Systems Engineering and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Commons^™

Sensing Ocean, Ice And Land Reflected Signalsfrom Space: Results From The Uk-Dmc Gps Reflectometry Experiment, Scott Gleason, Mounir Adjrad, Martin Unwin

Online Journal of Space Communication

The use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals reflected from the Earth's surface has progressed from its beginnings in the early 1990's to a demonstrated practical linkage of measurements to geophysical characteristics of ocean, ice and land surfaces.

A pioneering space-based experiment was carried on the UK-DMC satellite launched in September of 2003. The GPS receiver on the satellite was modified to accommodate a downward (nadir) pointing medium gain antenna and to send sampled IF data to a solid-state data recorder [1]. Since its launch it has been successfully used to target and detect specular reflections of GPS signals …

Galileo In Maritime Applications, Stig Erik Christiansen, John Klepsvik, Michael Fairbanks, Alan Grant, Nick Ward, Marko Jandrisits

Online Journal of Space Communication

The past decade has seen the continued growth of GPS and its many different applications. The European Union and the European Space Agency has announced the development of the European Global Navigation Satellite System - Galileo. Clearly acceptance of additional satellite systems into markets that successfully use GPS will require identification of those key areas where Galileo is capable of providing added-value, either standalone or more likely as a component of an overall integrated suite of navigation systems. These key areas are often termed the key differentiators for Galileo.

This paper introduces three projects; GALEWAT, MARGAL and GEM. The GALEWAT …

Implementation Of A Positioning And Telemetry Buoy To Determine Chart Datum For Hydrographic Survey Applications, Elliot N. Arroyo-Suarez, Deborah L. Mabey, Vic Hsiao, Reo Phillips

Online Journal of Space Communication

The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) and the U. S. Navy’s Fleet Survey Team (FST) conduct worldwide hydrographic surveys in accordance with International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-44
standards. The current concept of operations (CONOPS) requires that tide gauges be installed in-shore to define the local vertical chart datum. This requires clearances and permissions from national and local authorities as well as landowners in order to establish and access these shore stations. Substantial effort to establish and maintain
security for shore parties and equipment left behind is also required. The recent implementation of real-time Global Differential GPS (GDGPS) point positioning
technology presents …

Range-Extended Post-Processing Kinematic (Ppk) In A Marine Environment, Marcelo Santos, Felipe Nievinski, Karen Cove, Robert Kingdon, Dave Wells

Online Journal of Space Communication

We have been investigating the extension in range of baselines used in support to marine applications. Our focus has been with PPK (post-processing kinematic) following the Remondi's lemma: "it is better to have a reliable float ambiguity resolution rather than a wrongly fixed ambiguity." We have focused our attention on the residual effect due to differential troposphere. Our investigation makes use of data sets collected under the scope of the Princess of Acadia Project.

In this paper, we focus on a storm know as the 2004 Halifax weather bomb. Zenith tropospheric delays have been compared for that time period. It …

Helicopter Ship Board Landing System, Tom Ford, Mark Hardesty, Mike Bobye

Online Journal of Space Communication

Relative navigation of an aircraft (fixed wing or helicopter) close to ships at sea is a unique navigation problem. Shipboard helicopter operations provide a difficult operational environment. Wind over deck and wake turbulence shed by ship super structure offer challenging and unpredictable conditions during takeoff and landing. This is especially true in the operational environment that includes sea-state six, with its associated twenty-foot waves and thirty-three knot winds. Anything other than calm seas can create pitch, roll, yaw, and heave of the landing platform. Different sea going vessels behave in a variety of ways due to their size, hull design, …

The Giant Project, Luis Chocano, Javier Pérez, Miguel Aguilera

Online Journal of Space Communication

As the European satellite navigation programme moves forward, with EGNOS as the first step towards Galileo, the user community finds out the potential benefits that the GNSS-based applications can provide to the different economic areas of society. The aviation sector, which has played a decisive role in the specification of these systems, can obtain significant advantages by means of the combined use of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) systems, once the technical, operational and regulatory problems are overcome.

