Comparison between Beidou-1 satellite navigation system and GPS system
View：148 Release Date：2025/7/22 17:34:36
Although GPS has been widely used, it is by no means flawless.
1. Its scale is too large and the cost is too high, making it difficult for other countries to follow suit. The space agencies of Russia and Europe are typical examples.
2. GPS can only be used for navigation and cannot fulfill communication functions, thus failing to meet the ever-growing user demands. If relying solely on GPS, it is prone to being controlled by others.
The difference between "BeiDou-1" and GPS mainly lies in two aspects. On the one hand, there is a difference in technical systems. GPS is a receiving-type positioning system that only relays signals, allowing users to perform positioning without being limited by capacity. "BeiDou-1" is a two-way system that combines positioning and communication, but it is limited by capacity. GPS is a dual-use system controlled by the US military and is open to the world. The GPS we Chinese people use can receive its signals for free, but the Americans do not promise to guarantee your use. They currently do not charge, but they do not promise to never charge.
When GPS was first introduced in the United States, it was much more expensive than "BeiDou-1". In the early 1980s and early 1990s, the cheapest GPS receiver cost tens of thousands of dollars, and the expensive ones cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a set of two. The current price of BeiDou user terminals is higher than the lower-end price of GPS. Nowadays, the price of a general navigation system for GPS is several thousand yuan, and high-precision GPS ranges from tens of thousands to over ten thousand yuan. The current price of BeiDou user terminals is around twenty thousand yuan.
Another issue is that their purposes and characteristics are different. GPS solves the problem of where I am, such as in the desert or on the ocean. But Beidou not only solves the problem of where I am, but also solves the problem of where you are and where he is. The user terminal of Beidou actually has both transmitting and receiving functions, while GPS only has receiving function. It knows the location through receiving, while Beidou has both transmitting and receiving functions. Its positioning requires transmitting before getting the location. At the same time, its location can be transmitted to you or to people who care about you. In fact, Beidou is a device with dual functions of positioning and communication. It differs in user groups and receiving occasions.
When the Beidou system was being demonstrated, a researcher from the Institute of Seismology of the China Earthquake Administration presented a demonstration report discussing this issue. The Beidou system will become a lifeline project, referring to projects related to human survival activities. For example, in the event of a major earthquake, all our wired systems may lose their functions. However, the Beidou system, as a satellite monitoring system, can provide timely location reports and communication. For instance, tsunamis are actually caused by earthquakes. The Beidou system is very useful for rescue operations as it can send location and location-related information in a timely manner, and we can send the information to relevant departments. Regarding the price issue, it actually depends on the number of users. The cost of user terminals varies greatly between one thousand users, ten thousand users, and one hundred thousand users. Currently, the main cost lies in the user terminals. As mentioned earlier, the Beidou user terminals have both transmitting and receiving capabilities. With the development of user services, the cost will definitely decrease. Therefore, "Beidou" is accessible to the general public
The potential of "BeiDou-1" lies primarily in the integrated field of positioning and communication. It will be fully applied in all fields that require such integrated functionality. Currently, customers who only need positioning do not have an urgent need for BeiDou. However, for users who require both location and the ability to transmit their location, the BeiDou satellite navigation and positioning system is very useful
The positioning accuracy of Beidou is comparable to that of GPS, generally around 1.2 meters. According to regulations, the Beidou Navigation System is currently open for use in China.
The handheld devices of the Beidou dual-satellite positioning and navigation system have been distributed to border defense grassroots units and have been widely used.
Despite the slow progress in the commercialization of Beidou, the market is almost unanimously optimistic about its prospects, as the policy strongly promotes its development.
At the Second China Satellite Navigation Academic Annual Conference held from May 18th to 20th, Sun Jiadong and Ran Chengqi, two authorities of China's Beidou system, both delivered speeches. Their core viewpoints included that about 8 more satellites would be launched before the end of 2012 to establish a regional system covering the Asia-Pacific region. Once the relevant technologies are mature and applied, China's satellite navigation industry will enter a period of rapid growth. It is expected that the annual output value of China's satellite navigation industry will reach 400 billion yuan by 2020.
