Will last night’s GPS date-based rollover ?
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Most likely you won’t be affected, but due to the strange way that Global Positioning Systems (GPS) measure time, some devices were at risk of being reset yesterday at 7:59 pm EDT. GPS systems affected could be reset back to January 6th, 1980. This is a risk because devices using GPS measure time by counting weeks, but they only have enough storage to count 1,024 weeks (nearly 20 years).
The last time GPS systems were in this position was back in August 1999. Most of the public had never even heard of GPS back then, and it wasn’t until apps like Google Maps brought GPS into consumers’ hands that the public became aware of it.
We wouldn’t be too consumed with angst. The Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber and Infrastructure division says that as long as your device is less than ten years old, or if you have updated this device over the years, your GPS driven app should be safe to use. In other words, if you are using a 2008 T-Mobile G1 as your daily driver for some reason, and never installed any Google Maps updates, the app might not be of much help today. Mapping and navigation firm TomTom said on its website that those who frequently update their devices have nothing to worry about, but others could find it impossible to navigate using GPS.
The DHS’ Cyber and Infrastructure unit notes that “A nanosecond error in GPS Time can equate to one foot of position (ranging) error.” In other words, if you are counting on a GPS driven device or app to get you from point “A” to point “B,” blindly following the directions on an affected device could land you at point “C.”
Many industries depend on GPS these days, including some that weren’t around ten years ago like ride sharing (Uber, Lyft). Considering how much more important GPS is to the global economy these days, newer devices have been updated and can now count weeks using 13 bits of data instead of 10. This means that you shouldn’t have to worry about the GPS on your mobile device resetting until 2176.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which specific GPS devices were most likely to be affected by the rollover?
Which specific GPS devices were most likely to be affected by the rollover?
Devices more than ten years old, or those that have not received software updates over the years, were most at risk. An old mobile phone with outdated apps, for example, might be affected.
Q.Why would some GPS devices have been reset to January 6th, 1980?
Why would some GPS devices have been reset to January 6th, 1980?
GPS systems measure time by counting 1,024-week cycles due to storage limitations. When this cycle completed yesterday, older devices risked resetting to the start date of the GPS week count, which was 6th January 1980.
Q.What is the primary risk if a GPS device was affected by the rollover?
What is the primary risk if a GPS device was affected by the rollover?
The main risk is that the device could provide inaccurate positioning or navigation. Blindly following directions from an affected device could lead to an incorrect destination, as a small time error can equate to a significant position error.
Q.How has the GPS week counting system been improved to prevent future issues?
How has the GPS week counting system been improved to prevent future issues?
Newer GPS devices now use 13 bits of data to count weeks, an improvement from the previous 10 bits. This upgrade means that a similar rollover event on mobile GPS devices is not expected again until the year 2176.
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