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Történettudomány - Csaba Kasza: Evolution and human benefits of the GPS
TISICUM XXVIII. Human benefits of the GPS No other single space project, program or system has led to human benefits that are even remotely close to those that have resulted from GPS. It is no exaggeration to say that billions of persons benefit from GPS on a daily basis, whether using modern communications that rely on GPS timing, flying in commercial or private aircraft, navigating at sea, surveying, mapping, farming, providing disaster support, geolocating personal vehicles, guiding heavy machinery and many more applications. A brief description of some of these applications and benefits is provided below. However, this summary barely begins to convey the benefits GPS brings to humans in every country, on every continent and on navigable waters around the world. Aviation. The use of GPS in civil aviation throughout the world has a growing impact on increasing the safety and efficiency of global travel as well as profitability. Although initially visualized as an area navigation aid, by 1992 full Category III blind landings had been demonstrated using GPS alone. With its accurate, continuous, and global capabilities, GPS offers seamless satellite navigation services that satisfy many of the requirements for aviation users. Space-based position and navigation enables three-dimensional position determination for all phases of operations: Departure, en route, arrival and airport surface movement. Virtually all of the evolving air traffic management systems in the future will rely on space-based navigation - initially GPS but eventually many other systems that are being fielded to complement (and in some cases operate independently, but interoperable with) GPS. The trend today in the Next Generation Air Traffic Management System is toward an Area Navigation concept known as RNAV, with an even greater role for GPS. Area Navigation allows aircraft to fly user-preferred routes from waypoint to waypoint, where waypoints do not depend on ground infrastructure. The accuracy provided by space-based navigation systems increase safety in flight and on the ground. Terrain Awareness and Warning System performance is enhanced; GNSS-enabled ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) significantly improves in-flight aircraft avoidance and ground operations (especially runway incursions). In many cases, aircraft flying over data-sparse areas such as oceans have been able to safely reduce their separation between one another, allowing more aircraft to fly more favorable and efficient routes, saving time, fuel, and increasing cargo revenue. GPS also serves as an essential component for many other aviation systems, such as the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System that has proven successful in reducing the risk of Controlled Flight into Terrain, a major cause of many aircraft accidents in the past. In some regions satellite signals are augmented or improved for special aviation applications, such as landing during poor visibility. In those cases, even greater precision operations are possible. Improved approaches to airports, which significantly increase operational benefits and safety, are now being implemented even at remote locations where traditional ground-based services are unavailable. New and more efficient air routes and optimum profile descents have been made possible by GPS resulting in vast savings in time, fuel and money. The less fuel consumption means less carbon dioxide emission. The reliance on GPS as the foundation for today and tomorrow's air traffic management system is a major part of many national plans. Aviation authorities that are moving forward with GPS have observed and documented reductions in flight time, workload, and operating costs for both the airspace user and service provider. In simple terms, the precise navigation available from GPS for aviation increases system capacity, facilitates all-weather operations, increases safety and provides for better flow management. These have a direct impact on the operability of the air traffic management systems, the profitability of the industry and the overall experience of the air traveler. Marine. GPS provides the fastest and most accurate method for mariners to navigate, measure speed, and determine location. This enables increased levels of safety and efficiency for ships and boats worldwide. While at sea, accurate position, speed, and heading are needed to ensure that the vessel reaches its destination in the safest, most economical and timely fashion that conditions will permit. As the vessel departs from or arrives in a port, the need for accurate position information becomes even more critical where vessel traffic and other waterway hazards make maneuvering more difficult and the risk of accidents becomes greater, especially in poor weather. Many nations also use GPS for operations such as buoy positioning and dredging to improve harbor navigation. Governments and industrial organizations around the world are working together to develop performance standards for Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems, which use GPS positioning information. These systems are revolutionizing marine navigation and are leading to the replacement of paper nautical charts. GPS information is embedded within the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which is endorsed by the International Maritime Organization and is used for vessel traffic control around busy seaways. This service is not only vital for navigation, but is increasingly used to bolster the security of ports and waterways by providing governments with greater situational awareness of commercial vessels and their cargo. AIS uses a transponder system capable of communicating ship to ship as well as ship to shore, transmitting information relating to ship identification, geographic location, vessel type, and cargo information - all on a realtime, wholly automated basis. The safety and security of vessels using this system is significantly enhanced. GPS is playing an increasingly important role in the management of maritime port facilities. The efficient management and operation of container placement in many of the world's largest port facilities are becoming increasingly dependent upon GPS technology and geographic information system (GIS). GPS facilitates the automation of the pick-up, transfer, and placement process of containers by tracking them from port entry to exit. With millions of container shipments being placed in port terminals annually, GPS has greatly reduced the number of lost or misdirected containers thus significantly lowering associated operation costs. Railroads. Ensuring high levels of safety, improving the efficiency of rail operations, and expanding system capacity are all key objectives of today’s railroad industry. Integral to the efficient operation of rail systems is the requirement for accurate, real-time position information 234
