GPS

GPS or Global Positioning System is a U.S. Air Force technology which allows to determine the location of a GPS receiver by sending radio signals. Initially, the GPS technology was developed by U.S. Department of Defense for the enhancement of tactical solutions and research. Its full name is NAVSTAR GPS (Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System). Today, the GPS maintenance costs are still covered by U.S. Air Force. Although initially GPS was only meant for military use, now it is being more and more used for civil purposes. Until 2000, the signal available for civilian use was intentionally degraded by a technique called Selective Availability (SA), which introduced position errors of 50 m to 100 m to keep other countries from using the GPS for their purposes.

In addition to the GPS, other global satellite systems are in use or under development, namely the Russian GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo positioning system.. Although for the present the GPS is the only satellite navigation system that is fully functional, in a few years, GLONASS as well as Galileo are likely to be finished. Therefore, Skybrake already integrates its products with both of these systems.