Trimble selected Mannai Corp. (software division) as a mapping & GIS business partner in Qatar. Combining positioning, communications and software to equip the mobile workforce, Trimble’s mapping & GIS products improve productivity in a broad range of industries by geo-enabling field workforces with high accuracy, easy-to-use GNSS handhelds and rugged computing devices.

According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, global shipments of Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) declined to about 33 million units in 2011. In mature markets where the installed base of PNDs is already high, the device category is facing increasing competition from smartphones and low-cost in-dash navigation systems.

The US Defense Department intends to reduce planned purchases of commercial satellite imagery in 2013 as part of a broader initiative aimed at reducing US military expenditures by USD 259 billion over the next five years, according to the Pentagon planning document, Defense Budget Priorities and Choices.

It cannot go on forever… we have to fi nd a solution!:Durk van Willigen;
LIDAR for visualization of 3D geological models: Reginaldo Macedônio da Silva, Leonardo Campos Inocencio, Larissa Jacobi, Débora Lamberty, Francisco Manoel Wohnraht Tognoli, Mauricio Roberto Veronez;
PPP using combined GPS/GLONASS:Mohamed Azab, Dr Ahmed El-Rabbany, Dr M Nabil Aly Shoukry, Dr Ramadan Khalil;

Jarrett’s wines, the subject location of this study, had undertaken much of the above however it soon became apparent that data was poorly managed, with a mix of hard- and soft-copy data. The importance of spatial data management is rarely reported in the PV literature, and the ad hoc nature of spatial data acquisition and surveyor involvement limits the opportunities for an effi cient spatial data management system to be implemented.

GPS was offi cially declared to have achieved full operational capability (FOC) on July 17, 1995, ensuring the availability of at least 24 operational, non-experimental, GPS satellites. To meet the future requirements, the GPS decision makers have studied several options to adequately modify the signal structure and system architecture of the future GPS constellation. The modernization program aims to, among other things, provide signal redundancy and improve positioning accuracy, signal availability, and system integrity (El- Rabbany 2006 ). Unfortunately, even with the modernized system, there exist situations where the GPS signal may be partially obstructed, e.g. in urban canyons, which in turn affect the availability and reliability of the PPP solution

Geological researches have increased the utilization of tridimensional models in the last years in order to make possible visualization, parametrization and interpretation of data. The LIDAR technique allows to acquire a huge amount of georeferrenced data using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). Both fastness and accuracy are the main characteristics of this equipment. Its utilization in geological studies has started in the last decade (Bellian et al., 2002), but only in the last years the number of scientifi c articles has increased signifi cantly. The TLS acquires georeferrenced point clouds that can be converted in digital models after processing, especially digital outcrop models (DOM).

The discussions in the United States among LightSquared, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Global Positioning System (GPS) industry, Department of Defence (DoD), Department of Transportation (DoT) and users about the division of spectrum in the L-band should not be seen as just an internal US affair. The strength of both the camps, Telecom providers and the GPS industry indicate that this battle may easily expand to other parts of the world. For many, this battle was a surprise, particularly for a peaceful world like navigation, where discussions are more gentlemen like and either focused on which GNSS systems is the best, or on the backup of GNSS which is so vulnerable and where society cannot function anymore without GNSS. All this changed abruptly when LightSquared published plans to install 40,000 transmitters in a band adjacent to L1 band used by GPS. This led to numerous protests in the GPS industry and among its users as what has been published in many magazines. It is for us to see whether it is telecom versus GPS, or is there a sensible cooperation in reach?

CHC has announced the availability of X900 GNSS receiver bringing extremely affordable and reliable GPS+GLONASS real-time centimeter level solution to surveyors without the conventional cost associated with GNSS solutions. The X900 GNSS combines fi eld proven 72 channels GPS+GLONASS technology and state-of-the-art RTK solution for either traditional base + rover confi guration and RTK networks thanks to its fl exible GPRS and UHF communication systems. The X900 is available in various bundled packages to fi t end users need with choice of various data collection software and handheld controllers.

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.