---

New Innovations Improve Accuracy in Global Positioning Systems. Many Folks do Not Realize How Much Privacy Has Vanished in Police-State USA.

---

There is a major flaw in the accuracy in global positioning systems.

The military groups who developed them in the U.S. and in Russia have maintained the capability to jam the signals and distort them as needed to preserve perceived military advantages.

Civilian applications have traditionally been subjected to what is known as “Selective Availability” carried out by the military.

Selective availability means that the military randomly interferes with the satellite signals, resulting in erroneous reading that could be off by a few feet or hundred of yards.

While the program was to formally sunset in 2000 by an executive order from Bill Clinton as it was expensive to maintain, the capability of a military group jamming or otherwise altering the satellite signals remain.

Since only the U.S. and Russia have GPS satellite constellations in the sky at the moment, that has naturally left the rest of the world’s availability and accuracy in global positioning systems somewhat questionable.

To combat this, some areas have installed differential GPS stations, which provide a ground signal to match up against the satellite feed for accuracy.

The Europeans decided to take it all one step further and eliminate their dependence on the kindness of the U.S. and Russia in loaning out their systems by deciding to launch their own satellite system, called Galileo.

---

---

---

Almost a No Go

Yet Galileo, for all the improvement in accuracy in global positioning systems it will provide, was almost a no go project.

The reason? Unlike the U.S. or Russian systems, the U.S. and Russia couldn’t disable the satellite feeds with selective availability or jammers.

Well, heaven forbid that the Europeans could be subject to the whims of the Americans!

And heaven forbid that there be a way for Europe to slip out from under the thumbs of those who could be planning to use GPS technology as a monitoring tool for the world population.

The U.S. threatened to shoot down the satellites, although a deal was later worked out that allowed them to be launched with blockable and non-blockable signals.

The Europeans conceded slightly and the U.S. also gave ground.

---

Benefits to Civilians

Galileo is also the first system design for a consumer, rather than military market.

This makes it’s primary objective greater accuracy in global positioning systems for the continent.

Individuals will benefit, although the European Union could still use the system for monitoring citizens of the EU at a future date.

The increased accuracy and freedom from straight military aims should help regular people use the technology in ways that improve their lives with less government meddling.

Of course, this being Europe, one may be sure that there will be regulations and fees galore popping up if the system proves popular on launch.

America will just have to deal with it, and perhaps open up its own satellite systems even more for private good rather than continuing to hold back the best bits for security reasons.

After all, free societies have the most to fear from the government users of GPS, not the private ones.

---

---