A method for the assessing of reliability characteristics relevant to an assumed position-fixing accuracy in navigational positioning systems

This paper presents a method which makes it possible to determine reliability characteristics of navigational positioning systems, relevant to an assumed value of permissible error in position fixing. The method allows to calculate : availability, reliability as well as operation continuity of position fixing system for an assumed, determined on the basis of formal requirements - both worldwide and national, position-fixing accuracy. The proposed mathematical model allows to satisfy, by any navigational positioning system, not only requirements as to position-fixing accuracy of a given navigational application ( for air, sea or land traffic ) but also the remaining characteristics associated with technical serviceability of a system. Essence of the method in question consists in the working-out of recorded empirical position-fixing data as well as the making use of multi-state Markov processes ( appropriate to a maximum error value permissible for various navigational applications ) as a result of which reliability characteristics based on real data would be determined. About usefulness of a given navigational positioning system for its possible application would decide a vector of variables (both dealing with position and reliability) which satisfies / or does not satisfy/ formal navigational requirements for a given application.