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July 5, 2012

Single- versus Dual-Frequency Precise Point Positioning

Q: What are the tradeoffs between using L1-only and L1+L2 for PPP?

A: Precise point positioning (PPP) is a technique that can compute positions with a high accuracy anywhere on the globe using a single GNSS receiver. It relies on highly accurate satellite position and clock data that can be downloaded from the International GNSS Service (IGS) or obtained in real-time from a number of service providers, using either the Internet or satellite links.

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By Inside GNSS

INS Face Off

TOP PHOTO: Antenna configurations on trials vehicle: Dual GPS antennas for the INS under test and single GPS antenna for the CIMU; BOTTOM PHOTO: Commercial IMU/DGPS system used for reference (left), FOG-based INS configuration (middle), and MEMS-based INS configuration 2 (right)

The automobile versus the horse and buggy. Cloud computing opposite desktop software. The trend is predictable, yet it is always surprising when one technology takes over the market space of another. After all, television did kill off the radio star.

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By Inside GNSS

Drones to the Rescue!

August 1994, early morning. Spain’s Central Pyrenees Mountains still in darkness.

At the outset of an ascent to a 3,000-meter peak along the international border, one of the co-authors encounters a group of tourist hikers who have begun searching for a colleague who had left the camp the previous evening. In the pre-sunrise gloom, helicopters cannot yet operate.

A week later, the body of the hiker is found. The rescue efforts came, unfortunately, too late.

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By Inside GNSS
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July 4, 2012

Addition of Leap Second Highlights Campaign for Its Elimination

[Updated July 4] The world’s dominant mode of timekeeping, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), took on another leap second on Saturday, June 30 at 23:59:60 UTC.

And then the fun began: the addition caused software handling Internet services such as LinkedIn, Pinterest, Mozilla, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Yelp, FourSquare and Gawker to behave unpredictably or even crash over the weekend.

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By Inside GNSS
July 3, 2012

Mission Accomplished: ESA Turns Out the Lights on GIOVE-A

ESA expert inspecting GIOVE-A in clean room in Baikonur Space Center, Kazakhstan. ESA photo

With the first two Galileo in-orbit validation (IOV) spacecraft working well, the European Space Agency (ESA) has decided to end the mission of its pioneering GIOVE-A satellite that had long exceeded it original purpose and design life.

Meanwhile, with the next Galileo launch approaching, ESA has expanded its Radio Navigation Laboratory (RNL) to meet the testing needs of Europe’s GNSS program.

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By Inside GNSS
July 2, 2012

House and Senate Slash Civil GPS Funding

[Updated July 2] Appropriators in both the U.S. House and Senate have slashed next year’s funding for support of the civil portion of the GPS program. Lawmakers halved the portion of the Federal Aviation Administration budget dedicated to supporting the civil signals as well as the ground network monitoring of those signals.

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By Inside GNSS
June 29, 2012

House Action Would Thwart GPS-Aided Tracking of Commercial Trucks

Independent truck operators and a general fear of government surveillance led to passage of an amendment today (June 29, 2012) that would prohibit U.S. agencies from implementing any rule requiring GPS tracking or other devices to be installed in passenger or commercial vehicles.

In a voice vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, congressmen approved the amendment to H.R. 5972, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2013.

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By Inside GNSS
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June 23, 2012

GNSS and Positioning for the Future Workshop

Northern Jutland Peninsula

A seven day workshop on GNSS and Positioning for the Future will be held at a Jutland (North Sea) resort in Denmark from August 27 through September 2, 2012. It is open all those with an interest in satellite positioning and navigation but limited to the first 50 registered participants.

The workshop will cover GNSS basics, new satellite navigation systems, arctic navigation, intelligent transportation systems and environmental monitoring, with lectures by international experts in those fields. The program and full list of lecturers are available on the event website.

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By Inside GNSS

Leica Geosystems and Locata Extend Technology Partnership

Leica Geosystems Mining and Locata Corporation will continue their exclusive technology partnership in the mine machine automation and mine fleet management markets until at least June 2014. The extension guarantees the ongoing, commercial provision to the global mining industry of the Leica Jigsaw Positioning System (Jps), powered by Locata technology.

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By Inside GNSS
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