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Chances are you've heard about the Year 2000 bug. You may also have heard about the End of Week rollover for
the Global Positioning System (GPS) in August 1999. How could your GPS receiver be affected by these date
changes? What are the potential safety implications? The U.S. Department of the Interior has compiled a brief
overview to assist you in understanding this issue. GPS is a satellite-based system that allows consumers who use electronic receivers to automatically determine their location. Recreational boaters and pilots, hikers, campers, hunters, and fishermen are among the consumers who use and count on GPS receivers. The military and businesses also use the system. GPS and Y2K There are two important dates for GPS users: August 22, 1999, the End-of-Week (EOW) rollover, and January 1, 2000 is the year 2000. The GPS EOW rollover happens every 1,024 weeks -- about once every 20 years. The GPS system calculates time by counting the number of weeks since January 6, 1980 -- up to a maximum of 1,023 weeks. At midnight between August 21-22, 1999, the GPS week "counter" will roll back to zero weeks. DOD says this will not create problems for the GPS satellites or DOD's GPS ground control center, but it could be a problem for consumers who use GPS receivers and related applications. That's because after August 21, 1999, receivers could process satellite data incorrectly and display inaccurate information. As for the Year 2000 date change, DOD has determined that the GPS satellites and its ground control center will operate properly after December 31, 1999. But if consumer GPS receivers and applications are not Y2K ready, they could process satellite data incorrectly. Consumers who depend on GPS for geographic locations at sea, on land or in the air, may experience serious safety hazards. Specifically, consumers may experience one of the following problems with their receiver: - It will be unable to locate the satellites, resulting in the receiver not working at all. - It will take more time than usual to locate the satellites. - It will appear to be working but display inaccurate positions, times or dates. What Should You Do? If you use GPS, check with your receiver manufacturer to find out if your receiver and applications are EOW rollover- and Y2K-compliant. You may want to check the Coast Guard Navigation Center's web site (www.navcen.uscg.mil/gps/geninfo/y2k/default.htm) where the Department of Transportation has posted a list of receiver manufacturers and contacts. You also can call the free Y2K consumer hotline (1-888-USA-4-Y2K) to get manufacturer contact information. You will need to tell the manufacturer your receiver's model, serial number, and the firmware version or release date that is displayed on the startup screen. http://www-nmd.usgs.gov |
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