31
The number of free satellites GPS depends on
Source: gps.gov
How Tern works
Tern’s patented and award-winning Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS™) is where the rubber meets the road. Applying intelligence to 3D motion data from phones and cars, along with information from base maps, results in the most refined navigation experience yet.
The power of three
Base maps
Base maps
IDPS™ can stand alone or be configured to power a location manager and integrate with widely used applications such as Google Maps, Waze, OSM, ESRI, ArcGIS and Apple Maps.
Sensor data
Sensor data
Modern cars and devices are equipped with numerous sensors to track speed, nearby objects or people, blind spots, temperature, and more. Tern leverages the 3D motion data from these sensors, eliminating the need for additional expensive hardware, such as LEO satellites or terrestrial beacons.
Intelligence
Intelligence
Tern’s advanced adaptive weighing algorithms measure and interpret the data from sensors and recalibrates those inputs in real-time, applied against the base maps to increase accuracy. Tern AI is able to determine a driver’s location as they drive from their data and patterns, without a satellite—a groundbreaking achievement for GPS alternatives.
“Tern AI 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
31
The number of free satellites GPS depends on
Source: gps.gov
$1.6B
Cost of a 1-day GPS outage without a backup option
Compared to GPS
Tern never stops navigating
As an alternative to GPS or a complementary system, Tern is resilient in the face of satellite failure. IDPS™ isn’t susceptible to spoofing or jamming, and works in dead zones, tunnels, and urban mazes. So you can just keep getting where you’re going—uninterrupted.
Tern IDPS
GPS
Compared to other wayfinding tech
Tern offers a smoother ride
Dead reckoning
Dead reckoning
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 updates the driver’s position in real-time, improving accuracy and reducing drift error without needing to check in with GPS.
Product FAQs
IDPS™ continuously learns and adapts in real-time using AI-based environmental awareness, enabling it to adjust its positioning estimates as road conditions change.
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.
Yes. Because Tern doesn’t require that its system ping off of a satellite or receive incoming signals, it doesn’t require you to keep your Location Services on. This makes it more difficult for others to access your location when you are using IDPS™.
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.
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.
Team
There is no siloed thinking on Tern’s team. Leaders in artificial intelligence, professional navigators, and subject matter experts combine forces to drive innovation.
