GPS World articles from April 2005

GPS World archives from April 2005

Prudence or irresolution?(THE VIEW FROM HERE)(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... In a peculiar parallel, the two leading efforts to modernize global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)--implementation of a new generation of the Global Positioning System (GPS III) and completion of Europe's Galileo system--took spring...

GPS JPO rethinks GPS III strategy.(GLOBAL VIEW)(Joint Program Office)
April 1, 2005... Five years into development of the GPS III architecture with two would-be prime contractors lined up for a final competition, the Navstar GPS Joint Program Office (JPO) appears to be reconsidering its approach to implementing the...

Three-sided Galileo talks continue.(GLOBAL VIEW)
April 1, 2005... The Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) has decided to continue negotiating with both consortia competing for the Galileo concession contract rather than naming a primary bidder as expected. "We have received two great offers," Rainer Grohe,...

In the swim: GPS guides autonomous underwater vehicles.(LEADING EDGE)
April 1, 2005... It resembles a distant cousin of the torpedo. And sometimes it launches from submarine torpedo tubes. But the similarities end there. Among its many other roles, this cigar-shaped device noses about in hostile waters to identify mines and other...

Demonstration system for using shipboard-relative GPS.(INTEGRATION CHALLENGE)(Sea Based Joint Precision Approach and Landing System)
April 1, 2005... This article presents the Honeywell H-764 Advanced Configurable Embedded GPS/Inertial (EGI)--or ACE--demonstration system design, developed in support of the shipboard relative GPS (SRGPS) program, now known as the Sea Based Joint Precision...

Pacify the power: GPS harness for large-area electrical grid.(APPLICATION CHALLENGE)
April 1, 2005... Wide-area power blackouts triggered by uncommonly high usage, natural causes, human design or operating errors, or terrorism can create social and economic system collapse. A control system now in testing at Bonneville Power Administration uses...

Getting to M: direct acquisition of the new military signal.(DESIGN CHALLENGE)
April 1, 2005... This article describes the first integrated circuit (IC) designed, fabricated, and tested to perform direct acquisition of the new M-code signal, scheduled to begin broadcasting from Block IIR-M satellites this year. The prototype IC, named...

Continuous navigation: combining GPS with sensor-based dead reckoning.(INNOVATION)(Column)
April 1, 2005... "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?" This familiar question is asked countless times each day by mobile phone users attempting to improve their signal. Terrain, buildings, and foliage can block or seriously impede the propagation of cell-phone signals. Users...

Navcom, AXYS float GPS buoys: high-precision water-level monitoring.(Navcom Technology Inc., AXYS Technologies)
April 1, 2005... The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) has contracted with NavCom Technology of Torrance, California, with partners AXYS Technologies and ITS Corporation, to further deploy an RTK-StarFire GPS Buoy system. An initial 2004 contract with...

Heim Data upgrades airborne recorders.(Heim Data Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Heim Data Systems Inc. of Belmar, New Jersey, has integrated a 20-channel L1+L2 Javad Euro-GD GPS receiver into its line of airborne recorders. The GPS receiver serves as a precision time synchronization source for UTC time-stamping. GPS...

DeLorme navigates with STMicro, SiGe.(STMicroelectronics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Delorme of Yarmouth, Maine, has introduced laptop and handheld GPS devices integrating STMicroelectronics' Vespucci STA2501 chip and SiGe Semiconductor's SE4100L RF chip. DeLorme's Earthmate GPS LT-20 is designed to turn any laptop PC into...

CSI Wireless record performance.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... CSI Wireless Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, posted a record CDN $4.3 million (US$3.5 million) in net profits on revenue of CDN $82 million (US $66.5 million) in its fiscal 2004. A 145-percent jump in fourth-quarter consolidated revenues, to...

Research receiver new from DKD.(DKD Instruments)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Nipomo, California-based DKD Instruments released its L1, C/a-code GPS100SC single-channel receiver for educational, engineering, scientific, research and development applications. Enabling users to track and demodulate GPS data from a single...

Trimble equips wireless modems.(Trimble Navigation Ltd.)(Blue Tree Wireless Data Inc. )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Blue Tree Wireless Data Inc. of Montreal, Canada, has integrated the Lassen SQ module from Trimble (Sunnyvale, California) into its 5000 GPS Series of wireless modems. The Blue Tree 5200 CDMA and the Blue Tree 5400 GPRS are designed for use...

