GPS World articles from September 2005

GPS World archives from September 2005

A closer look at NGA.(National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency)(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... When the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) changed its name to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in 2003, it aimed to reflect the powerful capabilities this young agency was realizing by melding the geospatial and...

Single-source MUE effort at JPO.(Modern User Equipment, GPS Joint Program Office )
September 1, 2005... The GPS Joint Program Office (JPO) has launched an initiative to shift all work on Modern User Equipment (MUE) to a single contractor, citing budget constraints. Significantly affected by this potential and dramatic change would be Interstate...

EGNOS, Galileo tango on.(European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service)(European Space Agency's project)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... Europe's GNSS took two steps forward, one step back in recent weeks. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) began its Initial Operation Phase (IOV), and one of two Galileo satellites currently under development,...

Wait just a second.(December 31, 2005 will contain one second more according to International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service announced that December 31, 2005, will contain an extra second. National time-keeping centers around the globe will insert the "leap second" into their master clocks, and all other...

Time-invariant sea-floor depths: using the ellipsoid as zero-reference surface; A GPS survey combined with acoustic soundings can determine highly accurate sea-floor depths. Using the ellipsoid as the zero-reference surface then allows navigators, while underway, to determine both keel and overhead obstruction clearance independent of the stage of the tide and the draft of the ship and freeboard.(DESIGN CHALLENGE)
September 1, 2005... For safe sailing, two most important requirements are to be able to determine clearances between the sea floor and the keel of the ship, and between the mainmast and overhead structures, such as cables and bridges. For these clearances, the...

More bang, less buck: low-cost GPS/INS guidance for Navy munitions launches.(Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.)(global Positioning System and inertial navigation systems)(Cover story)
September 1, 2005... A Draper Laboratory lead team has developed a transformational naval stand-off combat capability and demonstrated for the first time precision-guidance of long-range, gun-fired projectiles in support of ground maneuver warfare. In three...

Myths and realities of anywhere GPS: high sensitivity versus assisted techniques.(Global Positioning System)
September 1, 2005... The past year of GPS marketing carried a wave of excitement about the capabilities of Assisted GPS (AGPS). The communications might lead you to believe that AGPS means works "Anywhere" GPS. But accurately determining what will work for any...

Charting future GNSS markets: exploratory applications and services.(Global Navigation Satellite System)
September 1, 2005... By investing in pilot projects that emulate Galileo for early application development, industry partners create new possibilities for the user communities to explore. This will in turn enable GNSS companies to field solutions by the time...

Prime time positioning: using broadcast TV signals to fill GPS acquisition gaps.(Global Positioning System)
September 1, 2005... The market for integrated positioning and navigation systems is dominated by systems using GPS receivers as their primary positioning technology. However, one major limitation of GPS is that uninterrupted satellite reception is not possible in...

Demonstration Kit.(RECEIVER TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... The Q20 High Sensitivity GPS Demonstration Kit from QinetiQ is designed for developers to test GPS receiver advantages in specific positioning applications. The kit consists of the Q20 GPS receiver with reported position accuracy of less than 5...

Low power chipset.(RECEIVER TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... The u-Nav uN9018 is a 10 x 10 x 1.8-millimeter chipset that draws less than 55 mW during continuous GPS navigation. The uN9018 integrates the uN1008 CMOS RF front-end and uN8130 baseband processor, and features a multi-mode GPS software...

Hybrid oscillators.(RECEIVER TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... Rakon has introduced the first members of its new hybrid oscillator family, the HT700 and the HVT700, combining wide temperature range stability benefits of ASIC-based models with phase noise and flexibility features of TCXO technologies. Using...

Interference Suppression.(MILITARY)
September 1, 2005... The Miniature Advanced Interference Suppression Unit (MA-ISU) from Honeywell mitigates the effects of interference and jamming in GPS reception. Operating with a fixed reception pattern antenna (FRPA), it provides additional anti-jam for L1...

Handheld GPS.(SURVEYING & MAPPING)
September 1, 2005... Trimble's GeoXT is a handheld 12-channel L1 and carrier GPS receiver weighing 1.59 pounds with internal rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. Measuring 21.5 x 9.9 x 7.7 centimeters, the handheld reportedly delivers sub-meter accuracy for...

Geodetic RTK GPS.(SURVEYING & MAPPING)
September 1, 2005... The GX1230 from Leica is a geodetic, RTK GPS receiver. The 12-channel L1/L2, C/A-code DGPS + WAAS/EGNOS receiver integrates SmartTrack technology and an AX1230 SmartAntenna. Measuring 0.212 x 0.166 x 0.079 millimeter and weighing 1.2 kilograms,...

