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Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is Here Now
posted by Satri
on Friday November 21, @01:36PM
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from the more-than-GPS dept.
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from the more-than-GPS dept.
Vector One offers a interesting entry on GNSS and why it matters today.
It might be helpful to read the GNSS wikipedia entry, a snippet: "Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage."
From the V1 entry: "Many people seem to think that GLONASS and GALILEO must be fully operational for GNSS to work. That is not true. Because the U.S. is operating a full constellation of GPS satellites, and GLONASS has 13 GPS satellites available today, GNSS is already operational. This means that a user purchasing a GPS + GLONASS enabled device can work in GNSS mode. [...] If you invest in a GPS+GLONASS+GALILEO receiver today, in all likelihood your investment will be realised immediately and improve over time, as more more launches occur."
See also related stories below. I guess we'll have to rename our GPS section to GNSS eventually...
« Obama’s Earth Mapping Policy and Landsat Data Continuity Mission | Cartographica: GIS for MacOSX »
Related Stories
New GNSS Publication on the Way & Interview
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All Points Blog tells us about a new Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) publication coming soon and a GIS Development interview with the founding editor of GPS World. From the interview: "Today GPS applications fields have touched so many unexpected areas. Right from the beginning U.S. policy for GPS had the provision for the use of GPS in varied civilian fields like surveying, GIS, telecommunications. In the 1990s GPS use in car navigation was expected to be the largest application field by the GPS market. However this expectation was not matched with reality as the early GPS car navigation systems were very expensive and most of the drivers did not feel the need for them."
China Launches First GPS Rival Satellite
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All Points Blog tells us China has successfully launched their first Compass GNSS satellite which will compete with other GPS systems. From the short article: "The Chinese Compass Navigation Satellite System will provide positioning signals across China by 2008, and will eventually be extended worldwide.
Experts said that the system is operating well and has played a significant role in cartography, telecoms, water conservation, transportation, fishery, prospecting, forest fire monitoring and national security." There's the orbit technical details in the JSR space report. See also related stories.
Galileo's Objectives and Funding 1 comment
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Here's a few news regarding the Galileo European satellite navigation system. The SatNav blog questions the objectives of the Galileo program and provide comments following a European Commission communication on Galileo. Related, APB links to an article on the European Commission outlining its plan to get the Galileo satellite navigation system back on track [BBC] and new delays for the second satellite launch. From the BBC article: "This would mean member states having to find about a billion more than they expected because of the collapse of private sector involvement.
The EC is determined to have Galileo operational by the end of 2012.
However, this target is dependent on financing arrangements being put in place this year.
So far, only four spacecraft in the eventual 30-satellite constellation have been ordered. Unless contracts are issued for more platforms in the coming months, the timetable will slip again and Europe's biggest single space project may then face calls to be scrapped altogether." See also the related stories below.
Magellan Introduces ProMark 500
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canalgeomatics writes "Magellan just introduced the Magellan ProMark 500, a dual-frequency GNSS receiver that processes GPS, GLONASS and SBAS signals to offer land surveyors fast, real-time centimeter-level accurate surveying. The ProMark 500 delivers state-of-the art RTK features in a light, cable-free rover that provides maximum mobility and flexibility. The ProMark 500 combines high performance with a flexible all-in-one communications system that enables NTRIP or direct IP real-time corrections via a GSM/GPRS enabled cell-phone module; a UHF connection for either a Pacific Crest or Magellan UHF radio."
eLORAN as a Backup of GNSS / GPS 1 comment
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The SatNav blog runs an informative entry on eLORAN (enhanced LOng RAnge Navigation) and its adoption by the U.S. and the U.K. as a GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO satellites backup. From the the entry: "As such it is the best insurance policy money can buy to secure the benefits of GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] for safety and commercially important applications.
The US recently made the decision to upgrade its LORAN system to eLORAN capability and at the same time move the operation of the system from U.S. Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate. [...] An excellent rationale for eLORAN highlighting its role as a complement to GNSS is here [pdf]." In mid-January, APB discussed the U.S. call for comments on shutting down LORAN-C.
NovAtel Announces SPAN-SE
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Canal Geomatics writes "NovAtel, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of precise positioning technology, announced last month its new flagship GNSS + INS receiver, the SPAN-SE. Designed for precision applications, NovAtel SPAN-SE enhances the powerful OEMV receiver with features that are critical to precision GNSS/INS system integrators such as on-board data logging, Ethernet connectivity, wheel sensor input and scalability for future GNSS advances."
3D Car Navigation Map In Browser
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I came across a pretty interesting use of the canvas tag found on newer browsers. Please visit the site (especially if you have FireFox) to see it live in action. Here is part of the summary : "After browsing through the code of Jacob Seidelin's Super Mario Kart demo, I was inspired to take the code and attempt to create a GPS-navigation system experience using publicly available roadmap tiles. The final result is a proof of concept that works pretty damn well in Firefox (and not quite that well in other browsers :)."
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is Here Now
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