Global Positioning, Technologies and Performance

From stars to terrestrial networks and satellites

From outdoors to indoors

From ancient to future applications

From techniques to technologies . . .

The field of radionavigation signals and systems has seen significant growth in recent years. Satellite systems are very efficient, but owing to their limited exposure and/or availability in some environments, they do not cover the whole spectrum of applications. Thus, many other positioning techniques are being developed.

Now, Global Positioning presents an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of various systems with a specific emphasis on those that are satellite-based. Beginning with a description of the evolution of positioning systems, the book provides detailed coverage of the three main Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations, discusses how to cope with indoor positioning, defines development activities and commercial positioning, and proposes a vision for the future of the field.

Special features of the book include:

• Exercises to test and challenge the reader's understanding

• Direct comparison between constellations and other positioning systems

• Mathematical content kept to a minimum in order to maximize accessibility and readability

• Descriptions of European and U.S. discussions for Galileo

• Historical aspects and links between the distant past and current systems

• Footnotes that provide hints and comments to the reader

At a time when the positioning domain is experiencing such immense transformation, it is vital to have a solid understanding of the fundamental principles, current tech-nologies, and future improvements that will help estimate the performance and limita-tions of existing systems. Global Positioning fills an important need for professionals and students in a variety of fields who want a complete and authoritative overview of global positioning techniques.

Nel Samama, PhD, has been Associate Professor in the Electronics and Physics Department at the Institut Telecom/Telecom & Management SudParis (France) since 1997. Previously, he spent nearly a decade with Thomson-CSF (now Thales).