GPS World articles from October 2008

GPS World archives from October 2008

Eyes on the prize.(OUT IN FRONT)
October 1, 2008... Last month with the help of four engineers we identified reasons for the problem. Now, aided by a newly appointed professor at Brazil's top technical university, the head of an international GNSS service, and the director of a labor organizing...

Why I like ike.(NEWSLETTER EXCERPT)
October 1, 2008... In his late August GPS Insights column, Military & Government PNT editor Don Jewell takes a hard look at the rugged, integrated ike305-a handheld data-capture and transmitter device that combines a GPS receiver, laser distance meter, integrated...

Turning from challenge to GNSS opportunity.(EXPERT ADVICE)(Viewpoint essay)
October 1, 2008... After a brief Galileo snapshot of current status, I will proceed as requested with predictions of life in a multiple-GNSS world. We have secured an additional budget of [euro]3.4 billion mainly for developing and launching the Galileo...

It's all about the #@#$% comm!(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... [Response to Don Jewell's August 27 Military & Government PNT newsletter, online at www.gpsworld.com/comm.] I believe this message would be echoed wherever you have folks deployed in the field, trying to do things. It's particularly...

Putin pumps it up.(THE SYSTEM)
October 1, 2008... Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed off on a budget directive allocating $2.6 billion to further develop GLONASS. In addition to 67 billion rubles, Putin said he planned to sign another directive that would set aside 45 billion...

Industry, individuals welcome at ICG meeting.(THE SYSTEM)(International Committee on GNSS)(Conference news)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The U.S. will host the third International Committee on GNSS (ICG) meeting December 8-12, 2008, in Pasadena. For the first time, commercial providers of GNSS equipment and services are being invited to exhibit and sponsor events at the meeting,...

GLONASS presents irony at ION in Georgia.(THE SYSTEM)
October 1, 2008... The second plenary speaker on September 16 at the ION GNSS Conference in Savannah, Georgia was a bit of a surprise. Dr. Yury Nosenko is the Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, and yet he spoke to us in his native tongue,...

Galileo contractors' list narrowed to eleven.(THE SYSTEM)
October 1, 2008... The European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have selected 11 applicants out of the 21 that applied to build or supply various aspects of Galileo under the commission's procurement plan. The Galileo procurement plan,...

Savannah ION showcases promising new products.(THE BUSINESS)
October 1, 2008... Leading navigation companies announced new products, new services, and new contracts at the 21st technical meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS), held September 16-19 in Savannah, Georgia. For more ION news...

NovAtel debuts SPAN-SE receiver.(THE BUSINESS)
October 1, 2008... NovAtel Inc. unveiled its latest flagship product, SPAN-SE, a GNSS/INS receiver designed for precision applications and incorporating the company's OEMV technology. NovAtel's OEMV GNSS engine uses application specific integrated circuits...

Trimble rolls out rugged RTK OEM receiver and multi-GNSS CORS receiver.(THE BUSINESS)
October 1, 2008... Trimble announced two new products at ION. The NetR8 GNSS reference receiver offers the functionality of a geodetic reference station, including CORS support. NetR8 can operate as a campaign receiver for post processing, as a continuously...

Fastrax adds RF module to software GPS.(ION GNSS 2008)
October 1, 2008... Programmable GPS receiver and software GPS receiver supplier Fastrax showed off its IT900 RF module at ION GNSS, which it rolled out to complement its software GPS receiver that debuted earlier this year. The Fastrax IT900 essentially acts...

Hemisphere unveils eclipse-driven R220.(ION GNSS 2008)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Hemisphere GPS unveiled its latest GPS receiver at ION GNSS. The R220 incorporates its dual-frequency Eclipse technology, the first finished product to do so. The R220 GPS receiver features real-time kinematic (RTK) measurements and tracks...

Spirent demonstrates GNSS simulator.(ION GNSS 2008)
October 1, 2008... Spirent Communications plc demonstrated its GSS8000 simulator, a GPS/Galileo/GLONASS simulation system, at ION-GNSS 2008. The GSS8000 GNSS simulator supports multi-system, multi constellation GNSS, including GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS...

