GEOS/ANTH 4593: Intro to GPS

GEOS/ANTH 4593: Introduction to the Global Positioning System

Fall 2008

General Information

Instructor Jackson Cothren

OZ8, JBHT320

(479) 575-6790

jcothren@cast.uark.edu

TA Kwasi Asante

JBHT Graduate Assistant Bullpen

kasante@uark.edu

Classroom JBHT231 (access to building and room via UA Student ID)

Textbook Wellenhoff, Lichtenegger, and Collins (2001), GPS Theory and Practice, Fifth Revised Edition, Springer Wien

Readings Basics of the GPS Technique: Observation Equations, Geoffrey Blewitt

NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Surveying (1996). United States Army Corps of Engineers

Leick (1995), GPS Satellite Surveying, Second Edition, Wiley-Interscience

Global Positioning Systems Wikipedia.

Resources GPS World (http://www.gpsworld.com/gpsworld/)

CAST GPS (http://www.cast.uark.edu/local/gps/)

United States Coast Guard GPS Support Site (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/gps/geninfo/default.htm)

CAST/EAST Geospatial Virtual Camp (http://outreach.cast.uark.edu:8080/uofalogin/)

CAST/EAST user notes (http://outreach.cast.uark.edu/east/Toolkit-CAST/geospatial_technologies/gps/tutorials.html#gps)

ESRI Virtual Campus (http://www.esri.com/)

Equipment Garmin eTrex, Garmin Gecko 301, Magellan Explorist 600

Trimble Mapping Receivers (GeoXM Explorer, GeoXH Explorer, ProXR/S)

Trimble Geodetic Receivers (5700/5800)

Trimble Pathfinder Office 4.0

Trimble Geomatics Office 1.63

ESRI ArcGIS 9.2

Google Earth 4.0

GPS Babel 1.3.4

Notepad++ (for editing NMEA strings and other ASCII formats)

Lecture and Lab (JBHT 231)

Tuesday

Thursday

TBD Saturdays in November and/or December (in lieu of Tues/Thurs meetings)

9:30 – 10:50 am

8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Office Hours (Instructor)

Monday (JBHT320)

2:00 – 3:30 pm

Wednesday (JBHT320)

Office Hours (TA)

Wednesday (JBHT GA Bullpen)

TBD

Friday (JBHT GA Bullpen)

TBD

Course Summary and Objectives This course is a broad introduction to the theory and practice of positioning (in particular navigating, mapping and surveying) using the US Department of Defense’s Global Positioning System (GPS). Topics include horizontal and vertical datum definition and realization, time systems, orbit definition, GPS observables, receiver and antenna design, positioning methods, sources of error, data exchange and collection methodologies. Throughout the course, you will collect data using a variety of GPS receivers and analyze the accuracy and reliability of your results. Early in the course, we will concentrate on the practical aspects of creating geospatial data and gradually work into the theory behind GPS and global positioning in general.

Details

Grading Your grade for this course will be based upon in- and out-of-class lab exercises, three mid-term exams, and a comprehensive final exam weighted as follows:

Lab exercises (25%)

Mid-term I (10%)

Mid-term II (15%)

Mid-term III (15%)

Quizzes (5 %)

Final Project (30%)

Letter grades will be assigned based on the percentage of points earned as follows:

90% <= Total => A

80% <= Total < 90% => B

70% <= Total < 80% => C

60% <= Total < 70% => D

Total < 60% => F

Lab Exercises Eight (8) or Nine (9) graded lab exercises will be assigned over the course of the semester at approximately two week intervals. Most exercises will require field work using a limited number of receivers. You will need to plan accordingly. Deadline for submission of problems will vary but is typically three (3) weeks after the assignment. I will not accept late submissions. I encourage you to collaborate on these problem sets as they are intended to reinforce concepts discussed in class. However, YOUR WORK MUST BE YOUR OWN. Collaboration does not imply copying work from others: departmental and college rules on cheating apply. In addition to graded lab exercises, we will often conduct ungraded labs during class to emphasize concepts. Information about working with the computers in JBHT can be found here.

Quizzes Daily quizzes may be given as 1) requests for short written answers to a few questions and 2) oral summaries given to the class about articles from GPS World or other appropriate sites. In the case of oral presentations, I will ask at least one student (chosen at random) per class period to summarize an article or paper. It is the students’ responsibility to be prepared to present each and every day.

Midterms Essay response, open-book and open-note unless stated otherwise.

Inclement Weather Policy Class will meet unless the University is closed. If for some reason I am unable to lecture, I will notify everyone by email the evening before class meets with instructions on make-up activities. Much of our work will require us to be outside regardless of weather conditions – come to class prepared to be outside.

COURSE Calendar