In a paper in the May 1996 issue of this Journal, Ward and Johannessen gave an excellent summary of the work carried our for the General Lighthouse Authorities on the significance of potential interference to GPS. They identified three possible types of interference for their study:

(i) Interference from other systems on board the ship using GPS.

(ii) Interference from emissions generated onboard other ships or at structures in the vicinity of the ship using GPS.

(iii) Deliberate interference from malicious persons.

Following the initial development of 20-channel, all-in-view Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), GPS/GLONASS/Inmarsat-3, receivers at the Institute of Satellite Navigation (ISN), University of Leeds, a modification programme has been undertaken to allow real-time differential corrections to be sent from one 20-channel receiver to another identical receiver using a serial link between them. The differential correction software incorporates the RTCM SC-104 and RTCA DO-217 format developed specifically for GPS and adjusted by the ISN to allow simultaneous GLONASS operation.

After successful laboratory testing, real-time differential GNSS tests were successfully completed in static mode between Aberdeen and Leeds via the SkyFix differential data-link, and in dynamic mode at DTEO Boscombe Down using a C-band data-link between the ground and a receiver on board the DRA BAC 1–11 aircraft. The aims of the tests were, (i) to demonstrate real-time differential GNSS position-fixing, (ii) to establish the accuracy improvements brought about, and (iii) to examine the effects of data-link latency and satellite PDOP on the solution accuracy.

Eurofix is an integrated navigation system, which combines Differential GNSS and Loran-C. The Loran-C system is used to provide differential corrections for the GNSS pseudo-range measurements and integrity information by additionally modulating the transmitted signals. This modulation, however, is not allowed to degrade normal Loran-C operations. As data transmission is hindered by the aggressive Loran-C signal environment, special modulation patterns and Forward Error Correcting codes are designed to fulfil the requirements. Compared to other DGNSS services, Eurofix has a number of advantages: It covers a large area, its implementation in an already existing infrastructure is basically low-cost, it offers enhanced datalink availability in urban and mountainous environment, it has wide-area capabilities and, finally, it provides a free backup navigation system in case either Loran-C or GPS fails.

The paper describes the Eurofix system, focusing on the Loran-C data channel. A modified RTCM type-9 message format is used with special Forward Error Correction. At Delft University a real-life test set-up has been built to evaluate the Eurofix performance for different scenarios. The results on datalink and DGNSS performance are presented. It is shown that metre-level DGNSS performance is achievable with low bit rate data channels, using Loran-C stations at up to 1000 km distance.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) as a public use local area differential GPS system. The LAAS is required to support all categories of precision approach navigation. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the FAA's LAAS technical activities and programme plans. First, the complementary roles of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and LAAS are summarized. Then technical activities are discussed, including requirements, system architecture, and flight tests. The paper concludes with a summary of the FAA's plans for LAAS, including the planned schedule of major programme activities.

This paper describes an advanced method, and the corresponding algorithms, which could provide a high precision Wide Area Differential GPS (WADGPS). The service would be suitable for single or dual frequency users, and could be introduced with very few reference stations. The two main components of the service are a precise, near real-time orbit determination of the GPS satellites, and an accurate estimation and modelling of ionospheric and tropospheric effects. Broad principles of the processing algorithms and results of both simulation and real data tests are described. User positioning accuracies of better than 2·5 m (r.m.s.) in plan and 3·0 m (r.m.s.) in height are achieved by both single and dual frequency scenarios.

Wide Area Differential GPS (WADGPS) is being developed to overcome the main drawbacks of conventional or Local Area Differential GPS (LADGPS), where positional accuracy of a user degrades as the reference-to-user separation increases. The spatial decorrelation of the error sources, notably the atmospheric propagation and satellite orbital errors inherent in GPS, are the main causes of this accuracy degradation. Several organizations are involved in WADGPS research, and different conceptual approaches have been suggested. The proposed methods all share a common basic assumption: that the error sources which affect the system are broken down into individual error components and are modelled separately. The variance between the different techniques comes from the way in which the different error components are modelled.

First, a brief description is given of an algorithm for the generation of carrier-adjusted differential corrections. Next, the relationship between satellite elevation and the precision of GPS code observations is investigated, on the basis of data collected by TurboRogue SNR-8000, Trimble 4000 SSE and Trimble 4000 SST receivers. It is concluded that the precision of code observations decreases with decreasing elevation, particularly at low elevation and that the relationship can quite well be modelled by an exponential function. For different types of receivers and different types of code observables, this relationship may not be the same.

This paper is intended to provide an operator's view of the impact of GPS on the air transport industry. The discussion centres on use of GPS for the en-route, oceanic, terminal area and precision approach phases of flight. In summary the author suggests the following:

(i) Inefficient use of airspace is costing the airlines a huge amount of money. However, GPS is not a pre-requisite of a move towards more efficient use of that airspace, although it will be required as part of the eventual CNS/ATM package. In the near term, better usage of current equipment such as IRS and DME, together with the introduction of ADS can provide the required level of accuracy for reduced separation in en-route and oceanic airspace.

(ii) There is a real need to provide navigation for non-precision approach worldwide, independent of ground-based infrastructure. This is the area in which GPS can provide the most immediate improvement to safety.

(iii) There are still a large number of questions hanging over GPS for precision approach. This leads the author to believe that it will not be capable of replacing ILS for the more critical Cat 2 and 3 applications quickly enough to avoid the loss of these capabilities in some critical locations. For this reason, it is postulated that MLS will be required in Europe, at least. Even if MLS is not required, there will still need to be a means of dealing with the transition away from ILS and for this reason the concept of a multi-mode receiver has been developed.

