Fundamental Methods and Weaknesses of GPS Technology

This report explores the fundamental methods used to operate GPS technology, weaknesses and potential applications of GPS, and the reliability of data and information. It discusses the space segment, control segment, and user segment of GPS, as well as the underlying networking principle. The weaknesses of GPS include inaccuracy, lack of local knowledge, signal failure, and privacy or security issues. The report also highlights the applications of GPS in aviation, marine, framing, surveying, and military. The reliability of data and information is discussed in terms of accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage.

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Data communication and network
routing

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Fundamental methods used to operate GPS system...................................................................2
The space segment..................................................................................................................2
Control segment......................................................................................................................3
User segment..........................................................................................................................3
Underlying networking principle...........................................................................................3
Weaknesses and potential applications of GPS.........................................................................4
Weakness................................................................................................................................4
Inaccuracy...........................................................................................................................4
Lack of local knowledge.....................................................................................................4
Signal failure.......................................................................................................................4
Privacy or security issues....................................................................................................4
Applications of GPS...............................................................................................................5
Aviation..............................................................................................................................5
Marine.................................................................................................................................5
Framing...............................................................................................................................5
Surveying............................................................................................................................5
Military...............................................................................................................................6
Reliability of data and information............................................................................................6
Accuracy.................................................................................................................................6
Authority.................................................................................................................................6
Objectivity..............................................................................................................................6
Currency.................................................................................................................................6
Coverage.................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7

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References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
GPS is defined as the global positioning system which is a satellite based process possessed
by the U.S. government and functioned by the United State air force. It is a navigation system
which provides a platform to track and detect the location of the GPS receiver and individual
that uses the GPS system (Xu, and Xu, 2016). The goal of this report is to describe the
concept of GPS technology and explore the underlying networking principle of GPS. The
GPS system does not need the consumer to transmit and share any data or information and it
operates independently by using information communication technologies. This report is
divided into three parts, for example, fundamental methods used to operate the GPS system,
weaknesses, and applications of GPS, and reliability of data and information.
Fundamental methods used to operate the GPS system
A GPS is a navigation technique which supplies site and time info in all-weather situations to
the consumer. Mainly, such kind of technology is used for navigation in cars, trucks, ships,
and planes and it also provides the continuous real time, navigation, timing worldwide and
3D positioning (Aughey, 2011). There are major three fundamental methods involves in order
for operating the GPS technology which are the following:
 The space segment
 The control system
 The user segment
The space segment process
It is the quantity of satellite in the group which encompasses of 28 cables rotating the soil
each 12 hours at around 12,000 miles in height. The major purpose of the section is to way
the signals, retransfer the way information which is transferred by the control system. The
transmission systems are controlled and monitored with the help of stable atomic clocks on
the satellites and it is formed through a satellite constellation with enough satellites.
Control segment
Such kind of process is utilized to switch and monitor the satellite television navigation with
an automatic clock which is spread around the world (Humienny, 2009). There are major five
monitor stations used to control the GOS satellite signals and send the information or data to
the switch stations where irregularities are studied and transferred spinal to the GPS system.

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User segment
The consumer section includes GPS headset that gathers the signs from the satellite system
and calculates how far away it is from every satellite system. Generally, such kind of process
is utilized for the United States military and many civilians use user segment process for
transportation purpose (Dach, et al., 2007).
Underlying networking principle
The networking principle of the GPS is completely based on the concept of trilateration. In
which the position of the receiver is identified from the distance measured between satellite
systems. Below figure shows involves four satellites systems in order to identify the position
of the receiver on the surface of the earth. In which the board site is long-established by the
fourth cable system and another 3 satellite TV are utilized to track the location of the receiver
(Im, Hurlebaus, and Kang, 2011). The GPS system involves satellite, monitor station,
receiver, and control station. The global positioning system takes the data and info from the
cable and utilizes the principle of triangulation in order to identify the exact location of the
receiver.
Figure: GPS system
(Source: Im, Hurlebaus, and Kang, 2011)
In the GPS system, the distance between the receiver and satellite can be identified by the
multiplying rate of the signal with the total time.
Distance = rate* time

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In which the electromagnetic radiations are used in the form of microwave signals that travels
at the constant rate of 18000 mi/sec.
Weaknesses and potential applications of GPS
GPS technology is now used in many information technologies in order to track and identify
the location of the user. Moreover, it is also used in the navigational systems, mobile phones,
land surveying and controlling the fault lines which can cause earthquakes (Ding, et al.,
2008).
Weakness
There are a few disadvantages to this technology which are described below:
Inaccuracy
Mainly, the GPS technology relies upon collecting signals from at least 4 satellites and if they
are interconnected with only three then the positioning is not completely accurate. The
problem of inaccuracy also occurs when any obstacle like buildings, trees, and walls obstruct
the signals (Du, and Teng, 2007). The large atmospheric situation, for example, geomagnetic
storms can also cause an issue in the GPS system.
Lack of local knowledge
Sometimes, GPS technologies miss out on information which might be useful which create a
problem for consumers and business industries. Moreover, this technology does not collect
complete information about the user or receiver that occurs due to a lack of local knowledge
(Goodman, 2019).
Signal failure
It is one of the common weaknesses of the GPS technology where the sole reliance on GPS
can cause a problem if the user faces a signal failure. Mainly, GPS devices consume more
power rather than other due to which users can lose power in very less time. When such kind
of problem occurs than the user or receiver can lose in an unfamiliar area.
Privacy or security issues
Security is also a very common drawback of the GPS system where hackers enter into the
user personal devices with the help of GPS. Mainly, this kind of device can be utilized to
stalk individuals without their knowledge. A system can be inserted in the car by which
hackers can easily track the location of the user and it is also used for criminal purposes.

