Time Scales and Time Transformations

Among Satellite Navigation Systems

Pengfei Zhang, Chengdong Xu, Chunsheng Hu and Ye Chen

Abstract The definitions of time scales and the time transformations are very
important for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) research. Different
GNSSs use different internal reference time systems which include GPS Time,
GLONASS Time, GALILEO System Time and BeiDou System Time. With the
development of GNSSs, it is significant to set up the relationships of time scales
among different GNSSs to improve the compatibility and interoperability. This
paper concludes the definitions of different time scales and describes the time
systems in different GNSSs firstly. Secondly, the relationships among different
time scales are analyzed according to the data published by Bureau International
des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) in recent years, and time transformations among
different time systems are presented. Finally, these transformations are tested and
validated, and the result shows that they can satisfy the accuracy requirements for
most users.

1 Introduction
Navigation satellites move around the earth in high speed, for example, the speed
of a GPS satellite is about 3.9 km/s. The observation time error should be less than
2:6 ls when the position error of the satellite is suggested to be \1 cm at that
P. Zhang (&)  C. Xu  C. Hu
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, No.5 South
Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China
e-mail: successful.2008@163.com
Y. Chen
School of Information and Communication Engineering,
North University of China, No.3 Xueyuan Road, Taiyuan, 030051 Shanxi, China

J. Sun et al. (eds.), China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC) 2012 Proceedings,
Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering 160, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-29175-3_45,
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

491

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moment [1]. 1 ls propagation time error of the signal will cause 300 m measurement distance error. If the distance needs to be measured in meter level
precision, the time should be measured in nanosecond level precision [2]. The
satellite signal transmitting time takes satellite navigation system time as a reference; however, the time of the receiver takes Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
as a reference. So the two time scales should be unified to meet high accuracy
measurement requirements of signal propagation time. In addition, in the same
satellite navigation system, it is also very important to achieve time synchronization among all the satellites for precision positioning [3]. With the development
of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs), positioning using different
GNSSs has become an inevitable trend. Different GNSSs use their own internal
reference time systems, so time transformations among different time systems
should also be considered. This paper introduces the definitions of different time
scales including astronomical time, atomic time and UTC, and it presents the
relationships among them firstly. Secondly, it describes the time systems in different GNSSs including GPS Time (GPST), GLONASS Time (GLST), GALILEO
System Time (GST) and BeiDou System Time (BDT), and then it shows the
relationships between each time system and UTC. Finally, it derives time transformations which include both the integral part and the fractional part of the
difference among different time systems.

2 Time Scales
The establishment of a time scale should take both a time starting point and a time
span for consideration. The time span can make use of a periodic motion phenomenon which is repeatable observational, continuous and stable as a reference,
such as the pendulum swinging, the earth rotation and the crystal oscillation [4].

2.1 Astronomical Time

Astronomical time includes Sidereal Time (ST), Solar Time (SOT), Universal
Time (UT) and Ephemeris Time (ET).

2.1.1 Sidereal Time and Solar Time

Both ST and SOT are time scales based on the earth rotation. An apparent solar
day is defined as the interval between two successive returns of the sun to the local
meridian. Since the orbit which the earth rotates around the sun is not a circle, and
the earths axis is not strictly vertical with the rotating orbit plane, mean SOT is
introduced. An apparent sidereal day is defined as the interval between two

Time Scales and Time Transformations Among Satellite Navigation Systems

493

successive returns of a fixed star which is far from the earth to the local meridian.
In fact, an apparent sidereal day is non-constant, so mean ST is also introduced.
Mean ST and mean SOT has the following relationships [1]:
1 mean solar day 24 mean solar hours 86400 mean solar seconds
 1:002737 mean sidereal days
1 mean sidereal day  0:997270 mean solar day
 86164:095563 mean solar seconds

Both ST and SOT depend on the longitude of the observers. Mean SOT of
Greenwich meridian is shorted for GMT. The earth was divided into 12 standard
time zones. The time of each zone is equal to the mean SOT of the central
meridian in this zone, the time difference between each zone and GMT can be
measured by integral number of hours.
Julian Day (JD) is used to record mean solar day, which starts at 12 h January 1,
4713 BC. In order to operate the data conveniently, Modified Julian Day (MJD)
was applied, the starting point is 0 h November 17, 1858 GMT [4].

