The potential 48-satellite constellation offered by the combination of observations from both the GPS and GLONASS positioning systems has created considerable interest among existing GPS users. In the published literature, a considerable amount of work has been devoted to the theoretical issue of algorithm design for combined GPS/GLONASS positioning solutions. Little work has been published, however, on the practical conversion of existing GPS software to include GLONASS observations. This paper considers the computation issues pertaining to the GLONASS broadcast ephemeris for inclusion of GLONASS observations into existing GPS software. The format of the GLONASS broadcast ephemeris is discussed and theory of satellite orbits and their stepwise numerical integration is reviewed. Finally, a strategy for GLONASS broadcast ephemeris computation is proposed to facilitate combination of GPS and GLONASS observations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.