The use of GBAS ground facilities in a regional network

The FAA has initiated a number of significant programs to support the introduction of satellite navigation into the NAS. Likewise the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is developing standards and recommended practices (SARPS) to support the international introduction of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). These standards define requirements for Differential GPS (DGPS) navigation systems which support various levels of navigation performance and include both wide area and local area augmentations. The proposed industry wide area differential aviation standards have been based on satellite communications and the proposed local area differential standards have been based on more traditional VHF communication techniques. However, industry has begun to consider regional standards, which could provide wide area benefits using VHF communication techniques consistent with existing aircraft navigation equipment. This paper provides background on wide area and local area GPS navigation augmentations and provides examples of ongoing programs, which are consistent with the evolving industry requirements. Finally the paper proposes new alternative architectures which are emerging to provide similar benefits at a significantly lower cost.