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Published online 21 May 2009 |
Nature
| doi:10.1038/news.2009.502
Updated online: 22 May 2009
News
GPS signal under threat
A few years of reduced precision might affect scientists worldwide.
Concern over the US Global Positioning System (GPS) stepped up a notch today after a senior official from the US government's congressional watchdog warned that the US Department of Defense faced substantial challenges meeting its space-programme commitments.
Scientists use GPS signals for everything from tracking bird migration to making fine-tuned measurements of sea level change.
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Correct me if I am wrong: from every sold GPS receiver some amount of money goes to US Department of Defense to support the system. Given the extreme popularity growth of GPS navigation how is it possible that they are running out of money?