EG2401 Final Report v6

(1)

EG2401 Engineering

EG2401 Engineering Professionalism

Professionalism

Final Report

Project 3: Global Positioning System (GPS an! t"eir

#ec"nologies

For: $r% &! Rais'l slam

$one

$one by

by Gro'p

Gro'p 2:

2: )ie*

)ie* +

+an

an ,ob

,ob

-0112.1/

Seran

Seran arialan

arialan

-01

-011240R

1240R

on

(2)

Introduction

The Global Positionin System or other'ise /no'n as GPS is a form of technoloy such that it encom$asses arious satellites (at least four or more) in s$ace for 'hich it forms a naiation system that accurately $roides information relatin to time and location in all ty$es of 'eather conditions reardless of any obstructions on the surface of the earth.

The GPS is a crucial system for 'hich it $roides ital information to those in the military as 'ell as commercial and ciil consumers around the 'orld. 0o'eer as a matter of fact it 'as actually intended for the sole $ur$ose of military a$$lications only before bein made aailable to the $ublic in the early 1234s.

Today anyone 'ith a GPS receier could access the system5 and than/s to its function of $roidin real6time three6dimensional $ositionin and naiation it is no' used all oer the 'orld in a multitude of a$$lications. Such a$$lications 'ill be discussed in the subse7uent sections of this re$ort for 'hich this re$ort 'ill also discuss ho' such fields hae successfully rea$ed the benefits of the GPS and ho' it has a$$lied these adantaes to its conenience.

Furthermore 'hile the fact that the im$lementation of GPS into arious fields hae definitely im$roed the 'ay 'e lie our life in one 'ay or another ho'eer introducin a ne' technoloy into a field 'ould most often brin about uncertainties in the beinnin as 'ell as cultiatin star/ differences in o$inions (disareements) bet'een seeral different $arties.

*s such this re$ort also aims to uncoer some of the ethical issues 'hich may be brouht u$on by the enforcement of GPS into such field(s) 'ith the intention of hihlihtin $ossible solutions 'hich may brin an end to these ethical dilemmas throuh some of the analytic methods 'hich 'e hae learnt throuhout the course (e.. the decision6ma/in chart) and also to accentuate the im$lications it may hae on future enerations 'hen ne' conditions are introduced into the scene.

(4)

Field 1 – The Telecommunications (Mobile Phone) Industry

1.1 The effects of GPS (Global Positionin System) Technoloy on the Mobile Phone

Industry

The introduction of the GPS into the 'orld of telecommunications bac/ in the early 234s 'as res$onsible for the eolution of the current eneration hand $hones and hae also chaned the role for 'hich mobile $hones $lay.

Seeral decades ao hand $hones 'ere e8traaantly $riced $oorly su$$orted bul/y and out of the reach of many. eertheless mobile $hones today are so $o$ular in such a 'ay that you can neer run into a sinle $erson 'ithout one. 9andline $hones are also increasinly abandoned in faour of hain cell $hones instead 'hich are deemed chea$er and more conenient. :er time hand $hones accumulated seeral ne' features 'hich included diital cameras consistin of a fe' mea$i8els (e.. ! Mea$i8els) alon 'ith 'ireless internet access technoloy (e.. %G) and subse7uently the GPS too 'as soon added into hand $hones.

The introduction of the GPS technoloy has affected mobile $hones in such a 'ay that it created many beneficial adantaes 'hich 'ere not $resent bac/ in the days 'hen oia 3310 'as still $o$ular. *n e8am$le 'hich e8$licitly hihlihts the adantae of usin the GPS in hand $hones include the fact that that the traditional 11 system 'hich often used house $hones to identify the location of the ictim 'as becomin increasinly inconenient as more and more $eo$le continued to discontinue their landline in faour of usin hand $hones. *s such by hain cell $hones to contact the 11 system instead o$erators had to as/

the ictim of their location and this 'as an unnecessary ris/ to ta/e as location erification could ta/e a ery lon time and to add fuel to flames life ;eo$ardi<in if the ictim is in shoc/ unable to s$ea/.

Moreoer it is often the case 'here the ictims are una'are of 'here they are ultimately defeatin the entire $ur$ose of the 11 system as no assistance 'ould be able to arrie at scene to hel$ the caller. eertheless 'ith GPS installed into the hand $hone the caller4s location can be trac/ed throuh GPS and hence if the caller does not /no' s$ecifically 'here he is or is inca$acitated emerency serices 'ill then still be able to trac/ his or her location.

(5)

=ith such adancement in technoloy the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made it a mandatory re7uirement for the Global Positionin System to be im$lemented into mobile $hones eer since hain seen the benefits of such im$lementation. 0o'eer 'ith such reat adancements in technoloy al'ays comes reat res$onsibility and hain our lies reolin around the use of GPS has also brouht u$ a certain ethical issue ($roblem) only to be 7uestioned by many.

1.! "thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into Mobile Phones

=hile hain the GPS technoloy im$lemented into the cell $hone as a com$ulsory condition has definitely made the lies of ciilians more conenient such enforcement also has its dra'bac/s.

The most $rominent ethical issue raised by the enforcement of GPS includes the fact that a $erson4s $riacy is indirectly bein inaded as the GPS is ca$able of trac/in an indiidual4s moement reardless of time and $lace. Many $eo$le are una'are of the fact that they are bein monitored continuously by arious telecommunication serices ia satellites and the

fact that a $erson can be monitored by somethin also means that an indiidual could be trac/ed by anythin else as 'ell.

This issue of hain to accept an 'nconsente! ris can be percei6e! to be more risy as this ris/ is inoluntarily im$osed onto the $ublic. 0ain to acce$t such a ris/ also includes the fact that a $erson is 'illin to hae his or her information to be e8tracted from his or her mobile $hone ia GPS.

