GNSS Hotspots | January 2016
Catching thieves in California, Galileo satellites test Einstein, Russian space agency remodel, and 911 training for operators who can’t read maps.
By Inside GNSSCatching thieves in California, Galileo satellites test Einstein, Russian space agency remodel, and 911 training for operators who can’t read maps.
By Inside GNSSHaving started out with a crowd source–funded launch through Kickstarter followed by two rounds of more conventional venture capital backing — $2.6 million in 2014 and another $11 million last December — San Francisco, California–based Swift Navigation is going after a low-cost, high-precision market such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with its Piksi GPS receiver platform.
By Inside GNSSThe federal government is looking to small firms to help solve some of its toughest GPS-related technology problems with many of the projects focusing on countering jamming while others endeavor to simplify signal acquisition and improve links within the constellation. A recent spate of requests for proposals for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts have been released by various agencies. These include the following:
By Inside GNSSThe 11th Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) European Congress and industry exhibition will be held at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow, Scotland June 6 – 9, 2016.
By Inside GNSSA new international conference on advanced GNSS and 3D spatial techniques will be held at the University of Trieste, Main Conference Room, H3 Building, on February 18, 19 and 20. It is free to participants.
The conference will focus on GNSS applications for civil and environmental engineering, geophysiques, architecture, archaeology and cultural heritage. It has been organized in memory of Giorgio Manzoni, professional of surveying and mapping at the university.
By Inside GNSSThe 23rd International Conference on Integrated Navigation Systems will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 30 – June 1, 2016.
The event is being held during the lively "White Nights" tourist season, when the sun stays up until 11 p.m. or later. Guided city tours will be arranged for the participants of the Conference.
By Inside GNSS
GAGAN — India’s SBAS
Redefining Navigation over the Indian Region
Recognizing the potential benefits of satellite-based augmentation systems, India took the early initiative to create its own SBAS called GAGAN — GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation.
Europe’s space community rang in the New Year with two of its brightest annual fixtures: the European Union (EU) Space Policy conference in Brussels and the European Space Agency (ESA) media briefing in Paris.
The events brought out all of the relevant voices and served to illustrate not only the disposition of materiel and troops but also their intent and even the level of morale.
By Peter GutierrezWorking Papers explore the technical and scientific themes that underpin GNSS programs and applications. This regular column is coordinated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Günter Hein, head of Europe’s Galileo Operations and Evolution.
With the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), a European team designed a frequency- and time-transfer process and validated its performance in a complex navigation test bed. This two-way time-transfer technology took advantage of the following:
By Günter W. HeinQ: What is Doppler collision and is it a problem in GNSS?
A: Doppler collision is a physical effect in code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems where code measurement errors are observed due to cross-correlation effects. Doppler collision may occur when the Doppler frequency between signals from two different transmitters is smaller than the code lock loop bandwidth.
By Inside GNSSThe GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system was developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), together with Airports Authority of India (AAI), to deploy and certify an operational satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS). The system’s service area covers the Indian Flight Information Region (FIR), with the capability of expanding to neighboring FIRs.
By Inside GNSSIn satellite navigation, the user receiver finds its position by measuring its distance to satellites and knowledge of the satellite position. The distance is measured by ranging, i.e., finding the delay of the signal from the transmitter to the receiver. The delay will comprise of payload hardware delay and the geometric range delay. Hence, the payload delay of the signal from generation to radiation is very important and needs to be transmitted in navigation data.
By Inside GNSSSmall GPS jammers, particularly the “personal privacy devices” readily available on the Internet, pose one of the greatest risks to the nation’s critical infrastructure, according to a now-public Homeland Security assessment.
By Dee Ann Divis