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  Absolute Positioning Positioning mode in which a position is identified with respect to a well-defined coordinate system, commonly a geocentric system (i.e., a system whose point of origin coincides with the center of mass of the earth).
  Accuracy The degree of conformance between the estimated or measured position, time, and/or velocity of a GPS receiver and its true time, position, and/or velocity as compared with a constant standard. Radionavigation system accuracy is usually presented as a statistical measure of system error and is characterized as follows:

Predictable - The accuracy of a radionavigation system's position solution with respect to the charted solution. Both the position solution and the chart must be based upon the same geodetic datum.

Repeatable - The accuracy with which a user can return to a position whose coordinates have been measured at a previous time with the same navigation system.

Relative - The accuracy with which a user can measure position relative to that of another user of the same navigation system at the same time.

  Acquisition Time Amount of time required for a GPS unit to lock onto 3 satellites to provide a "2D View" of present position.
  Almanac Orbit information for all the satellites, including clock correction, and atmospheric delay parameters. This data is used to facilitate rapid SV acquisition. The orbit information is a subset of the ephemeris data with reduced accuracy. Information on the entire GPS constellation is transmitted by each GPS satellite.
  Ambiguity The unknown number of complete wavelengths (cycles) of the carrier phase contained in a measurement between a single satellite and a single receiver.
  Analog A type of transmission characterized by variable waveforms representing information, contrasted with digital. A standard clock with moving hands is an analog device, whereas a clock with displayed and changing numbers is a digital device. The human voice and audible sounds are analog. Modern computers are invariably digital, but when they communicate over telephone lines, their signals must be converted to analog using a modem ( a modulator/demodulator). The analog signal is converted back into a digital form before delivering it to a destination computer.
  Anywhere fix The ability of a receiver to start position calculations without being given an approximate location and time.
  Application software These programs accomplish the specialized tasks of the user, while operating system software allows the computer to work. A computer-aided dispatch system is application software, as is each word processing program.
  Ascending node The point at which an object's orbit crosses the reference plane (e.g. Equatorial plane) from South to North.
Automatic Vehicle Location - AVL A type of system using any sort of technology to track or locate a vehicle.
Availability The availability of a navigation system is the percentage of time that the services are usable. Availability is an indication of the ability of the system to provide usable service within the specified coverage area. Signal availability is the percentage of time that navigational signals transmitted from external sources are available for use. Availability is the percentage of time that navigational signals transmitted from external sources are available for use. Availability is a function of both the physical characteristics of the environment and the technical capabilities of the transmitter facilities. The number of hours per day that a particular location has sufficient satellites (above the specified elevation angle and less than the specified PDOP value) to make a GPS position fix
Azimuth A horizontal direction expressed as an angle between a fixed direction, and the direction of the object. The fixed direction in normally North.
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