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Detailed Justification for Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS) Program
FY 2008 Request: $5,000,000
Overview
Among current U.S. positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems, the Nationwide Differential
Global Positioning System (NDGPS) is an enabling technology for civil,
commercial and scientific applications. Fifty nations have followed the U.S. lead by building compatible NDGPS systems. This is a mark of success of
the National Space-Based PNT policy for promoting the use of GPS, GPS
augmentation systems such as NDGPS, and PNT-based civil, commercial and
scientific applications worldwide.
DOT, in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the
U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has partially deployed and operates the
NDGPS service in the
U.S.
NDGPS provides accurate dynamic navigation
information to users with one-to-two meter accuracy. As the accuracy of GPS has improved,
particularly through removal of Selective Availability, the operational need
for NDGPS has diminished.
Despite DOT program
responsibilities for NDGPS, there are no current validated transportation systems
requirements for NDGPS. The majority of
current NDGPS users appear to be primarily in the resources management
community (e.g., agriculture, surveying, forestry). While some potential future transportation
applications have identified a High Performance NDGPS capability as a possible
enabling technology solution for high accuracy (decimeter level) operational
requirements, notably in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications,
these requirements, and the application deployments, are uncertain.
The government has
invested $53.7 million to date for NDGPS (not including in-kind contributions
of land and equipment from federal and state partners). This investment needs
to be preserved while assessments of inland requirements for NDGPS are
completed, and options for meeting the high accuracy PNT requirements of future
transportation applications are evaluated. These activities will be evaluated in conjunction with the National PNT
Architecture effort to determine to what extent the NDGPS infrastructure can
meet user needs as part of a national PNT architecture, before any decision on
the future maintenance, operation or enhancement of the system is made.
Need for the Civil PNT Architecture Program:
Reliable PNT services are essential elements of the national
transportation critical infrastructure, and involve multiple technologies that
support multi-modal systems safety operations requirements and other applications. The U.S. Space-Based PNT Policy states that
the U.S. must continue to improve and maintain GPS, GPS augmentation, and
back-up PNT capabilities to meet constantly increasing national, homeland, and
economic security requirements, as well as operational missions of the broader
civil, commercial, and scientific communities.
The National Space Policy Directive (NSPD-39) identifies DOT
as the focal point for representing and assuring civil GPS requirements. However, DOT faces significant challenges in
harmonizing and coordinating systems requirements and research for improved use
of PNT services, development of augmentation systems, and assurance of PNT
systems back-ups. Without a management
structure to coordinate research and systems assessment activities, there is
risk of duplicated efforts and misapplied resources.
In order to avoid PNT solutions developed for individual
user applications, the Under Secretary of Transportation requested that RITA
lead DOT’s efforts in the development of the National PNT Architecture on
behalf of the civil community. Development
of the national PNT architecture will require a coordinated approach from all
sectors of the civil community to determine the most efficient and effective mix
of systems to meet future civil user PNT requirements. The architecture effort involves close coordination
with the other civil departments and agencies and, in particular, with Office
of the Secretary’s Office of Navigation and Spectrum Policy for policy
decisions that result from the systems architecture study.
The system engineering activities performed in development
of the National PNT Architecture will determine the best method to meet the future
high performance PNT needs of the transportation community, including back-up
systems, and identify the potential role of NDGPS as part of this national
architecture.
FY 2007 Base
The funding base in
FY 2007 for the NDGPS Program, in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
budget request, was $0. The Department
decided to carry forward FY 2006 funding to manage FY 2007 NDGPS operations and
maintenance expenses of the NDGPS sites at a low level to preserve the
government investment in the system, while assessing the new responsibilities
assigned to the Department by the U.S. Space-Based PNT Policy, including
current and potential future NDGPS requirements.
Anticipated FY
2007 Accomplishments
RITA and FRA will coordinate continued delivery of NDGPS
user services, through a Memorandum of Agreement with the USCG, but will not
expand the system or otherwise pursue system buildout. On behalf of DOT, RITA will coordinate
completion of the technical assessment for the need for the inland component of
NDGPS, including assessing interagency system requirements and seeking
validated transportation requirements. From this assessment, policy determinations will be made about
continuing, mothballing, or decommissioning NDGPS.
A PNT system engineering analysis will be initiated to
address the best methods to meet civil PNT requirements. This analysis will be performed in
conjunction with the development of a National PNT Architecture that will
determine the future role of NDGPS as part of this architecture.
FY 2008 Budget
Request
The funding and
program management responsibility for the NDGPS Program resided in the FRA
budget through FY 2007. RITA has agreed
with FRA to coordinate the NDGPS requirements assessment and NDGPS operations
in FY 2007. If funding is received in FY
2008 to continue NDGPS operations, and a policy determination made to continue
NDGPS, then NDGPS program management will be transferred from FRA to
RITA.
In FY 2008, RITA will fund NDGPS operation and maintenance
of existing NDGPS sites through a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) to preserve the government investment in this system, and to
support current NDGPS system users. No
construction or new equipment installation for NDGPS will be pursued, pending
the results of the NDGPS assessment and follow-on decisions.
RITA will perform system engineering activities in support
of developing the National PNT Architecture that will determine the best method
to meet the high performance PNT needs of the transportation community, and to identify
the future role of NDGPS as part of this national architecture.
NDGPS Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
Excel | CSV
Atlantic Support Manager O&M |
$2,270,582 |
Pacific Support Manager O&M |
$101,650 |
Systems Management |
$1,010,000 |
Navigation Center
(NAVCEN) |
$200,000 |
National Geodetic Survey (CORS) |
$381,717 |
NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory |
$295,623 |
Parts Support/Depot Level Repair |
$25,000 |
Emergency/Operational Contingency |
$315,428 |
Total NDGPS Operations and Maintenance |
$4,600,000 |
PNT Architecture System
Engineering
Excel | CSV
Civil User Needs Evaluation |
$125,000 |
PNT Civil Technology Assessment |
$175,000 |
Future Civil Environment Definition |
$100,000 |
Total PNT Architecture System Engineering |
$400,000 |
Explanation of
Funding Changes for NDGPS Program
Amount: +$5,000,000:
Excel | CSV
Total NDGPS Operations
and Maintenance |
$4,600,000 |
Total PNT Architecture System Engineering |
$400,000 |
Total
Requested |
$5,000,000 |
The increase in funding reflects a Departmental decision in
the FY 2007 budget request to reschedule FY 2006 program funding across two fiscal
years, and to continue this function in FY 2008 by transferring the NDGPS
program from FRA to RITA (pending funding availability and decision to continue
operations). The cost to operate and
maintain the NDGPS sites in a “preservation of investment” state is $4,600,000;
this budget assumes no expansion or construction activities. System engineering work on development of a
national PNT architecture to support future high performance transportation PNT
requirements is $400,000.
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