NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Determining GPS average performance metricsAnalytic and semi-analytic methods are used to show that users of the GPS constellation can expect performance variations based on their location. Specifically, performance is shown to be a function of both altitude and latitude. These results stem from the fact that the GPS constellation is itself non-uniform. For example, GPS satellites are over four times as likely to be directly over Tierra del Fuego than over Hawaii or Singapore. Inevitable performance variations due to user location occur for ground, sea, air and space GPS users. These performance variations can be studied in an average relative sense. A semi-analytic tool which symmetrically allocates GPS satellite latitude belt dwell times among longitude points is used to compute average performance metrics. These metrics include average number of GPS vehicles visible, relative average accuracies in the radial, intrack and crosstrack (or radial, north/south, east/west) directions, and relative average PDOP or GDOP. The tool can be quickly changed to incorporate various user antenna obscuration models and various GPS constellation designs. Among other applications, tool results can be used in studies to: predict locations and geometries of best/worst case performance, design GPS constellations, determine optimal user antenna location and understand performance trends among various users.
Document ID
19950021370
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Moore, G. V.
(Lockheed Martin Corp. Denver, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 1995
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Goddard Space Flight Center, Flight Mechanics(Estimation Theory Symposium 1995
Subject Category
Aircraft Communications And Navigation
Accession Number
95N27791
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available