Satellite Technology

[Name of the Supervisor]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Satellite Technology1

Introduction1

Discussion1

GPS1

History- Milestones in Satellite Technology3

Derivation of Altitude for Geostationary Satellite3

Link Budget5

Proportion Systems/Transponders6

Conclusion7

References8

Appendix9

History of Satellites9

Satellite Technology

Introduction

Satellite technology has done wonders for the world, and has had an impact on each and every person. There is a vast population of the world that makes use of satellite technology on a daily basis. This may be in the form of the Internet, or global positioning systems that are commonly known as GPS. Commuters make use of GPS to get around and to travel from one place to another. There are other topics that come under satellite technology, such as Geostationary Satellite, Link Budget and Proportion Systems or Transponders. All these topics will be discussed in the following paragraphs Maini, A. K., & Agrawal, V. (2007, 503 - 570).

Discussion

GPS

A fully operational satellite system has made global positioning systems (GPS) measurement capabilities freely available to GPS receivers worldwide since 1993. Although GPS applications have been prevalent in disciplines such as oceanography and agriculture, applications within forestry have been limited in comparison. The limitations have resulted from a number of factors including difficulties in maintaining satellite communications under forest canopy and the initial investment in hardware and software that is necessary to operate a GPS receiver. Several technological and economical developments within recent years have increased accessibility to GPS technology for natural resource professionals and have expanded potential applications. The objectives of this study are to describe current GPS technologies and considerations for improving GPS data collection efficiency and measurement accuracy in forested settings.

All GPS receivers, regardless of cost or capabilities, communicate with a satellite system to determine a position on the earth's surface. GPS receivers communicate with satellites through the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Satellite signals contain information about the time the signal left the satellite and the position of other satellites. The receiver uses the satellite information to calculate a distance, referred to as a range, to each of the satellites from which it receives signals. A range is a function of the time that the satellite signal is required to reach a receiver, and is based on the speed of light (299,792 km/second and 186,282 mi/second). Three ranges result in a receiver position being calculated in terms of longitude and latitude. Four ranges help account for ambiguities resulting from timing imperfections and lead to the determination of an elevation in addition to longitude and latitude coordinates. Additional satellite signals lead to improvements in positional accuracy.

A GPS receiver is the primary way in which people interact with GPSs and there are several varieties, with a steadily increasing number of models and features becoming available. GPS receivers are usually divided into three broad categories that are distinguished by price and performance. GPS receiver measurement performance is typically described through an average measurement accuracy, sometimes referred to as a 50% circular error probable (CEP) accuracy. Average accuracies for horizontal positions imply that approximately one-half of the measurements used to calculate an average would fall within a ...