SiRF sues u-Nav Microelectronics: complaint alleges infringement of three GPS patents.(GPS INSIDE)
September 1, 2005... San Jose, California-based SiRF Technology Inc. filed a complaint in United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that Irvine, California-based u-Nav Microelectronics Corp. has infringed on three SiRF patents...

Wherify Wireless, IQ Biometrix complete merger.(GPS INSIDE)
September 1, 2005... Wherify Wireless Inc., a Redwood Shores, California-based manufacturer of wireless location products and services, has completed its merger with IQ Biometrix Inc., a Fremont, California developer of FACES composite software used by the FBI,...

Schneider Electric to buy BEI Technologies.(GPS INSIDE)
September 1, 2005... Schneider Electric SA, a Rueil-Malmaison, France-based maker of circuit breakers, will purchase BEI Technologies Inc., a San Francisco producer of micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based sensors for automotive and defense industries, for...

Atmel Baseband processor.(ATR0640 Baldur GPS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... Atmel Corp. of Heilbronn, Germany, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, has introduced its ATR0640 Baldur GPS baseband processor including a 14-channel Magellan GPS correlator from Santa Clara, California-based Thales Navigation. Developed...

Aeroflex AGPS test.(GPS INSIDE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... Burnham, England-based Aeroflex has introduced a suite of testing tools for AGPS solutions development and conformance testing for GSM, GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA cellular technologies. The tools provide a single source for verification of...

Trimble TSC2 Controller.(Trimble Navigation Ltd.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... Trimble introduced its TSC2 Controller, a handheld field computer that works with Trimble GPS survey stations and total stations to provide wireless operations to surveying, mapping and construction professionals in the field or office. The...

NavCom OEM GPS engine.(Navcom Technology Inc., global positioning system)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... NavCom Technology Inc. of Torrance, California, introduced its NCT-2100D dual-frequency, 26-channel OEM GPS board as a replacement for its discontinued NCT-2000D 10-channel GPS engine. The all-in-view NCT-2100D incorporates NavCom's Touchstone...

IEC unveils anti-jam tools.(Interstate Electronics Corp. introduced FaSTAP software and hardware)
September 1, 2005... Anaheim, California-based Interstate Electronics Corp. (IEC) has developed FaSTAP (Fast Space--Time Adaptive Process) integrated anti-jamming (AJ) software and hardware reportedly effective against multiple jamming sources using existing GPS...

Applanix airborne pose system.(POS AV 610, position and orientation system)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... Applanix of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, unveiled its POS AV 610 position and orientation system for airborne vehicles, designed for direct georef-erencing of airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and high-altitude light detection and...

New Nextel LBS with RIM, Trimble.(Nextel Communications Inc., Research In Motion)(Brief article)
September 1, 2005... Nextel Communications Inc. of Reston, Virginia, and Research In Motion (RIM) of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, have added asset tracking and mobile resource management tools to the GPS- and Bluetooth-enabled BlackBerry 7520. With SiRFLoc client...

Dell buys Symmetricom TymServe systems.(DEALS)
September 1, 2005... San Jose, California-based Symmetricom Inc. is supplying its TymServe 2100 GPS network time servers to Rock Round, Texas-based Dell Inc. Symmetricom's TymServe 2100 systems leverage a proprietary eight-channel C/A-code GPS receiver to acquire...

Stock tracker.(Statistical table)
September 1, 2005... JULY 15,2005 COMPANY STOCK MARKET SYMBOL ADJ. CLOSE CSI Wireless Inc. Toronto Stock Exchange CSY.TO 3.43 Garmin Ltd. NASDAQ ...

Leica buy off, on.
September 1, 2005... Leica Geosystems AG of Heerbrugg, Switzerland, and Washington, D.C.-based Danaher Corp. mutually terminated their pending merger agreement after Nacka Strand, Sweden-based Hexagon AB increased by 31.4 percent its earlier offer.

Sky-tech cruisers: tracking devices trailed 20 solar-powered cars racing 2,500 miles across North America, as fans around the globe accessed online maps with live position and performance updates.
September 1, 2005... Tired of stratospheric gas prices? You're not alone. In the United States, regular unleaded gas prices have risen more than 65 percent since January 2004, to an average of more than $2.60 per gallon. The Department of Transportation estimates...