GPS and ADS-B Problems Cause Cancelled Flights in USA:
Something strange has been going on in the friendly skies over the last day or so. Flights are being canceled. Aircraft are grounded. Passengers are understandably upset. The core of the issue is GPS and ADS-B systems. The ADS-B system depends on GPS data to function properly, but over this weekend a problem with the quality of the GPS data has disrupted normal ADS-B features on some planes, leading to the cancellations.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a communication system used in aircraft worldwide. Planes transmit location, speed, flight number, and other information on 1090 MHz. This data is picked up by ground stations and eventually displayed on air traffic controller screens. Aircraft also receive this data from each other as part of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).
ADS-B isn't a complex or encrypted signal. In fact, anyone with a cheap RTL-SDR can receive the signal. Aviation buffs know how cool it is to see a map of all the aircraft flying above your house. Plenty of hackers have worked on these systems, and we've covered that here on Hackaday. In the USA, the FAA will effectively require all aircraft to carry ADS-B transponders by January 1st, 2020. So as you can imagine, most aircraft already have the systems installed.
The ADS-B system in a plane needs to get position data before it can transmit. These days, that data comes from a global satellite navigation system. In the USA, that means GPS. GPS is currently having some problems though. This is where Receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) comes in. Safety-critical GPS systems (those in planes and ships) cross-check their current position. If GPS is sending degraded or incorrect data, it is sent to the FAA who displays it on their website. The non-precision approach current outage map is showing degraded service all over the US Eastern seaboard, as well as the North. The cause of this signal degradation is currently unknown.
Hundreds or even thousands of flights have been cancelled. Teleconferences with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) conducted. Flights are restricted to fly only up to 28,000 feet. What's going on? Is GPS under attack?
As time went on and more reports came rolling in, it became clear that the problem reports were limited to aircraft flying with certain GPS receivers:
A corrupted upgrade to a large class of receivers was to blame for what was initially suspected to be a degradation of GPS service across much of the United States (see FAA graphic).
Work by the FAA and industry groups revealed that many Rockwell Collins receivers had received a bad update. See: AIN Online "Collins GPS Receivers Suffer Reception Outage."
The more that companies try to squeeze the last bit of income out of any kind of system or product, the closer the tolerances become and they seem to be [in?]tolerant of disruptions.
How close are we to the point of "peak optimization" where any profits from additional refinements are countered by systems being more brittle and thus more expensive to operate in challenging conditions?
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @02:19PM (2 children)
Constant updates means everything gets worse, all the time.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday June 12 2019, @04:26PM
Constant updates are meant to keep you sharp.
Instead of the dangerous mind-numbing routine of the bugs you know, the system fixes those (temporarily) and throws you new ones.
Praise the constant updates, for keeping your life entertaining
(duration of said life might be affected, do not take updates to critical systems without consulting your doctor, or at least your life insurance agent)
(Score: 3, Funny) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 12 2019, @06:15PM
Peter Gibbons:
So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.
Dr. Swanson:
What about today? Is today the worst day of your life?
Peter Gibbons:
Yeah.
Dr. Swanson:
Wow, that's messed up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @02:37PM
Hey Marty, oddly, afaik, "peak optimization" is usually handled by the emergence of entirely new technologies. but i think i see deeper question under the bait, one that's grappled with by CHS at his site, from which i keyword searched a few articles for you:
https://www.oftwominds.com/blogjune19/self-destructive-empires6-19.html [oftwominds.com]
https://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2019/03/how-statesempires-collapse-in-four-easy.html [blogspot.com]
https://www.peakprosperity.com/charles-hugh-smith-preventing-the-final-fall-of-our-democratic-republic/ [peakprosperity.com]
https://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2017/10/what-could-pop-everything-bubble.html [blogspot.com]
as for gps ... that's easy! if you don't have maps and a compass in your home/car, then you possibly optimized a bit much. no?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @02:59PM (5 children)
Based on my experience with several modern (i.e. new) products, we are essentially there today. One example is our newest vehicle. It won't charge its batteries sufficiently to keep the electronics in the car running properly. It's not a hybrid, it has multiple batteries for the auto-start/stop system. Even with driving it every day, the batteries are never fully charged, which I have confirmed personally with test equipment and the dealer has confirmed with their battery test equipment. Why aren't the batteries charging properly, one might ask? Because the alternator takes energy from the engine, and reducing that energy drain improves fuel mileage. The manufacturer has created a byzantine charging algorithm and equipment that does not work for some reason. The dealer and the manufacturer won't admit that though. They *will* buy back the vehicle if pressed hard enough, presumably so they won't have to admit what the problem is and the consequences and cost of the fix.