Such abuse of technoloy is clearly hihlihted in seeral modern day mobile $hone a$$lications such as ToyS$y*$$ Phone Trac/er > Glyn$se allo's an indiidual to trac/ and monitor a $erson4s actiity for such actiity includes te8t messaes call history $hotos and een bro'ser history (Fottrell !31?). Thus this scenario described here is clearly a iolation of seeral ethics such as rule –utilitarianism as an indiidual4s freedom is illeally constrained by another $erson (or an orani<ation for that matter). :n to$ of that GPS trac/in also iolates rule utilitarianism in such a 'ay that it infrines our basic rihts in terms of freedom as a human beins.

To add on oernment reulators too face a dilemma – 'hile em$loyin GPS technoloy into a mobile $hone can be a technoloical boon as it satisfies mainstream utilitarianism since the benefit of the society far out'eihs that of an indiidual – 'hereby the

(6)

im$lementation of GPS does in fact iolates the freedom of an indiidual but this e8$loit has made the life of the society more conenient and saes many lies in the $rocess (ease of use by the 11 serices de$artment). Subse7uently it also difficult for the oernment to decide

on the limits and e8tent for 'hich the Global Positionin System iolates our freedom. Thus it is hard to ;ustify such $erce$tion as GPS technoloy has already manifested itself as somethin so interal in our lies.

To sum u$ 'hile the com$ulsory enforcement of GPS technoloy into mobile $hones has clearly brouht about seeral im$acts (such as the ability for relief serices to trac/ a $erson and the ability for a $erson to naiate his 'ay easily) such im$lementation also has its do'nsides but neertheless such do'nsides can only be considered as a disadantae if a $erson $erceies it as so.

1.% Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

Current solutions bein em$loyed to tac/le such dilemmas include strict reulations 'hich limits to use of GPS to a certain e8tent and such reulations (ethical codes) include@

I. #"e E11 Protocol – =here la' enforcement aencies and emerency res$onse $ersonnel can only use your $hone data to trianulate your a$$ro8imate location if and only if an emerency call is initiated5

II. #"e Pro6i!er 7ompliance – =here the FCC mandates that as of !311 all cell $hone serice $roiders oer an eiht6year $eriod $roide information about coerae areas they tend to e8clude from location serices5

eertheless such reulations mentioned aboe are still considered insufficient and $ossible solutions to the aforementioned dilemmas are described in the decision ma/in chart ne8t $ae.

Some of the solutions 'hich 'ere included in the decision ma/in chart 'ould facilitate the $rocess of hain to $ublic to be a'are of them bein trac/ed after all such issues 'ill only occur if and only if the ris/ of bein trac/ed is inoluntarily im$osed onto someone 'ho is un'illin to do so.

Such solutions include hain an indiidual to sin a terms and conditions areement to ma/e sure that he or she has fully consented to such ris/ and thus clearly hihlihtin the fact the ris/ of bein trac/ed is absolutely oluntary

(7)

ST*-T@ The $ublic is increasinly unha$$y 'ith the $riacy issues im$osed by the im$lementation of GPS technoloy into hand $hones5 A The bo8es belo' are diamondsB

Introducin a GPS tole to turn the technoloy on or off at a $erson4s biddin may also hel$ ho'eer this is com$letely unreliable as unforeseen circumstances 'ould render the benefits of GPS useless ('hereby a $erson forets to turn on his or her GPS in des$erate times of emerency).

1.& Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

The introduction of the ne8t eneration GPS technoloy (or other'ise /no'n as the GPS loc/ III) startin from early !31D 'ill no doubt increase the efficiency of the current eneration ones by at least ten folds thus renderin the technoloy much more accurate 'hile coerin a larer rane of areas (e.. Mountainous reions). In addition em$loyin the ne8t eneration GPS 'ould enable enhanced indoor rece$tion thus allo'in a $erson to be trac/ed in a much more com$licated manner.

*s such the adent of GPS loc/ III 'ould allo' future enerations to use their mobile $hones in an e8ce$tionally so$histicated manner as further im$roements include less

interference from radio sinals increased sinal strenth and 7uality. These ne'ly introduced conditions here hihlihts the $ossibility that a mobile deice may manifest itself

Continue to loo/ at alternatie solutions and com$romises 'hich are areeable 'ith the $ublic5 as 'ell as

definin a clear hard limit to 'hat deree a GPS is able to trac/ a $erson

=ill disablin GPS in some deices sole the issue 'hile still adherin to mainstream utilitarianismE %o % %o

=ill forcin the $ublic to sin a terms and conditions form before buyin a mobile $hone ma/e them consent to such ris/sE

*re the $ublic a'are

that they are bein

trac/edE

*e *e *e

The $ublic has areed to acce$t the ris/ of bein trac/ed 'hile embracin the benefits of the GPS5 and as such the im$lementation of GPS 'ill not iolate any ethics as the $ublic are 'illin to do so. (-ct 8tilitarianism 9 irt'e Et"ics Satisfie!)

(8)

into an ob;ect of increasin im$ortance as the future 'ill become a more danerous $lace to lie in – and hence ne8t eneration 'ill consider a mobile $hone 'ith its enhanced trac/in abilities – to be a deice of safety no matter 'here they could be.

eertheless its substantial im$roement in trac/in 'ill also mean that mobile $hones 'ill become more danerous than eer – as a $erson 'ill be easily and accurately trac/ed by arious $eo$le and orani<ations. *s such it is hard to ;ustify a technoloy to be ood or eil 'hen it can be cut both 'ays by a double6eded s'ord.

