More than a hundred incidents of gps jammer use in the UK have been uncovered by the government-funded Sentinel project since its inception in January 2011. The initiative, spearheaded by GPS-tracking experts Chronos Technology, detected these illegal jamming activities through a series of trials involving the police. Using four GPS sensors, the project conducted tests spanning from two to six months at each location, effectively measuring the impact of GPS jamming on UK roads.

• Did GAARDIAN trials span from 2008 to 2011?
• Can Sentinel Protect Our Signals?
• Galatea trial: Will THV work?
• GPS: Too Reliant to Ignore?

Did GAARDIAN trials span from 2008 to 2011?

Sentinel’s core concept lies in detecting and pinpointing interference, as explained by Andy Proctor, divisional manager at Chronos Technology. The uncertainty surrounding interference sources is significant; without physically holding a jammer, a 100% confirmation remains elusive. Field trials of Sentinel’s GPS jamming capabilities involved a strategic sensor placement. One such sensor, positioned in a city adjacent to docks and a two-lane motorway, recorded 67 instances of GPS jamming by vehicles in just six months. Charles Curry, Chronos’ managing director, confirmed these findings as authentic and verified during the GNSS Vulnerability: Present Dangers, Future Threats 2012 conference. Notably, these trials, known as GAARDIAN, were conducted between 2008 and 2011, highlighting Sentinel’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios.

Since January 2011, the Sentinel project has been measuring GPS jamming incidents on UK roads. Run by Chronos Technology, this GPS-tracking initiative utilizes four sensors to detect illegal jamming activities over trials spanning from two to six months at each location. These efforts have uncovered more than a hundred cases of GPS signal disruption in the country, often motivated by evasion of corporate vehicle tracking, covert operations, or even high-value vehicle thefts. As explained by an expert at the National Physical Laboratory conference, gps jammers operate by emitting a powerful local signal that overrides the weaker satellite transmissions, thus enabling such unlawful activities.

The Sentinel project, funded by the government, has revealed over a hundred cases of GPS jammer usage in the UK since early 2011. This initiative aims to detect and pinpoint sources of interference, as explained by Andy Proctor, Chronos Technology’s divisional manager. The field trials conducted by Sentinel involved sensors placed across various locations. Notably, one sensor positioned in a city adjacent to docks and a two-lane motorway documented 67 instances of GPS jamming by vehicles in just six months. Charles Curry, the managing director of Chronos Technology, confirmed these findings as authentic and verified at the 2012 conference on GNSS Vulnerability. The project’s findings underscore the significance of addressing GPS jamming, a growing concern in the UK and beyond.

GPS jammers operate by emitting a powerful local signal on the GPS frequency, overshadowing the feeble satellite signals. Motives for illegal GPS jamming vary, as Curry explained at the National Physical Laboratory conference. These range from evading corporate vehicle tracking to stealing pricey automobiles. Curry revealed that a white van driver using GPS jamming was previously caught by police during trials. Though not prosecuted, he was jamming to avoid company GPS monitoring. ZDNet UK learned this arrest was part of the GAARDIAN trials, a predecessor to Sentinel technology. Notably, the GAARDIAN trials were conducted between 2008 and 2011.

Can Sentinel Protect Our Signals?

The Sentinel project, funded by the ICT Knowledge Transfer Network, has deployed 20 sensors across the country to pinpoint GPS jamming. These sensors, owned by partner organizations such as ACPO, Ordnance Survey, and the University of Bath, relay incidents of GPS interference to a central server. The technology utilized by Sentinel is highly advanced, featuring a black box equipped with a high-sensitivity GPS sensor, sometimes enhanced with a rubidium atomic clock, and powered by an embedded Linux processing unit. The aim is to mitigate the serious effects of GPS jamming and spoofing on geolocation, communications, maritime and aircraft GPS use, and even stock market trading. By harnessing the power of C++, PHP, and a MySQL backend database, Sentinel is leading the way in protecting against these threats.

Galatea trial: Will THV work?

Professor David Last revealed at the conference that in 2009, the Ministry of Defence conducted GPS jamming trials against the THV Galatea near South Shields, England. This jamming caused the ship’s GPS-reliant systems to malfunction, leading to a gradual loss of position and the autopilot directing the ship off-course. According to Last, ships carry multiple GPS receivers embedded in various systems, often in ways not fully understood by the crew. When one system fails, they all fail, impacting both navigational and communications instruments. This highlights the potential vulnerabilities of relying heavily on GPS technology in maritime navigation.

The Galatea trial revealed significant instrument disruptions. The main electronic chart, linked to the autopilot, malfunctioned, along with the ship’s automatic identification system. Additionally, voice and data communications, as well as the helicopter-pad stabilisation system, were impacted. According to Last, the ship’s position quietly deviated, and the autopilot initiated an unnoticed turn. This trial underscores the importance of addressing such interferences to ensure navigational safety.

GPS: Too Reliant to Ignore?

Our modern society heavily relies on GPS, as pointed out by University of Texas researcher Todd Humphreys at a recent conference. According to Humphreys, GPS jamming and spoofing pose significant threats, potentially affecting aircraft GPS systems and even stock exchange transactions. He emphasized that the consequences could be severe, especially for stock exchanges whose datacenters utilize GPS signals to timestamp transactions. Any disruption to these timestamps, Humphreys warned, could lead to confusion and possibly prompt traders to withdraw their trades.