Carlsbad – August 26, 1999 – Although many news agencies are reporting that the GPS rollover came off without a hitch, the calls that Computer Economics received on its GPS Troubleshooting Hotline indicated that problems could still be lurking. The questions that consumers asked on the GPS hotline showed that the general public did not widely recognize or understand the problem.
"Many consumers who called did not understand what was involved in the end of week rollover, what the consequences would be, or if their receiver or the satellites would be affected," said Computer Economics vice president of research Michael Erbschloe.
"This means that the GPS problem is not over yet. Many GPS owners could still be unaware of the problem and not realize that their GPS device is malfunctioning until they have to use it. Some users may receive misinformation and not even realize their device is not working properly," added Erbschloe.
Uninformed GPS users could go camping, hunting, or sailing without checking their GPS devices. After progressing into the wilderness, these explorers could find themselves lost without a functioning GPS device.
To avoid this problem, Computer Economics encourages all owners of GPS receivers to turn on the devices and run a test. The accuracy of the location and date should be checked.
Although many individual consumers were confused by the rollover this weekend, large organizations seemed to have handled the glitch well so far. The U.S. Air Force's GPS preparation efforts were successful and helped to mitigate disaster.
As yet, the U.S., Europe, and Australia are reporting no large problems. However, the conclusion that there will be no more problems is premature. Comprehensive reports are not in from all parts of the world, and as with the consumer devices, some large-scale problems may not yet be recognized.
GPS rollover and other Y2K-related information at US Air Force
GPS UPDATE – SpaceDaily Special Report more articles and links
