Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Today will go down as a great day for those in support of protecting their privacy as the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of digital privacy.
By Stan Goff
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting 5 Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) navigation payload, developed by Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business, is now operational and fully integrated into the WAAS network. The GEO 5 payload joins two others already on orbit in correcting GPS satellite signal ionospheric disturbances, timing issues, and minor orbit adjustments, giving users increased coverage, improved accuracy, and better reliability.
By Inside GNSS
Over at least half a dozen years the GPS III Follow On program has taken a number of dramatic turns only to wind up, in true soap opera fashion, with the same leading characters headed to the altar.
At the end of the latest episode, the field of suitors for the multi-billion-dollar GPS IIIF contract narrowed suddenly in April when two of the three corporate hopefuls abruptly left the field.
By Dee Ann Divis
Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center on Sunday to orbit a GLONASS-M satellite, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release this week.
By Inside GNSS
Just more than 60 years ago the U.S Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) launched what has become the longest remaining man-made object in space.
Launched in March 1958, Vanguard I, a component of the Vanguard Project, is a small aluminum sphere (16.5 centimeters in diameter) that was designed to partake in the International Geophysical Year (IGY) — a series of coordinated observations of various geophysical phenomena during solar maximum, spanning July 1957 through December 1958.
By Inside GNSS
Who knows what’s in store for this year’s 15th edition of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), which is currently scouting for new business ideas through July 31, 2018. The innovation competition annually awards the best services, products, and business ideas using satellite navigation in everyday life.
By Stan Goff
The issue at hand is whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should allow a change in the use of frequencies close to those used by GPS. Virginia-based Ligado Networks wants to repurpose its satellite frequencies to also support ground-based telecom services. Testing done several years ago and expanded upon more recently has shown such a system could seriously interfere with GPS receivers.
Some three months after a meeting of the key federal agencies using and running the GPS program, they have yet to release a letter stating their recommendation on whether to allow the development of a potentially interfering telecommunication service.
By Dee Ann Divis
RTCA President Margaret T. Jenny has informed the Board of Directors of her intention to retire from RTCA this August, at the end of her second 5-year contract. RTCA’s Board will initiate a search process to identify a successor for her.
By Inside GNSS
In response to the growing threat of GPS/GNSS interference in military operations, Orolia is presenting its Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Solutions at this week’s Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, France.
By Stan Goff
Inertial Labs, Inc., a developer and supplier of inertial sensors & systems, has released an affordable, multi GNSS constellation, 1 cm RTK accuracy dual-antenna GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System (INS).
The “INS-DL” and the OEM version “INS-DL-OEM” are multi-constellation (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) GPS-Aided INS designed to achieve 1 cm Position and 0.05° Heading, Pitch & Roll accuracy. These highly precise and high-accuracy INS are available for around $5,000 USD.
Designed for developers of autonomous and unmanned systems; vehicles and small robots for precision agriculture; payloads for remote sensing and survey applications, the GPS-Aided “INS-DL” and “INS-DL-OEM” are compact and deliver high performance.
The “INS-DL” can be supplied as a classic Inertial Navigation System, which outputs Position, Orientation and IMU data for real-time and post-processing operation, or as an advanced, GPS-Aided Motion Reference Unit, which outputs Position, Velocity, Heading, Pitch, Roll, Heave, Surge, Sway and Significant Wave Height data for survey, hydrography, bathymetry and motion control.
“GPS-Aided INS-DL is a result of significant efforts of our R&D team. It is a market-oriented solution, geared towards applications, requiring the best combination of high performance and low cost” said Jamie Marraccini, Inertial Labs’ CEO & President, in a press release.
This year, Inertial Labs celebrates its 17th anniversary of supplying inertial sensor-based solutions for land, marine and aerospace applications. Since 2001, thousands of inertial systems, as well as those fused with other technologies like optical, laser, and GNSS systems, have been successfully delivered to customers for AGV, UAV, AUV, UUV, robots, land vehicles etc.
By Inside GNSS
The Topcon Positioning Group today introduced the new T-18 handheld controller designed to drive geopositioning, construction, mapping and vertical construction applications.
The controller includes a 3.7-inch sunlight-readable display with a 1gigihertz processor, 1GB of internal storage, and up to 10 hours of battery life.
“For MAGNET® Field data collection, the T-18 controller offers a durable ergonomic solution with faster processing, a larger screen, better connectivity and longer battery life than previously available comparable systems,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global surveying products.
The T-18 features a 3.5G cellular modem for connectivity with Topcon MAGNET solutions for sending and receiving data to the cloud company account.
“The cellular option makes it easy to communicate with field crews when projects need to be changed or if important data is required back in the office. Additionally, the modem can be used for RTK (real-time kinematic) correction services,” said Kerwin.
Additional key features include standard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as an IP65 rating for dust and water protection in demanding job site conditions.
By Inside GNSS
ION’s Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) 2018 early bird registration deadline is Friday, June 15. The JNC, sponsored by the Military Division of the Institute of Navigation, will be held July 9-11, 2018 (FOUO U.S. ONLY) at the Hyatt Regency, Long Beach in Long Beach, California; and the U.S. ONLY CLASSIFIED sessions will be held July 12, 2018 at The Aerospace Corporation.
Book your hotel room by Friday, June 15 to take advantage of discounted conference hotel room rates – Plus, save an additional $200 on your conference registration when staying in the conference hotel. To claim this discount you will be asked to enter your reservation confirmation number from the Hyatt Regency Long Beach at the start of the registration process. This discount will not be applied retroactively, so be sure to book your hotel room first and enter the confirmation number when you register.
PLEASE NOTE: Attendance Restricted
Conference attendance for both FOUO U.S. ONLY (July 9-11) and U.S. ONLY CLASSIFIED (July 12) sessions will be screened by the Joint Navigation Warfare Center and will be restricted to U.S. ONLY. Admission to the classified session will be limited to the capacity of the room and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, to those who submitted visit requests in advance. Attendees requiring onsite security validation will be processed on a space-available basis. You are encouraged to submit your visit request early.
To check out the JNC program and for additional registration information, click below:
By Inside GNSS