1. Its scale is too large and the cost is too high, making it difficult for other countries to follow suit. The space agencies of Russia and Europe are typical examples.
2. GPS can only be used for navigation and cannot fulfill communication functions, thus failing to meet the ever-growing user demands. If relying solely on GPS, it is prone to being controlled by others.
The difference between "BeiDou-1" and GPS mainly lies in two aspects. On the one hand, there is a difference in technical systems. GPS is a receiving-type positioning system that only relays signals, allowing users to perform positioning without being limited by capacity. "BeiDou-1" is a two-way system that combines positioning and communication, but it is limited by capacity. GPS is a dual-use system controlled by the US military and is open to the world. The GPS we Chinese people use can receive its signals for free, but the Americans do not promise to guarantee your use. They currently do not charge, but they do not promise to never charge.
When GPS was first introduced in the United States, it was much more expensive than "BeiDou-1". In the early 1980s and early 1990s, the cheapest GPS receiver cost tens of thousands of dollars, and the expensive ones cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a set of two. The current price of BeiDou user terminals is higher than the lower-end price of GPS. Nowadays, the price of a general navigation system for GPS is several thousand yuan, and high-precision GPS ranges from tens of thousands to over ten thousand yuan. The current price of BeiDou user terminals is around twenty thousand yuan.
Another issue is that their purposes and characteristics are different. GPS solves the problem of where I am, such as in the desert or on the ocean. But Beidou not only solves the problem of where I am, but also solves the problem of where you are and where he is. The user terminal of Beidou actually has both transmitting and receiving functions, while GPS only has receiving function. It knows the location through receiving, while Beidou has both transmitting and receiving functions. Its positioning requires transmitting before getting the location. At the same time, its location can be transmitted to you or to people who care about you. In fact, Beidou is a device with dual functions of positioning and communication. It differs in user groups and receiving occasions.
When the Beidou system was being demonstrated, a researcher from the Institute of Seismology of the China Earthquake Administration presented a demonstration report discussing this issue. The Beidou system will become a lifeline project, referring to projects related to human survival activities. For example, in the event of a major earthquake, all our wired systems may lose their functions. However, the Beidou system, as a satellite monitoring system, can provide timely location reports and communication. For instance, tsunamis are actually caused by earthquakes. The Beidou system is very useful for rescue operations as it can send location and location-related information in a timely manner, and we can send the information to relevant departments. Regarding the price issue, it actually depends on the number of users. The cost of user terminals varies greatly between one thousand users, ten thousand users, and one hundred thousand users. Currently, the main cost lies in the user terminals. As mentioned earlier, the Beidou user terminals have both transmitting and receiving capabilities. With the development of user services, the cost will definitely decrease. Therefore, "Beidou" is accessible to the general public
The potential of "BeiDou-1" lies primarily in the integrated field of positioning and communication. It will be fully applied in all fields that require such integrated functionality. Currently, customers who only need positioning do not have an urgent need for BeiDou. However, for users who require both location and the ability to transmit their location, the BeiDou satellite navigation and positioning system is very useful
The positioning accuracy of Beidou is comparable to that of GPS, generally around 1.2 meters. According to regulations, the Beidou Navigation System is currently open for use in China.
The handheld devices of the Beidou dual-satellite positioning and navigation system have been distributed to border defense grassroots units and have been widely used.
Despite the slow progress in the commercialization of Beidou, the market is almost unanimously optimistic about its prospects, as the policy strongly promotes its development.
At the Second China Satellite Navigation Academic Annual Conference held from May 18th to 20th, Sun Jiadong and Ran Chengqi, two authorities of China's Beidou system, both delivered speeches. Their core viewpoints included that about 8 more satellites would be launched before the end of 2012 to establish a regional system covering the Asia-Pacific region. Once the relevant technologies are mature and applied, China's satellite navigation industry will enter a period of rapid growth. It is expected that the annual output value of China's satellite navigation industry will reach 400 billion yuan by 2020.