Analyzing the Effect of Dilution of Precision on the Performance of GPS System

Abstract

Geometrical error such as Dilution of Precision (DOP) is a principal factor affecting the performance of Global Positioning System (GPS). It mostly depends upon the angle between the satellites, i.e. the satellite geometry. DOP also depends on the number of satellites which are visible at a particular time, it alters with time and position of any location. As an effort to know the DOP for any number of visible satellites, at any time, for any earth station and for any geographical area, this paper aims to create a DOP map on a selected geographical area so that this may be a useful data for civil and military operations. Out of all the DOP's, only Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP) is taken as the primary point of discussion in this paper. The algorithm for the calculation of all the DOP's of a larger geographical area for 12 hrs with 1 hr interval is implemented by using MATLAB environment.