Blog Editor’s Note: In a recent GPS World article on it’s interference detection system, NovAtel included three examples of GPS signal disruption that have been detected by its system. We enthusiastically support broad sharing of these kinds of case studies to educate and create more responsible and resilient users.
Here is the third of the three case studies:
TOKYO REAL DATA RESULTS
We received a report of interference in Tokyo, Japan, and took a receiver there to investigate. FIGURE 14 shows the maximum received power throughout the dataset. The interference around 1570.69 MHz is obvious and easily to identify in the figure.
FIGURE 14. Spectrum power level for the Tokyo dataset.
FIGURE 15 shows the observed power of the interference source when walking around the building. There is a peak in the received power when moving to one side of the building, while the observed power is relatively constant over the other three sides of the building. This strongly suggests that the interference source is along the one side of the building.
FIGURE 15. Observed power of the interference source (yellow) for the Tokyo dataset (Map data: Google, Zenrin).
This figure also shows the estimated goodness-of-fit interference map produced using the algorithm described earlier. The source of the interference could not be conclusively determined; however, we believe that the source was emanating from one of the vehicles in the parking lot.
This real example illustrates how useful this visualization of the observed power is in understanding the nature of the interference, identifying the source and localizing its effect. The interference in this case did not cause a noticeable change in the number of satellites or signals tracked.
