Soon GPS will become almost as common as the telephone, or more likely included with every smartphone. GPS can calculate locations accurate to a matter of just a few meters. In fact, amazingly with advanced equipment it is possible to achieve measurements to less than a centimeter!
It’s just like assigning every square meter on the globe its very own address. GPS receivers have become very affordable as they have been miniaturized to just a few integrated circuits. These days GPS is incorporated into cars, boats, planes, construction equipment, movie making gear, farm machinery, laptop computers and especially mobile phones.
Tracking mobile phones is a active topic getting a lot of interest. A lot of the discussion dealing with cell tracking, cell phone GPS and mobile phone track software programs would be more meaningful with a GPS Satellite introduction and glossary.
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. GPS satellites broadcast signals from medium earth orbit that GPS receivers use to determine three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus precise time. The GPS system is composed of 3 main segments: Space Segment, Control Segment and User Segment.
The GPS Space Segment incorporates twenty-four to thirty-two satellites that orbit the earth in medium earth orbit MEO. These satellites are referred to as the GPS Constellation, and they are orbiting twice a day. They are not geosynchronous, but rather move at over 7,000 mph. They are solar powered but have battery backup for when they are on the dark side of the earth. They are positioned so that there are at least 4 satellites ‘visible’ from any point on earth. Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them flying in the correct path. The satellites have a lifetime of about 10 years until all their fuel is exhausted.
GPS Satellites are not communications satellites. Geostationary or communications satellites are at a much higher orbit of about 22,300 miles above the equator. These satellites are used for weather forecasting, satellite TV, satellite radio and most other types of global communications. At exactly 22,000 miles above the equator, the earth’s force of gravity and centrifugal forces are canceled and are in equilibrium. This is the ideal location to place a communications satellite. The earth rotates at about 1,000 miles an hour, and because of their high earth orbit the geo-synchronous satellites need to travel at about 7,000 mph to sustain position. This is approximately the same speed as GPS satellites, but since earth-synchronous satellites are 10,000 miles further away they don’t move relative to the earth.
The GPS Control Segment incorporates Master Control Station, an Alternate Master Control Station, and a host of dedicated and shared Ground Antennas and Monitor Stations that work together to make sure the satellites are working correctly and the data they send to earth is accurate.
The GPS User Segment consists of of GPS receivers taking the shape of mobile phones and , laptops, in-car navigation devices and hand-held tracking units along with the people that use them, and the software programs that make them work.
GPS receivers calculate location by precisely timing the signals transmitted by GPS satellites. This information includes the time the message was transmitted, precise orbital information (the ephemeris), and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac).
Keep in mind that there is a fundamental difference between cell phone GPS Tracking and GPS Navigation. GPS cell phone tracking is usually related to someone keeping records of either real-time or historical mobile phone location, while Navigation deals with the handset user figuring out how to get from point A to point B. Neither use works without some sort of third-party software program.
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Global Satellite System Frequently Asked Questions
Why does GPS receiver only work outside?
GPS satellites are orbiting such that from any point on earth there are at least four satellites visibile at any given time. Although the satellites use radio signals, the signal needs a clear of site to the receiver. If the GPS satellite slips below, or a building, or even heavy cloud cover, the radio signal may not reach the receiver.
What do the satellites do?
The GPS satellites are broadcasting the time. Both the satellite and the GPS receiver use atomic clocks for extreme accuracy. By comparing the difference between the time given by the satellite and the time in the GPS receiver, it can calculate the distance from the satellite.
How does the GPS satellite know where it is?
The satellites keep position stored inside in calculated tables. But they can get off course over time. To make adjustments, the satellite communicates with fixed reference stations located around the globe. Whenever it touches base with the ground stations, the satellite adjusts its internal location tables.
Does a GPS receiver transmit information back to the satellite?
No, they don’t do that. GPS equipped mobile phones will send information but it isn’t going back to the satellite.
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