2.1.2 Universal Time

UT has the same scale as mean SOT. According to the conditions whether the
earth polar motion is modified or the seasonal change of the earth rotation rate is
corrected, UT can be divided into UT0, UT1 and UT2 [3].
UT0: Mean SOT of Greenwich meridian which is achieved by several
observatories.
UT1: UT0 adds the observation influence Dk (up to 0.06 s) which is caused by
the earth polar motion.
UT2: UT1 adds the seasonal correction of the earth rotation rate DTs.

2.1.3 Ephemeris Time

ET is a time scale based on the earth revolution around the sun, and it is not
influenced by the earth polar motion and the seasonal change of the earth rotation
rate which are unpredictable. An ephemeris second is defined as 1/31556925.9747
of the tropical year at 1900 [3].
ET UT2 DT

DT can be only decided by observation, and it can not be deduced by any

formula. Obviously, this definition of the time scale is fussy and difficult to
operate. In 1976, the International Astronomical Union decided to replace ET with

494
Table 1 The definition
progress of one second

P. Zhang et al.
Year

One second definition

Before 1960
19601967
Since 1967

1/86400 mean solar day

One ephemeris second
One international atomic second

Terrestrial Dynamical Time (TDT) and Barycentric Dynamical Time (TDB). In

1991, TDT was renamed as terrestrial time.

2.2 Atomic Time

Atomic time is a time scale base on the resonant frequency of Cesium atoms. In
1967, an atomic second was defined as the duration of 9, 192, 631, 770 periods of
the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the
ground state of the Cesium133 atom [2]. The time scale which derives from the
definition is called International Atomic Time (TAI). It is more stable and easier to
operate than ET, so the ephemeris second is replaced by the atomic second as the
basic unit of time measurement. The starting point of the TAI which is established
by the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is 0 h January 1, 1958 UT2. The
starting point of TAI which is established by Bureau International de lHeure
(BIH) is 34 ms earlier than that of USNO [1].
The definition progress of one second is shown in Table 1.

2.3 Coordinated Universal Time

TAI has nothing to do with the earth rotation. However, it is necessary for satellite
navigation to link the time with the earth rotation. Therefore, a compromise time
scaleUTC is proposed. UTC is a time scale based on atomic second, and it is as
close as possible to UT1. It has been adopted since 1972. When the time difference
between UTC and UT1 exceeds 0.9 s, one leap second (positive or negative) will
be added or subtracted to UTC such that UTC is the closest to UT1. By now, the
leap seconds which have been introduced are all positive.
jUT1  UTCj\0:9 s

UTC  TAI 1 s  n

where n is an adjusted parameter which is equal to the total leap seconds. The
International earth rotation and reference system service (IERS) are responsible for
definitively bulletining n and the difference between UT1 and UTC [5]. The difference between UT1 and UTC from year 1991 to 2011 is shown in Fig. 1.

Time Scales and Time Transformations Among Satellite Navigation Systems

495

0.8
0.6

(UT1-UTC)(s)

0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
91-6-20

94-7-1

97-1-8

00-4-13

03-4-3

06-1-1

08-8-7

11-11-4

date(UTC)

Fig. 1 Curve: [UT1-UTC] from year 1991 to 2011

40
35

(UTC-TAI)(s)

30
25
20
15
10
5
0
72-1-1

77-1-1

81-7-1 85-7-1 90-1-1 94-07-01 99-01-01

09-01-01

date(UTC)