Field ! – The Ciil *iation Industry

!.1

The effects of GPS Technoloy on the Ciil *iation Industry

Many are a'are of the GPS technoloy that is bein used in cars and shi$s. 0o'eer only a handful /no' that aircraft 'as the $ioneer batch to utilise GPS naiation. GPS in aiation are used to ie $recise information on aircraft4s current location and its headin. It entered into aiation industry in 13 'hen the +nited States *ir Force (+S*F) tested out the GPS aided combat system durin the :$eration Gulf Storm. #ue to its efficacious uidance it 'as $roed as a crucial instrument for 'arfare and soon installed in all of the aircrafts +S*F o'ned. It 'as only made aailable to ciil aiation in the year 1%. Since its introduction it has $roen its sinificant benefits to aiation industry at many instances. In Se$tember 1% orean *irlines Fliht 332 ("332) 'hich 'as scheduled from e' Hor/ to Seoul 'as shot do'n by a Soiet +nion4s Su61? Interce$tor 'hen it ("332) accidentally eered off course and fle' oer $rohibited Soiet4s airs$ace. *ll of the !D $asseners and cre' aboard 'ere dead. This ery incident made Federal *iation *uthority (F**) $ronounce the use of GPS in ciil aiation to $reent such accidents from ha$$enin aain.

The introduction of GPS into ciil aiation industry brouht numerous amounts of benefits to *ir Traffic Controllers (*TC) airline o$erators as 'ell as $asseners. From efficient fliht route $lannin relatie ease of naiation and im$roed a$$roaches to air$ort run'ays are fe' of the many $aybac/s from usin GPS.

Prior to the use of GPS aircrafts used manetic com$asses and landmar/sinfrastructures ('ay$oints) on the earth4s surface to naiate to their destination. 0o'eer this has 7uite a fe' disadantaes. Firstly manetic com$asses 'ere not ery accurate es$ecially 'hen the

(9)

aircraft is flyin close to the $oles of the earth. Moreoer manetic com$asses $oint to true north rather than earth4s north. This allo'ed for the aircraft to eer off from its oriinal $ath 'hich $osed a set of its o'n $roblems. Secondly usin 'ay$oints as a form of naiation 'as ery inefficient form flyin as this did not allo'ed the $ilots to ta/e Jshortcuts4 oer the sea. *s such ;ourneys 'ere relatiely lon and $asseners had to $ay more for the fliht tic/ets due to increased fuel cost.

+sin the aboe mentioned trianulation method GPS satellites communicates 'ith receiers fitted on the aircrafts and $roides information on the altitude s$ace based $osition and s$eed at all $hases of the fliht to the $ilots as 'ell as to the round cre's. *s such it is able to fly aboe oceans 'hich made ;ourneys shorter and eentually chea$er for $asseners.

!.!

"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS in Ciil *iation Industry

*lthouh the benefits $roided by the GPS are abundant the benefits itself $ose $roblems to the aiation industry. The first thin is oer6reliance. GPS had been constantly im$roed eer since it 'as first introduced in the 1D3s. There are at a fe' instances the reliability of GPS is still 7uestioned. Kust li/e any other deices 'hich use -adio Fre7uency (-F) are $rone to -F Interference (-FI) GPS is no e8ce$tion. Most of the Ciil *iation Industry uses the band 91 6 1?2?.&! M0< and 9? 6 112D.&? M0<. There are restrictions on the intentional broadcast of sinals near the fre7uencies stated aboe. 0o'eer there are a fe' deices

includes but not limited to GSS (Global aiation Satellite System) Kammer (a $riacy $rotection deice) 'hich emits sinal near to that of GPS. =hen these deices are 'ithin the $ro8imity of an air$ort (ultimately aircrafts) they tend to interfere 'ith GPS sinal from and to the aircraft affectin its reliability and eentually the safety of the ta/in offlandin. The ethical issue here is the oerreliance and its ulnerability.

:n contrast 'ith the old days 'here $ilots are only allo'ed to land if the run'ay is isible to their eyes $resently systems are aailable for een 'hen the meteoroloical conditions ma/es the isibility do'n to a fe' 13th_{of meters. It is called Instrument 9andin Systems}

(I9S) or C*T 1 (Cateory 1) 9andin a$$roach. These systems use multi$le instruments includin the GPS to aid the $ilot to land safely onto the run'ay 'hen the isibility is bad. Cou$led 'ith bad 'eather and the inference of GPS $ose a reat daner to the aircraft. Pilots 'ould be ery busy $re$arin for I9S a$$roach by monitorin instruments such as *rtificial 0ori<on and *ir S$eed Indicator durin the bad 'eather that they often foret to see the fla

(10)

('hich comes in the instrument $anel 'hen it senses discre$ancies in sinal). In fact this is 'hat ha$$ened in !33& 'here a $lane crash near enalla 'hich $ut to death all si8 $eo$le on board (Thomas !311).

*nother ulnerability that aircraft GPS $ose is the ability to shut them off intentionally by the $ilots. :ne e8am$le that ha$$ened in March !31& that addresses this issue is the 'orld famous case of Malaysian *irlines fliht M0%23. It is belieed that the $ilot 'as the main reason for disa$$earance of the aircraft and he turned off the all the communications 'ith the round control includin the GPS. *s a result till date no one e8actly /ne' 'hat ha$$ened to the state6of6the6art oein 222 as 'ell as the !!2 $asseners.

Since $ractically anyone can ;am the GPS sinal intentionally (GPS !31&) oer6reliance on GPS by the ciil aiation around the 'orld $ose a reat ris/ on the innocent $eo$le traellin by air. 0ere riht ethics is iolated. -iht ethics holds that $eo$le hae essential rihts such

as the riht to life liberty and freedom that other $eo$le hae a duty to res$ect. *ruin from this $oint of ie' due to the fla's of the GPS $eo$le lies are bein ris/ed. =hat ma/es it 'orse is as discussed earlier in field 1 the ris/ they are bein $osed is un$erceied ris/. Common $asseners are obliious of the ris/ $ossessed from -FI (9ad/in 12) and een they themseles could be the reason for GPS sinal ;am 'hich miht cost their lies.

0o'eer if 'e ;ust loo/ at it from utilitarian rounds – 'hich 'eihs the benefits of somethin to its dra'bac/ GPS may considered as irtuous thin as so far there are only a cou$le of accidents inolin failure of GPS com$ared to the thousands of safe flihts achieed by GPS.

