O’Connor, A.
, Gallaher, M.
, Clark-Sutton, K.
, Lapidus, D.
, Oliver, Z.
, Scott, T.
, Wood, D.
, Gonzalez, M.
and Brown, E.
(2019),
Economic Benefits of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.GCR.25-062, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=959637
(Accessed April 4, 2025)
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Economic Benefits of the Global Positioning System (GPS)
Published
Author(s)
Alan C. O’Connor, Michael P. Gallaher, Kyle Clark-Sutton, Daniel Lapidus, Zack T. Oliver, Troy J. Scott, Dallas W. Wood, Manuel A. Gonzalez, Elizabeth G. Brown
Abstract
The focus of our analysis was on the estimation of the economic benefits of GPS to the U.S. private sector. We provide estimates from two perspectives. First, we quantified the value of GPS relative to alternative technologies and systems for the period from 1984 to 2017. Second, we estimated what the potential impacts would be if a GPS outage were to occur today. Our analysis combined insights from nearly 200 experts in the use of GPS for specific applications, surveys of professional surveyors and smartphone users, economic modeling tools, and national statistics. Benefits comprise productivity gains from new and existing products and services, improvements in quality, increases in personal enjoyment, and environmental and public health impacts.Citation
Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR) - NIST GCR 25-062
Report Number
NIST GCR 25-062
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
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Created June 3, 2019, Updated February 18, 2025