April 6 – Doomsday for navigation systems?

Driving Netherlands is in turmoil. A 'GPS Week Number Rollover' is planned for April 6th. This means that GPS and navigation systems older than 10 years may not work after this date. Read on to see if your navigation still works after April 6 or what you can do about it. 

In the night of April 6 to 7, the counting system of outdated GPS and navigation systems will start again and all positions will be set to zero. This happens because the counting system is getting full. This GPS Week Number Rollover (WNRO) takes place once every 19 years. The action can be compared to an old car that starts again at zero after 99.999 kilometers on the clock. The result of this GPS revolution? GPS and navigation systems that are 10 years old or older may malfunction or stop working.

Because the calendars are reset to April 6, miscommunication may occur between GPS satellites and GPS receivers, the Tom-Tom website explains. As a result, outdated chips can no longer process or perform some functions in the navigation system. Because GPS satellites transmit accurate time measurements, the user's location and time can be determined. The GPS Week Number Rollover can really mess up this process. This is because after the update the signal searches for the position of satellites from years ago. The problem is that this information is sent in a 10-bit binary number. This means that a total of exactly 1024 weeks can be sent via the signal. Week 0 started on August 21, 1999 (this was the first GPS Week Number Rollover), now exactly 1024 weeks later the counter starts again at zero.

Not sure how old your GPS or navigation system is and whether you belong to the risk group? No problem. Fortunately, it is quite easy to find out if your navigation system no longer works after April 6. Do you have a Tom-Tom navigation device? Then you can go through this link check the status of your navigation system based on the serial number. Do you have another GPS device or navigation system? Then it is best to contact the supplier of your navigation system to see what effect the GPS Week Number Rollover has on you. Does your GPS or navigation system belong to the risk group? Then you may need to update or upgrade your GPS device. Smartphones with GPS systems do not suffer from this GPS revolution. Smartphones are equipped with modern software and most likely not older than 10 years. Of course we have been fans of it for a long time smart phone apps as a GPS or navigation system.

It is probably the last time that GPS and navigation systems will suffer from this rollover, the pnt company Orolia says. This is because GPS is currently undergoing a program update in which systems are upgraded to a 13bit number. This will mean that the next rollover is planned in about 157 years. This is also good news for the future of GPS apps. Today, almost all phones have built-in GPS. A mobile phone can therefore be used as an accurate GPS device. This can be taken into account when developing a new app. GPS apps have an enormous diversity of implementation options. For example, think of an app that provides people with distances, cycling routes or shopping routes.

Curious about a current example for a GPS app? Then take a look at the Motorcycle tour app. This is an app recently developed by us that provides motorcyclists with the most beautiful routes. Want to know more about GPS apps or do you want one Have GPS app developed? Then contact us without obligation.