A: System Categories Archives - Page 105 of 199 - Inside GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design

June 30, 2014

FAA Seeks Comment on Groundbreaking UAS Application, Model Aircraft Rules

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

GPS OCX Program Being Restructured as Budget Pressures Mount

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

Supreme Court Decision Cites GPS Location as Factor in Warrantless Cell Phone Search

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.

By Inside GNSS

[uam_ad id="183541"]

Market Research Firm Sees Bright Prospects for GNSS OEMs

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

June 26, 2014

Trimble Dimensions 2014 Opens Registration

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.

By Inside GNSS

June 23, 2014

FCC Courts GPS Community in Effort to Solve Spectrum Crunch

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

June 17, 2014

GNSS Monitoring Stations Slide into U.S.-Russia Rift

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

[uam_ad id="183541"]

Russia Launches CDMA Payload on GLONASS-M

On Saturday (June 14, 2014) Russia placed a GLONASS-M satellite into orbit, carried there by a Soyuz 2-1b rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome north of Moscow.

GLONASS-M 55 was put into the constellation’s slot 21 in the third orbital plane.

According to ISS Reshetnev, the manufacturer of the satellite, GLONASS-M 55 is equipped with an experimental payload capable of transmitting CDMA signals in the L3 frequency band, centered at 1202.025 MHz. Flight testing of the new equipment will evaluate the accuracy of the new CDMA signal.

By Inside GNSS

June 16, 2014

ICAO to Sponsor First-Time Industry Showcase

In an unprecedented move, the United Nations’ aviation organization will sponsor an industry showcase next spring at which manufacturers can demonstrate their wares to nations looking to upgrade their systems.

By Inside GNSS

June 10, 2014

Homeland Security Researching GPS Disruptions, Solutions

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is advancing beyond simple assessment of the risks that GPS disruptions pose to critical infrastructure and is considering the development of new technology to mitigate jamming and spoofing while working with vendors to integrate that technology into receivers.

By Inside GNSS

June 9, 2014

NavtechGPS Winter GNSS Training (Courses 123, 346 & 546)

NavtechGPS Winter GNSS Training 2014 will take place at the Bay Club Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California, December 8-11, 2014.

Course 346: In-Depth GPS/GNSS Operation for Engineers & Technical Professionals: Principles, Technology, Applications and an Introduction to Basic DGPS Concepts. (4-day course)
Taught by Dr. Chris Hegarty, MITRE

By Inside GNSS

AfricaGEO 2014 Conference & Exhibition

The AfricaGEO 2014 Conference & Exhibition will be held at Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in Cape Town, South Africa, from July 1-3 2014. The conference theme is ‘Developing Geomatics for Africa’, with an emphasis on the development of Geomatics (as an industry/technology) in the African context.

A series of plenary and parallel technical sessions as well as panel discussions will be scheduled throughout the three day conference. The official language of the conference will be English.

By Inside GNSS