Europe’s Galileo system has passed its latest milestone, transmitting its very fi rst test navigation signal back to Earth. According European Space Agency (ESA), the different Galileo signals are being activated and tested one by one. Soon after the payload power amplifi ers were switched on and ‘outgassed’– warmed up to release vapours that might otherwise interfere with operations – the fi rst test signal was captured at Redu. The test signal was transmitted in the ‘E1’ band, which will be used for Galileo’s Open Service once the system begins initial operations in 2014. The Open Service will be freely available to users all over the world. This signal is particularly important because it shares the ‘L1’ band of the US GPS navigation satellites.

Bhuvan, ISRO’s geoportal and gateway to Indian earth-observation data products and services, announced that now users can select, browse and query the thematic datasets from its website. Users can also use these thematic datasets and integrate them into their systems as OGC web services. At present, Land Use Land Cover (LULC) 50K : 2005-2006, datasets are available on the website. It can be accessed from the link provided at the Bhuvan home page (www.bhuvan.nrsc. gov.in) or accessed directly from http:// bhuvan-noeda.nrsc.gov.in/theme

INDUSTRY | LBS | GPS | GIS | REMOTE SENSING | GALILEO UPDATE

China, UK build geospatial research center
The Sino-British Geospatial Information Research Centre, jointly built by the China Academy of Surveying and Mapping and U.K. University of Nottingham, opened in Beijing on Dec. 13. This research centre will develop geospatial information research to solve …

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Offi ce (ICO) voiced concerns over the growing pervasiveness of LBS and the lack of end user awareness about how much data these systems transmit. According to Jonathan Bamford, Head of strategic liaison at the data protection watchdog, the speed of development in this sector leaves regulators struggling to ensure that the necessary safeguards are in place. “The sheer scale of technological change and the ingenuity with which people are using LBS data feeds means we are always playing catch-up,”

Russian satellite producer Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems plans to start developing a new generation satellites for the country’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) in 2017. The company plans to fi nish developing the projected satellites, called GLONASS-KM, in 2020.

WORK Microwave has announced that the company’s joint venture with IFEN has produced a new model for the well known NavX®-GNSS test solution product family. With its flexible licensing capability, the new product is a future-proof investment for the coming multi-GNSS era. The key technology advancement in the NavX®-NCS Essential is driven by the powerful BLACK JACK simulation engine, which lies at the heart of the NavX®-NCS Essential. The engine allows simultaneous simulation of GPS, GLONASS, SBAS, and Galileo satellites covering all operating GNSS systems on the L1 RF frequency band all-in-one-box.

The Commission proposes to earmark €7 billion to guarantee the completion of the EU satellite navigation infrastructure and to ensure the exploitation of the systems until 2020, such as the operations of the space and terrestrial infrastructures, the necessary replenishment/replacement activities, certification procedures, and notably the provision of services.

National Remote Sensing Centre of India will set up a remote sensing ground station in the continent of Antarctica. Once the Antarctica ground station is operational, it will boost the remote sensing data transmitted by Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites. The data will be helpful during natural calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, besides providing regular data terrain. According to NRSC sources, the proposed ground station in Antarctica will receive data around 10 to 12 orbits per day from different IRS satellites.

Autodesk, Inc has announced several new features to be added to the next release of AutoCAD WS, a free* web and mobile application that enables users to view, edit and share AutoCAD projects across desktop, web and mobile devices. AutoCAD WS users will have access to 3D interactive features, including the ability to work with 3D drawings on mobile devices.

u-blox has announced two new products equipped with Automotive Dead Reckoning (ADR) technology. The NEO-6V GPS module and UBX-G6010- SA-DR single-chip deliver drop-in, self calibrating GPS Dead Reckoning performance for high precision vehicle navigation systems. ADR enables highly accurate positioning in areas of weak or no GPS satellite reception such as within tunnels and park houses.