Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Federal efforts to protect positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals came under sharp criticism during the December meeting of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) getting a bureaucratic ear boxing for having done little so far to specifically protect GPS.
By Inside GNSS
Lawmakers are poised to sharply limit the ability of foreign nations to own or control satellite system monitoring stations on U.S. territory, a rare show of congressional cooperation triggered by a Russian request to place stations supporting its satellite navigation system on American soil.
By Inside GNSS
Editor’s Note: On November 19, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, filed an amendment (No. 2185) to the FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1197),
Section 1082, that would limit the construction of satellite
positioning ground monitoring stations controlled by any foreign
government on U.S. soil. Such construction would require certification
Highway safety officials are crafting guidelines aimed at pushing manufacturers to make portable electronic devices — including cell phones, hand-held navigation receivers, and navigation apps — less likely to distract drivers. They may face some push back, however, from members of Congress who are already questioning whether GNSS devices should be included under the proposed standards.
Receiver (on the right) and antenna (on the left) comprised the on-board unit used in both data collectionsWorking 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.
By Inside GNSS
The GPS program is setting a new space-system standard for cyberdefense, and now the federal government is creating a framework to help operators of critical infrastructure that largely rely on GPS to do the same.
The need to raise the bar is clear. Malicious coders, often backed by hostile nation-states or criminal organizations, are using automated tools to continuously probe for weaknesses:
By Dee Ann Divis
GPS/BeiDou/MEMS configuration and GPS/MEMS configuration (left and right, respectively, top photo), Front view (center photo) and back view (lower photo) of nAX5.2Due to the huge success of GPS in both military and civil applications, several other GNSSs have been developed, built, and operated in the last few decades. GNSS, regional, and augmentation systems are comprise a growing family that also includes GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). New members, such as the Global Indian Navigation System (GINS), are preparing to join in next decade.
By Inside GNSS
NovAtel Inc. has announced the NovAtel CORRECT positioning technology, which combines data from multiple GNSS satellite constellations with corrections from a variety of sources, to deliver the best position solution possible.
Designed for NovAtel’s OEM6 receivers, CORRECT capabilities can be implemented in three ways, with correction data delivered via satellite or Internet, depending on the requirements of the application: precise point positioning (PPP), TERRASTAR, or real-time kinematic (RTK).
By Inside GNSS
Components of a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Crash Avoidance System. Sources: Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership and GAOA Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies released today (November 1, 2013) identified concerns about GPS accuracy and relative positioning that could limit its use in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) systems.
However, U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) officials responding to the GAO study expressed confidence that the quality of GPS receivers in today’s automobiles will be sufficient to support V2V safety applications.
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
This webinar took place on November 13, 2013.
Webinar Presentation Slides
Autonomy, but at what price?
By Inside GNSS
Hemisphere GNSS has launched the Eclipse P306 and P307 multi-frequency GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou modules, the first products to incorporate the company’s new SX4 ASIC.
With 372 channels, the modules can simultaneously track code and carrier phase signals on up to 89 satellites, are are Galileo- and QZSS-ready, and can be configured to address several diverse applications through software, according to the company.
By Inside GNSS
JAVAD GNSS has introduced the Triumph-LS, a complete real-time kinematic survey system including an 864-channel receiver capable of receiving and processing all available GNSS signals, antenna, radio modem, controller, and collapsible pole. The receiver is based on JAVAD GNSS’s new Triumph 2 chip.
