Galileo and the GPS NTP Server
Currently there is only one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) the NAVSTAR GPS which has been open for civilian use since the late 1980’s.
Most commonly, the GPS system is thought to provide navigational information allowing drivers, sailors and pilots to pinpoint their position anywhere in the world.
In fact, the only information beamed from a GPS satellite is the time which is generated by the satellites internal atomic clock. This timing signal is so accurate that a GPS receiver can use the signal from three satellites and pinpoint the location to within a few metres by working out how long each precise signal took to arrive.
Currently a GPS NTP server can use this timing information to synchronise entire computer networks to providing accuracy to within a few milliseconds.
However, the European Union is currently working on Europe’s own Global Navigation Satellite System called Galileo, which will rival the GPS network by providing its own timing and positioning information.
However, Galileo is designed to be interoperable with GPS meaning that a current GPS NTP server will be able to receive both signals, although some software adjustments may have to be made.
This interoperability will provide increased accuracy and may make national time and frequency radio broadcasts obsolete as they will not be able to produce a comparable accuracy.
Furthermore, Russia, China and India are currently planning their own GNSS systems which may provide even more accuracy. GPS has already revolutionised the way the world works not only by allowing precise positioning but also enabling entire globe to synchronise to the same timescale using a GPS NTP server. It is expected that even more advances in technology will emerge once the next generation of GNSS begin their transmissions.