!.%

Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

Continuous im$roements on the GPS $roed to be ery successful. Currently the ne'er eneration of satellites are bein used for transmittin sinals. The hihliht feature of these satellites are the use of dual fre7uency channels to communicate 'ith the GPS receiers such as the one installed in commercial airlines. This $articular feature directly addresses the aboe mentioned ethical dilemma reardin the ;ammin of the GPS receier4s sinal throuh GSS systems. Instead of usin ;ust one fre7uency channel to transmit the data it no' uses ! channels – one hih and one lo'. The data transmitted throuh one channel is counter chec/ed aainst the other channel. The use of this increases the reliability and

(11)

minimises the interference by the nearby GSS and satisfies the utilitarian and irtue ethics. "en if someone 'anted to sabotae the aircraft by usin a ;ammer the interity of the ne' system 'ill not allo' for it. *s a bonus this techni7ue also corrects the ionos$here scintillations issue that causes radio sinal deradation.

*nother solution $ro$osed by our rou$ is the use of location and s$eed indicatin GPS module that should be installed onto aircraft 'hich could not be turned off by anyone durin a fliht. *lthouh one miht arue that it seems to be disres$ectin the $ilot – not beliein his consciousness. =e $ro$ose from $oint of ie' for 'hich in the eent of the $ilot becomes inca$acitated due to unforeseen circumstances the $asseners lies should neer be $laced at ris/. y usin irtue ethics duty ethics and utilitarian rounds $asseners beliee and trust that they 'ill arrie their destination in safely and $iece it is the duty of the airline o$erators and the $ilots to trans$ort them out of harmLs 'ay. It should not be made $ossible 'here a sinle $erson could ;eo$ardise the 'ellbein of all $asseners.

Moreoer $asseners should also be made clear of the $otential ris/s that miht arise by their o'n actions of usin their $ersonal electronic deices 'hich miht cause interference to the GPS systems. +sually 'hat ha$$ens in an in6fliht briefin is the fact that $asseners are ;ust told to s'itch off their deices to $reent interference. Most of the unreasonable $asseners 'ithout /no'in the e8tent of their actions sim$ly inore the rules stated by the fliht attendant. :ur rou$ feels that it is the duty of airline o$erators to e8$licate the conse7uences 'hich 'ould occur due to the -FI durin the in6fliht briefin $asseners 'ould be more mindful of their actions.

!.&

Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

Indeed GPS has reolutioni<ed aiation security and it remains to do so as F** ears the e8t Generation *ir Trans$ortation System (e8tGen). The use of Intero$erability Sinal

systems enables a stron interlin/ bet'een satellites and GPS trans$onders located in aircrafts as 'ell as round control units. *nother channel of communication /no'n as 91c (an u$raded form on 91 channel) used for communication bet'een *6GPS (*merican GPS) and satellites systems deelo$ed by other countries such as Galileo ("uro$ean +nion) and uasi6Nenith Satellite System (SS) (Ka$anese). Cou$led 'ith other added features li/e adanced Terrain *'areness and =arnin Systems (T*=S) and =ide *rea *umentation

(12)

System (=**S) ma/es sure the aircraft is al'ays at lin/ to the round su$$ort system ets com$lete information on its headin as 'ell as the safe altitude to fly at a ien coordinates.

=ith all these in $lace a $assener4s safety and the fliht4s efficiency becomes unbounded. *s GPS allo's more direct routes bet'een destinations lesser fuels 'ill be burn 'hich eentually leaes smaller carbon foot$rint increasin enironment and economic remunerations. Peo$le 'ill hae more confidence in flyin 'hich satisfies the utilitarian rounds.

Field % – The +nmanned ,ehicle Systems Industry

%.1

The effects of GPS Technoloy on the +nmanned ,ehicle Systems Industry

+nmanned ehicle systems s$ecifically unmanned aerial ehicles (+*,) is a ty$e of aircraft 'ith no $asseners or on board cre' ($ilotless) on and are ca$able of fliht either throuh the use of on6board com$uters or by remote control. It can be classified into t'o ty$es namely remotely $iloted ehicle (-P,s) and autonomous drones. In this article 'e 'ill e8$lore e8tensiely on autonomous drones 'ith the incor$oration of the lobal $ositionin system (GPS). #rones are commonly used by the military ho'eer it is also im$lemented in search and rescue o$erations and are also bein utilised in other ciil a$$lications such as $olicin and firefihtin. In addition the technoloy albeit on a relatiely smaller scale also

allo's hobbyists and other enthusiasts to become deoted drone o$erators.

The conce$t of unmanned aerial fliht is not noel. :ne of the earliest records of the use of an +*, for military $ur$oses too/ $lace on !!nd_{*uust 1&. The *ustrians 'hich had been}

deelo$in this systems for months attac/ed the Italian city of ,enice 'ith some !33 unmanned balloons loaded 'ith %% $ounds of e8$losies set 'ith a half6hour time fuse. The $icture on the left illustrates the e8$losie balloon. =hen the 'ind is faourable the balloons 'ill be launched and directed to ,enice as close as $ossible. The bomb falls $er$endicularly and e8$lodes u$on reachin the round (Centre des technoloies de lLinformation de lL"tat ACTI"B !33%). "en thouh the balloons are incom$arable to current standards the conce$t 'as so stron that once the 'ined aircraft has been inented the effort to fly them unmanned for military $ur$oses 'as not far behind. Fast for'ard forty years to 1 durin the S$anish6*merican =ar the *mericans 'ere found to be fittin a camera to a /ite

(13)

$roducin the first eer aerial reconnaissance $hotos (Ian > Sha' !31&).