Fig. 2 Curve: leap seconds of UTC

It can be seen that the value of [UT1-UTC] is discontinuous, because a leap

second was introduced in the date when a inflection point appears in the curve so
that the difference between UTC and UT1 is no more than 0.9 s.
The latest time when the leap second was loaded is 23 h 59 min 59 s December
31, 2008 UTC. It is to say the next two seconds of UTC are ordered as follows: 23 h
59 min 60 s December 31, 2008 UTC and 0 h 0 min 0 s January 1, 2009 UTC. So far,
n has been equal to 34 [5]. Figure 2 shows the leap seconds of UTC since 1972.
UTC is a paper time scale, but it is approximated by local physical representations UTC (k) through about 250 cesium atomic clocks and hydrogen

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P. Zhang et al.
UTC-UTC(SU)

200

100

100

ns

ns

UTC-UTC(USNO)

200

0
-100

0
-100

-200
04-11-5 06-7-23

-200
04-11-5 06-7-23 08-4-8 09-12-24 11-10-30

08-4-8 09-12-24 11-10-30

Date(UTC)

Date(UTC)

UTC-UTC(NTSC)

UTC-UTC(OP)

100

100

ns

200

ns

200

-100

-100

-200
04-11-5 06-7-23 08-4-8 09-12-24 11-10-30

-200
04-11-5 06-7-23 08-4-8 09-12-24 11-10-30

Date(UTC)

Date(UTC)

UTC-UTC(AOS)

UTC-UTC(NIM)

200

200

100

100

ns

ns

-100

-100

-200
04-11-5 06-7-23 08-4-8 09-12-24 11-10-30

-200
04-11-5 06-7-23 08-4-8 09-12-24 11-10-30

Date(UTC)
USNO: U.S. Naval Observatory
NTSC: National Time Service Center of China
AOS: Astrogeodynamical Observatory

Date(UTC)
SU: Institute of Metrology for Time and Space
OP: Paris Observatory
NIM: National Institute of Metrology

Fig. 3 Curve: [UTCUTC (k)] from year 2004 to 2011

microwave blaster devices in national metrology laboratories and observatories

that contribute to the formation of the international time scales at the Bureau
international des poids et mesures (BIPM) [6]. The difference between UTC and
UTC (k) is provided by the publication in the monthly BIPM Circular T.
Figure 3 shows some examples about the difference between UTC and UTC(k).
Among these local physical representations UTC (k), UTC (USNO) is the most
closest to UTC. The difference between UTC (USNO) and UTC is kept within
10 ns. GNSSs rely on UTC (k) which is provided by local metrology laboratories
and observatories, so atomic clocks technology with high accuracy is researched to
be more closer to UTC by all the local metrology laboratories and observatories.

Time Scales and Time Transformations Among Satellite Navigation Systems

497

3 GNSS Time
In order to meet the needs of precision positioning and navigation, each GNSS
creates its own internal reference time system. All these systems, which include
GPST, GLST, GST and BDT, should be ensured as close as possible to UTC, even
the leap second of UTC.

3.1 GPS Time

The length of a second in GPST, which is measured by the GPS satellite atomic
clocks and the ground station clocks, is consistent with that of TAI. GPST is a
continuous time system, so it does not have to be adjusted by leap second. The
starting point of GPST is consistent with 0 h 0 min 0 s January 6, 1980 UTC
(USNO). An epoch in GPST is distinguished by the number of seconds that have
elapsed since saturday/sunday midnight and the GPS week number. The GPS
number will return to zero when the weeks number are up to 1024. The total
number of seconds in a week is 604,800 [1]. The conversion formula between
GPST and UTC is as follows:
GPST UTCUSNO t1  t2 UTC  t3 t1  t2
UTC t1  t2 t3 UTC t1  Dt

t1 (t1 1s  n  19s) which is 15 by now is the integral part of difference in

seconds between GPST and UTC (USNO), it is caused by the continuity of GPST
and the leap second of UTC. t2 is the fractional part of difference in seconds
between GPST and UTC (USNO). t3 is the fractional part of difference in seconds
between UTC and UTC (USNO). The change of t3 is described in Fig. 3.
Dt(Dt t2 t3 ) which is the fractional part of difference in seconds between UTC
and GPST is broadcasted by the GPS satellite navigation message and published
afterwards by BIPM [7]. The change of Dt from 2009 to 2010 is described in
Fig. 4.
From the above curve, the Dt from 2009 to 2010 is controlled within 20 ns.

