Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
As the Air Force contemplates changing its GPS III prime contractor in the face of program delays, sources say it is also weighing much broader program changes to help it weather years of continued lean budgets.
By Inside GNSS
Two powerful lawmakers are weighing rewriting the rules for the way frequencies are allocated as part of an overhaul of the nation’s telecommunications laws. The effort, which is likely to see legislation drafted next year, is considering options such as flexible licensing and receiver standards that could directly affect the GPS community.
By Inside GNSS
The Institute of Navigation is partnering with the publisher of Inside GNSS to produce, publish, and distribute an expanded Show Daily publication at this year’s ION GNSS+ 2014 event taking place September 9–12 in Tampa, Florida. The alliance will leverage the magazine’s many years of publishing expertise to advance the business interests of exhibitors and attendees.
By Inside GNSS
Harbinger Capital Partners, a hedge fund controlled by Phil Falcone that acted as the primary financial backer of LightSquared, is suing the United States government over the failure of the proposed terrestrial broadband wireless network that would have broadcast in RF spectrum adjacent to GNSS L1 frequencies.
By Inside GNSS
A weeklong workshop on GNSS and its scientific applications in low-latitude regions of the world will be held in Trieste, Italy at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) on December 1-5, 2014.
The five-day event will be held in English. It is sponsored by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and organized by the USA and European Commission through the UN’s International Committee on GNSS (ICG).
By Inside GNSS
San Jose, California–based InvenSense, Inc. announced today (July 7, 2014) that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Trusted Positioning Inc. (TPI), a privately-held indoor/outdoor positioning software company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Movea, a provider of software for low-power location, activity tracking, and context sensing.
By Inside GNSS
Federal aviation officials appear to be moving quickly to defuse mounting pressure for the commercial use of unmanned aircraft, clarifying their authority over such aircraft and starting the public process for licensing small firms for limited operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken a tough stance in its interpretation of the legal uses for model aircraft published on June 23 in the Federal Register. The issue surged into the national spotlight when the agency failed to win a legal challenge over its authority to regulate such devices.
By Inside GNSS
In response to the ongoing federal budget squeeze, the U.S. Air Force is restructuring the contract for developing its new GPS ground system, a move that could further delay its completion.
The Air Force has asked Raytheon, its contractor for the Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX), to develop an alternative plan in light of fiscal limitations.
“The current baseline approach is unaffordable” given the funding constraints and “appears to be a much higher risk,” said Steve Moran, the director of GPS Mission Solutions at Raytheon.
By Inside GNSS
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision issued last Wednesday (June 25, 2014) listed the history of precise locations contained in the phone as an example of the information that individuals have a right to have protected against “unreasonable searches and seizures.”
The decision, delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr., addressed two cases in which cell phones were seized in unrelated incidents and ruled that the contents of cell phones are generally covered by the Fourth Amendment.
A series of ABI Research studies released in recent months sketches a promising future of robust growth in GNSS OEM markets.
The London- and New York–based company’s 2014 GNSS IC vendor matrix released today (June 30, 2014) concluded that Qualcomm is the leading GPS IC vendor, followed by Broadcom, and — for the first time — MediaTek in third place after another year of strong growth and robust shipments as a result of its targeted design strategy.
By Inside GNSS
Trimble announced today (June 26, 2014) that registration is officially open for its International User Conference — Trimble Dimensions — being held November 3–5 at the Mirage and the Treasure Island hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The conference focuses on innovations and applications of navigation, positioning, and information technologies in agriculture, construction, civil infrastructure, engineering, government, mapping, natural resources, surveying, telecommunications, transportation & logistics, and utilities.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials took a new tack last Friday (June 20, 2014) in their search for frequencies for mobile broadband, kicking off what they said they hoped would become an industry partnership that can find ways to get more out of the radio spectrum while protecting GPS.
By Inside GNSS
GPS and GLONASS emerged from the depths of the Cold War to become the world’s leading dual-use (civil/military) GNSS programs in the post-Soviet era.
Now renewed tensions between their national sponsors, the United States and Russia, are undercutting a decade-long move toward GNSS cooperation.
The United States and Russia initiated bilateral GNSS cooperation in December 2004, with the primary goal of enabling civil interoperability at the user level between GPS and GLONASS. In June 2012 the two nations issued a renewed statement of cooperation in GNSS.
By Inside GNSS
