Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
In major step toward enabling unmanned aircraft to operate freely in the U.S. the federal government released a set of plans Thursday (November 7, 2013)on how it plans to integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace, including a policy to help protect the privacy of those living near drone test sites.
By Inside GNSS
A new nonprofit has been launched to push for repurposing the United States’ old C-Loran infrastructure to support a new, privately funded Enhanced Loran (eLoran) service as a backup to GPS.
By Inside GNSS
The Institute of Navigation’s 2014 International Technical Meeting will take place January 27, 28 and 29 at the Catamaran Resort and Spa in San Diego, California.
The plenary session topics include:
The technical sessions address:
By Inside GNSS
This will be the 27th international technical meeting of the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation. It is the world’s largest and oldest GNSS conference, founded in 1987 as the ION GPS conference.
The conference is now called ION GNSS+ to highlight its expanded emphasis on GNSS and the rapidly evolving field of alternative navigation methods.
By Inside GNSS
A General Accountability Office (GAO) report on “GPS Disruptions” issued today (November 6, 2013) concludes that the Department of Transportation (DoT) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) need to improve their efforts to assess the associated risks and mitigate them.
The report comes nearly nine years after a National Security Policy Directive (NSPD-39) on U.S. Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Policy directed the agencies to develop a plan for detecting and mitigating GPS interference and develop a backup PNT capability.
By Inside GNSS
A cloud-based solution for analyzing and visualizing athletic training data on mobile devices has won this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC).
By Inside GNSS
The Army is working on GPS equipment that would connect with a single, user-friendly device like a smart phone or through a single hub to reduce the number of devices a soldier has to carry and to facilitate software updates.
The work is part of a wide-ranging effort at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland to shift the focus away from having positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capability in each device —such as a DAGR (Defense Advanced GPS Receiver) or range finder — connecting equipment into a single device that supplies the necessary PNT information.
By Inside GNSS
The GPS program appears well positioned to weather another round of budget cuts, although some contractors that support the program may not be so fortunate.
“I would expect GPS will be relatively protected (with) continued investment and modernization of the satellite constellation.” said Robert Levinson, a senior defense analyst for Bloomberg Government during an October 28 briefing.
“GPS is in fairly good shape,” confirmed an expert familiar with the Air Force’s budget.
By Inside GNSS
After just a year in office, the leader of the organization that helps keep federal GPS activities in sync is retiring.
National Coordination Office (NCO) Director Jan Brecht-Clark, told Inside GNSS that her family convinced her it was a good time to make the move.
“My family has been talking to me about retiring while I still have my health,” she said, adding that she is looking forward to traveling.
By Inside GNSS
Planned launch of the fifth GPS Block II-F satellite on a Delta IV rocket has been delayed twice and now has no firm date for a new attempt.
Officials with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) — a 50-50 joint venture owned by Lockheed Martin and Boeing — attributed the delay to recent results of the second phase of an investigation into an anomaly that affected the second stage of a Delta IV GPS launch in October 2012.
By Inside GNSS
The 2013 International Symposium on Precision Approach and Performance Based Navigation will be held at the Maritim proArte Hotel in Berlin, Germany on October 23 – 24, 2013.
The symposium will focus on aircraft approaches and performance based navigation, including approaches using standalone GPS, technological aspects such as GNSS, augmentation systems, radio navigation, and new and emerging navigation services.
By Inside GNSS
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has contracted with NovAtel Inc. to produce and deliver 176 Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) third-generation reference receivers (G-III).
The contract also includes engineering support for the G-III receiver as well as the current generation reference receiver (G-II), Geostationary Earth Orbit Uplink Subsystem – Type 1 (GUST) receiver, and Signal Generator (SIGGEN).
By Inside GNSS
A group of top frequency experts recommended last week that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conduct a pilot test of the concept of “harm claim thresholds” (HCTs), an approach that requires receiver manufacturers to build devices capable of withstanding a predetermined level of interference from users in adjacent frequencies.
By Inside GNSS
