Qutoes of the Quarter

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“The system has successfully gone through the end-of-week rollover, and military and civilian GPS users worldwide can continue to depend on accurate information from the GPS satellites.” Air Force Space Command statement on August 21, 1999

“Inasmuch as the service expansion would be conducted in the interest of public safety…there was a presumption (at the start of the program) that the service will be offered as a full and open service and the signal will be available at no cost to the end user with assured availability and integrity.” Interagency Nationwide DGPS Report, prepared March 1998

New Committee Chairs Named, Meeting Chairs and Dates Set
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The new committee chairs for the coming year, named by newly elected ION President Dr. Per Enge, took office at the ION Annual Meeting held in Cambridge, MA, in June.

Standing Committee Chairs
Membership – Dr. Duncan B. Cox, Jr., DBC Communications
Nominating – Dr. Frank van Graas, Ohio University
Finance – Dr. Michael Braasch, Ohio University
Fellow Selection – Dr. Richard Greenspan, Draper Laboratory
Technical Committees – Karen Van Dyke, DOT Volpe Center
Publications – Chris Hegarty, The Mitre Corporation
Meetings – Ken Holland, USAF/CIGTF
Awards – Ron Braff, The Mitre Corporation
Bylaws – Bob Mitchell, Consulting
Sections – John Lavrakas, Overlook Systems Technologies

Ad Hoc Committee Chairs
Editor – Chris Hegarty
International Affairs – Keith McDonald, Sat Tech Systems
Awards Policy – Phil Ward, Navward
Student Policy Awards – John Lavrakas
New Initiatives – Dr. Frank van Graas
Strategic Planning – Karen Van Dyke
Publication Policy – Ron Braff
Historian – Marvin May, Penn State University
Congressional Fellow – Ken Holland
Spectrum – Sally Frodge
GPS Test Standards – Steward

The Purpose Of The ION
The Institute of Navigation, founded in 1945, is a non-profit professional society dedicated to the advancement of the art and science of navigation. It serves a diverse community including those interested in air, space, marine, land navigation and position determination. Although basically a national organization, its membership is worldwide, and it is affiliated with the International Association of the Institutes of Navigation.

1999-2000 National Executive Committee
President: Dr. Per Enge
Executive Vice President: Karen Van Dyke
Treasurer: Larry Hothem
Eastern Region Vice President: Joseph Spalding
Central Region Vice President: Boyd Holsapple
Western Region Vice President: Len Jacobson
Immediate Past President: Dr. Frank van Graas

How To Reach The ION
Telephone: 703-683-7101
Facsimile: 703-683-7105
Web Site: http://www.ion.org
E-Mail: membership@ion.org

ION National Office Staff
Director of Operations: Lisa Beaty
Technical Director: Carl Andren
Office Manager: Jennifer Murphy-Smith
Assistant to the Technical Director: Connie Mayes
Publication Orders: Wendy Hickman

The Benefits of GPS Modernization

By Charlie Challstrom
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Editor’s Note: The benefits of additional GPS signals for civil aviation and other transportation applications have been well documented. The author, whose office is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), outlines some of the remarkable improvements in geodesy, in the sciences and other non-transportation areas that will accrue with the introduction of the new civil signal on L2 and the addition of an L5 carrier on the GPS constellation.

The additional GPS signals will have a significant impact on U.S. business opportunities, public safety, and quality of life. The upgrades will enable nationwide access to a free, meter-level relative positioning and navigation service, resulting in major productivity enhancements and cost savings across a diverse range of civil and industrial applications.

Adding C/A to L2
The placement of the coarse acquisition (C/A) civil code on L2 (1227.60 MHz) will form a total signal that is identical to that on L1 (1575.42 MHz), which currently contains a C/A signal. C/A on L2 will support direct acquisition of the L2 signal during situations where the L1 signal may not be available, such as in cases of interference. Adding C/A to L2 will make the L2 signal more robust against interference sources for the civil user. Examples have been found in Europe, where certain amateur radio operations have interfered with the L2 channel in survey operations. In addition, analyses of global GPS tracking data have found some L2 data losses in the equatorial regions of the Earth. These data losses are believed to be caused by ionospheric effects.