Most im$ortantly the first record of interatin GPS naiation into a drone 'as found in 1. =hittle (!31%) mentioned in his article that the

aforementioned drone is /no'n as *mber deelo$ed by *braham arem4s com$any Leading Systems Incorporated 'hich 'as funded by

#efence *danced -esearch Pro;ects

*ency the military4s research and deelo$ment de$artment. The set6u$ of GPS naiation allo'ed *mber to $erform autonomous missions u$ to & hours and housed infrared and lo'6liht cameras in a moeable sensor turret under its nose. *t a later stae another drone /no'n as Predator 'as 'ea$onised and e7ui$$ed 'ith 0ellfire missiles 'hich mar/ed the start of drone 'arfare. The $icture on the left 'as the first drone to fire 0ellfire missiles in combat 'hen it 'as de$loyed in *fhanistan to fiht aainst terrorists (o'den !31%).

Furthermore +*,s are becomin increasinly $o$ular in the commercial and $riate mar/et recently. The larest online retailer *ma<on stated in #ecember !31% that it 'as deelo$in their ery o'n drone technoloy so that they can delier mails autonomously one day. Coincidentally on the same year #ominos , the $i<<a franchise also demonstrated in a ideo sho'in its unmanned O#omiCo$ter an autonomous drone delierin t'o $i<<as in the com$any4s sinature 0eat'ae bas (Cable e's et'or/ ACB !31%).

#rones are also bein deelo$ed for hobbyists and other enthusiasts as 'ell. In reality this aircraft ty$e hae been common since the 1%3s 'hen -einald #enny mass6$roduced the first radio6controlled aircraft for the hobby mar/et (CTI" !33?). =hile -C air$lanes remained $o$ular throuh the decades recent technoloy is no' ma/in them smaller more $o'erful and more useful – some addin cameras and GPS trac/ers as 'ell as ma/in them

(14)

%.!

"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into +nmanned

,ehicle Systems

*lthouh drones 'ith GPS $resented seeral benefits it created ethical dilemmas 'hen it 'as de$loyed as a 'ea$on or as a $riacy inader.

=hen drones are used to conduct attac/s it enerates a different /ind of ethical debate such that the destructie nature is not the $oint of focus but rather its ca$ability to conduct an attac/ 'ith irtually no daner to the attac/in force 'hich may leads to $er$etual asymmetric 'ars to a less technoloically6inclined o$$onent. In addition there is relatiely little domestic blo'bac/ aainst these 'ars due to the fact that there are a relatiely lo' number of troo$ casualties for a military that has turned to drones. This has ineitably created a foundation 'hereby 'ars can be carried on indefinitely. *nother $roblem is that is no one e8$osed to any form of daner 'hen drones are used ma/in an act of 'ar too easy and far too chea$. =ars should al'ays be the last resort of di$lomacy. Thus the remoal of human element ma/es them by the ery nature unethical.

0o'eer the use of drones satisfies act utilitarianism to a certain e8tent as there is nothin intrinsically 'ron 'ith usin such technoloy 'hich 'ill minimi<e deaths amon friendly forces thus allo'in unnecessary losses of lies. Het rule utilitarianism cannot be satisfied for the em$loyment of drone attac/s. eertheless the $rinci$le idea of utilisin such technoloy is to allo' the elimination of friendly casualties and create a deterrent to military action. This in fact could lead to a ne' arms race and it may only be a matter of time before the o$$onent deelo$ their o'n drones. +sin drones to attac/ also $resents a $sycholoical distance bet'een the o$erator and enemy as 'ell as the surroundin ciilians. It may also minimi<e the $sycholoical im$act of /illin another human renderin it less traumatisin.

*s the unmanned fliht technoloy matures and ro's eer chea$er it 'ill lead its 'ay into more $riate hands. 0o'eer there is also an increasin concern about $riacy as 'ell as the iolation of ciil rihts for usin drones domestically. Some countries are usin small drones as a crime fihtin tool for la' enforcement officials. +n'arranted oernmental intrusion

(15)

throuh the use of these drone may too lead to the loss of indiidual $riacy 'hich is aainst the rule utilitarianism – a human beins basic riht.

%.%

Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

If drones are to be effectie they needed to be $art of a clearly defined stratey 'here non6 lethal measures are the $riority and drone stri/es should be the last resort. Kust because they are easy to use and ery effectie at /illin does not mean it should be used in lieu of other o$tions.

Therefore if $otential ris/s are detected alternaties should be carried out before resortin to drone attac/s. "8am$le of alternaties could be ste$$in u$ intellience atherin actiities creatin strateic $artnershi$s 'ith oernments of other countries free<in terrorists assets isolatin terrorists to remote areas 'here their moement can be more easily trac/ed $ursuin terrorists 'ith local authorities to arrest them and ain aluable intellience. In addition by limitin drone stri/es to instances of imminent threat 'ill lessen their fre7uency iin time for alternatie mechanisms to 'or/. "ach unnecessary drone stri/e 'ill $otentially undermine the effectieness of noniolent mechanisms as suested aboe.

=hen usin drones it is im$eratie to ensure $ro$er $ilot trainin as it 'ill be the most em$o'erin tool in dealin 'ith these ethical issues. Teachin the drone o$erator to control the aircraft is sim$ly not enouh. The drone $ilots need a full and com$lete understandin of the im$act that their actions 'ill hae. They need to be constantly a'are that they are not in front of a ideo ame. These $ilots are indeed flyin real aircraft 'ith real missiles ca$able of /illin real $eo$le. :n to$ of that the drone o$erators and commanders hae to understand that eery $erson has natural rihts 'hether they are citi<ens of their country or any other. 0o' these rihts a$$ly to military o$erations needs to be further resoled in order to fully com$rehend the im$act of tareted attac/s en masse.

*s for domestic drones the oernment is encouraed to reie' reularly the e8istin la's and reulations to ensure that citi<en4s ciil liberties are not iolated. "nforce trans$arency in the use of domestic drone and if necessary add $riacy $rotections to ensure the technoloy cannot and 'ill not be used to s$y its citi<en.

