The world increasingly relies on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services, an integral part of everything from consumer use like smartphones to advanced systems like driverless vehicles, not to mention Homeland Security and Defence. However, there has also been a noticeable increase in cases of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal interference, which put PNT services and its users at risk. In particular, instances of Global Positioning System (GPS) spoofing and jamming have been on the rise.
In the US alone, there are over 900 million GPS receivers in cell phones, car navigation systems, emergency vehicles, commercial trucks and buses, and railroad operations (that is nearly three receivers for every man, woman, and child in the United States). While there are many reasons for GPS outage (e.g., outdated technology, electromagnetic storms, reduced cost, etc.), the growing jamming capabilities of Russia and China top the chart of the US’s concern. Last year, the SASC (United States Senate Committee on Armed Services) had asked the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide Combatant Commander’s alternate position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems to GPS within two years. Trump Administration issued a policy directive on GPS & alternative PNT; US National Space Policy 2020 also stressed strengthening PNT services.
Three separate laws have required the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to back up and complement the GPS, subject to congressional appropriations. In January 2021, the Department released its Complementary PNT and GPS Backup Technologies Demonstration Report to provide a roadmap.
A webinar, “What Technologies Can Secure GPS?” was organized by the Space Policy Institute (SPI) in collaboration with the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP). The webinar on the GPS backup technology demonstration by the DOT provided valuable insights about the project and the intended way forward for PNT efforts in the department.
Scott Pace, Director of the Space Policy Institute, moderated the discussion. In his introductory address Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, US DOT, highlighted the Biden administration’s themes of “building back better,” modernizing infrastructure, making transportation more efficient, and preserving America’s technological leadership. He said that the government is committed to working with the industry and other departments to increase the GPS resilience across air, road, maritime, railway, and transportation networks.
Also Read: Russia testing new anti-GPS satellite technology
Not just a backup
DOT’s Karen Van Dyke and Andrew Hansen gave a detailed presentation of the report. Van Dyke said that there is a need for complementary capabilities that are not just backup for GPS or act as a substitute when GPS is not available but works alongside it and provides additional capacity resilience at all the time. While giving an overview of PNT Technology Vendor Participation, she said, “DOT is well aware there are more candidate technologies than those selected for the demonstration. Companies offering alternative ways of providing PNT will not be excluded from future consideration and efforts just because they were not part of the demonstration project.”
Hansen discussed how the technology demonstrations were conducted, what are the recommendations and results. The DOT evaluated 14 Measures of Effectiveness (MoEs) during the project. All the technologies demonstrating timing showed accuracy that would be useful in various applications. He said that the range per unit of infrastructure varied exceptionally between the technologies. These include satellite systems that provide global coverage with fixed infrastructure and radiofrequency systems with widely different coverage areas per transmitter.
Also Read: Industry alliance supports development of GPS backup solutions
Taking the bullseye off GPS
Taking the discussion forward, Greg Winfree, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University, pinpointed that the need for urgent alternate PNT goes back to 2000 when the Volpe Center under DOT did a study on GPS vulnerabilities. He said, “We need to take the bullseye off of GPS. GPS is critically important to the US, and that it is a desirable target for those who would do us harm. We have to crawl, walk, and run. Having even one just alternative in place would make it much less of a target.”
Highlighting the urgency of establishing GPS alternatives Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, DOT; and Adjunct Professor, George Washington University, said, “The time is now before it’s too late. Our adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia, have their GPS backup, but we do not have it”. “Vladimir Putin’s Russia brags that his country’s new Pole-21 radio-electronic systems, soon to be installed in Siberia and the Ural Mountains, can spoof GPS, and we need to prove them wrong,” she added.
Also Read: In its last leg, Trump Admn issues policy directive on GPS & alternative PNT
Conclusion
All panelists agreed that not one size fits all; there is no single solution to the problem. There are different commercial technologies, which can come together to address the urgent need for GPS backup. A systems-of-systems approach is required, and the government has to ensure the interoperability of the systems.
Funding is another obstacle in putting up an alternative GPS. Recalling her experience when she was in office, Furchtgott-Roth said, “I requested $15M for the work, but it was not granted; it did not appear in DOT’s budget.”
Concluding the webinar, Scott Pace said, “Having an alternative to GPS will contribute to national security and improve global stability. It will lower the pressure on us to escalate and respond should GPS satellites be damaged or services disrupted.”
View the recording of full webinar HERE.
Also Read: GPS-based tolling system to eliminate traffic jams on Indian highways
