Urgent Technology, Spectrum and Implementation Issues for the Future Civil GPS

Keith D. McDonald

Abstract:	During the past several years, a number of important investigations, policy initiatives and national commitments relating to the future of GPS, GLONASS and their augmentations have occurred. Substantive and on-going studies of the character and configuration of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) also have been energetically evaluated world wide and especially by the GNSS Panel of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These efforts have been principally directed toward the definition of near and far term GNSS implementations that meet the needs and concerns of the international community. This paper briefly reviews the investigations and then discusses several GNSS configurations that address these needs and constraints. In particular, the concerns relating to the dual civil and military character of the GPS component of a GNSS are analyzed with several alternatives presented. The main issues relating to the transition to a GNSS with a viable international character are outlined. These issues include: economic participation and benefit, assurance of service, satisfactory performance, reasonable cost and some form of international governance. The paper includes a discussion of the potential impact of new signal structures, certain changes in operating frequencies, combinations of satellite constellations and new data link alternatives. Several system guidelines and options are discussed which appear to have merit in the development of an international GNSS.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1998 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 21 - 23, 1998 Westin Long Beach Hotel Long Beach, CA
Pages:	423 - 434
Cite this article:	McDonald, Keith D., "Urgent Technology, Spectrum and Implementation Issues for the Future Civil GPS," Proceedings of the 1998 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Long Beach, CA, January 1998, pp. 423-434.
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In