(16)

%.&

Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

:ne such $ossible ne' condition is the introduction of a full artificial intellience (*I) to be used in drones es$ecially if it can self6oern its 'ea$ons (ibble !31&). It may $resent seere ethical im$acts on future eneration. *rtificial Intellience is a dual6use technoloy li/e nuclear fission ca$able of reat ood or reat harm. y automation it increases the system effectieness and the reliability it offers. This also means that drones de$loyed in the battlefield 'ill be o$erated autonomously 'hen it searches for the enemy andor een enae

the taret. 0o'eer 'ho shoulders the moral cul$abilit y 'hen the *I drone /illsE

Field & – The *riculture Industry

&.1

The effects of GPS Technoloy on the *riculture Industry

=ith the eer6ro'in 'orld4s $o$ulation constantly meetin com$lications due to famine $laue and s/irmishes bet'een borders it is ital for chanes to ta/e $lace in the ariculture

industry to meet the demands and at the same time to sustain the natural resources. The name e8$erts ae to this is Precision Farmin. The re'ards offered by $recision farmin are tremendous. Farmers are no' able to continue their duty of seedin irriatin s$rayin $esticides and fertilisers 'eedin and eentually rea$in of the cro$s 'ithout any

disturbances arisin from bad 'eather conditions. The /ey element that is bein the driin factor behind $recision farmin is the GPS technoloy. The interention of GPS into the ariculture industry traces bac/ all the 'ay into the $ast decade. *s the benefits of GPS became more established researchers and scientists started loo/in out for sectors in 'hich

'ould be e8$anded more efficiently 'ith the use of noble technoloy GPS. *nd one of such sectors 'as the ariculture industry. :er the $ast 13 years more and more farmin machineries such as tractors and haresters hae had their GPS receiers installed cou$led 'ith automation and are able to be far more $roductie than the conentional farmin.

Preiously it 'as not easy for the farmers to see the relations bet'een cro$ yields ersus $roduction methods 'hich aries 'ith land. #ue to this $roblem farmers suffered from the lac/ of ability to attain a best effectie $lainsoil manaement strateies 'hich could hae

(17)

im$roed their $roduction. 0o'eer today due $recision farmin and ariculture a$$lication of herbicides $esticide and fertilisers and im$roed control of the chemical dis$ersion is achieed. In 'hich it hel$s the farmers to reduce unnecessary cost increasin cro$ yields and ultimately craftin a more enironmentally friendly and sustainable farm.

The intrusion of $recision ariculture altered the 'ay on ho' farmers and ariculture industry utilised the land to rea$ $rofits. Precision ariculture is all about ettin the riht eos$atial information on the soil condition cro$ maturity and animal attention at the riht time. +sin this data timely a$$lication of site6s$ecific treatments to im$roe and increase the cro$ $roduction and at the same time $rotectin the enironment can be achieed.

=here initially farmers used the same treatment for all of their cro$s land and animals (res$ectiely) e7ually $recision ariculture no' enables them to use micromanaement techni7ue to treat each indiidually. This 'as $ossible due to the hih technoloy machineries sensors on6board com$uters and ultimately the GPS 'hich feeds the ital root data re7uired for $rocessin. GPS enables them to ma$ their farmlands accurately. It sho's the details on $art of the cro$s needs 'ater the $art needs to be a$$lied 'ith fertili<ers and $art of the cro$s are ready to harest.

Moreoer latest technoloy on automation toether 'ith installation of GPS allo's tractors to $louh the land all by itself. This means the farm can be in o$eration continuously all day and all niht throuhout the year increasin efficiency and $roductiity li/e neer before.

&.!

"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS the *riculture Industry

Many times the adantaes brouht about by the GPS in the ariculture industry is so reat that 'e often nelect the neatie im$acts caused by it. Some use utilitarian rounds to arue that it is alriht that 'hoeer suffers are the minority. 0o'eer the benefits attained are one set of farmers and neatie im$acts are totally on another set of farmers else'here. Conentionally the only industry 'here automation 'as not inoled is the ariculture industry. It 'as not $ossible to use the automation there due to the inconsistency in the res$onse needed by the soil cro$s and animals. Farmers or 'or/ers (in the conte8t of lare farm) are needed to be $hysically $resent to analyse the on the $art of the cro$s that needed fertilisers soil that need 'eedin and animals that needs attention.

(18)

=ith the interention of GPS automation 'as made much more $ossible into farmlands. 0o'eer all these comes 'ith a reat $rice. In Saudi *rabia lare $art of the land is bein leased by the +.S. com$anies to ro' cro$s for commercial $ur$oses. They em$loy lo' s/illed 'or/ers from 9ess #eelo$ed Countries (9#Cs) to 'or/ in their farmland. =ith sensors embedded 'ith GPS module manual 'or/ers are not needed anymore to the routine $hysical chec/ of the cro$s. =ith GPS naiation tractors and haresters are able to drie on their o'n. The $eo$le 'ho 'ere $reiously em$loyed to do all these ;obs o ;obless. *nd since they are lo' s/illed 'or/ers it is e8tremely difficult for them s'itch industry 'here they can find ne' ;obs. =hen an ariculture com$any sho's financial re$ort that it saed 13Q of its total cost in labour cost it subtly indicates that there 'ere 13Q of their 'or/ers become unem$loyed. Therefore there is a rise in unem$loyment of lo'6s/illed 'or/ers

'here they are sent bac/ to their home countries (-oubini !31&).

GPS aided $recision farmin is relatiely e8$ensie. :nly the bi $layers of the aricultural industry are able to utilise and rea$ off the benefits from this technoloy. This ma/es them more $roductie than before. *s such smaller farmers in the 9#Cs are unable to stay com$etitie and often bein thro'n out from this industry 'here their lielihood is com$letely destroyed. This also leads to the ma;or $layers mono$olisin the industry 'here they become the $rice setters of the ari$roducts. This has direct im$act on the consumers 'ho es$ecially lies in urban areas as since they (aribusinesses) are able to set the $rice of the ari$roducts they can set it at a hih $rice since there is no com$etition in this industry. There 'ill be a hih inflo' of income from the consumers to the business o'ners causin reater ine7uity in the society.

