GPS satellites are much simpler than most people think. They cannot track you. They don’t have comprehensive map databases like Google Earth. In fact, they have no knowledge of anything on the ground.

GPS satellites are just beacons, like lighthouses, that tell you where they are in space. They do not tell you where you are. Your navigation device uses the satellites as reference points to determine your coordinates on the Earth in terms of latitude, longitude, and altitude.

Of course, raw coordinates are useless without a map. The earliest GPS receivers did not have built-in maps, so users had to plot their coordinates on paper maps to navigate. Only in recent years has the technology existed to include digital mapping features in affordable navigation devices. Even today, many GPS units don’t come with maps — for example, tracking devices used on prisoners and animals.

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The FAA's plan to provide PNT services requires implementation of two GPS augmentation systems, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and the Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS). Both systems improve the accuracy, availability, and integrity needed to support continuous all-weather use of GPS as a primary means of navigation and automated dependent surveillance (ADS-B) within the NAS.

The GNSS Team, along with other FAA organizations and numerous governmental and non-governmental agencies, are all supporting a smooth transition to satellite navigation.

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* The United States Government recognizes that GPS plays a key role around the world as part of the global information infrastructure and takes seriously the responsibility to provide the best possible service to civil and commercial users worldwide. This is as true in times of conflict as it is in times of peace.

* The U.S. Government also maintains the capability to prevent hostile use of GPS and its augmentations while retaining a military advantage in a theater of operations without disrupting or degrading civilian uses outside the theater of operations.

* We believe we can ensure that GPS continues to be available as an invaluable global utility at all times, while at the same time, protecting U.S. and coalition security requirements.

GPS STATUS AND OUTAGE INFORMATION

Information concerning maintenance outages, satellite launches and removals, and notices of changes to GPS operations are posted on this website and are distributed by free subscription to our List Server. This information is generated by the Air Force 2nd Space Operations (2SOPs) as operators of the GPS system.

From our site, you may view or download the latest and archived GPS satellite information such as status messages, precise ephemeris data, and almanacs. Specific, operational GPS information may be obtained from the links below or from the links on blue navigation menu bar at the left.

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Instrumentation is another application that requires precise timing. Distributed networks of instruments that must work together to precisely measure common events require timing sources that can guarantee accuracy at several points. GPS-based timing works exceptionally well for any application in which precise timing is required by devices that are dispersed over wide geographic areas. For example, integration of GPS time into seismic monitoring networks enables researchers to quickly locate the epicenters of earthquakes and other seismic events.

Power lines Power companies and utilities have fundamental requirements for time and frequency to enable efficient power transmission and distribution. Repeated power blackouts have demonstrated to power companies the need for improved time synchronization throughout the power grid. Analyses of these blackouts have led many companies to place GPS-based time synchronization devices in power plants and substations. By analyzing the precise timing of an electrical anomaly as it propagates through a grid, engineers can trace back the exact location of a power line break.

Some users, such as national laboratories, require the time at a higher level of precision than GPS provides. These users routinely use GPS satellites not for direct time acquisition, but for communication of high-precision time over long distances. By simultaneously receiving the same GPS signal in two places and comparing the results, the atomic clock time at one location can be communicated to the other. National laboratories around the world use this “common view” technique to compare their time scales and establish Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). They use the same technique to disseminate their time scales to their own nations.

New applications of GPS timing technology appear every day. Hollywood studios are incorporating GPS in their movie slates, allowing for unparalleled control of audio and video data, as well as multi-camera sequencing. The ultimate applications for GPS, like the time it measures, are limitless.

As GPS becomes modernized, further benefits await users. The addition of the second and third civilian GPS signals will increase the accuracy and reliability of GPS time, which will remain free and available to the entire world.

