Understanding and predicting the availabilities of radiobeacon DGNSS Systems

Alan Grant, David Last, and Nick Ward

Abstract:	Marine radiobeacons are employed by the maritime community world-wide as an efficient means of broadcasting differential GNSS data to users at sea. Such DGNSS beacons also increasingly serve not only coastal regions and inland waterways but also substantial land areas of North America and Europe. Recently, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has revised radionavigation service standards to reflect the signal availability requirements of DGNSS. In this paper we identify the many factors that need to be considered in calculating the level of availability, and appropriate methods for doing so. We then propose a way of assessing availability, and embody its principles in a computer model. The model can calculate the availability of a single beacon or, as is more common, the service provided by a system of beacons with overlapping coverage. We show for the first time predictions of the availability and coverage of DGNSS systems in Europe. The new techniques presented in the paper provide a valuable tool for marine radiobeacon DGNSS systems planners and operating administrations.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2002 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 28 - 30, 2002 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	362 - 369
Cite this article:	Grant, Alan, Last, David, Ward, Nick, "Understanding and predicting the availabilities of radiobeacon DGNSS Systems," Proceedings of the 2002 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2002, pp. 362-369.
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