Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Officials from Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center’s GPS Wing have announced the release of a request for proposal (RFP) for Phase B of the Next Generation GPS Control Segment (OCX) contracts.
By Inside GNSS
In his April 27 speech to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) annual meeting, President Barack Obama twice singled out the Global Positioning System as an example of the need for renewing the U.S. commitment to basic scientific research and education.
“The calculations of today’s GPS satellites are based on the equations that Einstein put to paper more than a century ago,” Obama said, having noted that “no one can predict what new applications will be born of basic research. . . .”
By Inside GNSS
Ekahau Inc. has announced that its Wi-Fi location tracking software is being integrated into GPS receivers designed by NavSync Ltd. to enable customers to continuously track asset in indoor and outdoor environments.
Wi-Fi–enabled GPS tag combines NavSync’s NavTrac GPS module with Ekahau’s location protocol. The NavTrac module incorporates the CW85 16-channel GPS receiver/802.11b/g transmitter combination.
By Inside GNSS
Loctronix SCP technology[Updated 4/26/09] On March 31, the U.S. Patent Office granted Loctronix Corporation its first patent, which will provide the foundation for its Spectral Compression Positioning (SCP) technology that enables multi-source positioning capability in a single sensor. Subsequently, the company announced that it had successfully achieved meter-level ranging performance using CDMA cellular signals.
By Inside GNSS
A proposal now before the European Parliament and Council of the European Union would complete the transformation of the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA) from the leading executive agency for the Galileo program into a diminished subsidiary of the European Commission (EC).
By Inside GNSS
Hemisphere GPS has introduced a new GPS antenna, the A21, designed to reduce the effects of interference from radios, transmitters, and other peripheral electronic equipment.
By Inside GNSS
Left) Zou Xiguang, chief representative of Topcon Corporation in China, and Li Qiang, director of China Crustal Movement Monitoring Research CenterThe China Earthquake Administration (CEA) of the People’s Republic of China has selected Trimble and Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) to provide GNSS receivers for a new network set up to monitor crustal deformation and to predict earthquakes.
By Inside GNSS
Time Series and Power Spectrum of the L5 Demonstration SignalThe GPS IIR-20(M) satellite successfully transmitted for the first time a GPS signal in the L5 frequency band today (April 10), according to the U.S. Air Force operators of the Global Positioning System. L5, the third civil GPS signal, will eventually support safety-of-life applications for aviation and provide improved availability and accuracy to users.
By Inside GNSS
Stanford “Big Dish” AntennaU.S. Air Force officials are moving quickly to turn on the new civil GPS L5 signal after lengthy delays due to technical problems had brought the program close to an International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline for transmitting on the frequency.
The Air Force plans to begin transmitting the signal at 5 a.m. (PDT) on April 10 using the Block II R-20(M) satellite launched March 24. An L5 signal demonstration is planned the same day, organized by the GPS Wing and SRI International. The L5 spectrum will be received and plotted at the SRI’s 150-foot “big dish” antenna facility in the hills over looking Stanford University, California.
By Inside GNSS
John RistevskiPrivacy rebellions such as recently drove a Google Street View crew from Broughton, England, or security-oriented legislation that would require blurred features or position accuracy in commercial imagery is just part of the market environment for 3-D mapping company earthmine, Inc., which is moving out of beta mode into full-fledged operations.
By Inside GNSS
NavCom Technology Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Deere & Company, and Astrium Services have formed a strategic partnership to deliver precise positioning solutions throughout Europe.
By Inside GNSS
European Court of Auditors, LuxembourgHere’s an interesting document: Preliminary observations on “The management of the Galileo programme’s development and validation phase,” adopted at its January 21–22 meeting by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
If you’re the kind of person who wakes up in a strange room after a night on the town and wonders how you got there, you’ll want to take in the full 50-page report and six addenda.
By Inside GNSS_ULA_lo.jpg)
Block IIR-20(M) launch from Cape Canaveral. Photo by Carleton Bailie, United Launch Alliance.GPS program managers and users — especially the U.S. civil aviation community — can breathe a sign of relief following the successful launch Tuesday (March 24) of a satellite carrying a demonstration payload of the new L5 signal.
Built by the Lockheed Martin Company, the modernized Block II replenishment spacecraft, GPS IIR-20(M), is moving toward plane B, slot 2 to replace space vehicle number (SVN) 30. If all goes well, U.S. Air Force controllers expect to set the satellite healthy for navigation users worldwide next month.
Among other signals and capabilities, the IIR-20(M) will be the first to transmit the new GPS civil signal centered on 1176.45MHz (±12 MHz) within the protected aeronautical radionavigation service (ARNS) band. This so-called L5 signal will provide a second safety-of-life signal that meets the technical requirements for enabling aircraft to make precision landings in high multipath environments.
By Inside GNSS
