Most of us has seen the term ‘WAAS’ on the packing of satellite navigation and wondered what this new technology is all about. The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is a system of satellites that corrects the GPS signal, giving you better positioning accuracy. The position accuracy of WAAS when compared to other devices is 95% better. Hence you don’t have to get another receiving equipment along with the sat nav for data accuracy.
Who develops WAAS?
For the use of flight, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration and DOT, Department of transportation together are developing the WAAS program. Not only GPS matches the navigation requirement of FAA, being integrity, accuracy and availability. The signal errors of GPS caused due to timing, ionospheric disturbances and satellite orbit errors are taken care and corrected by WAAS. In addition to all these data, WAAS also furnishes information regarding the health of each GPS satellites revolving around.
Working of WAAS
About 25 ground reference stations constitute WAAS constantly monitors the GPS satellite data and is positioned throughout United States. In addition to this two master stations are functioned to collect data from the reference station. The master stations that are positioned on either side of the coast, with the help of these data creates GPS correction message. The message includes altered precise data such as clock drift and signal delays due to earths layer, which is later sent to one of the two stationary satellites on earth. The WAAS enabled GPS receiver can read the information via compatible signal and lets you know the precise information.
Benefiters of WAAS
WAAS is a recent technology which is been implemented only in North America. With no ground reference in South America, using GPS and WAAS, people can get signals but they do not get accurate information in their GPS unit. The signal reception of WAAS suits for marine application and open lands hence for some user, experience the difficulty of receiving the signals when buildings or mountains or trees obstruct the horizons. When compared to land based DGPS – differential GPS, WAAS facilitates greater coverage both on offshore and inland. While DGPS demands additional receiving equipments, WAAS don’t which is an additional advantage of using WAAS.
Due to the greater advantage over accuracy, other government has started developing and encouraging such satellite based differential system. Gradually it is believed that people using GPS around the world will have access to accurate positional data with these compatible systems.
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