1) GPS Chip
2) GPS Driver
3) GL Engine
4) Android Framework
5) User Applications
Now Lets Understand each
GPS Chip: Radio Frequency Receiver that directly communicates with GPS Satellites
GPS Driver: GPS Driver System Software that uses Low level API’s to Communicate with the GPS chip, at the system level it may consist of a single or multiple files located at /System/Lib/hw/ Or /Vendor/Lib/hw/ files names usually starts with Prefix GPS and Postfix So (i.e gps.default.so or gps.aries.so e.t.c) depending upon the Android version and Smartphone Platform.
GL Engine: Actually the heart of this overall system.
At System level it consist of files at Path /system/bin with names like glgps or gpsd (Platform Specific)
It works using the Configuration Parameters which consist of .xml and .conf files (i.e glconfig.xml, gps.xml, Jupiter.xml, gpsconfig.xml and gps.conf, secgps.conf e.t.c). The Physical Location and names of files again depends upon Android version and Platform, but they are mostly at (/system/etc , /system/etc/gps , /vendor/etc/, /data/gps e.t.c), depending upon the Configuration and Platform, it takes initial Location Information from Cell Towers, then it take it read NVRAM , it is most important as here it store assistance data from GPS Lock, and it may also use xtra data.
NVRAM information is mostly location at /data/gps in a file with .sto ext (i.e gldata.sto) and xtra data files (lto.dat, xtra.bin, epo.dat e.t.c Platform dependent),
Using all this information Gl Engine instruct / Assist the GPS Driver, mostly Gl Engine is able to Detect multiple GPS satellites for which it is GPS driver is Programmed, but to Lock it need some extra information (Timing, Alm. / Emp.e.t.c) which it could either download from GPS satellites (Standalone Mode: very slow speed bits/sec.) or it could use internet to access SUPL/NTP servers (MS Based/MS Assisted Fast speed MB/sec.)
After all this activity, it saves all the data in NVRAM for future use.
Android Location Services : It consist of Android Framework Classes like Location Manager that Provide services to the use applications using the GL Engine.
User Applications: Location services Applications like Google Maps, Sygic, Navigon , TomTom e.t.c.
Keeping all this information in mind now lets see how the GPS Faster Fix Solutions in Market do.
Faster Fix Solutions like GPS Status & Tool Box, GPS Test, GPS Doctor e.t.c mostly handle two things.
1) Download XTRA Data (lto.dat , xtra.bin , epo.dat, gldata.sto e.t.c)
2) Modify GPS.conf (Root Required)
But this not always works.
Devices uses Google as Supl Server but most devices are unable to use it due to invalid/expired certificates and Google servers rejects the Assistance requests in such scenario Users should use SUPL.NOKIA.COM:7275 , which although slow (but something is better then nothing)
If something is wrong with GL Engine or GPS Driver, it may need Re flashing but a little could be done if GPS Chip Reception is Low or Problem is at Hardware Level, some time need soldering skills for hardware alteration (Risky)
The Other Configuration Parameter which users could modify is xml Configuration file( Take Backup 1st) at Least a Programmer could get Debug Log to understand where things are going wrong, using below parameters.
cLogEnabled=”true” acLogDirectory=”/sdcard/gps” and LogPriMask, LogFacMask and also DEBUG_LEVEL (gps.conf)
Hope everyone could easily improves their GPS Performance using this guide for any platform.
How Android Forum
2) GPS Driver
3) GL Engine
4) Android Framework
5) User Applications
Now Lets Understand each
GPS Chip: Radio Frequency Receiver that directly communicates with GPS Satellites
GPS Driver: GPS Driver System Software that uses Low level API’s to Communicate with the GPS chip, at the system level it may consist of a single or multiple files located at /System/Lib/hw/ Or /Vendor/Lib/hw/ files names usually starts with Prefix GPS and Postfix So (i.e gps.default.so or gps.aries.so e.t.c) depending upon the Android version and Smartphone Platform.
GL Engine: Actually the heart of this overall system.
At System level it consist of files at Path /system/bin with names like glgps or gpsd (Platform Specific)
It works using the Configuration Parameters which consist of .xml and .conf files (i.e glconfig.xml, gps.xml, Jupiter.xml, gpsconfig.xml and gps.conf, secgps.conf e.t.c). The Physical Location and names of files again depends upon Android version and Platform, but they are mostly at (/system/etc , /system/etc/gps , /vendor/etc/, /data/gps e.t.c), depending upon the Configuration and Platform, it takes initial Location Information from Cell Towers, then it take it read NVRAM , it is most important as here it store assistance data from GPS Lock, and it may also use xtra data.
NVRAM information is mostly location at /data/gps in a file with .sto ext (i.e gldata.sto) and xtra data files (lto.dat, xtra.bin, epo.dat e.t.c Platform dependent),
Using all this information Gl Engine instruct / Assist the GPS Driver, mostly Gl Engine is able to Detect multiple GPS satellites for which it is GPS driver is Programmed, but to Lock it need some extra information (Timing, Alm. / Emp.e.t.c) which it could either download from GPS satellites (Standalone Mode: very slow speed bits/sec.) or it could use internet to access SUPL/NTP servers (MS Based/MS Assisted Fast speed MB/sec.)
After all this activity, it saves all the data in NVRAM for future use.
Android Location Services : It consist of Android Framework Classes like Location Manager that Provide services to the use applications using the GL Engine.
User Applications: Location services Applications like Google Maps, Sygic, Navigon , TomTom e.t.c.
Keeping all this information in mind now lets see how the GPS Faster Fix Solutions in Market do.
Faster Fix Solutions like GPS Status & Tool Box, GPS Test, GPS Doctor e.t.c mostly handle two things.
1) Download XTRA Data (lto.dat , xtra.bin , epo.dat, gldata.sto e.t.c)
2) Modify GPS.conf (Root Required)
But this not always works.
Devices uses Google as Supl Server but most devices are unable to use it due to invalid/expired certificates and Google servers rejects the Assistance requests in such scenario Users should use SUPL.NOKIA.COM:7275 , which although slow (but something is better then nothing)
If something is wrong with GL Engine or GPS Driver, it may need Re flashing but a little could be done if GPS Chip Reception is Low or Problem is at Hardware Level, some time need soldering skills for hardware alteration (Risky)
The Other Configuration Parameter which users could modify is xml Configuration file( Take Backup 1st) at Least a Programmer could get Debug Log to understand where things are going wrong, using below parameters.
cLogEnabled=”true” acLogDirectory=”/sdcard/gps” and LogPriMask, LogFacMask and also DEBUG_LEVEL (gps.conf)
Hope everyone could easily improves their GPS Performance using this guide for any platform.
How Android Forum
