GPS World articles from February 2007

GPS World archives from February 2007

Dagbloggit.(OUT IN FRONT)
February 1, 2007... It says here that the keys to success for 2007 lie in simplicity, a smaller set of products with a shared set of features, personalization, investing ahead of the growth curve, connecting with the six billion people lacking Internet access,...

New Ag accuracy.(global positioning system standards)
February 1, 2007... While the world's cultivators have quickly embraced the benefits of GPS, particularly over the last five years, much important work remains to be done with standardizing performance reporting. Automated guidance of tractors and other...

Radical change in the air for GLONASS.(Global Navigation Satellite System)
February 1, 2007... A very intriguing memo regarding GPS-GLONASS interoperability has appeared on the websites of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee and the Russian Space Agency regarding the December 13-14...

A GNSS by any other name would smell as sweet.(THE SYSTEM)
February 1, 2007... As if ballooning costs, bickering over the command center, doubts even among backers on how it will earn its keep, and a short-circuited second satellite weren't enough, now Galileo faces a continued challenge to call itself by its own name....

New ground station up for fleet command.(THE SYSTEM)
February 1, 2007... Boeing has successfully completed a live demonstration of a newly architected GPS ground station, which, when fully operational, will control the 32 GPS satellites now in orbit as well as those that will join the fleet in the coming months. The...

Group forms over interference.(Chronos Technology Ltd., National Physical Laboratory and Bath University formed a consortia)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... A new consortium will investigate problems associated with interference, jamming, and multi-path activity affecting the integrity of GNSS applications. Chronos Technology, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and Bath University--all of the...

Galileo Industries told to put house in order.(THE SYSTEM)
February 1, 2007... Galileo's second act, satellite GIOVE-B, has yet to make its debut, and some tempers are wearing a bit thin in Europe. Making his wishes known to the press in a January 17 appearance, European Space Agency (ESA) general director...

1,001 CORS 'round the country.(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration installed the 1,001st Continuously Operating Reference Station)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... On December 20, 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) installed the 1,001st Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) in its managed network at the Nancy Foster Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center as part of the...

LORAN on trial.(Long-Range Navigation system)
February 1, 2007... The U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) has opened a public comment period that could determine the future of the ground-based Long-Range Navigation (LORAN) system. Many consider LORAN the most suitable backup system for GPS, and essential...

GPS sports flash, dash in Vegas.(CONSUMER ELECTRONICS)
February 1, 2007... The GPS industry navigates ever onward with ever more interesting applications, as demonstrated by vendors at January's 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas--the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology. CES '07 bestowed one of...

NovAtel pushes RTK envelope.(realt-time kinematic)
February 1, 2007... When the conditions are right, realt-time kinematic (RTK) technology can furnish a highly productive tool for survey and construction. When the conditions are not so ideal, as in and around tree canopy and with longer baselines, RTK does not...

Global Locate, SiRF vie for ONE position.(Global Locate case against SiRF Technology Inc.)(Global Locate contracts with TomTom)
February 1, 2007... A GPS chip produced by Global Locate of San Jose, California, will power the TomTom ONE, signaling a change for TomTom (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), which previously used only chips supplied by SiRF Technology. The Hammerhead, a single-die...

SanDisk executive named Magellan chief.(INDUSTRY WATCH)
February 1, 2007... Magellan of Santa Clara, California, has named Nelson Chan as its chief executive officer. Chan had been executive vice president and head of consumer products at SanDisk Corporation, a flash-memory-based data-storage product supplier. ...

Epson module for mobiles gets DoCoMo nod.(LOCATION-BASED SERVICES)
February 1, 2007... Seiko Epson Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, has developed a compact GPS module for mobile phones and other handsets. The S4E19863 is already in use in all GPS-capable models of FOMA903i series 1 phones released by NTT DoCoMo, Inc., and now volume...

Navigon picks up NAVTEQ's software.(LOCATION-BASED SERVICES)
February 1, 2007... Navigon has acquired NAVTEQ's navigation software business, including its navigation software assets and personnel (about 40). Andreas Hecht, Navigon's general manager for the Americas and a former NAVTEQ executive, says that Navigon will...

