More GPS and iPhone/iPad

June 8, 2010 By: Eric Gakstatter

I received some interesting comments from my piece last week on the Dawn of a New Era in GPS Accuracy. They ranged from “I don’t believe it’s going to happen” to “this is going to be really cool.” Also, the iPhone 4 is out and Apple is reportedly selling an iPad every three seconds. I’m not sure even Mrs. Field’s can make cookies that fast!

The Future of GPS Accuracy and Prices of High-Accuracy GPS Receivers

The dawn of the new GPS L5 signal marks the start of a major transformation of GPS technology accuracy and pricing. Some of you don’t believe that. For the naysayers, I think part of the resistance to the concept is that it’s going to be a major transformation for companies in the GPS business. They are the ones that must adapt or die. The consumer, on the other hand, is just along for the ride and will benefit far beyond what we can comprehend today. Just the air traffic control system alone will benefit so much from GPS and L5. That will touch the lives of millions of people on a daily basis.

GPS IIF satellite with the new L5 signal capability

In the geospatial arena, it’s simple.

The price of high-accuracy (centimeter-level) GPS positioning is going to become very inexpensive. Today, if you want high-accuracy elevations on test wells in wetland areas, what are your choices? How much do those choices cost? All of the choices are several thousands of dollars whether you hire someone to do it or you do it yourself. That is going to change dramatically. In the future, most likely you’ll be collecting this data yourself because the GPS equipment to do it is going to become much less expensive. You’ll be less inclined to “hire it out” (outsource) because the difference in cost between doing it yourself and outsourcing will be much more than it is today. The cost of doing it yourself will be much lower and the cost of outsourcing will be higher due to rising labor costs.

The reason it’s going to become very inexpensive is simple.

Today’s high-accuracy GPS receivers are proprietary and protected by many patents because the legacy L2 was not an open signal. Only a handful of companies manufacture and sell high-accuracy dual-frequency receivers to the commercial markets. With limited competition, these companies can charge a premium, as they should. That’s the nature of business.

However, the new GPS L5 is an open signal. That’s the game-changer. It opens the doors for the hundreds (or maybe thousands) of GPS receiver designers who only focused on lower accuracy GPS L1 receivers. Now, with little additional effort, these designers are able to incorporate L5 into their designs, which results in a high-accuracy GPS receiver. When there is widespread competition on ultra-high-margin products such as dual-frequency GPS receivers, history tells us that prices will decline and innovation will flourish.

As high-accuracy GPS receiver pricing falls, it will ignite many new applications that were previously not practical due to the expense of these receivers. The emergence of those applications will complete the technology transformation brought about by L5.

The iPad/iPhone Factor

Earlier this year, I wrote about the Apple iPad. At that time, it was concept, albeit an intriguing one, but vaporware nonetheless. Amid celebrated fanfare, the iPad began shipping in early April. The follow-on iPad, which includes 3G, W-iFi, and A-GPS, is now shipping, too. In all, more than two million iPads have shipped to date — that computes to about one every three seconds.

Furthermore, Apple just introduced the iPhone 4, the next-generation version of the phone that has revolutionized the mobile phone industry. The significance is that the iPad and iPhone use the same iOS operating system. This means that applications designed for the iPhone can run on the iPad and vice versa. Although only announced within the last few days, companies have already announced accessories for the iPhone 4.

Cygnett iPhone 4 Workmate Rugged Case

With respect to using the iPad for geospatial, it’s important that the iPad is accepted by the consumer market. If it ends up not being accepted by the consumer market and becomes a specialty item, there’s no way the sales numbers can justify continuing the product line. In other words, the iPad can’t survive as a geospatial device used by relatively low-volume applications like mapping and GIS. Remember the Apple Newton? It fell out of favor for just that reason.

Apple iPad 3G with 3G, WiFi, and A-GPS

With the numbers of units being shipped, it looks like it has a good chance to stick in the mainstream consumer market. Also, keep in mind that it’s not shipping to all countries yet. It has only shipped in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Apple will ship to more countries, including China, this summer and fall.

Free Webinar on June 24

On June 24, Geospatial Solutions will be conducting a free 60-minute webinar, moderated by me, on "GIS Mapping for Forestry, Agriculture, and Other Natural Resource Professionals." I will discuss GIS mapping software tools/concepts/techniques as well as GIS mapping hardware such as GPS receivers, digital cameras, and laser rangefinders. Although focused on natural resources, it will be relevant for all people interested in GIS mapping, which could be utility companies, municipalities, transportation organizations, etc. Sign up now by clicking here and submit questions in advance.

Thanks, and see you next week.

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