Some Bits of Warning: How GNSS Can Save Lives

David P. Spinden

Abstract:	The navigation message of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can be used to warn of many varied dangers facing its users at an extremely low cost. It can accomplish this with significant advantages over current warning systems. This paper compares three techniques for achieving this use: American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) message that is described in GPS IS-GPS-200E, using ASCII encoded characters as predefined messages, and using bits to encode a warning. This paper considers the usefulness of such a system, discusses the software changes to both the user and control segments, and details the proposed message structures of the ASCII encoding and bit encoding methods to deliver the most amount of information while being as efficient as possible. This paper explores the limitations of such a system—including the need to force navigation message updates to occur ahead of disasters and other warnings as well as the need to change GNSS command and user software or firmware. This paper attempts to provide examples of how such a system would be useful for a variety of people and situations.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 24th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2011) September 20 - 23, 2011 Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon Portland, OR
Pages:	1419 - 1428
Cite this article:	Spinden, David P., "Some Bits of Warning: How GNSS Can Save Lives," Proceedings of the 24th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2011), Portland, OR, September 2011, pp. 1419-1428.
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