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Jason-1 Ocean Surface Topography Mission (includes a GPS receiver and a laser reflectometer for high precision orbit determination)

* Navigation solutions — providing high precision orbit determination, and minimum ground control crews, with existing space-qualified GPS units.
* Attitude solutions — replacing high cost on-board attitude sensors with low-cost multiple GPS antennae and specialized algorithms.
* Timing solutions — replacing expensive spacecraft atomic clocks with low-cost, precise time GPS receivers.
* Constellation control — providing single point-of-contact to control for the orbit maintenance of large numbers of space vehicles such as telecommunication satellites.
* Formation flying — allowing precision satellite formations with minimal intervention from ground crews.
* Virtual platforms — providing automatic “station-keeping” and relative position services for advanced science tracking maneuvers such as interferometry.
* Launch vehicle tracking — replacing or augmenting tracking radars with higher precision, lower-cost GPS units for range safety and autonomous flight termination

“GPS is transforming the way nations operate in space — from guidance systems for the International Space Station’s return vehicle to the control of communication satellites to entirely new forms of Earth remote sensing. When all is said and done, the power and compass of this new tool will surely surpass what we can imagine now.”
Dr. Tom Yunck, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, USA

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The availability and accuracy of the Global Positioning System (GPS) offers increased efficiencies and safety for vehicles using highways, streets, and mass transit systems. Many of the problems associated with the routing and dispatch of commercial vehicles is significantly reduced or eliminated with the help of GPS. This is also true for the management of mass transit systems, road maintenance crews, and emergency vehicles,

GPS enables automatic vehicle location and in-vehicle navigation systems that are widely used throughout the world today. By combining GPS position technology with systems that can display geographic information or with systems that can automatically transmit data to display screens or computers, a new dimension in surface transportation is realized.

A geographic information system (GIS) stores, analyzes, and displays geographically referenced information provided in large part by GPS. Today GIS is used to monitor vehicle location, making possible effective strategies that can keep transit vehicles on schedule and inform passengers of precise arrival times. Mass transit systems use this capability to track rail, bus, and other services to improve on-time performance.

Many new capabilities are made possible with the help of GPS. Instant car pools are feasible since people desiring a ride can be instantly matched with a vehicle in a nearby area.

Using GPS technology to help track and forecast the movement of freight has made a logistical revolution, including an application known as time-definite delivery. In time-definite delivery, trucking companies use GPS for tracking to guarantee delivery and pickup at the time promised, whether over short distances or across time zones. When an order comes in, a dispatcher punches a computer function, and a list of trucks appears on the screen, displaying a full array of detailed information on the status of each of them. If a truck is running late or strays off route, an alert is sent to the dispatcher.

Driver consulting his GPS unit Many nations use GPS to help survey their road and highway networks, by identifying the location of features on, near, or adjacent to the road networks. These include service stations, maintenance and emergency services and supplies, entry and exit ramps, damage to the road system, etc. The information serves as an input to the GIS data gathering process. This database of knowledge helps transportation agencies to reduce maintenance and service costs and enhances the safety of drivers using the roads.

Research is underway to provide warnings to drivers of potential critical situations, such as traffic violations or crashes. Additional research is being conducted to examine the potential for minimal vehicle control when there is a clear need for action, such as the pre-deployment of air bags. The position information provided by GPS is an integral part of this research.

Cars in motion GPS is an essential element in the future of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). ITS encompasses a broad range of communications-based information and electronics technologies. Research is being conducted in the area of advanced driver assistance systems, which include road departure and lane change collision avoidance systems. These systems need to estimate the position of a vehicle relative to lane and road edge with an accuracy of 10 centimeters.

With the continuous modernization of GPS, one can expect even more effective systems for crash prevention, distress alerts and position notification, electronic mapping, and in-vehicle navigation with audible instructions.

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Outdoor exploration carries with it many intrinsic dangers, one of the most important of which is the potential for getting lost in unfamiliar or unsafe territory. Hikers, bicyclists, and outdoor adventurers are increasingly relying on GPS instead of traditional paper maps, compasses, or landmarks. Paper maps are often outdated, and compasses and landmarks may not provide the precise location information necessary to avoid venturing into unfamiliar areas. In addition, darkness and adverse weather conditions may also contribute to imprecise navigation results.

Handheld GPS receiver unit GPS technology coupled with electronic mapping has helped to overcome much of the traditional hardships associated with unbounded exploration. GPS handsets allow users to safely traverse trails with the confidence of knowing precisely where they are at all times, as well as how to return to their starting point. One of the benefits is the ability to record and return to waypoints. Similarly, fishermen typically use GPS signals as a means to continually stay apprised of location, heading, bearing, speed, distance-to-go, time-to-go, chart plotting functions, and most importantly, returning to a location where the fish are plentiful.