OThe $o'er of farmin data is insurmountable and it is also danerous (Gil$in !31?). This is the discussion for another ethical dilemma. Since the data collected from the GPS embedded sensors are first bein send to some serer before bein sent to the satellite and then to the com$uter screens of the farmers there is a ery hih chance that someone miht hac/ into the system and steal the data or 'orse mani$ulate the data before the leitimate o'ner can see it. Preiously only the farm o'ners /no' the e8act information about their cro$ yields soil conditions and the number of liestoc/ they hae no' 'ith the $resence of GPS sensors the oer'helmin fear is that if it lies into the hands of eil be it a neihbour fertili<er com$any  or a bi aro cor$oration. =hereas data miht be used aainst the farmer by bein sold to a com$etitor or undercuttin the $rice by a neihbour on land $rices for a better deal.

(19)

&.%

Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

Technoloical adancement 'ill no doubt boost $roductiity and efficiency ho'eer it is also unaoidable fact that it may lead to the unem$loyment of lo' s/ill labour in the economy. This may in turn lead to social disru$tion and human hardshi$. :n the other hand such technoloy 'ill also $roduce ;obs in the area that re7uired hiher s/ill. To increase the em$loyment rate for lo' s/illed labour 'or/ers are encouraed to $ic/ u$ multi$le s/ills as it is a 'ay of insurin themseles aain income loss thouh not necessarily ;ob loss. Thus em$o'erin 'or/ers 'ith a rane of s/ills 'ould facilitate the $rocess of these 'or/ers find a ;ob. In many countries such as the +nited States and Canada trainin schemes are in fact im$lemented for lo' s/ill labours to u$rade themseles or to learn ne' s/ills so that they can im$roe their em$loyability hain the o$$ortunity to earn more and ada$t to chane.

eertheless due to the hih6cost nature of the technoloy only the bi $layers 'ill be benefit from this technoloy. 9are farms do in fact $roide ;obs for many $eo$le and clearly $erform an im$ortant role in the economy. 0o'eer they are not the only $art of the mar/et and the need for small farms should not be sim$ly inored by those in the oernment. :ne 'ay to $rotect the small farms is to im$lement a ta8 system for the larer farms and $roide incentie for the smaller farms.

In addition this technoloy 'or/s in t'o 'ays. *lthouh it $roides numerous benefits to farmers it is also ulnerable to cyber threat. It is im$eratie that farmers 'ho uses such technoloy ta/e $ro$er cybersecurity measure to ensure their business data remains secure. The farmers should alert the authorities and file a re$ort 'ith the local la' enforcement in the eent of a security breach.

&.&

Im$act on Future Generation 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

=ith the lobal $o$ulation e8$ected to reach  billion by !3?3 aricultural $roduction must double if it is to meet the increasin demands for food and bioenery. Gien limited land 'ater and labour resources it is estimated that the efficiency of aricultural $roductiity must increase by !?Q to meet that oal 'hile limitin the ro'in $ressure that ariculture $uts on the enironment. Thus to meet !3?3 aricultural $roduction needs robotics and

(20)

automation $lay a sinificant role. efore lon farmers 'ill em$loy more autonomous systems that automate or aument farmin o$erations such as $runin thinnin and harestin as 'ell as mo'in s$rayin and 'eed remoal. 0o'eer certain ;obs in the farm still re7uire uni7uely human characteristics such as em$athy creatiity ;udment or critical thin/inRand that ;obs of this nature 'ill neer succumb to 'ides$read automation.

Conclusion

The introduction of the Global Positionin System (GPS) has definitely brouht u$on seeral $ositie chanes for 'hich it has com$letely chaned the 'ay for 'hich the society has lied

their lies. "ase of naiation the ability to trac/ and safety measurements are ;ust some of the many adantaes introduced by the im$lementation of GPS into the arious fields for 'hich 'e hae discussed in this re$ort.

eertheless 'hile hain im$lemented the GPS in arious fields did in fact result in a multitude of adantaes (of 'hich most of them 'ere beneficial to humanity) ethical dilemmas 'ere also raised in the $rocess for 'hich these dilemmas include $riacy issues induced by such im$lementation as 'ell as the $ossible $lottin of terrorist acts.

In addition there oes a sayin5 O=ith reat $o'er comes reat res$onsibility for 'hich it can be said the im$lementation of the GPS into the lies of ciilians has resulted in an effect so $o'erful the GPS has no' become res$onsible for ho' the society lie their lies but such res$onsibility has not been sufficiently reulated by the authority to the $oint that ethical dilemmas cease to e8ist.

In s$ite of that a $lethora of recommendations has been made and some of these suestions include the fact that the $ublic is made a'are of such ethical issues and to consent to the do'nsides before hain to embrace such benefits. :n to$ of that a clear limit 'hich defines the e8tent of 'hat the GPS is leally allo'ed to do 'ill also facilitate the $rocess of eliminatin such ethical issues.

In conclusion it can be said that the GPS is a double eded s'ord 'hich cuts both 'ays5 for 'hich it has both $ros and cons 'hich needs to be deliberately contem$lated. It can be a aluable asset 'hen it is used to ma8imise the eneral 'elfare of the society. eertheless many $eo$le utili<e the GPS only to assuae their o'n selfish needs and as lon as such

(21)

behaiour remains to be ethical dilemmas concernin the im$lementation of the GPS 'ill continue to e8ist $er$etually.