New Signal on L5
The new signal on L5 (1176.45 MHz), part of the spectrum reserved for aeronautical radionavigation services (ARNS), meets the needs of critical safety-of-life applications such as civil aviation. This signal will have increased power relative to L1, two different channels in quadrature, a 24-MHz bandwidth allocation, and the potential for more accurate pseudorange resolution than can be obtained with the current C/A and P(Y) codes. All of this ensures a signal that is very robust and very resilient against pulsed interference sources. And, most importantly, the L5 frequency will allow dual widelaning. This will provide a major improvement to reliable, single-epoch, carrier-phase positioning.

Beyond Transportation
TGPS modernization goes well beyond transportation to open the door for advances in the sciences and many other sectors of the economy. The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is integrating GPS into all facets of its mission of describing and predicting changes in the Earth’s environment, and of conserving and wisely managing the Nation’s coastal and marine resources for sustainable economic opportunities.

GPS modernization translates into better research, better surveying and mapping, and better science to serve the Nation. NOAA uses GPS for navigation of its ships and aircraft; precise positioning of these platforms for surveying, mapping, and calibration of instruments; scientific research and realtime positioning of various monitoring sensors and scientific equipment; time corrections for data products and systems; and for postmission processing applications such as hydrographic surveying and photogrammetry. NOAA’s accuracy requirements range from subcentimeter for crustal motion surveys to tens of meters for some realtime applications.

The new, more robust GPS signal, when added to L5, will benefit an ever increasing number of applications employing real time kinematic (RTK) processing of GPS measurements. With GPS modernization, RTK promises substantial increases in positioning accuracy over longer distances from GPS base stations. NOAA’s hydrographic surveyors, for example, are anticipating better offshore surveying accuracy in three dimensions without having to access the currently required dense network of shore-based stations. This improved RTK capability will also aid geophysical monitoring, robotics, boundary surveys, mining surveys, personal navigation, Geographic Information System development, train positioning for accident avoidance, and the application of seed and fertilizer in GPS precision farming to reduce pollution and increase productivity.

In cooperation with the commercial shipping industry, NOAA is researching the potential for GPS to improve the accuracy of measuring vessel dynamics–the velocity, heading, pitch, roll, and squat of a vessel–as related to under-keel clearance for ships. Knowing in real time the vertical distance between a ship’s hull and the channel floor minimizes chances of running aground, environmental damage, and costs spent waiting to enter or leave a port in changing tides.

In fact, knowing the vertical distance or height of objects is so critical that NOAA has accelerated its Height Modernization initiative to enrich use of GPS for the third dimension of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). As the foundation for all types of surveys, the NSRS allows government, industry and researchers to measure accurately the position of objects in three-dimensional space, thereby saving time and money and protecting lives, property and the environment.

Just last month NOAA geodesists occupied the apex of the Washington Monument for the first time in 65 years, using GPS to measure the exact height and gain valuable information on the stability of the famous obelisk. These same three-dimensional positioning capabilities are essential for a wide range of survey work, for navigation, for disaster response systems such as earthquake subsidence sensors and flood prediction estimates, as well as the operation Interagency GPS Executive Board (IGEB), as part of its mission of GPS stewardship, is not only pursuing GPS modernization, but is also investigating the possibility of early implementation. Survey respondents urged a “sooner is better” approach to GPS modernization because their demands for geospatial information are rapidly outpacing the capabilities of the existing GPS. Key to the Nation’s commercial growth, GPS modernization will also enhance national security, public safety, scientific research, environmental protection, and other national interests. In the grand scheme of things, the cost of GPS modernization is a small investment that will yield enormous benefit to the civilian community on a global scale.

News In Brief
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The FAA has begun operational evaluation of an advanced Automatic Dependent Surveillance system (ADS-B) that broadcasts GPS positioning of an aircraft, along with speed and identification data in the ADS signal. The signal is transmitted to other equipped aircraft, and to ground control stations. At this stage in testing, ADS-B is not considered an airborne collision-avoidance system, but it could in the future serve as an alternative to TCAS.

