The GPS Toolkit … Open Source GPS Software

Brian W. Tolman, R. Benjamin Harris, Tom Gaussiran, David Munton, Jon Little, Richard Mach, Scot Nelsen, Brent Renfro and David Schlossberg

Abstract:	Applied Research Laboratories, The University of Texas at Austin (ARL:UT) has established an open source software project called the GPS Toolkit, or the GPSTk. The GPSTk provides a core library and collection of applications that support GPS research, analysis and development. The code is released under the terms of the Lesser GNU Public License (LGPL). LGPL grants the user a number of rights, notably the ability to choose whether to modify and redistribute the source. The GPSTk code is written in ANSI C++ that is platform independent. It has been installed and tested successfully under Linux, Solaris, and Windows. The GPSTk supports a broad range of functionality including reading and writing observations in standard formats, such as RINEX and SP-3. Other functions provided by the GPSTk include ephemeris evaluation, position determination, receiver-autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM), atmospheric delay modeling, and P-code generation. The GPSTk distribution is available for download on SourceForge at http://www.gpstk.org/. The website also provides bug reporting and a feature request list. Detailed documentation can be generated from the code using the doxygen package. Documentation can also be found on the website. The GPSTk is the base library used for GPS research and development at ARL:UT. ARL:UT has been involved with satellite navigation since Transit in the 1960's and is currently conducting research in a wide variety of GPS related fields, including ionospheric studies. ARL:UT continually improves the library and is committed to its development and maintenance. ARL:UT’s goal is to make the GPSTk a communitywide resource for all users of GPS and GNSS technology. Participation is welcome and will benefit the GPSTk in the following ways: bug reports, new algorithms, suggestions for improvement, and contributions of additional applications.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2004) September 21 - 24, 2004 Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach, CA
Pages:	2044 - 2053
Cite this article:	Tolman, Brian W., Harris, R. Benjamin, Gaussiran, Tom, Munton, David, Little, Jon, Mach, Richard, Nelsen, Scot, Renfro, Brent, Schlossberg, David, "The GPS Toolkit … Open Source GPS Software," Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2004), Long Beach, CA, September 2004, pp. 2044-2053.
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