This paper, and the following seven papers, were presented at the Institute's NAV94 Conference held at Church House, London, in November 1994. The full proceedings may be obtained from the Director, RIN, price £25.00 (plus p & p).

I should start by explaining that the main purpose of my paper is to pass on the Inmarsat vision of satellite navigation in the future.

But first a little about mobile satcoms, our original reason for being. If you have followed us even at a distance you will be aware of:

• (i) how we started with satcoms for ships;

• (ii) how we contributed to a new maritime safety system;

• (iii) how we developed an aeronautical satcoms system in close cooperation with the civil aviation world;

• (iv) how land-mobile communications now account for one-third of our total traffic.

Today, no single technology has more broad-reaching potential for worldwide civil aviation than the future applications of satellite technology. These applications represent the greatest opportunity to enhance aviation system capacity, efficiency and safety since the introduction of radio-based navigation systems more than 50 years ago. The foundation for this optimism is the Global Positioning System (GPS), a satellite-based radio navigation system operated and controlled by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). In December 1993, DoD declared GPS to be in initial operational capability (10c), which means 24 satellites are now in orbit, available and usable for satellite navigation. The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) responded to this potential through initiation of a comprehensive satellite programme involving government, industry and users to expedite research, development and field implementation of satellite-based navigation services.

The delay-lock-loop is a device used in direct-sequence spread-spectrum receivers to track the delay difference between two binary correlated waveforms. This short paper aims to clarify both the interpretation of the S-curve and the sign of the tracking error for such devices, especially those for navigation systems such as GPS.

This paper, and the following paper, were presented at the 8th Congress of the International Association of Institutes of Navigation held in Beijing, 6–11 September 1994.

For half a century, the Egyptians have been concerned about the coverage of all their local waters in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea with visual and electronic aids to navigation. As a result, they constructed several lighthouses and landmarks as separate entities. Long years of political friction and military conflict in the Middle East resulted in damage to the majority of visual and primitive aids to navigation, particularly in the Gulf of Suez (GOS), the Gulf of Aqaba (GOA) and the Red Sea.

This paper derives a fast satellite selection algorithm; that is, an algorithm to select the best subset of satellites to use for positioning in circumstances whereby a satellite navigation receiver is not capable of using all satellites in view. The algorithm adopts the weighting factor concept to determine the contribution of each satellite to the overall positioning accuracy. Selection by this algorithm is shown to be especially efficient when the number of available satellites is large, so it is likely to be particularly useful for receivers capable of making combined measurements to GPS and GLONASS satellites.

This paper presents a summary of the flight evaluation of the DGPS-INS hybrid navigation system conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL). First, the configuration of the flight experiments, including ground facilities, the measurement system, etc. is described. Secondly, the design concept for a method of estimating navigation errors using a Kalman filter is presented. Thirdly, flight profiles employed in the experiments are defined, and the experimental results of GPS, DGPS, INS, in both stand-alone and hybrid modes are shown corresponding to each profile, and the improvement of navigation performance by the introduction of the DGPS-INS hybrid navigation system is experimentally verified. Fourthly, the future plan for research on the DGPS-INS hybrid navigation system at NAL is briefly explained. Finally, it is concluded that the design concept of the DGPS-INS hybrid navigation system available for future space vehicles has been successfully completed.

This paper and the following five papers were presented at the DSNS-94 Conference organized by the Institute from 18–22 April in London. The full proceedings, including some 78 papers, are available from the Director, price £40 (exc. P&p).

This paper describes the infrastructure and concept of two multi-site reference station differential GPS (DGPS) options being offered to land and marine users by Racal Survey. The infrastructure of the Racal SkyFix system is briefly outlined followed by descriptions of Racal's internetting and network capabilities.

The two systems are compared including infrastructure, differential data management, user coverage, datalinks and positioning performance in various parts of the world. The paper describes the design of each of the systems and the tests undertaken to assess their functionality, before going on to compare their performances under a variety of conditions. Emphasis is placed on the technical issues associated with multi-reference station DGPS including error sources, weighting observations and monitoring of the data. The fundamental approach of the systems is shown to achieve high data integrity which is necessary to develop the systems to their next phase.

Having described the two options, examples of various combinations of reference stations are used to illustrate the potential of the system and to show the increased performance over ordinary, single-station DGPS. The conclusions summarize the paper's findings and make recommendations for the future development of the system. The object of the developments so far have been to improve the quality of real-time offshore DGPS positioning. The internetting and network options are providing real-time results to illustrate the benefits and, together with SkyFix, offer significant developments in the ability of DGPS to provide accurate and reliable positioning over vast areas of the world.

This paper, and the following 2 papers were presented at the 17th Annual Meeting of the International Omega Association held on 3—7 August at Amsterdam. Permission to reproduce these papers is gratefully acknowledged.

The mobile radio communications industry has recently witnessed a new demand for terminal equipment which can provide both communications and position reporting capabilities on a global scale–for example, the automatic monitoring of secure cargoes during international transportation. Thus, there is much interest in the development of land mobile satellite terminal equipment in the form of a single integrated unit which can economically provide both of these facilities. In this paper the development of such a unit is considered using the Inmarsat-c satellite communications service and the Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS), with extension to GLONASS possible in a receive-only version.