Good News About Improved Accuracy in GPS

May 1, 2000, was an important day for GPS users. The White House issued a statement that as of midnight that date, Selective Availability (SA) would be discontinued. Selective Availability is the intentional degradation of satellite signals that has been imposed by the U. S. Department of Defense in GPS. The result is that civilian use of GPS navigation will benefit by a tenfold increase in accuracy. This will not only mean improved position accuracy but faster satellite tracking as well.

The increased performance of GPS has direct benefits for many uses: vehicle navigation, road construction, field work such as timber cruising, outdoor recreation, marine navigation, emergency response, and aviation. For instance, in a car, the more accurate GPS allows you to know exactly where you are on a street instead of within a block or two-block range. Greater accuracy will lead to an overall growth in GPS usage worldwide.

What does it mean to me?

• A definite improvement in position accuracy.
• Truer accuracy in their unit's velocity tracking (speed).
• Differential GPS (DGPS) add-ons will improve accuracy to 1-5 meters.

Will I need to buy a new GPS or new software?

No. GPS receivers will automatically adjust to the discontinuation of SA so no new hardware or software is needed.

Where can I find out more about this?

A good place to start is www.igeb.gov where you can read the White House statement as well as more detail about civilian benefits from this new development.

What if I have a question about SA and my particular GPS receiver?

If you have any questions about how SA affects your GPS usage, e-mail or call our Technical Support staff at 1-800-241-6401.