B: Applications

India Successfully Launches IRNSS-1A
July 12, 2013

India Successfully Launches IRNSS-1A

The IRNSS-1A spacecraft. ISRO photo

India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO) reports that its first Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System satellite (IRNSS-1A), has reached geosynchronous orbit and all subsystems are operating normally.

The spacecraft was launched July 1 on board a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C22,  from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. This is the twenty third consecutively successful mission of PSLV.

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By Inside GNSS
Congress Slashes Civil GPS Funding
June 28, 2013

Congress Slashes Civil GPS Funding

In a set of decisions that could potentially slow GPS modernization both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees this week slashed funding for the civil community’s contribution to the GPS system from the Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) budget.

The House eliminated the entire amount of the White House budget request for $20 million, which is paid through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Senate cut a mere $5 million — 25 percent of what had been the requested.

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By Inside GNSS
Acquisition of ST-Ericsson GNSS Portfolio Would Strengthen Intel’s Location Capabilities

Acquisition of ST-Ericsson GNSS Portfolio Would Strengthen Intel’s Location Capabilities

Assuming that its deal to acquire ST-Ericsson’s GNSS business closes in August as expected, Intel Corporation will find itself with expanded opportunities — and competitive set — in the mobile location marketplace.

Over the years, Intel has dominated the now-mature, even declining personal computer and server markets, but has found the rapidly growing mobile device environment — including smartphones and tablets —tougher going. Its Atom processor reportedly resides in only 12 percent of the former and 15 percent of the latter.

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By Inside GNSS
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Homeland Security’s National Risk Estimate on GPS Disruption: Still a Lot of Unknowns

Homeland Security’s National Risk Estimate on GPS Disruption: Still a Lot of Unknowns

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released an abbreviated fact sheet and a summary report on its evaluation of the risks to U.S. critical infrastructure from GPS disruptions.

The unsurprising “bottom line,” as the public summary put it: “U.S. critical infrastructure sectors are increasingly at risk from a growing dependency on GPS for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. Such dependencies are not always apparent.”

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By Inside GNSS
Trimble Launches UAS Photogrammetry System
June 19, 2013

Trimble Launches UAS Photogrammetry System

Trimble has introduced its next-generation unmanned aircraft system (UAS) — the UX5 aerial imaging rover with the Trimble Access aerial imaging application.
 
According to the Sunnyvale, California– based company, the new UAS enhances the image quality and workflows its predecessor, the Trimble Gatewing X100. Combined with the Trimble Business Center photogrammetry office software module, the Trimble UX5 is provides a UAS photogrammetric mapping solution specifically designed for surveyors and geospatial professionals.   
 

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By Inside GNSS
House Committee Makes Deeper Cuts to FY14 GPS Budget
June 18, 2013

House Committee Makes Deeper Cuts to FY14 GPS Budget

The House Appropriations Committee has made a series of cuts to GPS programs that, if agreed to by the Senate, suggest an overall slowdown in the pace of GPS modernization.

While lawmakers on the House Authorization Committee agreed to the full amount of each of the president’s GPS-related requests, their counterparts on the Appropriations Committee cut a total of just over 9 percent from the total budget request for GPS spacecraft, ground systems, and user equipment.

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By Inside GNSS
EU Calls Out European Industry on GNSS Opportunities

EU Calls Out European Industry on GNSS Opportunities

Gian Gherardo Calini. GSA photo

According to European Union (EU) figures, there should be €90 billion in benefits to be reaped by industry as a result of Europe’s €11 billion investment in Galileo. But what that really means is that there will be €90 billion in new income out there for someone to take.

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By Inside GNSS
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CNAV Tests Begin on GPS L2C and L5 Signals
June 16, 2013

CNAV Tests Begin on GPS L2C and L5 Signals

The U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC ) began testing modernized civil navigation (CNAV) message capabilities on the GPS L2C and L5 signals for the first time yesterday (June 15, 2013).