3.2 GLONASS Time

The length of a second in GLST, which is based on UTC (SU) and is 3 h earlier
than UTC (SU) because of the specific characteristic of GLONASS, is consistent
with that of TAI. The GLST is not a continuous time system, so it has to be
adjusted by leap second. And the navigation capability of GLONASS will be
affected because of the discontinuous time caused by leap second. The starting

P. Zhang et al.
the fractional part of difference (UTC-GPST) in seconds (ns)

498
20
15
10
5

-5
-10
-15
-20
09-12-29 10-2-16

10-4-7

10-5-27

10-7-16

10-9-4

10-10-24

10-12-29

date(UTC)

Fig. 4 Curve: the fractional part difference [UTC-GPST] in seconds from year 2009 to 2010

point of GLST is 0 h 0 min 0 s January 1, 1996 UTC (SU). An epoch in GLST,

which starts from the last leap year, is described by accumulated days and the
number of seconds in less than 1 day. The maximum number of accumulated days
in one cycle is 1461, and the number of the total seconds which is started from the
midnight between the previous day and the very day is 86400. The conversion
formula between GLST and UTC is as follows:
0

GLST UTCSU 3h  t1 UTC  t2 3h  t1

0

UTC 3h  t1 t2 UTC 3h  Dt0

0

t1 is the fractional part of difference in seconds between GLST and UTC (SU).
Because GLST and UTC (SU) use the same timing method including its leap
0
seconds, so there is no integral part of difference in seconds between them. t2 is the
fractional part of difference in seconds between UTC and UTC (SU). The change
0
0
0
of t2 is described in Fig. 3 Dt0 (Dt0 t1 t2 ) which is the fractional part of difference in seconds between UTC and GLST is broadcasted by the GLONASS
satellite navigation message and published afterwards by BIPM [7]. The change of
Dt0 from 2009 to 2010 is described in Fig. 5.
From the above curve, Dt0 from 2009 to 2010 reaches hundreds of ns.
Compared with Fig. 4, the magnitude of Dt0 is significantly larger than the
magnitude of Dt.

the fractional part of difference (UTC-GLST) in seconds (ns)

Time Scales and Time Transformations Among Satellite Navigation Systems

499

-100

-120

-140

-160

-180

-200

-220

-240
09-12-29 10-2-16

10-4-7

10-6-27

10-7-16

10-9-4

10-10-24

10-12-29

date(UTC)

Fig. 5 Curve: the fractional part difference [UTC-GLST] in seconds from year 2009 to 2010

3.3 GALILEO System Time

The length of a second in GST which is a continuous time system is consistent
with that of TAI. The deviation of GST and TAI are controlled within 50 ns in
95% time in one year [8]. The differences between GST and TAI, GST and UTC
will be broadcasted by GALILEO satellite navigation message.
To improve compatibility and interoperability with the GPS, the starting point
of GST is set to 0 h 0 min 0 s January 6, 1980 UTC (USNO). An epoch in GST is
similar to that of GPST, but the number of accumulated weeks will return to zero
when the weeks number up to 4,096. The difference between GST and UTC
includes integral part and fractional part, as shown in formula (8):
GST UTC t1  Dt00

t1 which equals to the t1 in formula (6) is 15 s by now, and it is the integral part
of difference in seconds between GST and UTC. Dt00 which is the fractional part of
difference in seconds between GST and UTC will be broadcasted by the GALILEO satellite navigation message. By now, there is no public institutions bulletin
these values.

