Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally NAVSTAR GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force back on Earth. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. Obstacles such as mountains and buildings block the relatively weak GPS signals. In the New World, it is one of the major projects of Japan to properly monitor the happenings in the New World, as well as to utilize fully its military might.

Overview

The GPS does not require the user to transmit any data, and it operates independently of any telephonic or internet reception, though these technologies can enhance the usefulness of the GPS positioning information. The GPS provides critical positioning capabilities to military, civil, and commercial users around the world. The United States government created the system, maintains it, and makes it freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.

Applications

Civilian

• Astronomy: both positional and clock synchronization data is used in astrometry and celestial mechanics. GPS is also used in both amateur astronomy with small telescopes as well as by professional observatories for finding extrasolar planets.
• Automated vehicle: applying location and routes for cars and trucks to function without a human driver.
• Cartography: both civilian and military cartographers use GPS extensively.
• Cellular telephony: clock synchronization enables time transfer, which is critical for synchronizing its spreading codes with other base stations to facilitate inter-cell handoff and support hybrid GPS/cellular position detection for mobile emergency calls and other applications. The first handsets with integrated GPS launched in the late 1990s. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated the feature in either the handset or in the towers (for use in triangulation) in 2002 so emergency services could locate 911 callers. Third-party software developers later gained access to GPS APIs from Nextel upon launch, followed by Sprint in 2006, and Verizon soon thereafter.
• Clock synchronization: the accuracy of GPS time signals (±10 ns) is second only to the atomic clocks they are based on, and is used in applications such as GPS disciplined oscillators.
• Disaster relief/emergency services: many emergency services depend upon GPS for location and timing capabilities.
• GPS-equipped radiosondes and dropsondes: measure and calculate the atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction up to 27 km (89,000 ft) from the Earth's surface.
• Radio occultation for weather and atmospheric science applications.
• Fleet tracking: used to identify, locate and maintain contact reports with one or more fleet vehicles in real-time.
• Geofencing: vehicle tracking systems, person tracking systems, and pet tracking systems use GPS to locate devices that are attached to or carried by a person, vehicle, or pet. The application can provide continuous tracking and send notifications if the target leaves a designated (or "fenced-in") area.
• Geotagging: applies location coordinates to digital objects such as photographs (in Exif data) and other documents for purposes such as creating map overlays with devices like Nikon GP-1
• GPS aircraft tracking
• GPS for mining: the use of RTK GPS has significantly improved several mining operations such as drilling, shoveling, vehicle tracking, and surveying. RTK GPS provides centimeter-level positioning accuracy.
• GPS data mining: It is possible to aggregate GPS data from multiple users to understand movement patterns, common trajectories and interesting locations.
• GPS tours: location determines what content to display; for instance, information about an approaching point of interest.
• Navigation: navigators value digitally precise velocity and orientation measurements.
• Phasor measurements: GPS enables highly accurate timestamping of power system measurements, making it possible to compute phasors.
• Recreation: for example, Geocaching, Geodashing, GPS drawing, waymarking, and other kinds of location based mobile games.
• Robotics: self-navigating, autonomous robots using a GPS sensors, which calculate latitude, longitude, time, speed, and heading.
• Sport: used in football and rugby for the control and analysis of the training load.
• Surveying: surveyors use absolute locations to make maps and determine property boundaries.
• Tectonics: GPS enables direct fault motion measurement of earthquakes. Between earthquakes GPS can be used to measure crustal motion and deformation to estimate seismic strain buildup for creating seismic hazard maps.
• Telematics: GPS technology integrated with computers and mobile communications technology in automotive navigation systems.

Military

• Navigation: Soldiers use GPS to find objectives, even in the dark or in unfamiliar territory, and to coordinate troop and supply movement. In the United States armed forces, commanders use the Commander's Digital Assistant and lower ranks use the Soldier Digital Assistant.
• Target tracking: Various military weapons systems use GPS to track potential ground and air targets before flagging them as hostile.These weapon systems pass target coordinates to precision-guided munitions to allow them to engage targets accurately. Military aircraft, particularly in air-to-ground roles, use GPS to find targets.
• Missile and projectile guidance: GPS allows accurate targeting of various military weapons including ICBMs, cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions and artillery shells. Embedded GPS receivers able to withstand accelerations of 12,000 g or about 118 km/s² (260,000 mph/s) have been developed for use in 155-millimeter (6.1 in) howitzer shells.^[103]
• Search and rescue.
• Reconnaissance: Patrol movement can be managed more closely.
• GPS satellites carry a set of nuclear detonation detectors consisting of an optical sensor called a bhangmeter, an X-ray sensor, a dosimeter, and an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) sensor (W-sensor), that form a major portion of the United States Nuclear Detonation Detection System. General William Shelton has stated that future satellites may drop this feature to save money.

GPS in the New World

Japan

As a result of its transfer to the New World, all satellites owned by Japan lost, making some technologies such as the GPS are unusable.

However, satellites are a necessity for a modern society, and the hostile situation of the New World makes the deployment of satellites an urgency, especially for the JSDF. And since Japan is the only country in the New World that possess space technology, they have to launch large number of satellites alone.

As of April 25, 1642 (3 years after the transfer of Japan), it has been confirmed that Japan had launch and deployed 4 reconnaissance satellites, but other satellites are still unconfirmed.

AS included in the shift to an "active defense" military doctrine, the Ministry of Defense proposed to establish a Japanese GPS in order to fully utilize their current and future military assets. In order to do this, Japan must launch a minimum of 36 satellites to monitor the New World properly and effectively.

In addition to this, Japan is planning to establish a 24/7 surveillance system using reconnaissance satellites that acts as an early warning system, in preparation for the return of the Ravernal Empire which is confirmed to have ICBM technology and have no qualms of using it indiscriminately.