1. Commercial Uses of GPS
Jason Y. Kim Office of Space Commercialization United States Department of Commerce
September 13, 2004

2. United States GPS Policy of 1996
“Our goals are to:
…Encourage private sector investment in and use of U.S. GPS technologies and services.”

3. Interagency GPS Executive Board
Defense
Transportation
State
Commerce
Interior
Agriculture
Joint Chiefs
of Staff
NASA
Homeland
Security

4. Why Department of Commerce?
Primary mission: promote commercial market growth and trade
Represents the largest GPS constituency
Commercial industry
Commercial end users
National Geodetic Survey, National Weather Service, NOAA Corps, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Census Bureau
Oversees CORS augmentation system
Key role in federal radio spectrum management

5. Worldwide GPS Hardware Sales Exceed $9 Billion Per Year
(Projected)
$Billions
Figures represent GPS hardware producer revenues. They do not include revenues from the space segment or from value-added services. Previous studies included value-added services, which is why these numbers seem lower.
Source: DOC, 2001

6. Commercial Applications Dominate the GPS Market
Data for Year 2000
Source: DOC, 1998

7. Sample Uses of GPS Technology
Transportation
Automotive
Rail
Maritime
Aviation
Space
Industry
Agriculture
Construction
E-Commerce/Finance
Electric Power
Engineering
Fishing
Forestry
Manufacturing
Mining
Oil & Gas
Telecommunications
Geography
Surveying
Mapping
Geodesy
Geographic Information Systems
Land Use Planning
Recreation
Consumer Electronics
Hiking/Geocaching
Boating/Fishing
Sports
Tourism
Science & Environment
Weather Forecasting
Pollution Monitoring
Ecology & Wilderness Conservation
Toxic Waste/Oil Spill Cleanup
Animal Behavior
Disease Control
Geological Change Monitoring
Archaeology
Time Transfer
Military
Force Deployment
Logistical Support
Vehicle Navigation
Smart Munitions

8. Surveying/Mapping/GIS
Sub-centimeter accuracy
100%-300% savings in time, cost, labor
Most major development projects require surveying
Rural electrification
Telecom tower placement
Pipeline installation
Dam construction
Port dredging operations
Oil, gas, and mineral exploration
Flood plain mapping

9. Tracking Package/cargo delivery Fleet and asset management
60,000-70,000 trucks in Brazil tracked by GPS
Theft recovery
Children, pets, elderly
Public safety services

10. Timing
GPS offers an inexpensive alternative to costly, high maintenance timing equipment
Telecommunications network synchronization & management
Phones, pagers, wireless systems
LANs, WANs, Internet
Financial transactions, e-commerce
Electrical power grid management & fault location

11. Precision Agriculture
Maximize use of resources
Optimized plowing of crop rows
Tailored applications of seeds, fertilizer, water, pesticides
Improved management of land, machinery, personnel, time
Greater crop yields
Net benefit: $5 to $14 per acre
Minimize environmental impacts
Localized identification and treatment of distressed crops reduces chemical use
Precise leveling of fields prevents fluid runoff

12. Construction/Mining Enhanced management of assets, equipment
Progress tracked in real-time, remotely
Improved machine control
Saves time
Saves fuel
Reduces maintenance
Prevents accidents
Rapid surveying for drilling, machinery placement
Smaller, more empowered workforce
Pier in Northern Brazil constructed through fog and darkness with GPS

13. Environmental Protection
Forest protection
Logging enforcement (e.g., Mato Grosso)
Firefighting
IBAMA: 230 GPS units
Fishing boundary enforcement
Endangered species and habitat preservation
Natural resource management
Hazardous cleanup
Oil spills, toxic waste
Atmospheric modeling

14. Recreation Portable receivers for outdoorsmen, hunters, etc.
Wristwatches for runners
Mobile phones (E-911), PDA’s, etc.
Sports facilities -- golf courses, ski resorts
Geocaching

15. Huge Potential Exists in the Market for Value Added Services
Software development
Embedded applications
Localized GIS databases
Internet integration
Wireless markets
Location-Based Services

16. The Market Is Wide Open Civil signals are freely available, right now
More GPS signals coming soon
Openly published documentation for all civil signals
No licensing fees
No export controls on commercial GPS goods
Hardware is cheap, getting cheaper
New applications are invented every day

17. GPS Sales by Geographic Region
 1998 
U.S.
Japan
32%
47%
 2003 
(Projected)
U.S.
Japan
Europe
Asia
30%
44%
18%
Other 2% 1%
Europe
23%
Other
Asia 1% 2%
Source: DOC, 1998

18. Exporting U.S. GPS Goods to Brazil
Controlled items requiring export licenses from U.S. Department of State:
Military receivers
GPS receivers that operate at speeds above 1,000 nautical miles per hour (1,852 km/hr) AND altitudes above 60,000 feet (18.3 km)
Satellite components
GPS goods requiring no U.S. export license:
Everything else!

19. Commercial Interests Affect The Future of GPS
GPS modernization
Schedule, funding, user requirements
New signal design properties (e.g., more power)
Galileo cooperation
Protecting interests, investments of GPS user base
Ensuring level playing field for commerce
Maximizing benefits of combined GPS-Galileo service
Spectrum protection
GPS information dissemination

20. Point of Contact for Commercial Users and Industry
Jason Y. Kim Senior Policy Analyst Office of Space Commercialization U.S. Department of Commerce
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