GNSS

Russian government may turn GLONASS union into joint stock firm

The Russian government may turn noncommercial Partnership GLONASS, which will provide services on the basis of the state accident emergency response system ERA-GLONASS, into a joint stock company and sell a minor stake in it to attract investment.

The Transportation Ministry suggested creating the ERA-GLONASS operator as a public-private partnership by creating a joint stock company from GLONASS with a further expansion of the number of shareholders through a placement of new shares. At present, the GLONASS partnership comprises 12 companies, including state-controlled telecom giant Rostelecom, Internet company Yandex and the country’s three largest mobile operators – MTS, MegaFon and VimpelCom, operating under the Beeline brand. http://www.brics-info.org

Roadmap for ERA-GLONASS road accident response system

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a roadmap for establishing GLONASS public company and developing the ERA-GLONASS road accident emergency response system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier gave instructions to develop a roadmap for establishing GLONASS public company with a 100% stake as an operator of the ERA-GLONASS state automated information system based on data provided by Russia’s GLONASS satellite group.

The roadmap, which will be implemented in 2014-2018, is designed to cut federal expenditures on the ERA-GLONASS operation from the current $16 million to zero and achieve the system’s annual gross revenues of $138 million.

ERA-GLONASS aims to shorten the time when rescuers arrives in road traffic accidents: in case of a traffic accident, information on a transport vehicle, including its precise coordinates, will be automatically transferred to a control center of the 112 emergency response system, which will dispatch emergency response teams to the scene of the accident.

Scientists claim GPS data has finally solved the ‘Sheepdog Mystery’

With a GPS tracking device attached to its back, an Australian sheepdog has finally revealed how a single canine can control a rebellious flock, according to a new study.

The “sheepdog mystery” has baffled scientists and mathematicians for generations, but a new paper in a journal by Britain’s Royal Society says the secret lies in the animal first bringing the sheep together by weaving sideto- side at their rear, then driving them forward. The study suggests that a talented sheepdog could use the technique to control a flock up to 100-strong.

Researchers hope that the new knowledge can be applied to future planning with regards to crowd control, and even guiding groups of exploring robots across remote terrains. http://time.com

TRIUMPH-F1 UAV by JAVAD

JAVAD GNSS is introducing itsnew unmanned aerial vehicle -TRIUMPH-F1 unmanned aerialvehicle, which is based on theJAVAD GNSS TRIUMPH-1. It isthe company’s fi eld-tested highprecisiongeodetic GNSS receiverwith 864 channels to track allcurrent and future GNSS signals.When used on the ground, theTRIUMPH-F1 can function asa TRIUMPH-1 base or rover.The four motor arms (foreight motors) are detachable.There are four screw inserts in thebottom to attach the TRIUMPH-F1to a pole mount for fi eld use. Itfeatures user-friendly missionprogramming. The four lithium polymer batteries that power theeight propeller motors, arranged ina stacked quad formation, each havea test button and LEDs to indicatethe current charge level, as well asaccessible ports for easy charging.The TRIUMPH-F1 also hastwo micro-SD slots for imagestorage, a SIM card slot, a USBconnector for uploading fl ightplans and downloading collectedimages, and indicators for satellitetracking and communications. Otherindicators are dedicated to fl ightstatus and gyro. It comes equippedwith four angled documentationcameras and a downwardhigh-precision camera forphotogrammetry. www.javad.com/