India’s Satellite-based Navigation System, NavIC

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 4

India’s satellite-based navigation system, NavIC, is as good as GPS of the United States in terms of position accuracy and availability in its service region.

• NavIC can help in navigation on land, air, sea and also in disaster management.
• NavIC satellites are placed at a higher orbit than the GPS of United States. 
• NavIC satellites are placed in geostationary orbit (GEO) & geosynchronous orbit (GSO) with an altitude of about 36,000 km; GPS satellites are placed in medium earth orbit (MEO) with an altitude of about 20,000 km.
• NavIC uses dual frequency bands, which improves accuracy of dual frequency receivers by enabling them to correct atmospheric errors through simultaneous use of two frequencies. 
• It also helps in better reliability and availability because the signal from either frequency can serve the positioning requirement equally well.
• At the time of inception, an indigenously developed satellite navigation system was conceptualized to cater to requirements of critical national applications, including those of defence and commercial establishments. 
• Hence the coverage area was designed to cover Indian Territory and surrounding 1500 km of Indian borders. 
• The needs of critical national applications do evolve with time and efforts are continuously made to meet these requirements, including from the point of view of coverage.

Applications of NAVIC

• Terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation
• Disaster management
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management
• Integration with mobile phones
• Precise timing, mapping and geodetic data capture
• Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers
• Visual and voice navigation for drivers