GPS-GAP offers online courses.(TRAINING)
February 1, 2007... The GPS, Geodesy and Application Program (GPS-GAP) offers online courses that fulfill undergraduate and graduate course requirements in engineering and science. Because instruction is individualized, a course can start any time. No software...

CSR acquires NordNav, Cambridge Positioning.(LOCATION-BASED SERVICES)
February 1, 2007... CSR of Cambridge, UK, announced January 15 that it has acquired NordNav Technologies AB and Cambridge Positioning Systems Ltd. in an effort to provide software-based low-cost GPS suitable for mass-market mobile phones and personal navigation...

Trimble app enhances off-road trips.(THE BUSINESS)
February 1, 2007... Trimble's new GuideWorx GPS application enables consumers to manage their outdoor experiences both on- and off-road. Users can access content-rich trip planning information with on-the-go driving and recreational maps, and share their...

Spirent LBS testing for assisted GPS.(location based services, global positioning system)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Spirent Communications has expanded its location-based services (LBS) test platform to enhance assisted GPS (A-GPS) testing capabilities. The Spirent UMTS Location Test System now enables a full range of A-GPS testing needs, including...

GPS-wireless 2007.(EVENTS)
February 1, 2007... March 1-2, 2007 Embassy Suites Hotel-San Francisco Airport, California www.gps-wireless.com Mobile information professionals from auto manufacturers, wireless carriers, mobile electronics vendors, homeland defense, and computer...

European Navigation Conference (TimeNav '07).(EVENTS)
February 1, 2007... May 29-June 1, 2007 Geneva International Conference Center, Switzerland www.timenav07.org/enc-gnss/index.php TimeNav '07 combines the European Frequency and Time Forum and the Frequency Control Symposium with the 11th annual...

Whither portable navigation?
February 1, 2007... Navigation is hands-down the top dog in location-based services. 2006 sales of portable nav systems in the United States finished somewhere north of 2.5 million, more than double 2005 sales. Betting that the past is prelude to the future, many...

Source of expertise.(Elizabeth Cannon)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... Elizabeth Cannon (EC) is dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary and past president of the Institute of Navigation. Alan Cameron: The University of Calgary has become a key source of highly trained GPS/GNSS...

Ready to receive: developing a professional antenna for Galileo.(SYSTEM DESIGN & TEST)(Cover story)
February 1, 2007... Can a multi-band antenna cover all the carriers necessary in a modern GNSS, or does the advent of Galileo demand a true wideband technology? The mechanical and resultant electrical symmetry of such a combined GPS+Galileo antenna must provide...

2007 antenna survey.
February 1, 2007... After choosing the most appropriate receiver for your application from last month's survey, you may need an antenna, too. We have collected key specifications for 313 antennas from 32 manufacturers. We have made every effort to present an...

Stochastic models for GPS positioning: an empirical approach.(INNOVATION)
February 1, 2007... The covariance matrix of the observations plays a fundamental role in GPS data processing. Usually the method of least squares is used to compute the coordinates of a given receiver--the adjusted parameters. In the adjustment, the covariance...

Mexico to equip illegals with GPS.(GNSS technologies in the popular media)
February 1, 2007... The government of Mexico plans to issue about 200,000 GPS tracking devices to illegal immigrants planning to cross the border this year into the U.S., reported the Sunday Telegraph. According to the U.K. newspaper, a Mexican university is...

GPS in ATMs not always helpful.(GNSS technologies in the popular media)
February 1, 2007... Small ATM machines--the type in most convenience stores--make attractive targets for thieves, who can cart the entire box away. They may not realize some are equipped with a GPS locator, however. In Livermore, California, a would-be thief was...

GPS blocks bad pork.(GNSS technologies in the popular media)
February 1, 2007... Pork-transport trucks in Taiwan now have GPS tracking devices to prevent diseased pork from being sent to feed-processing plants, according to The China Post. The policy, enacted in June 2006, is expected to prevent about 30,000 metric tons of...

Girl gives GPS to Red Cross.(Katherine Mirhashemi, American Red Cross, global positioning system)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Red Cross of Green Bay, Wisconsin, received an unlikely gift from an 11-year-old girl: A new GPS unit. Inspired by her mother's volunteer work, Katherine Mirhashemi raised money and made the $450 equipment donation hoping to give the Green...