May 2007
Blue
Sky
Network
100236
D1000C IRIDIUM SATCOM DATA SOLUTION
Page
5
GPS Satellite Navigation System
The Global Positioning System (GPS)
is a worldwide radio-navigation system
formed from a constellation of satellites and their ground stations.
GPS uses these "man-made stars" as reference points to calculate positions
accurate to a matter of meters (like giving every square meter on the planet a unique
address).
GPS satellite signals are processed in a GPS receiver, enabling the receiver to
compute position, velocity and time. GPS receivers have been miniaturized to just a
few integrated circuits, and are becoming very economical, which makes the
technology accessible to virtually everyone.
While there are thousands of civil users of GPS world-wide, the system was
designed for the U. S. military. GPS is funded and operated by the U. S. Department
of Defense (DOD).
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