Magellan back in high-end OEM boards.(ION GNSS 2008)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Magellan launched its latest OEM (original equipment manufacturer) embedded GNSS board at ION GNSS, calling the MB 500 the company's re-entry into high-end OEM boards. The MB 500 incorporates a blend of technologies that increases...

u-blox's AMY her debutante ball in Savannah.(ION GNSS 2008)
October 1, 2008... GPS chipmaker u-blox demonstrated at ION GNSS what it calls the the smallest standalone GPS receiver module on the market at 6.5 X 8 X 1.2 millimeters. Dubbed AMY, it is based on the u-blox 5 positioning engine. A quarter of the size of...

Trimble, Saab Transponder combine DGPS/AIS efforts.(ION GNSS 2008)
October 1, 2008... Trimble and Saab Transponder Tech AB said at ION GNSS that they are cooperating to integrate their respective differential GPS technologies for use in marine navigation. The two companies are combining efforts to deliver Differential GPS...

U.S. military orders more GPS-guided rockets.(MILITARY & GOVERNMENT)
October 1, 2008... Lockheed Martin has received a $61 million follow-on contract for its GPS-based Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary rockets from the U.S. military. GMLRS is an all-weather, precision-strike artillery rocket system that...

Northrop Grumman to acquire geospatial company 3001 international.(MILITARY & GOVERNMENT)
October 1, 2008... Northrop Grumman Corp. and 3001 International Inc. have announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement under which Northrop Grumman will acquire 3001. Financial terms were not disclosed. The companies expect the transaction...

View from China.(Leadership Talks)(Interview with Guifeng Jing)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... Guifeng Jing (GJ) wrote in our May issue that "I plan to do some research work on the establishment of integrated system of systems for users in China, to help domestic providers of digital maps, regional and thematic service systems, and...

Go green with GPS.(BUSINESS OUTLOOK)(Global Positioning System)
October 1, 2008... Let's think about the planet for a second. In the turmoil of high gas prices and rising costs, GPS and location-based services continue to quietly provide us with a combination of savings and planet-regenerating benefits. Increasing...

Driven downtown: tight coupling of GPS, laser scanner, and inertial measurements.(AVIONICS & TRANSPORTATION)
October 1, 2008... Trajectory reconstruction using a tightly coupled solution of GPS, two-dimensional laser scanner, and inertial sensors estimates the user delta position between consecutive update epochs. Potential applications for this technique include...

The GPS L2C Signal: a preliminary analysis of data quality.(INNOVATION)
October 1, 2008... Under the GPS modernization program, two new civil signals are being added to the legacy signals transmitted by the GPS satellites. The new signals are L2C, or L2 civil, and L5. The L2C signal is to be transmitted on the L2 carrier...

Integration of Inertial systems.(SURVEY & CONSTRUCTION)(Trimble's 5700 GPS receiver)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Oxford Technical Solutions has added Trimble's 5700 GPS receiver to the range of receivers that are properly integrated in to the Inertial +. The Inertial + is a full Inertial and GPS navigation system that uses gyros and accelerometers to make...

Miniaturized guidance.(MILITARY & GOVERNMENT)(Tru Trak Evolution )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Tru Trak Evolution comprises a single board, L1/L2, 24-channel secure receiver and is designed for use in precision-guided projectiles, munitions, and land attack missiles under development in various government programs. The device...

Shipping box begins world tour.(SEEN + HEARD)(British Broadcasting Corp. BBC News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Box: Current location BBC News is following a shipping container around the world for a year to tell the story of globalization. In the project, the BBC plans to deliver content for television, radio, and online audiences, telling the...

Tech's usefulness follows you to the grave.(SEEN + HEARD)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... GPS is being used to record the exact coordinates of 4,782 plaques and headstones at Akatarawa Cemetery in the city of Upper Hutt, reports The Dominion Post of Wellington, New Zealand. The precise locations of the plots will be accompanied by...

Johnny Who?(SEEN + HEARD)
October 1, 2008... GPS technology has made the list of 60 cultural landmarks on the Beloit College Mindset List, an annual compilation that offers a glimpse of the world as seen through the eyes of each incoming class of college freshmen, reports the Associated...

Turtle power.(SEEN + HEARD)(box tortoise with a GPS tracker attached helped police bust )(Report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A box tortoise with a GPS tracker attached helped police bust a suspected marijuana-grower, reports WUSA-TV. Minding his own business, the tortoise wandered into a secret cannabis patch in Rock Creek Park outside Washington, D.C. A ranger in...