allow for integrity checking between satellite systems, where errors between them could be processed and higher solutions obtained particularly for

navigational and transportation purposes. This would however require special GPS receivers and software termed GNSS receivers that could track both systems, acquiring signals from each and processing them together due to the fact each operated independently and were based upon differing technical design. As the GLONASS system began to deteriorate due to lack funding, many efforts were made to finance and keep the system from deteriorating further, ensuring a full compliment of satellites for GLONASS were available. The purpose of GLONASS as stated by the Russian Federation Declarative of 1999 is to provide and promote, strengthening confidence and openness in international affairs, upkeep international stability and widen scientific and technical relations between states. About the same the U.S. government was reviewing NAVSTAR in a study before the Senate NAVSTAR GPS Satellite Armed Services Committee said: "It is Courtesy U.S. Joint Program Office clear that GPS offers the potential to revolutionize the movement of goods and people the world over. Civil and commercial exploitation of GPS could soon dwarf that of the Department of Defense and lead to large productivity gains and increased safety in all transportation sectors." The U.S. joint program office for NAVSTAR sums their goals as follows: Mission Acquire and sustain survivable, effective, and affordable Global Positioning Services for our customers. Vision We are the center of excellence for space-based navigation. Motto Any Time, Any Place, Right Time, Right Place

Clearly the ability to be at the right place or a place, accurately and acknowledging time is something, which most GIS professionals support, need and enjoy as they develop spatial applications. Thus both NAVSTAR and GLONASS have become more directed toward civilian applications making that increasingly possible. Originally NAVSTAR had accuracy of 100 m @ 95% in the horizontal plane and 186 m @ 95% in the vertical plane (x-coordinate) for civilian use. That was significantly improved with the recent abolishment of selective availability (SA) or time dithering of GPS signals that resulting in higher levels of errors. These errors are now 36 m @ 95% horizontal and 77 m @ 95% vertical respectively, though most users achieve much better accuracy often. The GALILEO system aims to provide similar or better levels of accuracy. Within the

last few months 3 new GLONASS satellites have been launched and it would appear that yet another attempt to complete that constellation is underway. Thus, at present NAVSTAR is fully operating, GLONASS is launching new satellites and GALILEO remains to be decided upon. This creates interesting issues for the U.S., Russian Federation and the 15 members of the EU participating in GALILEO and the supporting European Space Agency. GLONASS GPS Satellite
Courtesy: Russian Federation for Space

GALILEO The GALILEO GPS system while appearing to be controversial is being proposed for technical reasons, economic and sovereignty reasons which in the long run can impact European scientists and civilian users and those interested in high quality positioning and navigation for GIS worldwide. Technically, GALILEO is designed to integrate both NAVSTAR and GLONASS to become a truly GNSS solution or operate independently. There would be 30 satellites in the GALILEO constellation. In total combined, almost 80 satellites combining the 3 GPS systems would potentially be available to be tracked using a combined GNSS receiver. Secondly, because the angle of inclination for satellites with respect to the equator will be higher, better coverage of northern European areas will be possible something which GPS does not do as well as needed at the moment. Thirdly, GALILEO would allow European providers of spatial services closer control over positioning services and be less affected by military needs of NAVSTAR, which at times results in the movement of satellites for military purposes. This system is being proposed by the 15 EU member states as well as the European Space Agency, which is a consortium of numerous companies involved in geo-science and scientific study for the European region. Perhaps one of the strongest reasons for envisioning GALILEO is that it becomes truly an international platform, designed to deal with interoperability issues arising from integration with NAVSTAR and GLONASS and is operated from a civilian standpoint not a military one. Thought he European Parliament has recently indicated military peacekeeping should be part of the mandate for GALILEO. During meetings in December 2001, GALILEO status was undecided as support waned. Later in the month several members of the EU and the European Space Agency advocated that GALILEO is an imperative for Europe and must proceed with final approval no later than March 2002. This was later articulated in the context of European sovereignty by former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, If Europe really wishes to be taken seriously as a partner by the U.S. while ensuring it has access to capabilities critical

