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Interface Control Documents (ICDs) & Interface Specifications (ISs)

Information on the civil GPS signals and codes broadcast at the L1, L2, and L5 frequencies. 

The communication boundaries between the Global Positioning System and other systems, as well as within the GPS itself, are known as interfaces. Interface Control Documents (ICDs) are the formal means of establishing, defining, and controlling interfaces and for documenting detailed interface design information for the GPS program.

Interface Specifications (ISs) are specific types of ICDs that only need approval from one government office or agency. The procedure and process for development, control, and maintenance is the same for ICDs and ISs.

ICD Documents

TBD

OriginalRevision
08/22/202201/19/2024
Defines the requirements related to the interface between the GPS space and user segments for radio frequency link 1 (L1) and link 2 (L2)Changes per RFC-00502: 2023 Proposed Changes to the Public Documents.
IS-GPS-200N.pdfIRN-IS-200N-003.pdf

OriginalRevision
08/22/202201/19/2024
Defines the requirements related to the interface between the GPS space and user segments for radio frequency link 5 (L5).Changes per RFC-00502: 2023 Proposed Changes to the Public Documents.
IS-GPS-705J.pdfIRN-IS-705J-003.pdf

OriginalRevision
08/22/202201/19/2024
Defines the characteristics of the L1 Civil (L1C) signal transmitted from GPS satellites to navigation receivers on radio frequency link 1 (L1).Changes per RFC-00502: 2023 Proposed Changes to the Public Documents.
IS-GPS-800J.pdfIRN-IS-800J-003.pdf

 

Original
05/21/2021
Defines the functional data transfer interface between the GPS Control Segment (CS) and the GPS user and user-support communities during the Operational Control System (OCS) / Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) systems era.
ICD-GPS-240D.pdf

OriginalRevision
08/13/2020  03/24/2024 
Defines the functional data transfer interface between the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) and the GPS user and user-support communities; captures the same interface as ICD-GPS-240, but for the OCX era.Changes per RFC-00477: OCX XML Products for Civil Users
ICD-GPS-870E.pdfIRN-ICD-870E-001.pdf

GPS.gov only publishes ICDs approved for public release. If you are seeking an ICD that does not appear on this page, such as ICD-GPS-153, please complete a GPS Technical Library Document Request form and have it signed by a GPS Program representative. The form is available at the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center website.

In December 2017, the Air Force issued a memorandum for GPS users and user equipment manufacturers regarding the IODC value selection process and IS-GPS-200H compliance.

Older versions of GPS ICDs, ISs, and Interface Revision Notices (IRNs) remain available for historical reference purposes, but not for new design on the archived GPS.gov website

Interface Control Working Group

The Interface Control Working Group (ICWG) is a specialized working group comprised of appropriate technical representatives from the interfacing activities and other interested participating organizations.

The ICWG serves as a forum to develop and provide interface requirements, as well as focus on interface detail definition and issues.

ICWG members include representatives from the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) of the U.S. Space Force, other government agencies and offices, contractors, and other industry organizations.

ICWGs for documents that are publicly releasable are referred to as Public ICWGs, which are structured the same as the ICWG but with a few additional requirements. The additional requirements include coordinating meetings and documents to the public.

Comments received through the ICWG are adjudicated according to the GPS Technical Baseline Configuration Management Process (TBCMP), which includes an Adjudication Working Group (AWG) and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) / Impact Assessment (IA).

For additional information about the ICWG, please contact SMCGPER@us.af.mil.

File
AWG-charter.pdf (1.04 MB)
File
TBCMP-plan.pdf (1.89 MB)
  • Public ICWG Meetings

    Public ICWG Meetings

    View historical and upcoming meetings of the Interface Control Working Group