ION-GNSS Blog: Trimble Juno, CGSIC Meeting, and NAVCEN Updates
September 23, 2010 By: Don JewellION GNSS – Day One
It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and this week the neighborhood is in Portland, Oregon, where I and about 1,500 other GPS aficionados are attending the Institute of Navigation’s (ION) annual GNSS (Global Navigation Space System) event. It is always a great event and so far the presentations and the company demonstrations are as compelling as ever.
Trimble has a new Juno model called the Juno SD and I am looking forward to giving you a quick snapshot of that unit and then a more in-depth review at a later date. The unit is about the size of a mobile phone with a beautiful screen and fits well in the hand. Trimble is well known for their rugged units and the Juno SD is no exception and I am told it is even available in nonstandard Trimble colors. I also have a new Yuma from Trimble with the new SiRF chipset and my initial reaction is that this is quite a machine. Initial startup time and TTFF were amazing. It even has two cameras. More on that in a full review soon.
For the last two days I attended the CGSIC event put on by the United States Coast Guard at ION. The CGSIC or Civil GPS Service Interface Committee always have very interesting technical discussions and for me it is the perfect way to kick off the ION GNSS event, which they have been doing for the past several years. This year the event was better attended than last year because it was held in the same Convention Center as the ION event. Last year it was across town from the ION event in Savannah, Georgia, and was less well attended. I think everyone learned a lesson from that experience. Never forget…location…location…location.
The CGSIC presentations were excellent as always and this year focused on GNSS matters at NIST, FAA, DOT, USNO, ITU and even an update on the Navigation exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. I am back in Washington, D.C. for a few days next week and I know for sure you will find me at the Smithsonian at the Navigation Exhibit when I have a few minutes to spare.
Eric Gakstatter from GPS World and our own Editor-in-Chief Alan Cameron made presentations at CGSIC and as usual they were first rate. Our new publisher, George Casey, even put in an appearance.
There were also international GNSS updates and of course status reports on the latest from the USCG Navigation Center (NAVCEN), which is now under the able leadership of Captain Frank Parker (USCG). I managed to finagle an invitation to visit the NAVCEN and I will report on their latest activities soon.
Until Tomorrow, happy navigating.
Don
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