Galileo GPS Comparison

Galileo is a joint project developed by the European Commission and European Space Agency. Once completed, the system will include up to 32 satellites and will work alongside GPS and GLONASS. Galileo promises to provide real-time positioning with pinpoint accuracy to within a single meter of an object's exact location. It is designed for use with mission critical circumstances and situations where lives are at stake, and it is guaranteed for all but the most extreme situations. It is also designed to work in urban areas, under trees, inside buildings and other locations GPS cannot penetrate; it will provide an "integrity" component to alert users to possible major errors that could compromise performance.

GPS was developed by the United States Department of Defense and became operational in 1993. It operates with 24 satellites that use the principle of triangulation assisted by atomic clocks to make accurate location assessments. The first satellite in the triangle locates the ground-based detector, and the two other satellites provide overlapping data at an intersecting point to narrow down the location. This system allows for accurate placement of objects within a few feet of their actual location.

GLONASS was developed by the Russian Federation and is operated by the Russian Space Forces. It launched its first satellites in 1983. As of November 2009, GLONASS had 16 operational satellites with two satellites in maintenance and one in decommissioning status. GLONASS uses radio time signals to mark the locations of people and vehicles on and above the surface of the earth. The system is presently less accurate than GPS or Galileo, with horizontal position accuracy within 180 feet and vertical position within 230 feet. GLONASS is designed to be fully functional by 2010, with 30 GLONASS-M and GLONASS-K satellites in orbit, offering more precise accuracy along with increased capacity.