NTIA Special Study Staff et al.

Abstract: This report documents the development of recommendations for a national approach to augmented Global Positioning System (GPS) services. The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences led a study team that included the U. S. Army Topographic Engineering Center, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, and Overlook Systems Technologies, Inc. The study team identified Federal navigation, positioning, and timing requirements for land, marine, air, and space modes of operation. The study team then evaluated numerous operating and proposed systems that augment the GPS Standard Positioning Service. The most promising systems were combined in six different architectures intended to meet the widest possible range of user requirements. One of these architectures was eliminated from consideration due to technical concerns. The study team evaluated each of the remaining architectures against a set of performance, cost, and security factors. Based on the architecture evaluations, the study team developed a set of recommendations for a coordinated, national approach to augmented GPS services that meets Federal requirements while avoiding unnecessary duplication of facilities.

Keywords: global positioning system (GPS); differential GPS (DGPS); GPS Precise Positioning Service (PPS); GPS Standard Positioning Service (SPS)

Disclaimer: Certain commercial equipment, components, and software may be identified in this report to specify adequately the technical aspects of the reported results. In no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, nor does it imply that the equipment or software identified is necessarily the best available for the particular application or uses.

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