A Brief Discussion on Understanding GNSS and Navigation Engineering

Abstract

Navigation and positioning technology is used to determine the location of objects and guide their movement, and it is widely applied in fields such as transportation, logistics, mobile applications, and the military. The main technologies include Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS, Europe's Galileo, and China's BeiDou system. These systems provide global positioning services. Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) enhance positioning accuracy and reliability through ground stations. Additionally, Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) calculate position by measuring acceleration and angular velocity, often in combination with GNSS. Radio positioning technology utilizes cellular base stations and Wi-Fi signals for positioning, suitable for urban and indoor environments. Bluetooth positioning and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) positioning use short-range beacons and high-frequency signals to provide high-precision indoor positioning. Visible Light Positioning (VLP) and acoustic positioning use light signals and sound waves, respectively, for positioning in specific environments. These technologies are used in transportation for vehicle navigation and intelligent transportation systems, in logistics management for tracking the location of goods, in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to provide geographic data support, in mobile applications to support location-based services (LBS), and in the military for target positioning and missile guidance. In the future, navigation and positioning technology will advance towards higher precision, wider coverage, and greater reliability, supporting emerging applications such as autonomous driving, smart buildings, and the Internet of Things (IoT).