3.4 BeiDou System Time

The length of a second in BDT which is a continuous time system is consistent
with that of TAI, and there is integral part of difference in seconds between BDT
and UTC. The starting point of BDT is set to 0 h 0 min 0 s January 1, 2006 UTC

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P. Zhang et al.

(NTSC) which maintained by NTSC. An epoch in BDT is the same as an epoch in

GPST [9]. The conversion formula between BDT and UTC is as follows:
000

000

000

000

000

BDT UTCNTSC t1  t2 UTC  t3 t1  t2

000

000

000

000

UTC t1  t2 t3 UTC t1  Dt000

000

000

t1 (t1 1s  n  33s) which is 1(n = 34) by now is the integral part of difference in seconds between BDT and UTC. Dt000 , which is generated from the time
and frequency system in master station and be published by NTSC, is the fractional part of difference in seconds between BDT and UTC. Dt000 is controlled
within 100 ns. The change of Dt000 is given from June 12, 2010 to August 26,
2010 in the reference [9].

4 Time Transformations Among GNSSs

With the development of GNSSs, it is significant to set up the relationships of time
scales among different GNSSs to improve the compatibility and interoperability
[10]. According to formulas (6)(9) about the relationships between every GNSS
time and UTC, the relationships among four GNSSs can be calculated as follows.
(1) The conversion formula between GPST and GLST:
GPST  GLST t1  3h  Dt Dt0 :

10

(2) The conversion formula between GPST and GST:

GPST  GST Dt00  Dt:

11

(3) The conversion formula between GPST and BDT:

GPST  BDT t1  t1000  Dt Dt000 :

12

(4) The conversion formula between GLST and GST:

GLST  GST 3h  t1  Dt0 Dt00 :

13

(5) The conversion formula between GLST and BDT:

GLST  BDT 3h  t1000  Dt0 Dt000 :

14

(6) The conversion formula between GST and BDT:

GST  BDT t1  t1000  Dt00 Dt000 :

15

Time Scales and Time Transformations Among Satellite Navigation Systems

Table 2 The integral part of
the difference in seconds
among four GNSS times

GPST
GLST
GST
BDT

GPST

GPST

GLST

GST

BDT

0
15 s3 h
0
14 s

0
3 h15 s
3 h1 s

0
14 s

GST

Formula(11)

+ T

UT2

501

ET

+Ts

UT1
Formula

TAI

Formula

(10)

(15)

UT0

Formula

Formula

(4)

(5)

Formula(6)

UTC

Formula(9)

Formula(7)

GLST

Formula(8)

Formula(14)

BDT

Fig. 6 The transformations among time scales and GNSS times

The difference in seconds among these GNSS times consists of integral part
difference and fractional part difference. The integral part difference will change
only while the leap second is adjusted. The fractional part difference is broadcasted
by navigation messages of GNSSs or bulletined by related time service centers. So
far, the integral part of the difference in seconds among four GNSS times is shown
in Table 2.
According to the formulas which are derived above, it is convenient for time
transformations among the four GNSS times and GNSSs simulation.

5 Conclusion
This paper introduces the time scales which are commonly used in GNSSs and the
relationships among them. In addition, this paper describes the internal reference
time systems of the four GNSSs and derives the relationships among them.
Figure 6 shows the transformations among time scales and GNSS times.

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GNSS times can convert to one another accurately according to the fractional
part difference of seconds which is broadcasted by navigation messages and
the formulas which are derived in this paper. Thus, it is convenient for processing
the data of GNSSs. These formulas have been applied in GNSSs simulation, and
the accuracy of them can meet the requirements.
Acknowledgments This work was supported by the National High-Tech. R&D Program, China
(No.2011AA120505) and the National Natural Science Foundation, China (No.61173077).

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