Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
With the 10th edition of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) set to begin on April 1, 2013, competition organizers are inviting submission of innovative GNSS application ideas.
By Inside GNSS
The U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) invited comments today (March 20, 2013) on its proposed plans to test CNAV message capabilities on the GPS L2C and L5 signals June 15–29.
The signals are part of the GPS modernization program and will provide, among other things, greater capability for civilian users. The notice was posted in the official government Federal Register.
By Inside GNSS
It’s spring and privacy proposals are popping up in abundance, threatening to complicate the lives of law enforcement officers, spoil the landscape for some location-based businesses, and choke off the U.S. market for commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) before it gets off the ground.
By Dee Ann Divis
Skyplot of Galileo IOV satellite locations used in Septentrio position determination.Two European organizations announced successful positioning results yesterday (March 12, 2013) using signals from the four Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites.
The NavSAS group of Politecnico di Torino and Instituto Superiore Mario Boella in Turin, Italy, obtained its first Galileo autonomous position using signals from the Protoflight Model (PFM) and three Flight Model space vehicles (FM2, FM3, FM4), which have started transmitting valid navigation messages.
By Inside GNSS
IFEN has announced the opening of its U.S. subsidiary, IFEN Inc., to address the American market for GNSS test equipment.
The Poing, Germany–based company has named Mark Wilson as vice-president of sales at IFEN Inc. Wilson, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the GNSS market, said he was "very excited to join the IFEN team. . . . Our exceptional products offer unrivalled flexibility and capability, at realistic prices providing huge advantages to our customers.”
By Inside GNSS
L-3 Interstate Electronics Corporation (L-3 IEC) announced today (March 12, 2013) that it successfully performed GPS Military Code (M-Code) testing during a “live sky broadcast event” last month.
The IEC M-Code receiver is designed to provide improved accuracy, positioning, navigation and timing in conditions where the performance of current receivers might be compromised or unavailable.
By Inside GNSS
Measurements of individual Galileo horizontal position fixes performed for the first time using the four Galileo satellites in orbit plus the worldwide ground system between 1000 and 11:00 CET on Tuesday 12 March 2013, showing an overall horizontal accuracy over ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, of 6.3 meters. ESA figureThe European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a key milestone today (March 12, 2013) in the development of Europe’s GNSS program: the first determination of a ground location using the four Galileo satellites currently in orbit together with the system’s ground infrastructure.
This fundamental step confirms the Galileo system works as planned, according to ESA scientists.
By Inside GNSS
In a March 11 announcement, Institute of Navigation director Lisa Beaty said it was with "sincere regret" that this year’s Joint Navigation Conference will not take place in June as planned. She said all All JNC 2013 registered attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors will receive a full refund of any fees they have already paid.
By Inside GNSS
View equations 1-4
View Equations 5-13
Q: What are the differences between least-squares and Kalman filtering?
By Inside GNSS
Veth proudly poses with his RV-8A fuselage components securely fastened in a jig. The RV-8A is a two-place, tandem, experimental aircraft that is home-built from kit components. When completed, he plans to use the aircraft as an experimental navigation testbed.SIDEBAR: Mike Veth’s Compass Points
Over the course of Lt. Col. Michael Veth’s 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force (USAF), certain navigation technologies may have changed dramatically, but working toward increased accuracy has remained a constant.
By Inside GNSS
FIGURE 1: Potential components of a multisensor integrated navigation systemThe navigation world is booming with new ideas at the moment to meet some of the greatest positioning challenges of our times. To realize demanding applications — such as reliable pedestrian navigation, lane identification, and robustness against interference, jamming and spoofing — we need to bring these different ideas together.
By Inside GNSS
Allure Shadow (top), structural clearances (bottom)The Boeing Company initiated the Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) program in the fall of 2003 to create a developmental platform for an optionally manned, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Initial flight test activity employed a modified MD530FF helicopter, with the first flight taking place on September 8, 2004. Six weeks later the program achieved a fully autonomous multiple waypoint demonstration flight from takeoff through landing.
By Inside GNSS
Deep military spending cuts set to kick in March 1 will likely slow efforts to modernize the GPS constellation, insiders agree, in large part because many of the personnel needed to push the program forward will be sitting at home, unpaid, one day out of every five.
The human impact of the deep cuts taking effect when sequestration kicks in on Friday was already evident in mid-February during the program review conference held by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
By Inside GNSS
