Real-Time Applications of GPSby Paul Manson, Trimble Navigation Europe Limited, UK.
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Paul Manson |
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Abstract : |
The Global Positioning System (GPS), which was originally designed for military navigation purposes, has been harnessed for a wide range of applications. In many of these applications, a technique known as 'differential correction' is employed to improve the accuracy of the GPS system from 15-100m to somewhere between a few centimeters and around 1 meter, depending on the equipment used. When this differential correction technique is applied in real-time, high accuracy GPS positions can be obtained in the field, opening up a whole range of precise positioning applications. This paper discusses many of these applications in general, ranging from aerial navigation and precision landings, through machine control and robotics, to vehicle tracking, mapping and GIS data capture. In light of the conference theme, particular attention is paid to the vehicle tracking and GIS data capture application areas, and recent advances in GPS technology in these areas is discussed. Finally, suggestions are made as to the directions in which real-time GPS technology is likely to advance in the immediate future.
Paul Manson - Profile :
Paul Mason was educated at the University of Canterbury
(New Zealand) and the University of Cambridge (UK), where he
studied Computer Science. In 1986, Mr. Manson was employed
as a temporary lecturer in Computer Science at the
University of Canterbury. He was granted scholarships for
post-graduate study in New Zealand, the UK and Germany, and
chose to go to Cambridge, where his research centered around
models for parallel-processing computer architectures.
In the late 1980s, Mr. Manson worked as a software engineer
developing real-time process control systems, real-time data
acquisition systems, and speech recognition systems. For the
past 7 years, he has worked for Trimble Navigation New
Zealand Limited, initially in software development and
laterly in product management and marketing. Since 1992, he
has had product management responsibility for Trimble's GIS
and mapping product line, which use the Global Positioning
Sustem (GPS) as a tool for precise mapping of geographic
phenomena.
Mr. Manson holds a number of filed and issued US and New
Zealand patents related to the use of GPS technology in
mapping applications, and has presented a number of papers
and training courses on Trimble's GPS/GIS data collection
products.
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