GPS World articles from July 2007

GPS World archives from July 2007

Vox populi.(OUT IN FRONT)
July 1, 2007... A funny thing happened on the way to a new satellite navigation system. Citizens said they actually wanted it and were willing to pay for it with their hard-earned tax euros. The European Commission, through its public opinion arm...

Stupid cover.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... C'mon now. If I wanted a come-hither girly showing cleavage on the cover of a magazine sitting on my desk at work, I'll buy Playboy. I ripped the cover off [the April issue] and threw it in the trash, and should have done that to the entire...

Navigate errs.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... I have subscribed to GPS World since 1996. It is an enjoyable and constant companion for me, a window into the industry, and I respect its influence and prominence in the GNSS community. I honestly do read each edition cover to cover, and...

Location assurance.(EXPERT ADVICE)
July 1, 2007... The growing use of GPS in civil security and monitoring applications brings with it a vulnerability to criminal enterprises suborning GPS for financial gain. For example, asset tracking, identified as the second-fastest growing GNSS market...

Location assurance commentary.(EXPERT ADVICE)
July 1, 2007... Logan Scott's preceding essay on location assurance is convincing in many ways. It describes security and monitoring applications which already depend on GPS signals and which are expected to increase in number and importance. It also reminds...

New GPS Wing commander.(THE SYSTEM)(David W. Madden )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Col. David W. Madden took command of the GPS Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base on June 18. Col. Wesley A. Ballenger, Jr., who served as the GPS System Program Director and Commander of...

Galileo shown the money.(THE SYSTEM)
July 1, 2007... European Union transport ministers agreed on June 8 that Europe will pursue public funding for Galileo, and look to have funding mechanisms in place by autumn of this year. "Galileo is at present the most important European high-tech...

NDGPS gasping.(THE SYSTEM)(Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System)( Research and Innovative Technology Administration )
July 1, 2007... RITA and the Coast Guard have a tough job ahead. Between them, the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Research and Innovative Technology Administration and the multimission maritime service are trying to save a Nationwide Differential GPS...

Broadcom purchases chip maker Global Locate.(UTILITIES & COMMUNICATIONS)
July 1, 2007... Communications chip maker Broadcom Corp. announced June 12 that it was acquiring GPS chip maker Global Locate Inc., a privately held provider of GPS and assisted GPS (A-GPS) chips and software. Broadcom expects to pay approximately $146...

Spirent Federal receives GPSW .(MILITARY & GOVERNMENT)(Spirent Federal Systems Inc. gets Global Positioning Systems Wing security approval)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... GPS satellite simulation provider Spirent Federal Systems Inc. received Global Positioning Systems Wing (GPSW) security approval June 8 for its Simulator Data Sets (SDS) Upgrade Package for the GSS7700 GPS Simulator. Spirent Federal is the...

Sprint launches location-based shopping on cell phones.(LOCATION-BASED SERVICES)
July 1, 2007... Sprint Nextel is partnering with New York-based GPShopper to launch Slifter, a mobile, local product search application that employs GPS technology to find products at neighboring retail locations. With Slifter, Sprint customers can search...

Trimble, Locata team.(SURVEY & CONSTRUCTION)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Trimble and Locata Corp. have signed a development and distribution agreement for the integration of Locata technology with Trimble products for the construction market. Trimble and Locata plan to develop an integrated GPS-Locata receiver for...

Galileo receivers reap fruits of labor: at TimeNav'07, GPS World spoke with Septentrio CEO Peter Grognard and NovAtel vice president Tony Murfin.(INDUSTRY WATCH)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... You both have licenses to sell Galileo receivers. Are you in fact selling them? Peter Grognard, Septentrio (PG): Yes, definitely. In fact, we have been wanting to sell receivers for quite some time. We had some pent-up demand by the time...

Companies offer expanded ION tutorials.(TRAINING)(GNSS Solutions and NavTechGPS )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Tutorials will be offered by two companies for those attending ION GNSS 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas. The tutorials are scheduled for September 24 and 25, before the conference begins. GNSS Solutions' lineup has been expanded from two tracks...

China develops domestic -GNSS .(SYSTEM DESIGN & TEST)(Unistar Microelectronics Technology Co. Ltd's Multi-Global Navigation Satellite System receiver)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Beijing Unistar Microelectronics Technology Co. Ltd. has entered the market for multi-system GNSS receivers. The company said its SR8824 was China's first multi-system receiver core developed in China, accommodating GPS and GLONASS signals....

NovAtel supplies imaging company with GPS technology.(SURVEY & CONSTRUCTION)
July 1, 2007... NovAtel Inc. of Canada has inked an agreement with The Netherlands' CycloMedia Technology BV to integrate their two technologies and then deliver a minimum of 25 of its Synchronized Position, Attitude, and Navigation (SPAN) systems plus its...

Federal Aviation Administration.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said June 1 that general-aviation pilots and others can continue to use IFR (instrument flight rules) GPS units for now, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). In March the FAA...

uLocate Communications Inc.(IN BRIEF)(uLocate Communications Inc. closes investor funding)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... uLocate Communications Inc. said May 15 that it has closed its most recent round of investor funding with $11 million in capital investment. uLocate said it will use the capital to fuel the continued development and marketing of its Where...

