The agencies want to know how users use NDGPS, and are seeking ideas for future uses or alternative uses.

According to the notice in the Federal Register,”The NDGPS was designed to broadcast signals to improve the accuracy and integrity of the Global Positioning System (GPS) derived positions for surface transportation, as well as other civil, commercial, scientific, and homeland security applications. This analysis will be used to support future NDGPS investment decisions by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation beyond fiscal year 2016. This notice seeks comments from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as other interested members of the public regarding current and future usage of the NDGPS, the need to retain the NDGPS, the impact if NDGPS signals were not available, alternatives to the NDGPS, and alternative uses for the existing NDGPS infrastructure.”

NDGPS is a ground-based augmentation system that provides increased accuracy and integrity of GPS information to users on U.S. land and waterways. The system consists of the Maritime Differential GPS System operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and an inland component funded by the Department of Transportation. NDGPS is built to international standards, and similar systems have been implemented by 50 countries around the world. Modernization efforts include the High Accuracy NDGPS (HA-NDGPS) system, currently under development, to enhance the performance and provide 10-15 centimeter accuracy with integrity throughout the coverage area. For more information about NDGPS, visit the following webpages:

Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management Facility on or before July 15, 2013.

Comments can be submitted identified by docket number USCG-2013-0054 or RITA-2013-0001 using any one of the following methods:

1. Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
2. Fax: 202-493-2251.
3. Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, D.C.   20590-0001
4. Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.

All comments received will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information provided.

For more details on submitting comments, see the Federal Register notice.

More information on the status of the NDGPS can be found on the RITA site and the U.S. Coast Guard site. More information on the HA-NDGPS is at the U.S. Department of Transportation site.

“Time and Navigation is an ambitious exhibit because it traces the development of very complicated technologies and makes us think about a subject we now take for granted,” said Gen. J.R. “Jack” Dailey, director of the museum. “Today, the technology needed to accurately navigate is integrated into mobile computers and phones: hundreds of years of technological heritage tell your handheld device where you are in a seamless manner. This opens up new possibilities and challenging questions for the next generation of scientists and explorers who visit this exhibit to start thinking about.”

Don Jewell discussed the exhibit in depth in his March Defense PNT column.

The gallery is organized into five sections and spans three centuries of efforts to travel on Earth and through the solar system. In each section the visitor will learn about pioneer navigators facing myriad issues, but one challenge always stands out: the need to know accurate time.

Sections

This timekeeper was the first American-made marine timekeeper taken to sea. William Cranch Bond, a 23-year-old Boston clockmaker, crafted it during the War of 1812.

Navigating at Sea is an immersive environment that suggests a walk through a 19th-century sailing vessel. Visitors will learn how centuries ago navigators at sea relied on chronometers and measurements of celestial objects to determine location. This section includes a mariner’s astrolabe, dating from 1602; a Ramsden sextant and dividing engine; several chronometers; a model of Galileo’s pendulum clock; and the earliest sea-going marine chronometer made in the United States, produced by Bostonian William Cranch Bond during the War of 1812. It also features an interactive display that allows visitors to use a sextant to navigate with the stars.

Navigating in the Air relates how air navigators struggled with greater speeds, worse weather and more cramped conditions than their sea-going predecessors. It tells the story of the innovations that overcame these challenges, as represented the gallery’s largest artifact, the Lockheed Vega “Winnie Mae,” flown by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty, shattering the around-the-world record in 1931. Visitors will learn that Charles Lindbergh required navigational tutoring after he flew to Paris and how he paved the way for a new system of navigation in the process. A personal account by a WWII navigator highlights wartime innovations. This section ends with an explanation of how clocks with tiny quartz crystals opened an entirely new era of navigation in the form of LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation).

Wiley Post’s Winnie Mae circled the globe two times, shattering previous records. The first time was in 1931 with Weems associate Harold Gatty as lead navigator. The second was a solo flight in 1933 assisted by “Mechanical Mike,” one of the world’s first practical autopilots.

Navigating in Space traces how teams of talented engineers invented the new science of space navigation using star sightings, precise timing and radio communications. This section includes an Apollo sextant, a space shuttle star tracker, timing equipment used at a ground tracking station and a flight spare (duplicate spacecraft) of Mariner 10, the first spacecraft to reach Mercury.