This first test period is scheduled to continue through July 1 (Julian Day 182), according to a Notice Advisory to NAVSTAR Users (NANU 2013034), although a tentative CNAV test plan shows the tests ending on June 29.

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By Inside GNSS
Spirent Launches Multi-Frequency Wideband GNSS Record & Playback System
June 10, 2013

Spirent Launches Multi-Frequency Wideband GNSS Record & Playback System

Spirent GSS6425

Spirent Communications has launched its GSS6425 multi-frequency GNSS record and playback (RPS) test system, a self-contained and portable unit that allows  users to record and play back data in the field without the need for an additional PC or external power.

The GSS6425 provides customers with RF recordings on for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS (Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) constellations, including L1, L2, and L5 frequencies representing more than 30 megahertz of bandwidth.

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By Inside GNSS
Air Force Proposes Dramatic Redesign for GPS Constellation
June 4, 2013

Air Force Proposes Dramatic Redesign for GPS Constellation

[Updated June 3, 2013] With the budget vise tightening, top Pentagon managers are readying some potentially dramatic changes to the GPS constellation — changes that promise to lower both the cost of the satellites and the expense of putting them into orbit.  

The first changes would be subtle and are linked to buying the next block of GPS III satellites — a decision that sources confirm will be made by the end of September.  

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By Dee Ann Divis
GNSS Hotspots | May 2013
May 28, 2013

GNSS Hotspots | May 2013

One of 12 magnetograms recorded at Greenwich Observatory during the Great Geomagnetic Storm of 1859
1996 soccer game in the Midwest, (Rick Dikeman image)
Nouméa ground station after the flood
A pencil and a coffee cup show the size of NASA’s teeny tiny PhoneSat
Bonus Hotspot: Naro Tartaruga AUV
Pacific lamprey spawning (photo by Jeremy Monroe, Fresh Waters Illustrated)
“Return of the Bucentaurn to the Molo on Ascension Day”, by (Giovanni Antonio Canal) Canaletto
The U.S. Naval Observatory Alternate Master Clock at 2nd Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB in Colorado. This photo was taken in January, 2006 during the addition of a leap second. The USNO master clocks control GPS timing. They are accurate to within one second every 20 million years (Satellites are so picky! Humans, on the other hand, just want to know if we’re too late for lunch) USAF photo by A1C Jason Ridder.
Detail of Compass/ BeiDou2 system diagram
Hotspot 6: Beluga A300 600ST

1. PESTS

State of California, USA
√ The California Agriculture department is using collective intelligence and GPS to “report a pest.” State residents can download the new CDFA smartphone app and use it to photograph and report bad bugs when they see ‘em. Those with iPhones can choose to send GPS coordinates for quick response to invasive pest emergencies.

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By Inside GNSS
BeiDou

BeiDou

Prof. Jingnan Liu, Chinese Academy of Engineering

Since announcing plans in late 2006 to build its own GNSS system — BeiDou-2 (BDS), China proceeded quickly to establish a fully operational regional system late last year with a clear plan to complete a global system by 2020.

Beginning with its first launch in April 2007, BDS has put 16 satellites in orbit, some in dual launches, with 14 BeiDou space vehicles currently transmitting healthy signals: 5 in geostationary orbits (GEO), 5 in inclined geosynchronous orbits (IGSO), and 4 middle Earth orbit (MEO) spacecraft.

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By Inside GNSS
Di Qiu: Opportunities of Signals

Di Qiu: Opportunities of Signals

Di Qiu at the site of her current employer

SIDEBAR: Di Qiu’s Compass Points

Landing all-weather aircraft safely in storms. Protecting sensitive data not only through encryption but based on the location at which it is being accessed. Ensuring that accurate and timely information reaches first responders responding to emergencies. 

Although still in the early part of her career, Di Qiu has already made significant contributions to these crucial applications of navigation technology. 

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By Inside GNSS
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