Introduction to the Global Positioning System for GIS and TRAVERSE

Chapter Five: Four (4) Satellites to give a 3D position

In the previous example, you saw that it took only 3 measurements to "triangulate" a 3D position. However, GPS needs a 4th satellite to provide a 3D position. Why??

Three measurements can be used to locate a point, assuming the GPS receiver and satellite clocks are precisely and continually synchronized, thereby allowing the distance calculations to be accurately determined. Unfortunately, it is impossible to synchronize these two clocks, since the clocks in GPS receivers are not as accurate as the very precise and expensive atomic clocks in the satellites. The GPS signals travel from the satellite to the receiver very fast, so if the two clocks are off by only a small fraction, the determined position data may be considerably distorted.

The atomic clocks aboard the satellites maintain their time to a very high degree of accuracy. However, there will always be a slight variation in clock rates from satellite to satellite. Close monitoring of the clock of each satellite from the ground permits the control station to insert a message in the signal of each satellite which precisely describes the drift rate of that satellite's clock. The insertion of the drift rate effectively synchronizes all of the GPS satellite clocks.

The same procedure cannot be applied to the clock in a GPS receiver. Therefore, a fourth variable (in addition to x, y and z), time, must be determined in order to calculate a precise location. Mathematically, to solve for four unknowns (x,y,z, and t), there must be four equations. In determining GPS positions, the four equations are represented by signals from four different satellites.

Go back to the previous chapter: Computing the Distance Between Your Position and the GPS Satellites

Go on to the next chapter: The GPS Error Budget

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