The Global Positioning System is a vast and mostly unknown enterprise. This section — the first in an occasional series of authoritative reference pieces in this magazine — aims to clarify who does what to maintain GPS as a fantastic global utility. The relevant missions of agencies or units are in italics. For an introduction and a list of reviewers, see “First Fix” on p. 6. If you spot any significant inaccuracies or omissions, please bring them to my attention by writing to me at mluccio@northcoastmedia.net. I will make corrections to the online version of this section and, if warranted, publish a correction in the March issue of the magazine.

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