Archives

Compass ICD in October; Harmonizing GNSS

September 29, 2011 - By

China's GNSS, Compass or Beidou, intends to publish its signal interface control document (ICD) in October. Representatives of the system made an unprecedented showing at ION GNSS in Portland, and referred frankly to "internal deliberations" that may be at the root of much of the public uncertainty about the system's planned structure and timeline. Meanwhile, representatives of other navigation satellite systems also delivered updates on their status and plans. Everyone is concerned about LightSquared interference, but everyone continues to move forward. This month's column is a two-parter: a guest appearance by Len Jacobson, editorial advisory board member for GPS World magazine and president of Global Systems and Marketing Inc. Len writes on the "Harmonizing GNSS" aspect, the briefings by all systems and their efforts to achieve compatibility and interoperability. Then I'll return with an account of the Compass panel that formed part of the CGSIC meeting immediately preceeding ION. read more

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INTERGEO 2011: The World’s Largest Geospatial Conference

September 29, 2011 - By

INTERGEO, held in Germany every year, is the best all-around geospatial conference that allows vendors to showcase their technologies. With ~17,500 attendees, it’s certainly the largest geospatial conference in the world. From my experience, it’s also the best. Simply, INTERGEO attracts vendors who offer a collection of technologies from GPS/GNSS to remote sensing, 3D scanners, and mapping software that would... read more

This is posted in GSS Monthly, Lidar, Mapping

Spectracom Debuts New GNSS Simulator Capabilities at ION-GNSS

September 21, 2011 - By

PORTLAND, Oregon — Spectracom announced at the ION-GNSS conference the introduction of new capabilities for its GSG line of GPS GNSS constellation simulators. These features reinforce Spectracom’s offerings for flexible, user-friendly, and affordable characterization and test of GPS and GNSS devices and systems. read more

This article is tagged with , and posted in OEM

Countdown to Galileo Launch via Soyuz Rocket Under Way

September 20, 2011 - By

The first Soyuz flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana will carry the first two satellites of Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit on October 20, and the European Space Agency is reporting on the preparations. On September 12, final assembly began on the three-stage Soyuz ST-B, consisting of four first-stage boosters clustered around the core second stage, topped off by the third stage. The Launcher Flight Readiness Review in July gave the green light to begin assembling the rocket. read more

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In-Car Connectivity, Not a Smartphone on Wheels

September 20, 2011 - By

The 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show is underway. The Ford Evos concept car is having its debut and overtakes the company’s Sync offering, with a high level of social networking and connectivity features. A departure from the Sync approach of vehicles as smartphones on wheels, this plug-in hybrid is designed to always be connected to the cloud. Some of the distractibility found in the Sync has been diminished. The driver’s “personal cloud” makes automatic adjustments to music, temperature, traffic checks, and navigation that reflect learned personal choices of the driver and her schedule. Hooking a car up to the cloud comes with significant risks. Moving from stand-alone isolated in-vehicle systems to the connected network world carries the threat of being hacked and exposed to viruses. iSec researchers demonstrated unlocking and starting a car by sending text messages to its alarm system. The problem, however, is much broader than having a car stolen. read more

This article is tagged with , , and posted in Mobile, Opinions

LightSquared’s Toughest Week So Far

September 16, 2011 - By

Like a bad week on the stock exchange, LightSquared hit speed bump after speed bump this week. After Monday when the company boldly claimed there would "be a resolution within a month" to the GPS interference problem, the FCC spanked them Tuesday by ordering more testing. The rest of the week turned even more sour. read more

This article is tagged with , and posted in Opinions, Survey

USSOCOM Camp Roberts: Where Engineers and Operators Meet to View New Technology

September 15, 2011 - By

Four weeks ago I attended a USSOCOM and Navy Post Graduate School event known simply as Camp Roberts TNT. Located in a remote part of the California Central Valley near the town of Paso Robles, the best way to describe Camp Roberts is that it’s like a Boy Scout Jamboree for engineers, scientists, and military operators. However, Camp Roberts focuses... read more

This is posted in GeoIntelligence Insider, Lidar, Opinions
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