Inventing Satellite Navigation describes how traveling in space inspired plans to navigate from space. Innovators found that time from precise clocks on satellites, transmitted by radio signals, could be used to determine location. The U.S. military combined several breakthroughs to create the Global Positioning System. Some of the artifacts in this section are the NIST-7 atomic clock that served as the U.S. time standard in the 1990s, the navigation system from the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Alabama, a satellite from the Transit system used for global navigation before GPS and a test satellite global navigation built at the Naval Research Laboratory.

An official DARPA photograph of Stanley at the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. Stanley, created by the Stanford University Racing Team, won the race.

Navigation for Everyone tells the stories of real people — a fireman, a farmer and a student — who use modern navigation technology in their everyday lives. It also addresses what might come next: the story is not over yet and many new technologies are being developed. This section includes a disassembled mobile phone with a diagram showing all its parts and depicts how hundreds of years of navigation technology are now in the palm of a user’s hand. It also features “Stanley,” the robot car that won the 2005 Grand Challenge, a robot race sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The exhibition is made possible through the support of Northrop Grumman Corporation; Exelis Inc.; Honeywell; National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; U.S. Department of Transportation; Magellan GPS; National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing; Rockwell Collins; and the Institute of Navigation.

The National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history.

Trimble Slate Controller.

Trimble has introduced an all-in-one device for mobile communications and surveying data collection — the Trimble Slate Controller. The Trimble Slate Controller combines the convenience and ease-of-use of a smartphone with rugged durability. Optimized for Trimble Access field software and the Trimble R4 GNSS receiver, the Trimble Slate Controller supports a surveyor’s everyday workflows.

“Surveyors require mobile, rugged solutions that can readily withstand and perform in the toughest of conditions,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president of Trimble’s Survey Division. “With the introduction of the Trimble Slate Controller, we are providing a rugged handheld device designed to run survey workflows while also delivering the capabilities and convenience of a smartphone.”

Offering voice, SMS text, and 3.75G cellular data transfer capabilities on GSM cellular networks worldwide, the rugged Trimble Slate Controller enables enhanced connectivity in the field. Its wireless communication capabilities keep surveyors connected to the office. An integrated 8-megapixel camera offers enhanced job documentation and point attribution by providing geotagged, high-quality digital photos. 

The Trimble Slate Controller’s slim, ergonomic design is easy to hold while its screen provides superior sunlight readability enabling all-day use by survey professionals. Designed to withstand even tough conditions, a 4.3-inch capacitive touch Gorilla glass display covers the entire front surface, increasing readability without sacrificing durability.

Trimble Access field software available on the Trimble Slate Controller offers a variety of features and capabilities to streamline topographic, stakeout, control and other surveying applications. Partnered with Trimble Access and the Trimble R4 GNSS receiver, the Trimble Slate Controller provides a dedicated GNSS solution that is effective for both real time and post-processed GNSS surveys, Trimble said.

“Handheld is proud to have achieved an industry-leading position for dependable, ruggedized mobile computers that can be trusted to work in the most hostile environments” said Jerker Hellström, CEO Handheld Group, “To achieve this extremely high-level of performance, we only select components with the highest reliability on the  market. GPS positioning is one of the most important functionalities of our products. For this mission-critical feature, we chose u-blox.”

Handheld’s lineup of rugged PDAs and mobile computers is specifically developed for use in tough environments in industries such as geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, construction, mining, field service, utilities, maintenance, public safety, military and security.

“Surveyors require mobile, rugged solutions that can readily withstand and perform in the toughest of conditions,” said Erik Arvesen, vice president of Trimble’s Survey Division. “With the introduction of the Trimble Slate Controller, we are providing a rugged handheld device designed to run survey workflows while also delivering the capabilities and convenience of a smartphone.”

Offering voice, SMS text, and 3.75G cellular data transfer capabilities on GSM cellular networks worldwide, the Trimble Slate Controller is a rugged device that enables enhanced connectivity in the field. Its wireless communication capabilities keep surveyors in the field connected to the office. An integrated 8-megapixel camera offers enhanced job documentation and point attribution by providing geotagged, high-quality digital photos.

The Trimble Slate Controller’s slim, ergonomic design is easy to hold while its screen provides superior sunlight readability enabling all-day use by survey professionals, Trimble said. Designed to withstand the toughest conditions, a 4.3-inch capacitive touch, Gorilla glass display covers the entire front surface, increasing readability without sacrificing durability.

