The Effects of Australian Vegetation on GPS

Richard Hawkes and Anthony Finn

Abstract:	Australia has a broad range of vegetation types with the capacity to affect the signals transmitted by the GPS satellites. The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has been developing propagation models and conducting trials to determine the effects of various classes of indigenous vegetation on the GPS signals. The results have applications to a range of GPS operations, which are affected by the attenuation of the satellite signals by vegetation. In this paper attention is focussed on the effects of vegetation type, height, and density on signal attenuation and the commensurate satellite availability and receiver accuracy. The results of the propagation trials and the development of the related vegetation models are described. The models are then used to predict the effect of vegetation on GPS availability for the different regional vegetation environments. The results are displayed on maps that allow conclusions to be drawn as to the effect of vegetation on GPS operations in specific areas.
Published in:	Proceedings of the IAIN World Congress and the 56th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2000) June 26 - 28, 2000 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	741 - 754
Cite this article:	Hawkes, Richard, Finn, Anthony, "The Effects of Australian Vegetation on GPS," Proceedings of the IAIN World Congress and the 56th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2000), San Diego, CA, June 2000, pp. 741-754.
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