Topographic Data-Driven GPS Spoofing Detection for Advanced Air Mobility
Benedikt Adolph, Peter Seres, Daniel Ossmann · 2025
The Global Positioning System (GPS) spoofing attack detection problem for advanced air mobility is addressed using the model-based nullspace-based residual filter design paradigm. The nullspace-based approach enables numerically stable filter designs and results in residual filters of minimal order. This ensures optimal utilization of the given system structure, minimizing model dependence and thereby enhancing robustness against model uncertainties. The general problem of undetectable constant GPS spoofing attacks in typical aerial system setups is overcome by integrating a data-driven technique that explicitly utilizes topographic data of the underlying urban environment. The approach relies on the idea that altitude measured by a radar altimeter in an urban environment together with the topographic data at the current GPS position must correlate with the altitude provided by the static pressure system. A lack of correlation is an indicator of GPS spoofing attacks. The proposed technique is verified using a modern urban air mobility simulation model.