-eferences

o'den M. (!31%). How the Predator Drone Changed the Character of War . -etrieed from htt$@'''.smithsonianma.comhistoryho'6the6$redator6drone6chaned6the6 character6of6'ar6%2&D21Eno6ist

ro'n K. 0. (!31%). From precision farming to autonomous farming: How commodity technologies enale re!olutionary impact . -etrieed from htt$@robohub.orfrom6 $recision6farmin6to6autonomous6farmin6ho'6commodity6technoloies6enable6

reolutionary6im$act

Carneie Mellon +niersity. (!33&). "PS History, Chronology #nd $udget . -etrieed from htt$@'''.cs.cmu.edusensin6sensorsreadinsGPS0istory6M-D1&.a$$b.$df

Chais K. C. > -aune//. (!311). "PS %se in #irplane &echnology: &he "loal Positioning System in #ircraft . -etrieed from

htt$@'''.brihthub.comscienceaiationarticlesD21.as$8

C. (!31%). Domino's tests drone pi((a deli!ery. -etrieed from

htt$@money.cnn.com!31%3D3&technoloyinnoationdominos6$i<<a6drone

CTI". (!33?). *iation and *eromodellin 6 Interde$endent "olutions and 0istories. -etrieed from htt$@'''.ctie.monash.edu.auharraedenny.html

Fottrell . (!31?). ) apps for spying on your spouse. -etrieed from

htt$@'''.mar/et'atch.comstory?6a$$s6for6s$yin6on6your6s$ouse6!31&63%613

Gil$in 9. (!31?). How ig data is going to help feed nine illion people y *+)+  Feature  &ech-epulic. -etrieed from htt$@'''.techre$ublic.comarticleho'6bi6data6is6 oin6to6hel$6feed66billion6$eo$le6by6!3?3

GPS. (!33D). *iation. -etrieed from htt$@'''.$s.oa$$licationsaiation

(22)

Ian S. (!31&). &he -ise of the Predator .mpire: &racing the History of %/S/ Drones.

-etrieed from htt$s@understandinem$ire.'ord$ress.com!636a6brief6history6of6u6 s6drones

ibble -. (!31?). Can an unmanned drone e a moral agent0 .thics and accountaility in military rootics. -etrieed from

htt$@'''.academia.edu2%D3&?2Cananunmanneddronebeamoralaent"t hicsandaccountabilityinmilitaryrobotics

9ad/in P. . (12). .lectromagnetic interference with aircraft systems. -etrieed from htt$@'''.rs.uni6

bielefeld.de$ublicationsIncidents#:CS-esearch-s*rticle"MI.html

Mc#aid 0. Stron . > Israel . (!33%). -emote Piloted #erial 1ehicles : #n #nthology. -etrieed from htt$@'''.ctie.monash.eduharraer$ahome.htmlUeinnins

Mc#onald . #. (11). "PS in Ci!il #!iation. -etrieed from

htt$@auss.e.unb.ca$s'orld"arlyInnoationColumnsInno.11.3.$df

Mcnamee M. (!33?). .thical Issues arising from the -eal &ime &rac2ing and 3onitoring of People %sing "PSased Location Ser!ices. -etrieed from

htt$@ro.uo'.edu.auciie'content.ciEarticleV133%>conte8tVthesesinfo

Murray P. (!311). Precision #griculture 4 High &echnology In!ades &he Farm. -etrieed from htt$@sinularityhub.com!3113%1%$recision6ariculture6hih6technoloy6 inades6the6farm

Plant -. ". Pettyroe G. S. > -einert =. -. (!333). Precision ariculture can increase $rofits and limit enironmental im$acts. California #griculture.

doi@13.%2%%ca.3?&n3&$DD

Precision agriculture can increase profits and limit en!ironmental impacts. (!333). -etrieed from californiaariculture.ucanr.edulandin$ae.cfmE

(23)

Pullen S. > Gao W. W. (!31!). "5SS 6amming in the 5ame of Pri!acy . -etrieed from htt$@'''.insidenss.comautomara$r1!6Pullen.$df

-oubini . (!31&). Where Will #ll the Wor2ers "o0. -etrieed from htt$@'''.$ro;ect6 syndicate.orcommentarytechnoloy6labor6automation6robotics6by6nouriel6roubini6 !31&61!

Sch'an K. (!31?). -a!en ma2es Steep 6o Cuts in Siou7 Falls. -etrieed from

htt$@$recisionfarmindealer.comcontentraen6ma/es6stee$6;ob6cuts6siou86falls

Thomas #. (!311). Plane crash lamed on faulty "PS . -etrieed from

htt$@'''.bordermail.com.austoryD?D!3$lane6crash6blamed6on6faulty6$s

=hittle -. (!31%). &he 3an Who In!ented the Predator . -etrieed from

htt$@'''.airs$acema.comfliht6todaythe6man6'ho6inented6the6$redator6 %23?3!Eno6ist

EG2401 Final Report v6

EG2401 Engineering

EG2401 Engineering Professionalism

Professionalism

Final Report

Final Report

Project 3: Global Positioning System (GPS an! t"eir

Project 3: Global Positioning System (GPS an! t"eir

#ec"nologies

#ec"nologies

For: $r% &! Rais'l slam

For: $r% &! Rais'l slam

$one

$one by

by Gro'p

Gro'p 2:

2: )ie*

)ie* +

+an

an ,ob

,ob

-0112.1/

-0112.1/

Seran

Seran arialan

arialan

-01

-011240R

1240R

on

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

Field 1 – The Telecommunications (Mobile Phone) Industry

1.1 The effects of GPS (Global Positionin System) Technoloy on the Mobile Phone

Industry

1.! "thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into Mobile Phones

1.% Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

1.& Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

Field ! – The Ciil *iation Industry

!.1

The effects of GPS Technoloy on the Ciil *iation Industry

!.!

"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS in Ciil *iation Industry

!.%

Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

!.&

Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

Field % – The +nmanned ,ehicle Systems Industry

%.1

The effects of GPS Technoloy on the +nmanned ,ehicle Systems Industry

%.!

"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the Im$lementation of GPS into +nmanned

,ehicle Systems

%.%

Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

%.&

Im$act on Future Generations 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

Field & – The *riculture Industry

&.1

The effects of GPS Technoloy on the *riculture Industry

&.!

"thical #ilemma(s) raised by the use of GPS the *riculture Industry

&.%

Possible Solution(s) to such #ilemmas

&.&

Im$act on Future Generation 'hen e' Conditions are introduced

Conclusion

-eferences