So, yes, we have entered the "peak optimization" zone. To meet customer expectations and government regulations (as well as continually increase profit margins), we have highly optimized our products and over complicated them at the same time. It will get worse from here, I have no doubt.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @03:05PM (1 child)
Why not name the make and model?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @04:36PM
Right, actually help out your fellow Soylentils.
You are just teasing us.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Farkus888 on Wednesday June 12 2019, @06:00PM (2 children)
The level of charge affects the life of lithium batteries. Most of the damage from a charge cycle is from time spent at the nearly fully charged or nearly empty ends of the spectrum. For a cell phone, size and weight matter more than long life because you'll get a new one anyway. For a hard good like a car that is expected to last much longer, cost much more and has fewer space constraints the opposite is true. If they used a charge controller that used 100% of the battery you'd be happy today but complaining in no time about diminished battery capacity. Since so few people will actually meter their batteries the choice is obvious for the manufacturer.
(Score: 1) by Chrontius on Friday June 14 2019, @10:33AM (1 child)
Their failure to include something as simple as a DC-DC convertor so as to keep the 12v bus within tolerances for the cabin electronics seems to indicate an oversight in the design.
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Friday June 14 2019, @12:59PM
I'd have to guess there is another problem. DC electronics are incredibly tolerant of voltage variation. I often work with allegedly 48V telecom equipment. Most of it runs fine into the high 30s or up into the 60s. Getting to high or low will stop it working but restore the correct voltage and it works again. 12V gear would be 3 lithium cells in series. To get outside of working range you'd have to over or under charge them so much they'd never charge right again after a single mistake.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday June 12 2019, @03:44PM (1 child)
I saw that movie [imdb.com]!
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @08:49PM
Something IS up. This morning my in-car GPS disagreed about speed by 20%. Glad my car is not an Airbus or a Boeing 737max! Someone may be "testing" their capability to mess with GPS...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Dr Spin on Wednesday June 12 2019, @06:52PM (6 children)
It has been known since at least the 1970's, that after version 5, creeping featurism means that more and more pointless functions are added without being debugged first, while the useful features are "deprecated".
That is why, today, Google Search does not actually search for any of the search terms you entered, but cunningly mangles them into "something completely different".
I just searched for Flughafen, Dortmund on Google maps - already looking at Dortmund, Germany - as I wanted to find out where the airport in Dortmund is located, relative to the rest of the city.
Googlemaps returned a map showing Stansted Airport, because I am in the UK.
Notice that the words "Flughafen" and "Dortmund" do not occur in the phase "Stansted Airport". I am sure that some people would claim this is artificial intelligence,
and it is quite possibly a great achievement, but in reality, its Actual Insanity and a bloody nuisance.
Google has completely lost the plot - most search results have nothing to do with the search terms, and are completely determined by the highest bidder on GoogleAds.
its like when, what ever you searched for on Yahoo, the answer was "Alamo Car Rentals" or "Barnes and Noble" .
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday June 12 2019, @08:05PM (2 children)
https://fossbytes.com/google-alternative-best-search-engine/ [fossbytes.com]
Not all as good, but some far better when it comes to selling you and your data.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Wednesday June 12 2019, @08:36PM (1 child)
Ignoring the issue of privacy for the moment, my problem is getting results that are in some obvious way, connected to my search terms.
Fossbytes' recommendations all failed my test queries for slightly off the beaten track foss issues. (Bing was quite close, but still useless).
So, if anyone is analysing search engines, the first questions to ask are:
a) do they own a spider?
b) do you get the results back same day?
Hint: secretly using Google to do the grunt work, using a 486 and then storing the data on 8" floppies does not meet modern expectations.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @11:21PM
DDG, and put unusually termed searches in quotes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @11:49PM
Version 5 - let's see:
Windows 10
Chrome 75
..the list goes on..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @11:51PM
> It has been known since at least the 1970's, that after version 5
... version 2 ... ftfy
Known as second system syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-system_effect [wikipedia.org] You can thank one of my heroes(1), Fred Brooks and The Mythical Man-Month, first published in 1975.
(1) I got to meet him once, every bit as wonderful in person as his books.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday June 13 2019, @06:02AM
Well, the quickest way to get to Flughafen Dortmund from where you are might be to fly from Stansted (grin)
On the other hand, doing the same search from my home in France gives me 7 links all to the correct place as the top links. Perhaps the problem is a geographic one?