EAB Q&A: What accuracy level should public services end and private ones begin?
“Regarding augmentation services such as Galileo HAS, at what accuracy level should public services end and private ones begin?”
Michael Swiek
“This reminds me of the questions that arose many years ago over whether the U.S. Coast Guard differential correction service (DGPS) would unfairly compete with commercially provided augmentations. I don’t know whether there is a single rigid number that fairly separates publicly provided augmentations from commercially provided ones, or if such a number could be set for all time. It would probably need to be flexible, and evolve over time as needs change and technological improvements come to pass. In the end, the public-provided service should be at a reasonable minimum level to address an identifiable broad public need — such as safety of life requirements — but not so fine as to undercut finer levels of accuracy for which there is a market of users willing to pay for such services from the private sector. This could ensure a responsible service provision for the public good, as well as a healthy competitive environment for commercial technological development.”
— Michael Swiek
GPS Alliance
About the Author: Matteo Luccio
Matteo Luccio, GPS World’s Editor-in-Chief, possesses more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for GNSS and geospatial technology magazines. He began his career in the industry in 2000, serving as managing editor of GPS World and Galileo’s World, then as editor of Earth Observation Magazine and GIS Monitor. His technical articles have been published in more than 20 professional magazines, including Professional Surveyor Magazine, Apogeo Spatial and xyHt. Luccio holds a master’s degree in political science from MIT. He can be reached at mluccio@northcoastmedia.net or 541-543-0525.
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