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GPS, Reference Systems

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Encyclopedia of Geodesy

Definition

GPS . Global Positioning System, the US-operated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that can be used to determine a user’s position, in terms of latitude, longitude, and height coordinates, anywhere on the globe with a clear view of the sky.

Reference system. A conventionally adopted system that specifies precisely the meaning of a user’s position.

Essential Concepts

GPS consists of three segments: (1) the space segment of typically 30 satellites that transmit microwave ranging signals and signals containing information on satellite positions and satellite atomic clock time; (2) the control segment of globally distributed stations that monitor, control, and upload data to the space segment; and (3) the user segment consisting of anybody with a GPS receiver who uses the space segment to find their position (Hofmann-Wellenhof et al., 2008).

Geodetic coordinates, such as those obtained by GPS measurements, are generally defined with respect to some reference system that...

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References and Reading

  • Altamimi, Z., Collilieux, X., and Métivier, L., 2011. ITRF2008: an improved solution of the international terrestrial reference frame. Journal of Geodesy, 85(8), 457–473, doi:10.1007/s00190-011-0444-4.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology/Seismological Laboratory, University of Nevada, Mail Stop 178, Reno, NV, 89557, USA

    Geoffrey Blewitt

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  1. Geoffrey Blewitt
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Correspondence to Geoffrey Blewitt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geodetic Institute, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany

    Erik Grafarend

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Blewitt, G. (2016). GPS, Reference Systems. In: Grafarend, E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geodesy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02370-0_92-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02370-0_92-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02370-0

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