Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Variations on the common GPS/Galileo MBOC signalThe U.S. government is so unhappy about a British patent claim on the new civil GPS signal that, if things cannot be worked out, officals might consider abandoning the countries’ interoperable signal structure, sources told Inside GNSS.
By Inside GNSS
New York’s 450 Park Avenue, home of Harbinger CapitalHarbinger Capital Management LLC fund manager Philip Falcone has reportedly agreed to eventually withdraw from his leadership position with LightSquared Inc., the would-be wireless broadband that ran into problems because its proposed terrestrial transmitters would have caused interference to GPS receivers.
By Inside GNSS
Two Beidou-2 MEO satellites go up on a Long March rocketChina successfully launched two Compass satellites into space at 4:50 a.m. Beijing Time on Monday, April 30 (20:50 UTC, April 29).
Designated Compass M3 and M4, these are the 12th and 13th of its second-generation Beidou-2 spacecraft to reach orbit and the second and third middle-Earth-orbiting (MEO) spacecraft launched by China’s GNSS program.
By Inside GNSS
Variations on the common GPS/Galileo MBOC signalThe British military establishment is seeking royalties from GPS receiver manufacturers, asserting it holds a patent on the technology at the heart of the new GPS and Galileo civil signals.
Should U.S. manufacturers have to pay royalties, American GPS users, who have already paid for the GPS constellation and made it available to the world free of charge, could find themselves spending more to use its location capabilities. Sources said the development could undermine relations between the U.S. and the European Union (EU), which have cooperated for years to develop a common signal at the L1/E1 frequency centered at 1575.42 MHz.
By Inside GNSS
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a search for an atomic inertial sensor to measure orientation in GPS-denied environments.
The Chip-Scale Combinatorial Atomic Navigator (C-SCAN) initiative seeks to create a sensor that integrates small size, low power consumption, high resolution of motion detection, and a fast startup time into a single package.
By Inside GNSS
Location of real-time GPS monitoring stations in the western United States that make up part of the Real-Time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster Mitigation Network. The networks stations are overlain on a U.S. Geological Survey seismic hazard map showing areas forecast to have a 10-percent probability of exceeding a certain level of ground shaking within the next 50 years. (Areas in shades of red have the strongest shaking, while areas in green shades have the weakest shaking.) Image credit: USGS/UC Berkeley/Scripps Institution of OceanographyEvolution of real-time GNSS reference networks and data processing has evolved to the point that NASA-backed researchers believe they can soon implement large-scale demonstration tests to provide earthquake and tsunami alerts to the general public and emergency responders.
By Inside GNSS
The 11th GPS Partnership Council meeting will take place on May 1 and 2,
2012 at the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air
Force Base in El Segundo, California. It is located about four miles
south of the Los Angeles Airport.
As of April 27, the meeting is full, however registration is open for the golf tournament on Wednesday and social evening on Tuesday.
By Inside GNSS
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Raytheon Company a two-year contract extension to continue to provide services for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The $30.1 million contract extends the period of performance through Sept. 24, 2013.
By Inside GNSS
Aurora Borealis, 1977, near Anchorage, Alaska from the National Weather Service collection in NOAA’s online photo databaseThe annual Space Weather Workshop will take place on April 24-27 2012 at the Millennium Hotel in Boulder, Colorado. Registration is now open.
The conference schedule is online here.
Organizers call it the meeting of science, research, applications, operations and users.
By Inside GNSS
Last year’s Satellite Navigation Conference, held in Shanghai.Opening Day Video (CNTV)
The CSNC, now in its third year, is an open platform for academic exchanges in the field of satellite navigation. Its aim is to encourage technological innovation, accelerate GNSS engineering and boost the development of the satellite navigation industry in China.
The conference will be held May 15-19 2012 at the Poly World Trade Center, Exhibit Hall 6, in Guangzhou, China.
By Inside GNSS
Pres. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the “Missile Man of India,” in 2008. (wikicommons)The 2012 Geospatial World Forum will be held at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Center from April 23 to April 27. The venue is in the south part of the city and close to the airport.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, president of India 2002-2007 and one of the country’s most famous space scientists, will give the keynote talk. Kalam, called the "People’s President" was also known as the "Missile Man of India" for his work on development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology.
By Inside GNSS
The 26th European Frequency and Time Forum will take place at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden on April 24, 25 and 26, 2012. Tutorials will be offered on April 23.
Group technical tours to the National Metrology Institute at SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden and Onsala Space Observatory will be arranged for April 27.
By Inside GNSS
PLANS conference venueThis biennial conference and industry exhibition explores the field of navigation—from fundamental research, to applications, to field test results.
It will take place April 24, 25 and 26 at the Marriott Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina USA.
Sponsored by IEEE’s Aerospace and Electronics Systems Society and the Institute of Navigation, participants will learn about sensors, systems, optimal integration of multiple sensors and emerging technologies in navigation.
