International Cooperation
President Obama's National Space Policy of 2010 encourages international cooperation related to GPS and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). It directs the United States to:
“Engage with foreign GNSS providers to encourage compatibility and interoperability, promote transparency in civil service provision, and enable market access for U.S. industry”.
The policy also states that the United States may use foreign positioning, navigation, and timing services to augment and strengthen the resiliency of GPS.
Learn more about U.S. policy...
This page summarizes U.S. efforts related to GPS cooperation with other countries and international organizations. The reference links provided below lead to source documents at other government websites. Some links on this page lead to content in the Portable Document Format (PDF) and may require you to install PDF software. Get software...
Australia
The United States and Australia initiated a cooperative relationship on GPS and GPS augmentations through a Joint Delegation Statement signed in 2007. The cooperation expands upon existing efforts to ensure interoperability between GPS and Australia's Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS).
Major Documents:
- 2007 Joint Delegation Statement (establishing cooperation)
- 2010 Joint Announcement on Civil GPS and Space Cooperation
China
In 2010, the United States and China concluded technical coordination discussions on radio frequency compatibility between China's Compass system and GPS. These discussions, held at the operator-to-operator level since 2007, occurred under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The United States discusses broader cooperation issues with China during meetings of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG). The United States is interested in engaging in further bilateral discussions with China on civil GNSS services and applications.
Europe
The United States and the European Union and its member states have been close partners in the area of satellite navigation since 2004, when the parties signed a historic agreement establishing cooperation between GPS and Europe's planned Galileo system. The cooperation aims to ensure that GPS and Galileo will be interoperable at the user level for the benefit of civil users around the world. The cooperation is also intended to maintain fair trade in the global satellite navigation market.
The GPS-Galileo Agreement established four working groups for cooperation on:
- Radio frequency compatibility and interoperability;
- Trade and civil applications;
- Design and development of the next generation of systems; and
- Security issues related to GPS and Galileo.
Major Documents:
- 2004 GPS-Galileo Agreement (establishing cooperation)
- 2006 Joint Statement (signal optimization)
- 2007 Joint Statement (Working Group B)
- 2007 Joint Fact Sheet on GPS-Galileo Cooperation
- 2007 Joint Press Release on Common Civil Signal Design
- 2008 GPS-Galileo Working Group B Meeting Summary
- 2008 Joint Statement (first plenary meeting)
- 2010 Joint Statement on Combined Performance of GPS and Galileo
India
The United States and India issued a Joint Statement in 2007 establishing cooperation on GPS and GPS augmentations. The cooperation expands upon existing efforts to ensure interoperability between GPS and India's GPS And GEO-Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system.
Major Documents:
Japan
The United States and Japan have enjoyed a successful relationship on satellite navigation since 1998, when the heads of both nations signed a Joint Statement establishing cooperation in the use of GPS. Through this relationship, the two nations have achieved interoperability between GPS and Japan's MTSAT-based Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), a geostationary satellite similar to the U.S. Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The nations have also taken steps to ensure interoperability between the next-generation GPS constellation and Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), a regional satellite constellation designed to complement GPS over East Asia.
Major Documents:
- 1998 Joint Statement (establishing cooperation)
- 2001 Joint Announcement (first plenary meeting)
- 2002 Joint Announcement (initiating GPS/QZSS cooperation)
- 2004 Joint Statement
- 2006 Joint Announcement (GPS/QZSS interoperability)
- 2007 Joint Announcement
- 2008 Joint Announcement (noting QZSS sites in Hawaii and Guam)
- 2010 Joint Announcement
- 2011 Joint Announcement
- 2012 Joint Announcement (releasing TWG report)
Russia
The United States and Russia initiated cooperation in 2004, with the primary goal of enabling civil interoperability at the user level between GPS and Russia's GLONASS system. Two working groups have been established to address: (1) radio frequency compatibility and interoperability for enhanced positioning, navigation, and timing; and (2) technical interoperability between the search-and-rescue capabilities planned for GPS and GLONASS.
Major Documents:
International Committee on GNSS
The United States is a charter member of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG), established in 2005 through the U.N. Office of Outer Space Affairs. The ICG promotes worldwide applications of satellite navigation technology, particularly in developing nations. The United States is a key member of the ICG Providers Forum, a venue for multilateral interaction among the world's providers of satellite navigation services.
Learn more at the ICG website...
Major Documents:
- 2006 ICG Terms of Reference
- 2006 ICG Work Plan
- 2010 Booklet: Current and Planned Global and Regional Navigation Satellite Systems and Satellite-based Augmentations Systems
- 2011 Booklet: 10 Years of Achievement of the U.N. on GNSS
- ICG Meeting Reports, Joint Statements, and Press Releases
- ICG Providers Forum Meeting Reports
Other International Organizations
Beyond the ICG, the United States works on international satellite navigation issues through other multilateral bodies, including:
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)