3. Alternatives to US GPS and future

a. Why alternatives ?

GPS totally belongs to the US Department of Defense so they have a total control on this system.

GPS also has several major technical limitations we will discuss later, and lacks of some features like a service garantee and accountability, because they are incompatible with the military objectives.

b. GLONASS : Russia enters the battle...
...and quickly surrenders : USA 1 - RUSSIA 0

GLONASS = GLObal Navigation Satellite System.
GLONASS was created by the Russian Army.

Caracteristics

Same as GPS except the timezone reference and some very minor differences.
...So, what's the problem ?

Drawbacks

c. Galileo : The European Union strikes back

Galileo is a civil Global Navigation System, developped by the 15 countries of the European Union, in close cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Civil purposes
It is NEITHER in the hands of a department of justice NOR in the hands of any army.
It does not aim at being a strategical weapon in a war. Its goal is just to be useful for everyday life.

Some numbers concerning Galileo :

Technical limitations of the GPS that will be corrected in Galileo

Galileo offers superior and constant accuracy, as well as better reliability (it includes an integrity message so that you can detect errors).

d. Towards a unified navigation system ?

GPS + Glonass + Galileo = G.N.S.S. (Global Navigation by Satellite System)

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