| Civilian applications of the Global Positioning System have grown rapidly over the past decade. One of the most significant examples is guidance for aviation. In conjunction with specially designed equipment on the ground, GPS can provide precision approach and landing capability for aircraft. As with other safety-critical aviation applications, GPS-based landing systems must meet stringent accuracy, safety, and availability requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration.; Currently, compliance with FAA requirements is ensured by a host of monitors including the Signal Quality Monitor, a module specifically tasked with continuously observing raw GPS signals for interference and distortion. This dissertation focuses on several theoretical and practical aspects of SQM design.; The discussion begins with in-depth analysis of the seminal event in SQM, a significant anomaly on GPS space vehicle 19 initially observed in 1993. At the time, a tenfold increase in vertical position error was reported when this satellite was in view. Little consensus was initially reached about the exact origin, nature, or magnitude of the distortion; this section considers these effects in detail.; The analysis is then extended to compute a rigorous upper bound for differential error. Starting with the architecture of a basic landing system, a theoretical worst-case is derived that maximizes user error while defying detection by the ground station. A simplified distortion model, adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization in response to the worst-case analysis, is also described.; The discussion then describes the design and construction of an arbitrary GPS generator. Essential features include architecture, shielding, independent signal and noise levels, and fast switching between two input channels. Two example applications are presented to illustrate the instrument's utility. A theoretical analysis of the ICAO model is validated by measuring the spectra of generated waveforms. Transient responses of a multicorrelator GPS receiver to several distorted waveforms are also presented.; The final section presents the first detailed characterization of healthy GPS satellite performance in the context of the ICAO model. Minor signal distortions on healthy satellites do not generally threaten operational safety, but must be taken into account when designing an SQM to meet stringent FAA performance requirements. |