CADET HEATHER PARADISE received the ION Navigation Award for students at U.S. Coast Guard Academy ceremonies on May 18. Capt. Ben Peterson, former ION president, presented the award.

A CIRCULAR ANTENNA now under test for GPS receivers, avionics and some personal communications devices has demonstrated range improvements of up to 300 percent over monopole antennas, according to Aviation Week magazine. Called a contrawound toroidal helical antenna (CTHA), the one under test by the military has a diameter of just one inch.

LOCKHEED MARTIN FILED an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a commercial geostationary satellite network that would serve the FAA’s needs for space segment for its GPS-based WAAS network. The company proposed up to 12 satellites for global service through three Regional Positioning Systems (RPS). The first RPS would serve the Western Hemisphere and meet FAA’s timeline for inaugurating WAAS. The system could be expanded into a “seamless global capability as other regional customers commit to the service” in Europe and Asia.

THE USAF AWARDED Raytheon Systems a $5.8 million contract for early work on its Joint Precision Approach Landing System, the military equivalent of the FAA’s GPS-based civil LAAS system. The U.S. military expects to install the system on about 15,000 aircraft; production of the system is scheduled to start in 2004, followed by a 10-year transition to full implementation.

BEYOND GPS. A top Pentagon civilian says the 78-day air war over Kosovo indicates that precision weaponry of the future will need to go beyond GPS-guided bombs and missiles. GPS is excellent for fixed targets under any weather conditions, but precision missiles in the future must be able to seek out and destroy moving targets. “Clearly the emphasis is on killing moving platforms,” said Dr. Jacques Gansler, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology, “not just finding them.”

EUROPEAN SUPPORTERS of the proposed global Galileo navigation satellite system are seeking to round up private industry financial backing for the estimated $2.3 billion system. About 40 percent of the cost is expected to be provided by non-government sources. A decision on full-scale development of Galileo may not be made until the end of next year.

CADET SAMUEL J. NOLAND, North Hills, Ca, received ION’s award as the Outstanding Cadet in Aviation during June ceremonies in conjunction with the Air Force Academy’s 41st graduation ceremony. John Lavrakas, ION Western Regional VP, presented the award.

WILLIAM SLEEPER ARNOTT, former chief navigator for United Airlines, died in April after collapsing in the Ontario airport. Captain Arnott was checking out Howard Hughes in an amphibian when the Spruce Goose got off the water for its one and only flight. Arnott conceived the idea for the “Classroom in the Sky” to teach aspiring pilots, and was a founder of the United Airlines Historical Foundation.

AN FAA INVESTMENT analysis team estimates that a GPS/WAAS system per aircraft will cost about $45,000 for new air carriers, and a LAAS system for Categories II and III precision approaches will run about $30,000 per aircraft.

MAGELLAN AND TOPCON Corps. have formed a strategic alliance to market products for surveying, mapping and related applications, according to the GPS World Newsletter. The publication also noted that NovAtel and Sokkia plan to form a joint subsidiary to market products for surveying, mapping, geographic information systems, construction and machine control.

TESTS UNDERWAY at Flagler County Airport in Florida for helicopter precision instrument approaches to a hover point in space have been successful. Raytheon’s special category 1 differential GPS ground station provides glideslope and localizer guidance to hovering craft. “For the first time,” says Nick Lappos, Sikorsky Aircraft assistant chief pilot, “we will be able to provide helicopter service to heliports and oil rigs in virtually any weather.”

CADET MARK A. HOMEYER received the Institute of Navigation Award honoring the deck graduate with the highest grade point average in navigation during the 1999 Graduation Awards Ceremony of the California Maritime Academy.

THE LORAN SYSTEM, which had been due for phase-out in 2000, will be operated until at least 2008, according to press reports. U.S. DoT officials will seek $35 million to help upgrade the 25 transmitting sites in the United States, it was further reported.

GPS' LEGACY
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GPS wasn’t born full-grown on a Labor Day weekend in 1973, as some history-in-review clips seem to depict it. Actually, design started well before 1973, according to two U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) scientists.