RealTrackFootball.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Spanish IT company C & M Comunicacion y Multimedia has launched RealTrackFootball, designed to optimize the development of athletes using GPS technology. The GPS-based system registers data acquired over a GPS connection. This data enables the...

ArWest Communications.(IN BRIEF)(ArWest Communications' contract with Topcon Positions Systems )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... ArWest Communications, a narrowband radio company, has been awarded a contract by Topcon Positions Systems to provide 1 watt UHF transceivers integrated within the Top-con GR-3 triple constellation RTK satellite receiver. The initial award...

Rakon Limited.(IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... GPSTCXO technology company Rakon Limited, based in Auckland, New Zealand, entered into an unconditional agreement February 12 to acquire the Frequency Control Products business (FCP) of C-MAC MicroTechnology, based in Durham, North Carolina,...

Sony Ericsson.(IN BRIEF)
July 1, 2007... Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson entered the consumer GPS device business in June, introducing an external GPS receiver that can be bundled with its latest handsets. The joint venture between Japan's Sony and Sweden's Ericsson introduced...

SiRF Technology.(IN BRIEF)
July 1, 2007... SiRF Technology has introduced SiRFDiRect technology, which is says achieves navigation performance in portable navigation devices previously achievable only in permanently installed in-vehicle systems. Mio Technology, Ltd., will be the first...

Honeywell.(IN BRIEF)
July 1, 2007... Honeywell has added a miniature electronic navigation device to its existing line of dead-reckoning sensor products. The DRM 4000 provides accurate position information for first responders and others on foot in places that GPS signals are...

Spirent Communications.(IN BRIEF)
July 1, 2007... Spirent Communications has introduced a software suite for the STR4500 GPS simulator, enabling users to generate their own test cases based on motion data that fits their specific requirements, the company said. The new SimPLEX45 software...

Honeywell.(IN BRIEF)
July 1, 2007... The new Honeywell Instant Location System (HILS) is a real-time asset management application that integrates a number of technologies, such as Ultra-Wideband, GPS, Wi Fi and RFID, with Honeywell's process automation system, Experion Process...

Centrality Communications Inc.(IN BRIEF)
July 1, 2007... Centrality Communications Inc. has chosen SiGe Semiconductor as the preferred supplier of GPS RF front-end receiver integrated circuits for its navigation systems. The first product to come from this relationship is a reference design platform...

Seeds of growth.(Leadership Talks)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... Michael L. Whitehead (MW), chief scientist at Hemisphere GPS, leads a team of engineers designing applications in machine control, guidance, marine, and survey. Managing editor Tracy Cozzens (TC) spoke with him on June 4. TC: What are your...

Wanted adaptable chip: performance requirements converge.(MASS MARKET OEM)(Cover story)
July 1, 2007... As the consumer market develops, users become increasingly aware of leading-edge performance, and therefore unwilling to accept restricted performance envelopes for different devices. Different software fits for specific environments are...

Surveying the market: in which the real money in GPS is unearthed.(BUSINESS OF GPS)(Company overview)
July 1, 2007... GPS products sold in the survey and construction sector range from $1,000 to $125,000, furnishing high gross margins. We explore the business of this industry segment, its key players, and their relationships with providers and vendors. ...

Opportunistic navigation: finding your way with AM signals of opportunity.(INNOVATION)
July 1, 2007... GPS is an integral and vital component of both military and commercial ventures. Therefore, when GPS is either unavailable or degraded (intentionally or unintentionally), its operational effectiveness can be greatly impaired. One promising...

Clean-up oscillator.(UTILITIES & COMMUNICATIONS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... TimeTech's new clean-up oscillator for time and frequency systems accepts up to five frequency inputs (such as from maser or cesium clocks) and up to three pps-inputs (such as from a GPS receiver). The internal low phase noise OSA8607...

Take-away in-car navigation.(AVIONICS & TRANSPORTATION)
July 1, 2007... Consumer electronics maker Eclipse-a brand name from Japan's Fujitsu Ten-offers an in-dash car audio system integrated with a TomTom portable navigation device (PND).The AVN2210p has integrated Bluetooth connectivity, plays CD and CD-R/RW...

Portable time-measuring unit.(UTILITIES & COMMUNICATIONS)(TimeAcc )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Time & Frequency Solutions has added to its range of precision timing instruments with the portable TimeAcc unit, which uses an integral GPS receiver to calibrate the internal precision oscillator. Once calibrated, the unit can then be taken...

Galileo "stupid," says EU commissioner.(GNSS technologies in the popular media)(European Union's Guenter Verheugen)
July 1, 2007... A European Union commissioner's remark that the Galileo "is a stupid system" created a buzz in the online GNSS community. Reuters reported that Guenter Verheugen, German commissioner in charge of industry, said at a news conference that...

GPS mapping goes Emo.(GNSS technologies in the popular media)
July 1, 2007... London-based artist Christian Nold is using GPS along with lie-detector sensors carried by volunteers to create an emotional map of San Francisco, according to an article by Associated Press reporter Lisa Leff. The subjects wander...