Currently, GPS satellite signals allow you to communicate with your mother, power your home, and assist in landing your plane; however, a simple and inexpensive plastic box can interfere with these critical functions.
A traffic disruption took place in San Diego, California, just after noon. Air traffic controllers at the airport tower observed that the system for tracking incoming planes was not operational. At the same time, the emergency pagers used to contact doctors at the Naval Medical Center also malfunctioned. Moreover, the traffic management systems that direct maritime traffic failed, leading to potential chaos at the busy port. On the streets, people attempted to use their cell phones, discovering a lack of signal, while bank customers trying to withdraw cash from local ATMs were unsuccessful. This issue lasted for another two hours.
A thorough investigation lasting three days was necessary to identify the cause of the strange incident that occurred in January 2007. During this time, two Navy ships were conducting training exercises in the Port of San Diego. Technicians, in an effort to evaluate procedures for communication loss, intentionally jammed radio signals. This action inadvertently blocked GPS satellite signals over a considerable area of the city.
Why do GPS outages cause so much disruption?
Satellite signals now perform functions that exceed the basic task of aiding your vehicle's navigation system. GPS has become an "invisible utility" that we often rely on without conscious thought. Telecommunications firms utilize GPS time signals to coordinate the communication between your mobile device and the cellular towers. Energy suppliers implement GPS technology to synchronize their grids during interconnections. Moreover, banks and stock exchanges depend on satellite systems to establish timestamps, which are essential for preventing fraudulent activities. Simultaneously, the dependence of our society on GPS navigation is on the rise.
Some people worry that we're now too dependent on a technology that can easily fail - and that it doesn't take a crazy Navy exercise to wreak havoc. Their biggest concern is GPS jammers - plastic devices that can be placed on the dashboard of a car. These devices can be bought online and are often used by people like truck drivers who don't want their bosses to know where they are. Their increasing use has caused problems at airports and caused cellphone signal outages in several cities. If unblocked, a jammer can disrupt GPS from several kilometers away. So it's no surprise that researchers around the world are working to find ways to prevent catastrophic GPS outages from happening.
Stealth Utility
The failure of GPS today has significant ramifications that go beyond navigation alone. Donald Jewell, a pivotal figure in the inception of GPS in the U.S. Air Force and the current editor-in-chief of GPS World magazine, notes that our reliance on GPS often occurs without our awareness. He estimates that there are more than a billion GPS receivers currently operational, with over 90 percent utilizing the satellite signals mainly for their accurate timekeeping.
This stealth capability is extensively used by mobile phones. When individuals are on the go, it is crucial for towers to synchronize with each other to ensure the smooth transfer of calls, and GPS time signals offer a reliable and economical method for this synchronization. Each tower's timing offset is also critical for its identification. Indeed, a variety of wireless communication technologies leverage GPS timing for synchronization. This may have been a contributing factor to the malfunctions of traffic control and emergency pagers at the Port of San Diego in 2007.
Truck Cheating
Last deliberately simulated a simple, commercially available jammers. Although it’s illegal to use the low-tech devices in the United States, Britain and many other countries, they can be bought online for as little as $30. Sellers claim the devices are for privacy. Because they block devices that record a vehicle’s movements, they’re popular with truckers who don’t want electronic spies in their cabs. They can also block GPS-based road tolls levied through onboard receivers. Some criminals use them to hack trackers inside stolen cargo. “We initially thought the jammers might have been put together in the bedroom by a young man with pimples on his face,” Last says. “But now they’re being made in factories in China.”