In a paper prepared for the June ION Annual Meeting, Roger L. Easton (ret.) and Thomas B. McCaskill recount one single event — the EASCON meeting held in Washington in October of 1969 — where three papers were presented relating to the use of satellites for navigation/positioning services.

One paper entitled “Mid-Atlantic Navigation Satellites” by R.L. Easton, then of the NRL, perhaps came closest to present-day GPS, by proposing circular polar orbits, a mid-altitude (about 8000 miles; GPS is 10,600), the use of atomic oscillators for time (or, optionally, quartz), and the use of passive ranging. The author suggested a constellation of 24 satellites, eight in each of three planes, to achieve four-satellite availability at any time.

Other papers were presented at the same conference, one entitled “Low-Altitude Navigation Satellite System” by Richard B. Kershner of Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory, and one entitled “Satellite Systems for Navigation Using 24-Hour Orbits” by J.B. Woodward, W.C. Melton and R.L. Dutcher of the Aerospace Corp. GPS design concepts can be traced back five years from the 1969 EASTCON meeting, the authors acknowledged. They cited the seminal article entitled “A Navigation System Using Range Measurements from Satellites with Cooperating Ground Stations” by Roy Anderson, in the autumn issue of the ION Journal in 1964.

The ION Council has approved Albuquerque as the location for the June 2002 and 2003 Annual Meetings to be co-sponsored with the CIGTF at nearby Holloman AFB.

During a meeting held at the ION Annual Meeting in Cambridge, MA, in June, the Council also voted to approve Southern California for the January 2002 and January 2003 yearly National Technical Meetings. ION Meeting Committee Chair, Ken Holland, reported that a co-sponsorship agreement with KIS and the University of Calgary was being investigated for the January 2001 Technical Meeting.

Some discussion centered on the choice of Albuquerque. It was noted that the city already had been chosen for the June 2001 Annual Meeting, and a contract for two more years would mean that an East Coast location would be foreclosed for at least three years. But the Council accepted the proposal, finding that the CIGTF served as a valuable co-sponsor for the event, providing strong technical content and introducing a new audience and potential new members to ION.

On other subjects, the Council heard a suggestion for establishment of a new annual award, to be called the Tycho Brahe Award, after the 16th century Danish astronomer. The award would be endowed by Mary Janislawski in honor of her mother, Mary Tornich Janislawski (see Fellows Awards this issue). The proposal subsequently was referred to the Strategic Planning Committee for further study and the preparation of a comprehensive recommendation for the January Council meeting.

There was discussion of a possible future combined workshop sponsored by the ION and the federal GPS Inter-agency Advisory Committee (GIAC) on ways the civil community could make best use of the forthcoming new GPS signals, and further expansion of member benefits/services on the ION Website. A report by the Sections Committee noted that dormant Sections in Philadelphia, Southern California and Washington, DC, need to be revitalized. At the same time, the potential exists for formation of new Sections in Cedar Rapids, IA, and in Florida.

Later, at a meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee, a proposal to establish a Congressional Fellows Program received further attention. Cost estimates were placed at $60,000 per year. Member interest will be solicited, and a full proposal will be presented to the January 2000 Council meeting. At the same meeting, the Committee charged the Publications Committee with formulation of a business plan to publish an ION ‘red book’ on the subject: International Applications of GNSS. Keith McDonald is to serve as editor of the volume, with assistance from Chris Hegarty, Ron Braff and Per Enge.

Washington Watch: GPS Elevated to Permanent Office
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In a move to define and strengthen the role of GPS within the federal government, a new executive secretariat office is being established with a permanent staff to consolidate all executive branch activities relating to the global satellite navigation system.

As part of a major organizational move long under discussion, the new office will be the executive secretariat of the Interagency GPS Executive Board (IGEB), the top policy-making body for coordination of GPS activities among government agencies. Stephen G. Moran, a former NASA program manager and presently a senior advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), will head the new office.

The new permanent, centralized structure is designed to give focus to GPS, to speak before Congress with one voice on critical funding and policy issues, and to expedite the major “modernization” program for GPS that will add new civil signals and update military capabilities to greatly enhance the system over the next few years.

