Pratap Misra
Research/Areas of Interest
GPS, emerging satellite navigation systems
Education
- Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States, 1973
- M.S., Lehigh University, Bethlehem, United States, 1967
- B.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India, 1965
Biography
Before joining Tufts University in 2010, Pratap Misra had a 40-year career in industry developing algorithms for various purposes: to identify crops in early Landsat multi-spectral images; to manage computer systems at Johnson Space Center so they would keep up with data streams from Skylab; to analyze software readiness to fly a Space Shuttle mission; to resolve radio signals that are close in frequency; and to ensure that a pilot can safely execute a GPS-guided approach to a fogged-in runway. He has written two books on GPS: a widely used graduate-level engineering textbook coauthored with Professor Per Enge of Stanford University, and a 100-page chatty account aimed at general GPS users who may be curious about what GPS is, how it works, and how it came about.
Pratap Misra's research has focused on GPS and the global navigation satellite systems now under development (GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and others) and their applications, particularly in civil aviation. His current research interests, beside GPS-guided precision approach and landing, include personal and automobile navigation systems that combine multiple sensors (compass, camera, pedometer, accelerometer, gyro, etc.), databases (digital street maps and Wi-Fi access point locations), and assistance from communication networks for robust positioning when GPS is not available.
Pratap Misra's research has focused on GPS and the global navigation satellite systems now under development (GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and others) and their applications, particularly in civil aviation. His current research interests, beside GPS-guided precision approach and landing, include personal and automobile navigation systems that combine multiple sensors (compass, camera, pedometer, accelerometer, gyro, etc.), databases (digital street maps and Wi-Fi access point locations), and assistance from communication networks for robust positioning when GPS is not available.