An advantage in newer GPS receivers is the capability to transfer data to and from a computer. Outdoor enthusiasts can download waypoints from an exciting adventure and share them. An example of this is a web site based in Malaysia dedicated to GPS for mountain biking enthusiasts. Riders post waypoint files marking their favorite rides allowing other riders to try out the trails.

Golfers use GPS to measure precise distances within the course and improve their game. Other applications include skiing, as well as recreational aviation and boating.

GPS technology has generated entirely new sports and outdoor activities. An example of this is geocaching, a sport which rolls a pleasurable day’s outing and a treasure hunt into one. Another new sport is geodashing, a cross-country race to a predefined GPS coordinate.

Man fishing in a streamGPS modernization efforts, designed to enhance more serious applications than recreation have provided direct and indirect benefits to the user. Various GPS augmentation systems that were developed in several countries for commerce and transportation are also being widely used by outdoor enthusiasts for recreational purposes. Modernization plans for GPS will result in even greater reliability and availability for all users, such as under a denser forest cover — just the environment in which many adventurers most need this capability.

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Ensuring high levels of safety, improving the efficiency of rail operations, and expanding system capacity are all key objectives of today’s railroad industry. Unlike most other modes of transportation, there is little flexibility in managing rail traffic. Most rail systems are comprised of long stretches of a single set of tracks. Trains bound for thousands of destinations must simultaneously share the use of these single line tracks.

Bullet trains at an urban station Precise knowledge of where a train is located is essential to prevent collisions, maintain smooth flow of traffic, and minimize costly delays due to waiting for clearance for track use. Only the skill of the crews, accurate timing, a dynamic dispatching capability, and a critical array of “meet and passes” locations on short stretches of parallel tracks, allow rail dispatchers to guide their trains safely through. It is therefore critical for safety and efficiency reasons to know the position and performance of these trains both individually and system-wide.

GPS also contributes to dependable scheduling through train location awareness, enhancing connectivity with other modes of transportation, such as rail station to airport transfers.

An enhancement to the basic GPS signal known as Differential GPS (DGPS) improves accuracy and safety within its coverage areas. The enhanced position information enables the dispatcher to determine on which of two parallel tracks a train is located. When coupled with other location and navigation devices to account for time in tunnels, behind hills, and other obstructions, DGPS can provide a reliable and accurate position-locating capability for rail traffic management systems.

Differential GPS is an essential element of the Positive Train Control (PTC) concept being adopted in many parts of the world. This concept involves providing precise railroad position information to sophisticated command and control systems to produce the best operating plan to include varying train speed, re-routing traffic, and safely moving maintenance crews onto and off tracks.

A PTC system can track the location and speed of a train more accurately than was previously possible, providing train movement information to rail management personnel who can then enforce speeds and limits of authority, as necessary. By providing better tracking of train location and speed, PTC increases operational efficiency, allows higher track capacity, enhances crew, passenger, and cargo safety, and also results in a safer environment for personnel working on the track.

Differential GPS can also aid in surveying and mapping track structure for maintenance and future system planning. By using DGPS, one can precisely locate mileposts, signal masts, switch points, bridges, road crossings, signal equipment, etc. GPS can satisfy the high level of accuracy needed for operation in terminal areas and rail yards, where dozens of tracks may run in parallel.

Finally, with the modernization of GPS, rail operators can look forward to providing better service. In addition to the current GPS civilian service, the United States is committed to implementing two additional civilian signals. Access to the new signals will mean increased accuracy, more availability, and better integrity for all users.

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GPS has played a vital role in relief efforts for global disasters such as the tsunami that struck in the Indian Ocean region in 2004, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005, and the Pakistan-India earthquake in 2005. Search and rescue teams used GPS, geographic information system (GIS), and remote sensing technology to create maps of the disaster areas for rescue and aid operations, as well as to assess damage.

Another important area of disaster relief is in the management of wildfires. To contain and manage forest fires, aircraft combine GPS with infrared scanners to identify fire boundaries and “hot spots.” Within minutes, fire maps are transmitted to a portable field computer at the firefighters’ camp. Armed with this information, firefighters have a greater chance of winning the battle against the blaze.

