The reliability and free functionality of GPS have led to the development of thousands of applications that can be used in many aspects of users’ lives. Given the worldwide popularity of the technology of using GPS to coordinate position and time, it is easy to imagine the hypothetical confusion that may result from attacking the GPS frequency. Follow this summary of GPS infrastructure risks to understand the importance of GPS security to your business.
GPS saves lives in disaster relief, search and rescue, transportation and airspace accident prevention. It has increased the productivity of the global economy, particularly in the delivery, construction, meteorological and agricultural sectors. Last but not least, since the Cold War, GPS has been an important component of national security.
The earth’s satellite is everything that revolves around it, including the moon. GPS relies on satellite constellations. Each satellite is equipped with a radio receiver and transmitter, which can provide coordinated global coverage for equipment anywhere on the earth to access time and location services. At present, thousands of satellites in Earth orbit operate for various purposes, including weather forecasting, Internet communications and global positioning systems.
Other factors can affect tracking accuracies, such as receiver quality, atmospheric conditions, and signal blockage. The typical user of a GPS-enabled smartphone can expect an accuracy of fewer than 16 feet under a clear sky. Tracking accuracy may deteriorate near tunnels, bridges and buildings.
Problems with the device hardware or map software may also cause incorrect GPS tracking. When it comes to the difference between civilian and military GPS equipment, the user range error is the same, but civilian equipment usually uses one frequency and the receiver uses two. The advantage of dual-frequency GPS tracking is to correct the signal distortion caused by the earth’s atmosphere, thus improving accuracy.
A high-profile large-scale GPS deception case in 2017 affected 20 maritime vessels in the Black Sea, which indicates that Russia is testing signal jamming and deceptive substitution. According to GPS, in some cases, the location and navigation anomalies caused the ship to be located at the airport 25 nautical miles away. It is easier to achieve identity theft on low-end single-frequency devices and smartphones. High-end receivers with identity theft detection and mitigation methods are now available.
When an airport in Newark, New Jersey was effectively shut down due to GPS jammers jamming signal fires in the company’s vehicles, a compelling example of the potential hazards of jammers made headlines.
Location-based services. Location-based services (LBS) are software applications that are accessed from mobile devices and require information about device locations. Some LBS are query-based and can answer users’ questions, such as “Where is the nearest gas station?” Others are defined by the push notification model to distribute marketing materials, such as coupons and special offers from enterprises or attractions in the region. LBS is required by law to obtain the user’s permission to track the location. Once agreed upon, the application uses GPS to locate and track the end user’s whereabouts
Although some people are naturally good at navigation, it’s like many things in life – you just need to practice. GPS is like a training wheel on a bicycle. They do make cycling easier, but you don’t have to practice balance. When the training wheel falls off, you will fall down.
If you never navigate without the help of GPS, you are building a dependency on it. The more you use it, the more you need it. This is why it is important to give up GPS from time to time and navigate your way. Maybe it’s easier for you to get lost, but even so, it’s a great learning experience.
Turn-by-turn navigation on mobile phones and dedicated GPS devices make travel easier. However, relying on GPS navigation comes at a cost – you will never really learn how to get anywhere.