In a move that will boost the GPS industry and worldwide confidence in the U.S. system at a critical time, President Clinton announced May 1 that he ordered an end to the Defense Department’s practice of degrading GPS accuracy for civil users.

Ending “selective availability,” the “wobbling” of GPS clock signals, is expected to increase accuracy from 100 meters (328 feet) to 12 meters (less than 40 feet) 95 percent of the time, and to six meters (less than 20 feet) half of the time, as reported by our sister publication GLOBAL POSITIONING & NAVIGATION NEWS.