The IGEB executive secretariat will have offices initially in the Department of Commerce. Members of the IGEB are the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, Justice, and State, and NASA; the CIA serves in an advisory role.

Moran holds BS and MS degrees in engineering mechanics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Since joining the OSTP at the White House in 1995, he served on a GPS working group, and helped formulate the defining Presidential Decision Directive on GPS policy issued in March of 1996. Prior to this, Moran was a program manager in NASA’s Office of Aeronautics. He also served as NASA’s representative to NATO’s Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development from 1994 to 1997. Before joining the federal government, he spent 10 years with the Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company.


Taking The Measure of a Famed Monument
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Government scientists rode a temporary elevator, then climbed 60 feet up a ladder to the peak of the Washington Monument to take the latest three-dimension measurements of the famed obelisk in August.

It had been 65 years since the last geodesic checkup. The team of scientists from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) used a special mount tailor-made for the occasion, placed on the apex of the Monument to hold seven GPS receivers, made by seven different manufacturers.

The real-time verdict: 555 feet 5.9 inches, some four-tenths of an inch more than previously recorded — subject to post-processed verification. That’s far less proportional growth than the federal bureaucracy in the same intervening time.

The 114-year old Monument, a major tourist attraction maintained and operated by the National Park Service, presently is sheathed in steel scaffolding for renovations. The NGS took the opportunity to update its precision surveys.

“Engineers will also use this information to monitor the monument’s stability, measuring any shifting, settling or other movement of the structure,” said Dr. D. James Baker, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “The same precise positioning capabilities used in this project are essential for a wide range of survey work, navigation and the operation of safe, reliable transportation and communications systems.”

A lifetime earlier, in November 1934, personnel from the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, predecessor of NGS, stood on a special wooden platform and made manual observations with pens using instruments such as theodolites, spirit levels and leveling rods.


It’s Plain There Was No Drain For the Rain
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An Air Force investigation found that rain damage to a Block IIR GPS satellite at Cape Canaveral was caused by a faulty rain shield.

The spacecraft was atop a Delta II in a White Room structure prior to launch when a heavy thunderstorm struck the Cape May 8. The Air Force released the results of its investigation July 22.

Water leaked through a sheared screw on the White Room roof and pooled on a tarp protecting the Block IIR satellite, according to the report, then spilled on the spacecraft when the tarp collapsed under the weight. The tarp consisted of strips of waterproof material four feet wide that were overlapped and the seams sealed with aluminized tape. Procedures require tape on both sides. “In this case, the seams were only taped on top, which proved to be inadequate to protect the satellite,” declared Col. Edwin E. Noble, 21st Logistics Commander at the Cape.

The Air Force Space Command, which conducted the investigation, estimated costs of at least $2.1 million. The spacecraft subsequently was shipped back to the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, for further inspection and possible repair. The next launch of a IIR was scheduled for October 5.


Geodesists Support Spectrum Protection
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Resolutions passed recently by two associations lend strong support to Global Navigation Satellite Service (GNSS) proponents who seek to protect the service from spectrum raids by the mobile telecommunications industry.

At a meeting in Birmingham, UK, in July, the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) approved a resolution launching a concerted effort to persuade delegates to the Word Radio Conference next year (WRC-2000) in Geneva in April-May to protect frequencies used by such GNSS systems as GPS, GLONASS and the proposed European GALILEO system. Mobile satellite communications operators, narrowly defeated in WRC-1998, are said to be mounting another effort to allocate a lower portion of spectrum, now used by GPS L1, for mobile phones during next year’s conference, sponsored by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The IAG resolution found it was of “extreme and critical importance to protect existing radio frequency spectrum allocations for GNSS.” It recommended that national delegates “open an active debate” and seek “to influence each country’s position at the ITU and the WRC-2000.” In addition, the IAG secretary general is sending a letter to appropriate officials at the ITU, “advising them of the critical importance of this matter to IAG, in their scientific studies of the earth and in their practical applications of the results of this research.”

