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The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is an GPS Augmentation system developed by the [http://www.faa.gov Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)], with the goal of improving its accuracy, integrity, and availability. Essentially, WAAS is intended to enable aircraft to rely on GPS for all phases of flight, including precision approaches to any airport within its coverage area.


WAAS uses a network of ground-based reference stations, in North America and Hawaii, to measure small variations in the GPS satellites' signals in the western hemisphere. Measurements from the reference stations are routed to master stations, which queue the received Deviation Correction (DC) and send the correction messages to geostationary WAAS satellites in a timely manner (every 5 seconds or better). Those satellites broadcast the correction messages back to Earth, where WAAS-enabled GPS receivers use the corrections while computing their positions to improve accuracy.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Area_Augmentation_System WAAS in Wikipedia]</ref>
The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is the United States [[SBAS General Introduction|Satellite Based Augmentation System]]. The programme, started in 1992, is being carried out by the [http://www.faa.gov/ Federal Aviation Agency (FAA)]<ref name="FAA_NAV_HISTORY">[http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/techops/navservices/history/satnav/index.cfm Navigation Services - History - Satellite Navigation,] [http://www.faa.gov/ FAA.]</ref> and is specially developed for the civil aviation community.<ref name="FAA_WAAS">[http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/techops/navservices/gnss/waas/ Navigation Services - Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)], [http://www.faa.gov/ FAA.]</ref> The system, which was declared operational in late 2003,<ref name="STANFORD_WAAS">[http://waas.stanford.edu/research/waas.htm Wide Area Differential GPS (WADGPS), Stanford University]</ref> currently supports thousands of aircraft instrument approaches in more than one thousand airports in USA and Canada.<ref>[http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/techops/navservices/gnss/approaches/index.cfm GNSS - GPS/WAAS Approaches,] [http://www.faa.gov/ Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).]</ref> WAAS service area includes CONUS, Alaska, Canada and Mexico.<ref>[http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/techops/navservices/gnss/waas/news/ WAAS Service Expanded into Canada and Mexico, September 28, 2007,] [http://www.faa.gov/ Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).]</ref> The WAAS programme is continuously in evolution; two development phases have been already covered, a third is in progress, and there are plans to improve the capability of the system in parallel with the evolution of the SBAS standards towards a dual-frequency augmentation service.<ref>[http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/techops/navservices/gnss/library/satnav/media/SatNav_March08.pdf SatNav News, Vol. 33, March 2008,] [http://www.faa.gov/ Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).]</ref>


==WAAS Messages==
==WAAS Messages==
In the WAAS receiver, the two types of [[WAAS Messages|WAAS correction messages]] received (fast and slow) are used in different ways. The GPS receiver can immediately apply the fast type of correction data, which includes the corrected satellite position and clock data, and determines its current location using normal GPS calculations. Once an approximate position fix is obtained the receiver begins to use the slow corrections to improve its accuracy. Among the slow correction data is the ionospheric delay. As the GPS signal travels from the satellite to the receiver, it passes through the ionosphere. The receiver calculates the location where the signal pierced the ionosphere and, if it has received an ionospheric delay value for that location, corrects for the error the ionosphere created. While the slow data can be updated every minute if necessary, ephemeris errors and ionosphere errors do not change this frequently, so they are only updated every two minutes and are considered valid for up to six minutes.


For a detailed description of SBAS Messages, see article [[EGNOS Messages]]. This articles follows the standard described in RTCA MOPS DO-229-C “''Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Global Positioning System/Wide Area Augmentation System airborne equipment''” (particularly in its Appendix A “''Signal characteristics and format''”), applicable for every Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS).  In the article, SBAS Message specification is also compliant with the ICAO SARPs “Standards and Recommended Practices”, Appendix B “Detailed technical specifications for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)”. These two standards are nearly aligned in what regards to the SBAS SiS specification, but the augmentation of GLONASS or other GNSS constellations except for GPS is not specified in MOPS, being MOPS the standard that follows WAAS, as WAAS does not provides augmentation to GLONASS satellites.
For a detailed description of SBAS Messages, see article [[EGNOS Messages]]. This articles follows the standard described in RTCA MOPS DO-229-C “''Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Global Positioning System/Wide Area Augmentation System airborne equipment''” (particularly in its Appendix A “''Signal characteristics and format''”), applicable for every Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS).  In the article, SBAS Message specification is also compliant with the ICAO SARPs “Standards and Recommended Practices”, Appendix B “Detailed technical specifications for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)”. These two standards are nearly aligned in what regards to the SBAS SiS specification, but the augmentation of GLONASS or other GNSS constellations except for GPS is not specified in MOPS, being MOPS the standard that follows WAAS, as WAAS does not provides augmentation to GLONASS satellites.

Revision as of 12:49, 26 July 2011


WAASWAAS
Title WAAS Messages
Author(s) GMV.
Level Basic
Year of Publication 2011
Logo GMV.png


The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is the United States Satellite Based Augmentation System. The programme, started in 1992, is being carried out by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA)[1] and is specially developed for the civil aviation community.[2] The system, which was declared operational in late 2003,[3] currently supports thousands of aircraft instrument approaches in more than one thousand airports in USA and Canada.[4] WAAS service area includes CONUS, Alaska, Canada and Mexico.[5] The WAAS programme is continuously in evolution; two development phases have been already covered, a third is in progress, and there are plans to improve the capability of the system in parallel with the evolution of the SBAS standards towards a dual-frequency augmentation service.[6]

WAAS Messages

In the WAAS receiver, the two types of WAAS correction messages received (fast and slow) are used in different ways. The GPS receiver can immediately apply the fast type of correction data, which includes the corrected satellite position and clock data, and determines its current location using normal GPS calculations. Once an approximate position fix is obtained the receiver begins to use the slow corrections to improve its accuracy. Among the slow correction data is the ionospheric delay. As the GPS signal travels from the satellite to the receiver, it passes through the ionosphere. The receiver calculates the location where the signal pierced the ionosphere and, if it has received an ionospheric delay value for that location, corrects for the error the ionosphere created. While the slow data can be updated every minute if necessary, ephemeris errors and ionosphere errors do not change this frequently, so they are only updated every two minutes and are considered valid for up to six minutes.


For a detailed description of SBAS Messages, see article EGNOS Messages. This articles follows the standard described in RTCA MOPS DO-229-C “Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Global Positioning System/Wide Area Augmentation System airborne equipment” (particularly in its Appendix A “Signal characteristics and format”), applicable for every Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). In the article, SBAS Message specification is also compliant with the ICAO SARPs “Standards and Recommended Practices”, Appendix B “Detailed technical specifications for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)”. These two standards are nearly aligned in what regards to the SBAS SiS specification, but the augmentation of GLONASS or other GNSS constellations except for GPS is not specified in MOPS, being MOPS the standard that follows WAAS, as WAAS does not provides augmentation to GLONASS satellites.

Notes

References

  1. ^ Navigation Services - History - Satellite Navigation, FAA.
  2. ^ Navigation Services - Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), FAA.
  3. ^ Wide Area Differential GPS (WADGPS), Stanford University
  4. ^ GNSS - GPS/WAAS Approaches, Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).
  5. ^ WAAS Service Expanded into Canada and Mexico, September 28, 2007, Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).
  6. ^ SatNav News, Vol. 33, March 2008, Federal Aviation Agency (FAA).
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