Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and their regional augmentations, are being developed in a number of countries and users will soon be faced with a confusing array of jargon and capabilities from “competing” systems.

There are currently two GNSS, the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is operated by the United States military and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), which is operated by the Russian Federation military. There is also one Chinese Regional Satellite System called Beidou. GPS and GLONASS are currently being modified to make them more useful for civilian applications.