Tsunami Hazard Zone signIn earthquake prone areas such as the Pacific Rim, GPS is playing an increasingly prominent role in helping scientists to anticipate earthquakes. Using the precise position information provided by GPS, scientists can study how strain builds up slowly over time in an attempt to characterize, and in the future perhaps anticipate, earthquakes.

Meteorologists responsible for storm tracking and flood prediction also rely on GPS. They can assess water vapor content by analyzing transmissions of GPS data through the atmosphere.

GPS has become an integral part of modern emergency response systems — whether helping stranded motorists find assistance or guiding emergency vehicles.

As the international industry positioning standard for use by emergency and other specialty vehicle fleets, GPS has given managers a quantum leap forward in efficient operation of their emergency response teams. The ability to effectively identify and view the location of police, fire, rescue, and individual vehicles or boats, and how their location relates to an entire network of transportation systems in a geographic area, has resulted in a whole new way of doing business. Location information provided by GPS, coupled with automation, reduces delay in the dispatch of emergency services.

Incorporation of GPS in mobile phones places an emergency location capability in the hands of everyday users. Today’s widespread placement of GPS location systems in passenger cars provides another leap in developing a comprehensive safety net. Today, many ground and maritime vehicles are equipped with autonomous crash sensors and GPS. This information, when coupled with automatic communication systems, enables a call for help even when occupants are unable to do so.

The modernization of GPS will further facilitate disaster relief and public safety services. The addition of new civil signals will increase accuracy and reliability all over the world. In short, GPS modernization translates to more lives saved and faster recovery for victims of global tragedies.

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Data collection systems provide decision makers with descriptive information and accurate positional data about items that are spread across many kilometers of terrain. By connecting position information with other types of data, it is possible to analyze many environmental problems from a new perspective. Position data collected through GPS can be imported into geographic information system (GIS) software, allowing spatial aspects to be analyzed with other information to create a far more complete understanding of a particular situation than might be possible through conventional means.

Aerial studies of some of the world’s most impenetrable wilderness are conducted with the aid of GPS technology to evaluate an area’s wildlife, terrain, and human infrastructure. By tagging imagery with GPS coordinates it is possible to evaluate conservation efforts and assist in strategy planning.

Some nations collect and use mapping information to manage their regulatory programs such as the control of royalties from mining operations, delineation of borders, and the management of logging in their forests.

GPS technology supports efforts to understand and forecast changes in the environment. By integrating GPS measurements into operational methods used by meteorologists, the atmosphere’s water content can be determined, improving the accuracy of weather forecasts. In addition, the proliferation of GPS tidal tracking sites, and improvement in estimating the vertical component of a site’s position from GPS measurements, present a unique opportunity to directly observe the effects of ocean tides.

Pipes from an oil apparatusGPS receivers mounted on buoys track the movement and spread of oil spills. Helicopters use GPS to map the perimeter of forest fires and allow efficient use of fire fighting resources.

The migratory patterns of endangered species, such as the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, are tracked and mapped using GPS, helping to preserve and enhance declining populations.

In earthquake prone areas such as the Pacific Rim, GPS is playing an increasingly prominent role in helping scientists to anticipate earthquakes. Using the precise position information provided by GPS, scientists can study how strain builds up slowly over time in an attempt to characterize, and in the future perhaps anticipate, earthquakes.

Another benefit to using GPS is timeliness with which critical products can be generated. Because GPS data are in a digital form available at all times and in all parts of the world, they can be captured and analyzed very quickly. This means that it is possible for analysis to be completed in hours or days rather than weeks or months, thus ensuring that the final product is timelier. With the rapid pace of change in the world today, these savings in time can be critical.

The modernization of GPS will further enhance the support of GPS technology to the study and management of the world’s environment. The United States is committed to implementing two additional civilian signals that will provide ecological and conservation applications with increased accuracy, availability, and reliability. Tropical rain forest ecology, for example, will benefit from the increased availability of GPS within heavy foliage areas and the reduction of spatial error in fine-scale vegetation mapping.

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