3
Number of U.S. presidential directives mandating alternatives to GPS.
IDPS™: Precision in every route
TERN’s patented, award-winning IDPS™ has been proven to deliver uninterrupted, high-accuracy navigation in the very environments where GPS fails – tunnels, dense urban canyons, remote terrain, and GPS-denied zones. Tested by the U.S. Department of Transportation, it has sustained ±4 meter accuracy over extended distances without any satellite input, completing over 180 continuous miles GPS-free and performing flawlessly under live GPS spoofing in a conflict zone. From urban streets to GPS-denied locations, IDPS™ keeps routes accurate, operations smooth, and drivers confident, offering a trusted alternative or backup to GPS that works anywhere the road goes.
“TERN is a low-cost answer to a problem that the U.S. Department of Transportation has been working on for decades.”
Diana Furchtgott-Roth | Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Department of Transportation
$1.6B
Cost of a 1-day GPS outage without a backup option in the U.S.
Source: The Brattle Group
3
Number of U.S. presidential directives mandating alternatives to GPS.
$1.6B
Cost of a 1-day GPS outage without a backup option in the U.S.
Source: The Brattle Group
IDPS™ | GPS Comparison
Actual side by side drive | Lower Wacker, Chicago
In this real-world demonstration on Chicago’s Lower Wacker Drive, TERN’s IDPS™ is shown operating in one of the most GPS-challenged environments in the urban U.S. As the vehicle approaches the underground roadway, the GPS feed begins to degrade, drifting onto incorrect streets before freezing or jumping erratically once fully below ground. Meanwhile, IDPS™, operating without any satellite signal, continues to accurately track the vehicle’s exact position in real time, throughout the drive. When the route emerges back into open air, GPS snaps back to the correct location, aligning with the uninterrupted, flawless trace IDPS™ maintained the entire time, demonstrating its ability to navigate precisely where GPS fails.
Compared to other wayfinding tech
TERN’s IDPS™
IDPS™ vs Automotive Dead Reckoning (ADR)
Dead reckoning relies on a starting point to track a moving object. As a result, dead reckoning’s accuracy decreases the further it gets from the starting point. IDPS™ continuously self-heals, updating the driver’s position in real-time, improving accuracy and reducing drift error without needing to check in with GPS. In side by side test drives, IDPS™ endpoint accuracy was one car length vs. 494m for traditional automotive dead reckoning
IDPS™ continuously learns and adapts in real-time using AI-based environmental awareness, enabling it to adjust its positioning estimates as road conditions change. It also powers turn-by-turn applications as well.
IDPS™ is highly efficient, requiring minimal computational overhead. It can run on mid-tier automotive processors with an average CPU load of under 20 percent and memory usage optimized for in-vehicle processing.
Yes, IDPS™ is compatible with major mapping platforms, including HERE, TomTom, OpenStreetMap (OSM), and custom GIS solutions, allowing for seamless data fusion with existing navigation systems.
Inertial navigation systems, or INS, are devices that use a combination of environmental sensors such as gyrometers and accelerometers to calculate the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object. Because these systems rely on dead reckoning, they suffer from drift, or error, over time. IDPS™ continuously corrects errors using AI-driven analysis. This allows for significantly improved accuracy and reliability over long distances without requiring GPS corrections.
No, IDPS™ does not use any camera or visual-based inputs. It relies upon 3D motion data.
Yes, IDPS™ runs fully offline and does not require an active internet connection. However, cloud-based processing can be used to enhance long-term learning and refinement for specific routes or conditions.
Unlike traditional inertial navigation systems that accumulate drift, or errors, over time, IDPS™ continuously corrects errors using AI-driven analysis, leveraging road network constraints and environmental cues to maintain positioning accuracy.
Tern’s Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS™) can replace GPS. It can also work as alongside GPS.
Yes. IDPS™ does not require signal to work. That means it can determine a driver’s position even in remote occluded environments where GPS would fail.
Yes. IDPS™ can be used on a smart device, tablet, car infotainment system, and on other eternal displays such as Zebra devices.
Patents
Protected by patents in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Provided to satisfy the virtual patent marking provisions of the America Invents Act under 35 U.S.C. § 287(a). The following list of Tern products may not be all inclusive, and other Tern products not listed here may be protected by one or more patents.
IDPS is protected by patent number:
US9618344B2
IDPS is protected by trademark number:
98125968
Patent pending:
18/521,959
Explore our applications
Tern powers a smooth, safe drive from point A to point B, and all the pit stops in between. IDPS™ works with vehicles’ existing base maps and sensors, improving navigation and location services that help users find food, rides, weather info, and first dates.
No matter how far off the grid professional drivers need to travel for package delivery, emergency response, or cross-country transportation, Tern can get them there.
Tern ensures positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information is available even when traditional communications networks are down, and is more secure than satellite-geolocation when it comes to jamming, spoofing, and hacking—all known threats to privacy and national security.