2007 Fellow

Presented to: Dr. Christopher J. Hegarty

Citation: For sustained contributions to the art and science of satellite navigation and for consistently demonstrating outstanding technical professionalism on GPS modernization, applications, and augmentations.

Dr. Christopher J. Hegarty provided significant contributions to RTCA's work on the GPS Integrity Channel (GIC), a precursor to satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), in the early 1990s. He developed the technique for providing accurate corrections for rapidly varying GPS errors over low data rate channels that is used today by WAAS. He contributed to the design of the modulation characteristics and data content of signals broadcast by WAAS geostationary satellites and to the development GPS/WAAS avionics standards. In 1997, he chaired an RTCA subgroup that developed standards for airport pseudolites planned for use as a component of the FAA's LAAS program. Dr. Hegarty served as the editor of NAVIGATION, The Journal of The Institute of Navigation, and also as the ION's publication chair from 1997 to 2006.

Dr. Hegarty led a comprehensive study initiated in 1997 to evaluate candidate frequencies for use by the third civil GPS signal (L5). The results of the study directly contributed to the U.S. government decision to place L5 at 1176.45 MHz, and also provided technical solutions to ensure compatibility between L5 and existing systems operating at or near this frequency. In 1998, he received the ION Early Achievement Award and was a co-recipient of MITRE's President Award.

Dr. Hegarty served as the FAA's Civil GPS Modernization project leader under an Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignment from 1999 to 2000. He co-chaired an RTCA working group chartered to develop a signal specification for L5 at the behest of the U.S. Department of Transportation. He chaired/co-chaired two ad hoc committees on implementing L5 established under the IGEB. He has made a number of important contributions, including co-authoring the technical annexes to the 2004 U.S.-European Community agreement on GPS-Galileo for which he was a co-recipient of the Department of State's Superior Honor Award. He also contributed to the design of the new civil GPS L1 signal, L1C.

Dr. Hegarty is the co-editor/co-author of the popular Artech House text Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications, 2nd Edition, 2006, and is co-editor of Artech's GNSS series. He has been a primary author or co-author of more than 40 conference and/or journal articles on GPS and spread spectrum receiver design and has taught numerous seminars on GPS for NavtechGPS.

Dr. Hegarty was the recipient of the ION's Johannes Kepler Award in 2005 and the WPI's Newell Award in 2006.