Global positioning system (GPS) technology has revolutionised how objects are located and navigated. The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) market was valued at €198.9bn (US$212.68) in 2021, with forecasts suggesting that this will likely rise to €492.2bn by 2031, according to Statista. However, as GPS and GNSS technology evolve, they are revealing some limitations.
Multipath and dead reckoning navigation can pose significant challenges for GPS in automotive applications. To address these challenges, Metis Engineering has created innovative solutions to enhance GPS accuracy and reliability.
Accuracy
Multipath refers to the phenomenon where GPS signals reflect off surfaces, such as buildings or terrain, and create multiple signals at the receiver. These multiple signals can interfere with each other, causing inaccuracies in location and speed measurements. The European Space Agency reported that multipath can cause GPS positioning errors of up to ten meters in urban areas.
AVs will use all sorts of sensors to decide which lane a driver is in or where the car is on the map, so it’s very useful in terms of accuracy if you can get down to the centimetre level
Meanwhile, dead reckoning navigation, a method used to estimate location based on known speed and direction of movement, is also prone to errors—particularly when speed and direction change rapidly. In automotive, dead reckoning navigation maintains vehicle position when GPS signals are temporarily lost, such as when driving through a tunnel. The accuracy of dead reckoning navigation can vary depending on the quality of the sensors used to measure speed and direction.