European Commission vice president Antonio Tajanihas unveiled a new service intended to make satellite data more reliable. The European Data Access Service (EDAS) will make data from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) available on the Internet. As a result, people will be able to access this GPS data from hand-held devices, Tajanisaid, improving the accuracy of things like high-precision fertiliser spraying, automatic road-tolling, fl eet management, inland waterway navigation, dangerous goods transportation or accurate area measurement.

Esri has joined the ocean business alliance World Ocean Council (WOC) and will support its international initiatives for sustainable development and conservation of the ocean. Esrichief scientist Dawn Wright will share her geospatial expertise with WOC’s Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) and Ocean Science working groups. WOC members are oil and gas, seafl oor mining, shipping, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and offshore renewables companies.

DigitalGlobe and GeoEye have announced that the boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved a defi nitive merger agreement under which the companies will combine in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $900 million. The combination of DigitalGlobe and GeoEye will create a global leader in earth imagery and geospatial analysis with a more diversifi ed revenue base, a superior fi nancial foundation and signifi cant growth potential.

Researchers at Anna University of Technology in Tamil Nadu, India have developed a technology that not only jams cell phone calls while a vehicle is in motion, but can report a driver’s attempt to use their mobile communication devices to the authorities. The technology, based on RFIDs, is aimed at preventing truck drivers and other road users from using their cell phones while driving and could also be integrated with police traffi c monitoring.

LONDON Sports fans attending the London Olympics were told to avoid non-urgent text messages and tweets during events because overloading of data networks was affecting television coverage. Commentators on men’s cycling road race were unable to tell viewers how far the leaders were ahead of the chasing pack because data could not get through from the GPS satellite navigation system travelling with the cyclists.

GAARDIAN: A system to detect GNSS jamming and Interference:
Andy G Proctor, Charles W T Curry, Jenna Tong, Mark Greaves, Paul Cruddace, Robert Watson;

The Jamaica VRS and cadastral surveying:
Glendon G Newsome, Gregory Peake, Romayne Douglas;

The Satellite Navigation solution is the most preferable, effective and economic aid to various Low and Medium Grade Inertial Sensors in order to get better Navigation accuracy for medium and long duration of navigation solutions. The navigation data from INS and Sat. Receiver at different intervals is synchronized and fused together by using Kalman Filter algorithm so as to obtain precise Navigation solution as long as Sat.

The geoid can be determined using different method such as gravimetric, astro-geodetic, GPS/ Levelling and “satlevel”. ‘Satlevel’ is a new method of geoid determination, in which the ellipsoidal height is used with orthometric height to model the geoid. Geoid modelling is a process of developing mathematical algorithms to represent the geoid. This is the reference surface for orthometric height. Geoid is one of the geodetic surfaces.

Historical maps represent a valuable cultural and scientifi c heritage. Maps are much more than just physical representations of a territory at a certain time. Personal beliefs, political interests and cultural views are also a part of the message sent by maps through time.

Virtual Reference System (VRS) comprises a network of three (3), or more, continuously operating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, sited at points of known coordinates up to 70 Km apart and connected via data links. A control centre, with computer processing capability as well as a mobile phone data link, such as Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), is established for communication between the control centre and the users’ rover receivers.