Trimble Access field software available on the Trimble Slate Controller offers a variety of features and capabilities to streamline topographic, stakeout, control and other surveying applications. Partnered with Trimble Access and the Trimble R4 GNSS receiver, the Trimble Slate Controller provides a dedicated GNSS solution that is effective for both real time and post-processed GNSS surveys.

Janam’s XT85 offers a complete set of features that enterprises require in a rugged wireless wide area device, at a price point that makes extending enterprise mobility affordable, Janam said. It is equipped with high-sensitivity GPS with anti-jamming technology.

The XT85 survives multiple 5-foot drops to concrete at temperature extremes (and 6-foot drops at room temperature), offers a 3.5-inch high-transmissivity display that maximizes outdoor readability while minimizing power consumption, offers advanced 4G-ready cellular network connectivity with five-band UMTS for global roaming, and is small and lightweight.

“Purpose-built mobile computers must appeal to today’s information worker who expects a device that is small, light, fast and highly capable while also serving the business needs of the enterprise for whom the mobile worker is performing mission-critical tasks,” said Harry B. Lerner, CEO of Janam. “Janam’s XT85 is optimized to appeal to both constituencies. It’s much more than a smart phone. It’s a brilliant PDA.”

In addition to 4G-ready UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/GSM wireless wide area network communication, the XT85 is equipped with 802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN with enterprise-grade security and Bluetooth.  It is available with the SE965HP laser engine from Motorola or Honeywell’s Adaptus Imaging technology. Purpose-built to accommodate the realities of work processes and environments, the XT85 is UL-certified for use in hazardous environments, sealed to IP65 standards and available with QWERTY or numeric keypads.

Topcon HiPer SR and Pocket 3D in the field.

With the introduction of a new version of Pocket 3D software for its HiPer SR GNSS receiver, Topcon Positioning Systems is expanding the delivery of high-accuracy 3D positioning technology to contractors needing a low-cost, one-man layout and measurement system.

Pocket 3D is powerful, easy-to-use data collection and control software for grade checking and other measurement applications on a job site. Version 10.0.2 makes it fully functional with the HiPer SR receiver, introduced in August.

The new receiver is not only “perfect for contractors, but also for other non-traditional GNSS users such as landscape architects, law enforcement forensics projects or any others requiring high-accuracy 3D positioning,” said Tony Vanneman, Topcon construction products marketing manager.

Its field-rugged and fully-integrated design delivers a 1,000-foot working radius through Topcon’s new LongLink technology. “This innovative wireless data link was developed specifically for the HiPer SR, and provides reliable and interference-free base-to-rover communications that don’t require an FCC license to operate,” Vanneman said.

“We took the best signal tracking technologies and packaged them in a small, energy-efficient design,” he said.  “Anyone looking for a rugged, easy-to-use, low-cost 3D GPS system will find what they need in the HiPer SR.”

Additional key features of the HiPer SR include:

• Shock-resistant magnesium alloy housing – allowing the HiPer SR to take a 6 ft. (2m) pole drop onto concrete;
• Weighs 1.8 pounds (0.8kg);
• 226-channel Vanguard technology, featuring Universal Tracking Channel technology, supports all satellite constellations;
• Fence antenna technology;
• Quartz lock loop technology for superior GNSS tracking in high-vibration environments, such as on a four wheeler;
• Capable of simultaneous LongLink operation with multiple rovers;
• Sealed battery pack provides more than 15 hours of operation.

“Esri is committed to the development of tools and processes that advance the use of imagery for geospatial analysis,” said Lawrie Jordan, Esri’s imagery solutions director. “The applications that participants design will offer proof-of-concept models useful to imagery analysts worldwide.”

According to the announcement, participants are required to improve efficiency, productivity, or accuracy for detecting and analyzing land-cover change using MDA synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from RADARSAT-2 and 5 m multispectral imagery from RapidEye. They will use Esri and PCI software to process and analyze imagery. Grant participants, project titles, and organizations are listed on the Esri Natural Resources Imagery Grant Program web page.

“Imagery provides a cost-efficient means to monitor and measure what is happening on the ground and can be integrated with GIS to make better decisions,” said Terry Moloney, president and CEO of PCI Geomatics. “Our partnership with Esri on this program will significantly change the GIS approach participants will apply to land-use management, planning, and policy making.