Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
NovAtel OEM638NovAtel Inc. has announced the addition of the two receivers and two antennas to its GNSS product lines: the OEM638 GNSS receiver card, ProPak6 enclosure, SMART6 integrated antenna, and AG-STAR antenna.
By Inside GNSS
EquationsWorking 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
Doctoral-level graduate students and early-career engineers, researchers and instructors from Japan and the rest of the world will meet at a weeklong summer seminar this August in Tokyo, sponsored by the Institute of Positioning, Navigation and Timing of Japan.
The summer school will take place in from August 19 through August 24 at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT). Classes wil be held in English.
The IRNSS-1A spacecraft. ISRO photoIndia’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.
By Inside GNSS
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.
By Inside GNSS
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.
By Inside GNSS
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.”
By Inside GNSS
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.
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.
By Inside GNSS
Gian Gherardo Calini. GSA photoAccording 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.
By Inside GNSS
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.
By Inside GNSS
Spirent GSS6425Spirent 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.
By Inside GNSS
[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.
By Dee Ann Divis
