Vulnerability Assessment of the U.S. Transportation Infrastructure that Relies on GPS

James V. Carroll, Karen Van Dyke, John H. Kraemer and Charles Rodgers

Abstract:	During the course of its development for military use and more recent extension to many civilian uses, vulnerabilities of the Global Positioning System (GPS) have become apparent. The vulnerabilities arise from natural, intentional, and unintentional sources. Increasing civilian (and military) reliance on GPS brings with it a vital need to identify the critical vulnerabilities to civilian users, and to develop a plan to mitigate these vulnerabilities. This paper summarizes the findings of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) vulnerability study that addresses these issues. The key findings are that GPS is vulnerable to several classes of disruption that affect all transportation modes and related infrastructure, and that the vulnerabilities can be mitigated by awareness, planning, and using independent backup systems and/or alternate procedures in safety-critical applications. To gain the full benefits of GPS, it will be necessary to analyze safety-of-life vulnerabilities in detail, and to determine the means and costs of reducing these risks to acceptable levels. The complete assessment report, of which this paper is a synopsis, was released to the public on September 10, 2001.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001) September 11 - 14, 2001 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	975 - 981
Cite this article:	Carroll, James V., Van Dyke, Karen, Kraemer, John H., Rodgers, Charles, "Vulnerability Assessment of the U.S. Transportation Infrastructure that Relies on GPS," Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001), Salt Lake City, UT, September 2001, pp. 975-981.
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