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The Global Positioning System(GPS) is constellation of 28 satellites that orbit
the earth twice a day, transmitting precise time and positioning information to
any where on the globe, 24 hours a day. Each GPS satellite broadcasts two
signals, PPS (Precise Positioning Service) and SPS (Standard Positioning
Service). The PPS signal is an encrypted military-access code. The SPS signal
is an unencrypted, spread-spectrum signal broadcast at 1575.42MHz.
The GPS receivers listen to signals from a minimum of either three or four
satellites at a time and triangulate a position fix using the interval between
the transmission and reception of the satellite signal. Any given receiver
tracks more satellites than are actually needed for a position fix. The reason
for this is that if one satellite becomes unavailable, the receiver knows
exactly where to find the best possible replacement. Three satellites are
required for two dimension positioning. Two dimension positioning reports
position only. Four satellites are required for three-dimension positioning,
that is to say position and elevation. In general, an SPS receiver can provide
position information with an error of less than 25 meters, and velocity
information with an error of less that 5 meters per second.
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