The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), meeting in assembly with the IAG, approved a similar resolution. Two ION members played a significant role in promoting the strong IAG and IUGG actions. Larry Hothem, US Geological Survey, sponsored the resolution; a presentation on spectrum issues by Sally Frodge, USDoT, served as background information for the IAG and IUGG resolutions committees.

The U.S. delegation, meanwhile, to the upcoming ITU WRC-2000 has taken a stand vigorously opposing any efforts to allocate or share GPS spectrum with mobile satellite operators.


Portney’s Corner

Captain Omen's Voyage Under the Polar Seas
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Courtesy of Litton G&C Systems

The Leviathan Team - A collaborative effort by its members as conceived by Seluj Enrev (mirror image brother of Jules Verne) in his book Voyage Under the Polar Seas.

Synopsis of Voyage Under Polar Seas by Seluj Enrev

Captain Omen (Captain Nemo's mirror image twin brother) is preparing to embark on a voyage to the north polar seas in his nuclear-powered submarine – Leviathan. His quest is verifying the validity of the "Hollow Earth" theory by locating its alleged entry site presumed to be below the North Pole. The Leviathan will have triple inertial navigation systems installed (designed by Leon Foucalt and Charles Babbage). An inertial navigation system is a passive system that utilizes a platform stabilized by three orthogonally mounted gyros and three orthogonally mounted accelerometers to provide acceleration, velocity (the integral of acceleration) and position (the integral of velocity). It also provides heading and track information of the vehicle. Omen now must select the optimal navigation program and Earth coordinate system for the digital computer for polar voyages. The meridians in the polar region converge at the North and South Poles and latitude vanishes to a point. A course line (shown in Figure 1) crossing the rapidly converging meridians in the polar region changes direction at a rapid rate. Omen must choose a coordinate system and mechanization that eliminates the singularities found in traditional coordinate systems.

Figure 1. High latitude course line

An inertial navigation system that is mechanized for north pointing cannot be used at the pole as its navigation solution blows up (the gyro platform would have to be torqued at excessive rates at the pole). The rapid convergence of the meridians at high latitudes, with the resultant excessive torquing rates imposed on the inertial platform for north pointing systems, is known as "the problem of the poles" (the poles are the points of singularities). The conventional coordinate system with North and South Poles in place is depicted in Figure 2. Various concepts have been developed to cope with this problem. By displacing the pole away from the zone of navigation, the singularity can be avoided. An approach developed is the wander azimuth mechanization which allows the platform to be aligned to whatever heading it is pointing at completion of alignment and its azimuth (true bearing), with respect to true north is designated as the alpha angle. As the vehicle travels across the Earth, angle alpha continually changes, hence the designation of wander azimuth mechanization.

Figure 2. Earth and Platform coordinate systems

His choices of coordinate system mechanizations are the equatorial polar grid and unipolar (as seen in Figure 3) to avoid the singularity constraint. In order to obtain navigation performance from the inertial navigation system, it is necessary to relate its platform coordinate system with the Earth-fixed coordinate system as seen in Figure 2. This is done through a process of coordinate transformations using direction cosines. The inertial platform coordinate system is an x,y,z orthogonal triad with x-y defining a plane in the local level and the z axis in the local vertical. The platform is constantly torqued to the local level. The Earth-fixed coordinate system is an X,Y, Z orthogonal triad emanating from the center of the Earth with the X axis co-linear with the polar spin axis and the Y and Z axes lying in the equatorial plane with the Z axis directed outward through the point at which the zero pseudo longitude line intersects the equator.

Figure 3. Equatorial Polar Grid and UnipolarCoordinate Systems

Captain Omen uses the Babbage-Cabbage computer/printer for his navigational computations. The Babbage/Cabbage computer/printer has a limited capacity and throughput. Omen must choose the optimal polar mechanization on the basis of efficiency and utility for polar navigation. He studies the merits of the two candidate coordinate systems as graphically illustrated in Figure 3 and summarized in Table 1.

Captain Omen selects the coordinate system shown in _____ for the reason shown:

A: unipolar lends itself to less instructions
B: equatorial polar grid allows both pseudo poles to be accessible simultaneously
C: unipolar's small circles simplify navigation
D: equatorial polar grid is simpler to map

Keep reading for the correct answer.

