GPS position data as input

[tspj20]

Can we provide GPS data from an external GPS receiver (hardware) as input to the simulation?

Thank you.

Talini

[Rob McCarthy]

Hi Talini,

Yes, if you write a SimConnect application to read the data from the GPS receiver you can use simulation variables to send data to the internal Prepar3D GPS. The learning center provides references to available SimConnect functions as well as GPS variables which can be set.

Regards,
Rob McCarthy

[tspj20]

Hi Rob,

Thank you very much for the quick response.

May I also ask how the GPS data (internal or external) is used? Is it combined with INS data, used for standalone positioning, or just displays the GPS position data?

If it is not combined with INS, to give final position output, is this something we need to (or possible to) do separately through software?

Does Prepar3D have capability for different approach and landing types (i.e NPA, APV, CAT etc)?

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Talini

[Rob McCarthy]

Hi Talini,

Please be aware that one side-effect of using SimConnect is additional latency. You may be better off using the ISimObject/IBaseObject interfaces in the PDK. Also, the internal GPS system may overwrite injected data on the next frame unless you disable this. Updating the actual aircraft's position and letting the internal GPS system update might be another alternative if this meets your needs.

Here is a summary on approach type support:
NPA - We support VOR, LOC, and GPS approaches
APV - We do not support vertical guidance on GPS approaches, only ILS
CAT - We don’t distinguish between CAT I,II, or III approaches.

Regards,
Rob McCarthy

[tspj20]

Hi Rob,

Thank you for clarifying the GPS update options and the supported ILS.

A few follow on questions:

Does the software support Inertial Navigation System and if it does, is the GPS position combined to give final position information? (Or should we be able to access them by buying an addon?)

Also, the NPA techniques being used - VOR, LOC and GPS - are they considered independently, or they combined?

Apologies for the series of questions - I'm trying to understand if the simulator suits our needs.

Thank you.

Regards,

Talini

[JB3DG]

P3D in and of itself doesn't have an INS simulation although one can be developed using the data it provides.

That said, given what you are trying to do (feed data from a GPS receiver to do an analysis in the simulator?), you can set the object position and velocity values directly using SimConnect or the PDK.