This paper describes the activities that are planned in the context of the GIANT project, the organization of the proposed work and …

Space Communication And Aviation Navigation: The United States Moves Towards Performance-Based Navigation, Hank Cabler, Jeff Williams

Online Journal of Space Communication

The U.S. NAVSTAR GPS communications satellite network, integrated with the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System, or WAAS, provides improvements in GPS accuracy and integrity for aviation navigation throughout the U.S. National Airspace System. WAAS has allowed the FAA to move toward a performance-based NAS, exploiting the concept of "required navigation performance," or RNP. The FAA, in cooperation with aviation stakeholders, is implementing performance-based navigation in the U.S. NAS. Two key components of performance-based navigation are Area Navigation (RNAV) and RNP. These components allow the flexibility to design more efficient airspace and instrument procedures that improve safety, access, capacity and efficiency.

Navigation Errors Introduced By Ground Vehicle Dynamics, William Travis, David M. Bevly

Online Journal of Space Communication

An analysis of navigational accuracy when influenced by ground vehicle dynamics is presented. Tests beds outfitted with various sensor suites were used to collect data when normal and extreme driving maneuvers are executed. The data was run through an extended Kalman filter to produce a navigation solution. The Kalman filter inputs varied on each test bed, using both automotive and tactical grade Inertial Measurement Units (IMU). The position, velocity, and course measurements were obtained from a DGPS unit mounted on the vehicles and used as a truth measurement when exploring dead reckoning error. Additional measurements, such as wheel speed, radar …

Intelligent In-Vehicle Device Based On Arm-Linux Techniques, Xiaoqing Yue, Qishan Zhang, Qing Chang

Online Journal of Space Communication

A new Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is introduced and some ideas about instruction trigger position (ITP) are presented. The design of terminal devices based on an embedded ARM-Linux system in vehicles is presented in detail, including the design and development of both hardware and software.

Deflection Monitoring Of The Forth Road Bridge By Gps, Gethin Wyn Roberts, Chris Brown, Xiaolin Meng

Online Journal of Space Communication

Researchers at the IESSG at the University of Nottingham, in conjunction with colleagues from Brunel University, have carried out deflection monitoring work on structures, notably bridges, for a decade. Initial work was carried out on the Humber Bridge, London's Millennium Bridge and the Wilford Footbridge in Nottingham. These trials were carried out over a number of years, using a whole succession of GPS receivers. The initial trials showed that the use of carrier phase GPS could indeed allow sub centimetre movements to be detected, in addition to which, the frequencies of the movements could be calculated. Today, the authors are …

Navio - A Navigation Service For Pedestrains, Günther Retscher, Michael Thienelt

Online Journal of Space Communication

In the research project NAVIO (Pedestrian Navigation Systems in Combined Indoor/Outdoor Environments) at our university (Vienna University of Technology), we are working on the improvement of navigation services for pedestrians. We are mainly focusing on the information aspect of location-based services, i.e., on the user's task at hand and the support of the user's decisions by information provided by navigation services. Specifications allow us to select appropriate sensor data and to integrate data when and where needed, to propose context-dependent routes fitting to partly conflicting interests and goals as well as to select appropriate communication methods in terms of supporting …

The Possibility Of Precise Positioning In The Urban Area, Nobuaki Kubo, Ryosuke Shibasaki, Akio Yasuda

Online Journal of Space Communication

A third civil frequency at 1176.45MHz will be added to the GPS system.
QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) proposed by Japan will also have the
new signal. This new frequency and the advent of QZSS will greatly enhance
the accuracy, reliability and robustness of civilian GPS receivers. One of these
enhancements is that it is possible to determine the GPS phase ambiguities
more or less instantaneously. This performance will have a tremendous impact
on navigation. In this paper, the possibility of precise positioning in the urban
area is examined from a point of instantaneous ambiguity resolution.
A typical QZSS constellation, …

Using Glonass In Combined Gnss Receivers: Current Status, Alexei E. Zinoviev

Online Journal of Space Communication

The paper focuses on using GLONASS in state-of-the-art combined GNSS (GPS/GLONASS) receivers. The launch of GLONASS-M satellite is an important event that opens new horizons for satellite navigation. Correspondingly, the description of advantages associated with new hardware and new navigation data of GLONASS-M satellites is given. Also, current status of GLONASS and plans of its modernization are considered.