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There are a few other weaknesses of GPS system which are the following:
 Power consumption device
 GPS signals do not pierce by the solid structures
 Accuracy is completely based on the quality of the signals
 Very complex to control and monitor
Applications of GPS
Aviation
Many advanced aircrafts utilize the GPS technology in order provides the real time position
of the aircraft to the airline's industries and consumers. This technology also provides a chart
of different terminuses reliant on the location of the airplane. Such kind of tender is also used
by the workers in order to identify which way is very fast, harmless and fuel efficient (Grind
GIS, 2018).
Marine
It is one of the best applications of GPS technology where boat captains can easily find the
position of the destination. Such kind of application is also used to ensure that all channels
are clear and there is no obstacle between satellite and receiver (Yi, et al., 2013).
Framing
Mainly, farmers also use the global positioning system and they establish a GPS system on
their tractors and devices which help them for mapping their plantations. Such kind of
approach is more efficient in the seasons when it’s foggy with lesser visibility since the GPS
system will still operate.
Surveying
It is also a very common application of the GPS technology which is utilized to map and
identify the position of the user on the earth surface and underwater. Moreover, the GPS
system is also used for calculating the land boundaries, highlighting the changes in the shape
of the structure.
Military
In this modern era, the GPS system is also used in the military application in order to identify
the location of the victim. The United State Department was the first country that used the

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GPS system in defense and they can easily send and receive a message to their team
members. GPS technology is also used to protect soldiers and control resources.
Reliability of data and information
Accuracy
All the above information and data is specific and accurate and provided resources are also
important in order to identify the weaknesses of the GPS system. Data and information
gathered from online sources are based on the observations, interpretations, and conclusions
and they are documented.
Authority
In this study, there are numerous online resources used which are cited in every paragraph in
order to provide credit to the author. Researchers, educational institution, organizations,
government agency all are authors of online sources and they are affiliated with the reputable
institutions.
Objectivity
All authors and online sources have their own agendas and they followed the objectives of
the investigations. This study involved all objectives described by the researchers and
resources and viewpoints of other authors are also included in this report.
Currency
Information gathered from online sources are up to date and its appearance on the website is
not a guarantee. Authors also provide the published date and year that shows that resources
are more reliable and they did not take any amount to access data and information.
Coverage
All free and online resources used in this report are reliable and cover various topics such as
the fundamental concept of GPS technology, weaknesses, and applications of the GPS
system. Online websites cover only weakness and applications of the GPS and other journal
papers provided complete information about networking principles of GPS.
Conclusion
It is concluded that GPS technology is a very important technique for identifying the position
and location of the user. This report explained the fundamental methods used to operate GPS,

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networking principles, weaknesses and applications of GPS. It is less accurate and depends
on the quality of the signal. It also requires more power in order to track the location of the
user. Security is one of the common problems of this technology due to which criminals can
track the location of the victim.

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References
Aughey, R.J., (2011) Applications of GPS technologies to field sports. International journal
of sports physiology and performance, 6(3), pp.295-310. Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51632087_Applications_of_GPS_Technologies_to
_Field_Sports [Accessed 15/02/2019].
Dach, R., Hugentobler, U., Fridez, P., and Meindl, M., (2007) Bernese GPS software version
5.0. Astronomical Institute, University of Bern, 640(2), p.114. Available from:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.715.9220&rep=rep1&type=pdf
[Accessed 15/02/2019].
Ding, W., Wang, J., Li, Y., Mumford, P. and Rizos, C., (2008) Time synchronization error
and calibration in integrated GPS/INS systems. ETRI Journal, 30(1), pp.59-67. Available
from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.4218/etrij.08.0106.0306 [Accessed
15/02/2019].
Du, J.C., and Teng, H.C., (2007) 3D laser scanning and GPS technology for landslide
earthwork volume estimation. Automation in construction, 16(5), pp.657-663. Available
from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926580506001191 [Accessed
15/02/2019].
Goodman, P. (2019) 7 Disadvantages of GPS Technology. [online] Available from:
https://axleaddict.com/safety/Disadvantages-of-GPS [Accessed 15/02/2019].
Grind GIS (2018) 50 Uses or Applications of GPS. [online] Available from:
https://grindgis.com/gps/50-uses-or-applications-of-gps [Accessed 15/02/2019].
Humienny, Z., (2009) State of art in standardization in the GPS area. CIRP Journal of
Manufacturing Science and Technology, 2(1), pp.1-7. Available from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1755581709000133 [Accessed
15/02/2019].
Im, S.B., Hurlebaus, S. and Kang, Y.J., (2011) Summary review of GPS technology for
structural health monitoring. Journal of Structural Engineering, 139(10), pp.1653-1664.
Available from: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0000475
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Xu, G. and Xu, Y., (2016) GPS: theory, algorithms, and applications. Springer. Available
from: https://books.google.co.in/books?
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