Positioning, Navigation and Timing Satellites: An Introduction to Global Navigation Satellite System and Their Applications

This two-day course will cover the origins, technical specifics, applications, and related issues involving Satellite Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems, also referred to as Global Navigation Satellite Systems, or GNSS. We will cover broadly the development of these systems, how they work, who operates them, and how they are used. We will also touch on the international policy and legal framework and future directions.

You will learn, in a broad sense, what Positioning, Navigation, and Timing systems are, how they developed, how they work, what the different national systems are, and what they are used for. The course will provide basic information on the technologies, how we operate the space, ground, and user segments, how they have evolved over time, and where this is all going. You will learn the basic similarities and difference between the several national systems, and their primary applications. We will also cover the commercial market for this segment of space, including the major commercial trends, players, and markets. Finally, you will learn about the future, where this is all going, what are some of the revolutionary emerging technologies and how we are developing new systems for use on the Moon and beyond.

1. Introduction: History, Transit The concept of Doppler tracking, Tsikada/Parus, Pre-GPS

2. Doppler Satellite Positioning, Telemetry and Data Systems: Argos, COSPAS-Sarsar

3. Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) and Current National PNT Systems: The US NAVSTAR GPS System, Russian GLONASS,  China’s Compass Compass/Beidou, The European Galileo System, India’s INRSS/NavIC, Japan’s Quasi-Zenith system Michibiki. New National Systems: Great Britain, South Korea, Pakistan. A demonstration of the use of the Trimble online PNT Planning Software   

4. Aided and Augmentation systems: Pseudolites, ground-based augmentation systems, differential GPS, Assisted PNT, Aviation Space-Based Augmentation Systems SBAS: WAAS, EGNOS, GAGAN, Japan MSAS, Russian SDCM, South Korean Augmentation Satellite System KASS, Australian/New Zealand Southern Positioning Augmentation Network SouthPAN. WAGE, and Kinematics systems.

5. Applications of PNT Systems

Military and national security applications, terrestrial vehicle navigation systems, precision Agriculture, aviation ADS-B the Automatic Dependent Surveillance and Broadcast system, drones marine navigation, ACS, port approach, docking, dredging, vessel traffic services, etc. rail timing, banks, stock markets, precise scientific time and international time standards maintenance,. communications, broadcasting, electrical power distribution, surveying and mapping, field surveys, atmospheric and ionospheric science LBS Location-Based Services, civil engineering disaster management, in-situ networks, Art, space applications, satellites and range safety, PNT in GEO and beyond.

6. PNT Markets, Market Trends and Major Players: PNT market trends, Manufacturers, Market segments, Historical analysis, Future trends What would be the cost if we lost these services?

7. National and international Governmental Policy Issues: International PNT Issues, Legal aspects of PNT, PNT frequencies, overlap and spectrum issues National PNT management and policies, international organizations and PNT coordination Jamming, Spoofing, and denial of service, Cosmic hazards-Solar storms and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) Legal, ethical, and moral issues.     

8. PNT on other worlds, and the world beyond PNT: LunaNet, The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE)

Beyond PNT, Hybrid and Autonomous Positioning Systems (HAPS) Advanced concepts Automated Celestial Navigation Systems (ACNS) Pulsar-Nav, and other advanced and future concepts.

9. Conclusions and final thoughts

Dr. Scott Madry is president of Informatics International, Inc., an international consulting firm in Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Madry has over 20 years experience in remote sensing and GIS applications and has conducted a variety of research and application projects in Europe, Africa, and North America. He has given over 130 short courses and seminars in over 25 countries. He is a Research Assoc. Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a member of the Faculty of The International Space University.