Nominate a Fellow
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ION headquarters is taking nominations for election of Fellows now. The first group of ION Fellows was inducted this year (see story on Awards to 30 Fellows this issue). To maintain that consistent quality level, the ION Fellow Selection Committee says it is not too early to start the process of selecting nominees for 2000.

The election of Fellows gives the ION an opportunity to recognize the contribution of members to the advancement of the technology, the management, practice and teaching of the arts and science of navigation, as well as for lifetime contributions to the Institute. Honorary Fellow Memberships may be given to non-members who have made relevant contributions to the industry.

Nominations are open now to active ION members. This year, forms will be required to include a brief biography and proposed citation. Details of the nomination process are available on the ION Website. Nominations must be received by December 15, 1999, to qualify.


ION Aids Companies in Recruting at GPS '99 Show
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In an effort to assist students in the navigation job market, the Institute’s Business Center at the ION GPS ’99 Conference in Nashville in September provided a collection of student resumes to exhibiting companies and others interested in recruitment possibilities.

In addition, the Institute maintained a job board at the Conference where companies or individuals could post job openings. The Satellite Division of the ION, which supports and encourages students in navigation/ positioning/timing technologies, plans in the future to expand its efforts in this area with a formal student job fair.

Portney's Corner...The Answer
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The answer is A.

The unipolar projection is the most efficient projection for polar navigation as it offers a symmetrical solution with polar/pseudo-polar and spin axes coincident and is easiest to mechanize for a limited memory and throughput computer (fewer direction cosine transformations). This is important since the Babbage-Cabbage machine has limited memory and throughput. The unipolar mechanization was conceived to retain all the functions of a wander azimuth mechanization using fewer equations owing to the fact that longitude is equal to minus alpha as seen in Figure 4.

Figure 4. The equivalence of alpha angle (platform azimuth) and longitude.

Afterword
The unipolar coordinate system was first utilized in the inertial navigation systems aboard the USS Nautilus. It was ideally suited for this early navigation system whose digital processor had a limited memory and through-put by today's standards. The USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine (launched in 1955), sailed under the North Pole in 1958

From The Editor

Hale Montgomery
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For the most part, the press handled the Aug. 21 GPS rollover in a responsible way. There were a few Chicken Little stories, such as an early wire service the-sky-is-falling report out of Tokyo that went something like this:

“It’s enough to unsettle any Japanese driver — in the thicket of Tokyo’s chaotic maze of nameless streets and alleys, the electronic navigator breaks down. That could happen to nearly 100,000 Japanese drivers this weekend ...” etc.

Most major metropolitan newspapers, however, had factual, non-hysterical stories about the end-of-week rollover — the point when the GPS clocks that started counting time on Jan. 6, 1980 and continued to 8 p.m. EDT on Aug. 21, the 1024th week, rolled back to “0000 week” for the next nearly 20-year period. The networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CNN — all carried reports or interviews with recognized authorities.

On the Internet, some users posted their angst, from Germany, England, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, Topeka, KS, and elsewhere. Wrote one, typical of the rollover blues: “My receiver went belly up and now I’m stuck. Anyone know how to reprogram this thing?”

For the most part, some older receivers affected by the date change just went blank or the screens froze, or there were interruptions, according to most accounts. But all users had ample advance warning. In the U.S., the Coast Guard issued public statements to the media, and posted information for users on its Web site. The Air Force Space Command said in a post-event statement that everything went as expected, no major problems of a safety nature were reported. The Australian Defence Force reported from Canberra that the GPS rollover “passed with few problems.” Receiver manufacturers issued press releases downplaying any problems; Boeing hastened to assure travelers in a news release that “GPS is not designed or used as the sole means of navigation on Boeing aircraft.”

The rollover could be considered a small preview of the Y2K issue, just a rehearsal for the big event when the whole wired world rolls over to 2000.

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Data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a UN-affiliated organization in Geneva, tends to put the hi-tech revolution in global perspective. The ITU reports that one-half of the world’s population, more than 3 billion people, have never made a telephone call.