for its economic development, it must demonstrate it has the will and means to develop a presence in space. Economically, some reports indicate that GALILEO could generate as much as 190B$ in goods and services, new products and technologies over 10 years while at the same time providing many jobs in an expanding European space program. Debates continue but the European Parliament approved the GALILEO system in February 2002 but indicated a reduced direct involvement with industry for its operation. But for those of us involved in spatial sciences and using GPS to build and provide GIS solutions, there could potentially be many benefits for having 3 systems. Impact on GIS The impact that each of these GPS systems has had on the average GIS professional over the last decade would appear varied. Initially there was a large push towards GNSS in the early 1990s during a time when many manufacturers and users were anticipating the system would be in place. In fact, there are some GNSS receivers on the market today. At that time users were expecting higher levels of accuracy until the sudden decline of the GLONASS system. With the advent of GALILEO it might very well be that users will once again return with high expectations of a dual GPS receiver. NAVSTAR has operated continuously and there have been many products and services enter the market place using that system, which have met GIS users needs while enhancing their capabilities. This existing infrastructure has grown to become a multi-billion industry with forecasts in the neighborhood of anywhere from 7-12 $B by 2008 and GALILEO GPS Satellite Courtesy: European Space Agency that is only for GPS and related products using the NAVSTAR specification and system. Organizations need to plan GPS technologies and GIS side by side into a common application strategy for their organizations. IT managers and companies have watched spatial technologies expand within their organizations. This has necessitated careful planning and attention to interoperability between hardware, software and training/education needs. Each of these, are determined due to the continuous and useful presence of NAVSTAR. Issues that address the unique operating specifications of all three systems if they are to be integrated successfully will need to be considered. The abolishment of selective availability in the NAVSTAR system has resulted in higher accuracies, which have allowed many first time users of GPS products to enter the market and achieve quality results and success without having to resort to differential correction. Though, higher accuracy GPS applications still require differential GPS processing to

consistently obtain sub-meter performance since atmospheric effects, multi-path and noise remain as error sources. Today - most users of GPS and GIS products are aware of NAVSTAR and have designed and implemented IT sections accordingly. If GNSS is developed to the extent predicted and the level of interoperability is achieved then this could conceivably result in a new thrust of development involving GPS equipment, GIS software and new techniques for applications based upon the larger numbers of satellites. Increased training in interoperable systems may be just around the corner, though it can be anticipated that much of this interoperability will be designed into software and hardware and operate in a hidden fashion. Data will be collected, processed and downloaded readily. Datum and geoids will be calculated on the fly and the systems will work smoothly without the user even knowing all of these processes are being performed. Even data tables will be seamlessly created. Can you imagine clicking on a mouse button and asking only for locations with NAVSTAR or GLONASS or GALILEO satellites? That would be interesting to see! How would differential corrections be applied? Could it be that any combination of the three would be possible? GNSS and the Future The next question becomes, who are likely to be GNSS users? Without a doubt many European countries and users will embrace GNSS since it is supported by the member states through their Parliament. This could also result in many more users in higher latitudes for which the system is designed if GALILEO is incorporated. Along with NAVSTAR, applications will be augmented, particularly for regions where satellite visibility in valleys and inner cities are involved resulting in more real-time applications. NAVSTAR will continue to dominate the GPS scene due to its already existing and installed infrastructure that supports the system in hardware, software and technical know how. But more importantly is the issue of interoperability and capitalizing upon all three systems. Static GPS sampling involves occupying as position for a longer time period. Using GNSS, static samples would likely have higher levels of accuracy and may even require shorter occupation times thereby increasing the amount of work a GPS crew can accomplish in a day the larger numbers of satellites. Is all this potential increase in GPS accuracy going to result in improved maps and analysis capability? Yes and no. NAVSTAR is the only fully operating system at the moment and major improvements in the system are planned by the U.S. Department of Defense. It is still too early to tell if the recent launching of three GLONASS satellites is a trend, which will continue until a full complement of GPS satellites is available. GALILEO itself is not planned to be fully operational until 2008. Most IT sections in organizations turnover GIS software (upgrade) about every 2-3 years or less and GPS equipment is updated using a similar schedule. For the short term, it is too early to be making the big economic decisions about moving into the GNSS market in a large way. However, in the long term we will be hearing more about GNSS, and the benefits as new products and technologies evolve in the marketplace. It is not too early to begin planning though and learning about these systems.

Conclusion Recent launches of new satellites in the GLONASS GPS system may lead to the establishment of a second fully functional GPS system in the near future. Coupled with the already existing U.S. NAVSTAR system, GNSS applications may grow in the future. A third European based satellite system called GALILEO has been approved in principle but is not expected to be fully operational before 2008. Designed with interoperability in mind, GALILEO in addition to the others could result in GPS users having access to almost 75 satellites for highly accurate navigation and positioning. These developments have many potential advantages for not only the data collection aspects for GPS users, but also for the development of new applications using GIS worldwide. Potential areas of growth using these coupled systems will be associated with new applications, hardware and software, analysis techniques and will require additional training for GIS professionals. Additional Information: Current NAVSTAR Performance Standard European Commission Energy and Transport GALILEO Program GLONASS Coordination Scientific Information Center GNSS GPS (NAVSTAR) Charting the Future GPS Joint Program Office Technical Comparison of GLONASS and NAVSTAR References: Global Positioning System. 1980. Papers published in navigation. The Institute of Navigation. Alexandria, VA. Volume 1. Hotchkiss, N.J. 1994. A Comprehensive Guide to Land Navigation, Alexis Publishing. Hemdon, VA. Leick, A.1995. Satellite Surveying. John Wiley & Son. New York. _____________ Jeff Thurston holds a Master Degree in Geographic Information Systems, Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K. and is a graduate of the UNIGIS program Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. He is European Director, Integral GIS in Berlin, Germany. He specializes in applications of integrated geo-technologies and visualization. Jeff writes for numerous publications internationally.