GNSS Technology and Applications: GNSS Markets and Applications Len Jacobson

After being shrouded in esoterica for a long time, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have become part of everyday life, especially the Global Positioning System (GPS). Having spent 40 years involved with the subject, it became clear to me that it would be useful to have a book about the business aspects of these systems. This idea was the result of two endeavors: a course I taught for many years called "The Business of GNSS"; and the writing of a chapter for a different book: "GNSS Markets and Applications," in Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications, Second Edition, edited by Elliott Kaplan and Christopher Hegarty (Artech House, 2006). The chapter's 25-page limit could not do justice to the topic, so I undertook to write this book and have completely focused on the topic of the markets and applications of GNSS. While there are many highly technical books already written about GNSS and thousands of articles about applications and companies, there did not exist a book that I could find about the business itself. 

During the time that I have worked on GPS in both the industry and in my consulting practice, I have amassed a storehouse of articles, reports, and experience relating to the field and its participants. Working with the commercial, military, and legal aspects of GNSS has given me an understanding of its success, its potential, and its impact on society.