SENATE RESOLUTION 216--RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE AIR FORCE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM CONSTELLATION AND...; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 85
(Senate - May 21, 2019)
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From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 216--RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THE MEN
AND WOMEN OF THE AIR FORCE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OPERATING AND
MAINTAINING THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM CONSTELLATION AND AFFIRMING
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUOUS AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, EFFICIENCY,
ROBUSTNESS, RELIABILITY, AND RESILIENCY OF THE GLOBAL POSITIONING
SYSTEM CONSTELLATION
Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Merkley, and Ms. Hassan)
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 216
Whereas the Global Positioning System (referred to in this
preamble as ``GPS'') offers both military and civilian
benefits of positioning, navigation, and timing services;
Whereas the GPS constellation is managed and operated by
the Air Force and consists of more than 30 satellites
operating at an altitude of approximately 12,550 miles above
the Earth;
Whereas GPS precision timing allows for accurate record
management by major financial institutions, including
detailed transaction management for large and small
businesses;
Whereas GPS has proven to be an essential tool in
facilitating social and economic activity around the world;
Whereas consumers overwhelmingly access GPS using a variety
of platforms, such as smartphones and a wireless broadband
connection;
Whereas cities leverage GPS applications to support Smart
Cities initiatives that will increase service efficiency,
resulting in savings in time and money for taxpayers;
Whereas first responders use GPS to enable more timely and
accurate disaster response and improve situational awareness
and to identify the location of 9-1-1 calls made from
wireless phones;
Whereas the safety of the rail systems in the United States
is improved by implementing GPS-based positive train control
systems;
Whereas GPS-enabled applications and services enhance the
independence of individuals with visual impairments;
Whereas marine operations depend on GPS for precise
navigation as well as for determining location and measuring
speed;
Whereas the land surveying and mapping sector uses GPS to
produce data that is more accurate and reliable;
Whereas GPS-based time synchronization assists power and
utility companies in providing efficient power transmission
and distribution;
Whereas smart grid infrastructure is increasingly reliant
on GPS for synchronization and system resilience;
Whereas GPS supports autonomous vehicle development by
complementing embedded vehicle sensors to determine precise
vehicle location and improving safety;
Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration relies on GPS
to improve all aspects of aviation safety and efficiency,
including by providing greater precision and accuracy in all
phases of flight;
Whereas GPS is also essential for enabling the Next
Generation Air Transportation system;
Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration relies on GPS
to improve aviation safety by synchronizing reporting of
hazardous weather with 45 Terminal Doppler Weather Radars;
and
Whereas economic contributions by GPS include the
following:
(1) In 2013, GPS provided economic benefits with a mid-
range estimated value of approximately $68,700,000,000 or 0.4
percent of the gross domestic product of the United States.
(2) The Department of Homeland Security identifies GPS as
essential to 14 of the 16 industries that are classified as
part of the nation's critical infrastructure.
(3) In 2013, GPS-enabled precision agriculture was
estimated to save grain farmers 10 to 15 percent in operating
costs and purchased inputs and the broad economic benefit of
precision agriculture in grain farming was estimated to
provide a mid-range benefit of $13,700,000,000.
(4) In 2013, GPS-enabled surveying was estimated to produce
a mid-range economic benefit of $11,600,000,000.
(5) Globally, 3,600,000,000 Global Navigation Satellite
System devices were in use in 2014, 450,000,000 of which were
in North America.
(6) In 2012, the Boston Consulting Group estimated that the
geospatial services ecosystem, which is supported by GPS,
drove $1,600,000,000,000 in revenues and $1,400,000,000,000
in cost savings throughout the United States economy.
(7) GPS-enabled internet publishing, broadcasting, and
search portals accounted for $170,781,000,000 in revenue in
2017 and supported over 275,000 jobs in 2017.
(8) GPS enables location-based services that will enhance
the over $568,470,000,000 app economy, supporting an
estimated 5,744,481 jobs across the United States in 2018.
(9) GPS has proven to be essential to the foundation of the
ridesharing industry accessed on smartphones, valued by one
estimate to be over $61,000,000,000: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate recognizes--
(1) the contributions made by the men and women of the Air
Force who are responsible for operating and maintaining the
Global Positioning System constellation;
(2) the valuable contributions made by the Department of
Transportation in coordinating interactions with the civil
users of the Global Positioning System; and
(3) the importance of continuous availability, accuracy,
efficiency, robustness, reliability, and resiliency of the
Global Positioning System constellation.
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