FCC chair says we’re too dependent on GPS and wants to explore ‘alternatives’.

[jomiran@lemmy.ml]

Or GLONASS

[mox@lemmy.sdf.org]

For those who are unfamiliar with it:

GLONASS (ГЛОНАСС, IPA: [ɡɫɐˈnas]; Russian: Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, romanized: Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, lit. 'Global Navigation Satellite System') is a Russian satellite navigation system operating as part of a radionavigation-satellite service.

[zonetrooper@lemmy.world]

It's not as dumb as you make it out. The issue isn't that GPS is really, really good at what it does; it's that it's also incredibly vulnerable to disruption and spoofing. And due to the particulars of how GPS works, we can't entirely fix that. We can do some things to ameliorate it, but a lot of those aren't suitable for smaller things that use GPS today.

The other thing is that GPS largely replaced a tremendous number of other navigation aides and techniques, including other radio-navigation systems like LORAN-C.

[lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

Pretty much every GPS-capable device made in the last decade uses all systems available: GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), and Galileo (EU).

[lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

Phones already do that with cell towers. It's called A-GPS (augmented GPS). Cell towers are used in addition to GPS signals.

[lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

Every GPS-capable device made in the last decade utilizes GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo.

[mesamunefire@piefed.social]

Wonder if they want to track all phones with a different system.

[jasondj@lemmy.zip]

Nah the idea is sound. As someone else said, GPS is incredibly fragile. Also very terrestrial...it doesn't work once you leave the atmosphere.

This will probably be another SpaceX grift, but there are alternative technologies that are more resilient to attack. From military/defense perspective (the original reason for GPS), that's pretty important.

[atrielienz@lemmy.world]

Yeah. It's grift. They want a privatized solution.

[xanza@lemm.ee]

GPS is incredibly fragile.

No, not really. The GPS signal isn't designed to penetrate concrete, no. But that doesn't make it fragile.

Also very terrestrial…it doesn’t work once you leave the atmosphere.

Considering it was never meant to...that's really not that goddamn weird. It's a global positioning satellite system. So clearly for it to work you have to be on the fuckin' globe...

[ilovethebomb@lemm.ee]

Cell towers, in an urban area you're typically within range of a couple.

[timesquirrel@kbin.melroy.org]

Too often, the vertical location (Z-axis) information that 911 call centers receive is not easily usable

So...use the barometer in tandem with GPS? This is shit I can easily track from my personal Homassistant server.

Also, you know how to make GPS more reliable, secure, and redundant? You launch more GPS satellites.

[halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world]

And was the second time that window had the ball bearing thrown at it. They'd tested it backstage but didn't replace that window for the on stage demo, so it was already weakened.

[jasondj@lemmy.zip]

Having functional GPS in a tunnel would be very nice...as someone who drives through Boston and fucking hates tunnels.

But that's not what I meant by fragile. I meant it can be disrupted/jammed fairly trivially.

[jet@hackertalks.com]

GPS depends on a friendly spectrum. I suspect the FCC is preparing for a war where GPS will be jammed, faked, or destroyed.

[Guest]

What if we built a system of beacon transmitters that sent out pulses and then used recievers that would compare arrival times of those pulses to make a measurement, thus establishing positional location?

We could call it the Long Range something or other. Need a catchy name!

[saik0shinigami@lemmy.saik0.com]

Yeah I'm gunna be frank on this one... it's GOOD that it broke. If you're in a car fire (which these seem to do often), you want to be able to break out a fucking window to get out.

Any civilian that wants a window that strong is too stupid to properly risk evaluate the features of a car.

[saik0shinigami@lemmy.saik0.com]

No, you need 4 minimum.

Two satellites intersection places you on a circle. (all points possible)

Three satellites intersection places you on two possible points.

The last satellite give you the exact location.

However, often the 4th is omitted if one of the 2 points is not in a sane location. (eg well below the crust). And it's trilateration not triangulation.

[deranger@sh.itjust.works]

Global Positioning System, I sleep
Universal Positioning System, real shit

[telorand@reddthat.com]

Also, you know how to make GPS more reliable, secure, and redundant? You launch more GPS satellites.

But where will we find room for more Starlink satellites if we do that? Elon said he needs another contract, and when the boss says jump...!

/s