In a recent speech, Larry Irving, departing assistant secretary for communications and information at the Department of Commerce, came up with some interesting statistics about people and the global techless society. He said if the world were reduced to a village of 1,000 people:

There would be 548 Asians, 124 Africans, 136 from the Western Hemisphere (North and South America), 95 Eastern/Western Europeans, and 55 Russians.

• 520 would be female, and 480 would be male.
• 650 would not have a home telephone.
• 500 would never have used a phone.
• 335 would be illiterate.
• 330 would be children.
• 70 would own automobiles.
• 10 would have a college degree.
• One would own a computer.

His calculations did not extend to the per capita ownership of GPS receivers, but then it's kind'a difficult envisioning a fractional person needing to know his/her precise lat/long. May we go forth and multiply.

SECTION NEWS _______________________________________________ Houston Section. The third quarterly meeting of the Houston Section, held July 27 at Rudi’s restaurant, featured two speakers. Robert Estes, an engineer at Baker Hughes INTEQ, spoke on the subject of Borehole Positioning. Estes is directing a project to build the first measurement-while-drilling gyro tool. Bill Walters, Trimble Navigation, presented examples of GPS use in a variety of military applications.

Corporate Profile ______________ Rannoch Corporation Rannoch is an aerospace systems company that specializes in air traffic management communications, navigation, and surveillance. The company is committed to the advancement and practical implementation of aerospace systems. Rannoch provides analytical engineering services and in support of assignments develops prototype hardware and software systems. Rannoch has worked on a variety of research and development programs for FAA, NASA, and the U.S. Navy. Rannoch has been instrumental in the development of : international standards for aircraft surface operations and landing systems; performance enhancements to aircraft collision avoidance systems; and quantitative risk assessment modeling of aircraft separation. On the hardware side, Rannoch has developed a series of modular radar decoders that have broad application to aircraft tracking and datalink communication. Rannoch’s navigation interests include: application and practical implementation of satellite navigation to aircraft collision avoidance, sensor performance enhancements for aircraft separation, and integration of aircraft landing and surface navigation sensors.

New Corporate Members _____________________ The ION extends a warm welcome to the following new Corporate Members: IntegriNautics

Calendar _______ November 1999 1-3: International Loran Association (ILA) Convention and Technical Symposium (ILA28) and Royal Institute of Navigation (NAV99); London, England; Contact ILA Operations Center, E-mail: ILA@loran.org or Royal Institute of Navigation, E-mail: conference@rin.org.uk 15-19: Joint Services Data Exchange (JSDE); Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel, Norfolk, VA, Contact: Herb Schoenfeld, Tel: 561-732-3447; E-mail: herbsch@aol.com January 2000 26-28: ION National Technical Meeting, Pacifica Hotel, Anaheim, CA, Contact: ION, Tel: 703-683-7101, Fax: 703-683-7105, Web Site: http://www.ion.org March 2000 13-16: Position Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS); Paradise Point Hotel, San Diego, CA, Contact: Plans 2000, Web Site: http://www.plans-ieee.org; Tel: 612-951-7600 May 2000 1-4: GNSS 2000; Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland; Contact: Conference Secretariat, In Conference Ltd., Tel: 44(0)131 556 9245; Fax: 44(0) 131 556 9638, E-mail: inconfernce@cableinet.co.uk 7-12: 2000 RTCM Annual Assembly Meeting; Paradise Point Hotel, San Diego, CA, Contact: W. T. Adams, RTCM, Tel: 703-684-4481; Fax: 703-836-4229 29-31: 7th Saint Petersburg International Conference on Integrated Navigation Systems; St. Petersburg, Russia, Contact: Dr. George Schmidt, Draper Laboratory, E-mail: gschmidt@draper.com or Prof. V. Peshekhonov, Russian Academy of Navigation and Motion Control, E-mail: elprib@erbi.spb.su June 2000 26-28: 10th International Congress of International Association of Institutes of Navigation; Catamaran Hotel, San Diego, CA, USA; Contact: ION, Tel: 703-683-7101, Fax: 703-683-7105, Web Site: http://www.ion.org

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