SiRF'n partners to telematicize Fiat.(SiRF Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... SiRF Technology, Samsung Electronics, Siemens, ScanSoft, Xilinx, Magneti Marelli, and Microsoft Corp's Automotive Business Unit are collaborating to design an entry-level, low cost telematics solution for all Fiat Auto's Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa...

QinetiQ mini freight tracker.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... QinetiQ (Hampshire, United Kingdom) has developed a miniature freight-tracking system based on its Q20 High Sensitivity (HS) GPS receiver and Global Point's wireless communications and operating software. The system reportedly requires no...

Septentrio next gen Galileo test receiver.(Septentrio Satellite Navigation)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded a contract for the next phase of development (in-orbit validation) of Galileo test user receivers to a consortium comprised of Septentrio Satellite Navigation, QinetiQ, Delft University of Technology,...

Roke Manor RTK for UK survey.(Real Time Kinematic Repeaters for Ordnance Survey)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The United Kingdom's Ordnance Survey will purchase 100 Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Repeaters from Siemens' Roke Manor Research business to enable surveyors to work unaccompanied anywhere in Great Britain. The repeaters integrate SiRFstarlle/LP...

CSI, Saab AIS marine partnership.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... CSI Wireless Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has partnered with Solna, Sweden-based Saab Transponder Tech AB to develop automatic identification systems (AISes) to aid in vessel communication, navigation and surveillance. CSI Wireless is...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2005... GPS is delivered to and launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station, not the Kennedy Space Center, as stated in an L2CM-code signal news item in the March issue, Global View section.

Stock tracker.(GPS INSIDE)(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... FEB. 15, 2005 COMPANY STOCK MARKET SYMBOL ADJ. CLOSE CSI Wireless Inc. Toronto Stock Exchange CSY.TO 3.45 Garmin Ltd. NASDAQ ...

Mine positioning.(SURVEYING & MAPPING)
April 1, 2005... Novariant's Terralite XPS system provides mine managers with direct control of the reliability of their positioning systems and helps cover gaps in GPS coverage. The Terralite XPS system is comprised of a network of transmitting stations...

High-sensitivity GPS.(RECEIVER TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2005... The GPS i-3000u from Axess uses the 12-channel L1, CA-code SiRFstarlle/LP chipset to deliver stated position accuracy of less than 10 meters with -172 dBW sensitivity. Start times are reported to be less than 60 seconds cold, 45 seconds warm,...

GPS tracker.(GPS/WIRELESS)
April 1, 2005... The Location Tag LT 100 from Alltigo integrates the iTrax03 12-channel adaptive assisted (AAGPS) receiver from Fastrax to track a person, vehicle, or other mobile asset. The device communicates over a GSM/GPRS mobile phone network via TCP/IP or...

Time and frequency test set.(TIMING & SYNCHRONIZATION)
April 1, 2005... The Pico Second Resolution Test Set from Temex Time is designed for calibration, oscillator/clock characterization, and TIE measurements. The unit measures 445 X 300 X 44 millimeters, and weighs 2.2 kilograms. Powered by a 85-264V AC, and...

Wi-Fi interface.(TIMING & SYNCHRONIZATION)
April 1, 2005... DataLogic International has added Wi-Fi capability to its Panther Trak mobile units with embedded 12-channel SiRFstarlle/LP chipsets. Wi-Fi is used as a communication method from a GPS mobile unit to a base station, data can be transmitted...

CAD application.(GPS-RELATED SOFTWARE )(AMC's GPS2CAD 3.5)
April 1, 2005... AMC has released GPS2CAD Version 3.5, a Windows-based application enabling easy, quick convergence of GPS and CAD data and related software solutions. Featuring improved importing and exporting capabilities, GPS2CAD version 3.5 allows...

Calendar 2005.(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... * APRIL 14-15 Sensor Web Summit Washington, D.C. Targeting bio-threat monitoring and response, weather prediction and warning, intelligent transportation systems, and more. See www.gita.org/events/ets/iii/ * APRIL 16-21 FIG...