GPS: public utility or software platform?
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Authors
Thibault, Marc A., Jr.
Subjects
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT)
global utility
public utility
software platform
GPS resilience
GPS augmentation system
disruption of GPS
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT)
global utility
public utility
software platform
GPS resilience
GPS augmentation system
disruption of GPS
Advisors
Nieto-Gomez, Rodrigo
Date of Issue
2016-09
Date
Sep-16
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The Global Positioning System (GPS), a satellite navigation system, is critical to the United States' (U.S.) national and homeland security. The U.S. has made GPS resilient to interruption by flying more satellites than required, dispersing its infrastructure, and increasing its signals. Despite these efforts, there is concern the U.S. may not be able to overcome disturbances in GPS's operations. Limitations in GPS data and the policy literature prevent the full quantification of exactly how vulnerable GPS is to service interruption. This thesis used constant comparison analysis to examine how a shift in conceptual lens from viewing GPS as public utility to viewing it as a software platform has changed our understanding of its criticality, resilience, and vulnerability. This methodology overcomes research limitations by using GPS system design, operations, and policies as its data sources. The public utility lens reveals the U.S. has increased GPS resilience through system design and redundancies. The software platform lens shows the U.S. further increased GPS resilience by adding navigation signals. Together, the lenses indicate manufacturers, applications developers, and users are constraints to increasing GPS's resilience. Additional data, models, and research are required to inform policies and decisions to further improve GPS's resilience.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.