For combined use of GPS and GLONASS, interoperability issues that originate from differences in initial designing of both systems need to be resolved. It is demonstrated that such issues have been resolved at the level that meets all the practical needs. Also, …

The Implementation Of A Public-Private Partnership For Galileo: Comparison Of Galileo And Skynet 5 With Other Projects, Xavier Bertran, Alexis Vidal

Online Journal of Space Communication

Galileo, Europe's global navigation satellite system, represents a major public infrastructure offering numerous advantages for civilian users worldwide. The public dimension combined with the significant growth of the satellite navigation markets prompted the European Union to choose a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme for the deployment and operational phases of the Galileo program. After a short introduction on the fundamentals of PPP schemes, both Galileo and Skynet 5 programs are compared to other large scale PPP projects, mainly in the transport sector. It clearly appears that a strong cooperation between the public sector and industry is needed for PPPs in the …

Polar Air Traffic Control, Israel Greenfeld, Ron Sicker

Online Journal of Space Communication

Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations over Continental US (CONUS) are becoming challenged due to increasing traffic loads vying for limited communications channels. Nevertheless, the CONUS situation is much better than what exists in the oceanic airspace.

Next Generation Differential Gps Architecture, A. Cleveland, D. Wolfe, M. Parsons, B. Remondi, K. Ferguson, M. Albright

Online Journal of Space Communication

The United States Coast Guard is engaged in a project to re-capitalize Reference Station (RS) and Integrity Monitor (IM) equipment used in the Nationwide Differential Global Position System (NDGPS). The Coast Guard in partnership with industry is developing a new software application to run on an open architecture platform as a replacement for legacy equipment. Present commercially available off-the-shelf Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) RS and IM equipment lacks the open architecture required to support long term goals and future system improvements. The utility of the proposed new hardware architecture and software application is impressive - nearly every aspect of …

Indian Plan For Satellite-Based Navigation Systems For Civil Aviation, S. V. Kibe

Online Journal of Space Communication

The Airports Authority of India and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement a satellite based navigation system as part of the satellite based Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) plan for Civil Aviation in India.

For satellite based navigation in India two core constellations--Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States and GLONASS of the Russian Federation--are available. The position accuracies achievable with these core constellations are not good enough for precision approach and landing requirements of Civil Aviation. These constellations need to be augmented. Three types of …

Operating Egnos, Ashley W. Lyon, Jon Westbrook, Umberto Guida

Online Journal of Space Communication

The ESSP (European Satellite Services Provider) has been created in April 2000 to operate the EGNOS system and provide signal and data services to users in Europe. The company has now seen seven shareholders, all European Air Traffic Service Providers: NATS (UK), DGAC/DSNA (F), AENA (E), ENAV (I), DFS (D), NAV-PT (P) and skyguide (CH). These organisations are also responsible for the hosting and operations of EGNOS system infrastructure.

The EGNOS system has been designed, developed and deployed by Alcatel under a European Space Agency (ESA) contract as part of the ESA ARTES IX programme.

The EGNOS system ESA milestone …

The Role Of The Australian Communication And Media Authority (Acma) In Gnss Protection And Regulation, Kirsten Musgrove

Online Journal of Space Communication

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for regulating telecommunications and radiocommunications in Australia, including promoting industry self-regulation and managing the radiofrequency spectrum. ACMA also has significant consumer protection responsibilities.

ACMA was established in July 2005 under the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005, and exercises powers under the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999, the Radiocommunications Act 1992, the Spam Act 2003, and other related legislation.

Issue 9: From The Guest Editors, Paul Bobrowski, Qishan Zhang

Online Journal of Space Communication

Welcome to Issue 9 of the Online Journal of Space Communication as we discuss the Global Navigation Satellite System, its past, present and the direction its taking us.