India’s Space Commission on comprehensive legal document
With private players gaining easy accessibility to satellite data, India’s Space Commission is working on a comprehensive legal document on issues related to outer space to ensure that internal security is not endangered, informed Mr. G Madhavan Nair, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation and Space Commission. “Remote sensing satellites are focusing on all important installations and a number of agencies like Google Earth are buying such data and placing it in the public domain, which can be a potential danger to internal security,” said Mr. Nair.
www.hindu.com

India, ASEAN sign agreement to boost science and tech cooperation
India and ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) have signed a joint declaration for cooperation in Science & Technology. Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister fo S&T and Earth Sciences and Dato’ Dr. Jamaluddin Mohd. Jarjis, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia and Leader of ASEAN delegation said that the declaration will not only strengthen the Science & Technology ties between the countries in the region but will also make ways for new horizons.
India has offered ASEAN countries training in space technologies, including remote sensing applications and satellite design, as a part of measures to step up co-operation in the field. India, through the Indian Space Research Organisation, has offered ASEAN countries short-term training programmes in satellite design to help them fulfill their aspirations in the niche field. Besides, satellite design India has also offered access to remote sensing data, including satellite imagery of the region for weather forecasting.
The Heads of Science and Technology Agencies of the State/ Governments of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam and India gathered and met in New Delhi, India on 6th November, 2006 for the 12th Technology Summit and Technology Platform, organized jointly by the Department of Science & Technology, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and ASEAN Committee on Science & Technology (COST).
www.financialexpress.com

GPS market expected to be worth US $757B by 2017
Research and Markets, an Irish research firm (www.researchandmarkets.com) has announcd that, in Western Europe the vehicle navigation market is in its initial stages, but there is a strong demand for traffic information and navigation solutions. Countries like USA, Japan, and some others have gained a cumulative shipment of 9.39 million in-vehicle navigation and traffic information units in May 2002. GPS production value globally is expected to grow to $21.5 billion in 2008 ($13 billion in 2003), according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute. In 2003, GPS equipment sales was reported to be around US $3.5 billion worldwide, and that annual market could grow to US $10 billion after 2010, acc ording to the report. http://biz.yahoo.com

Garmin enters LBS platform market
Garmin has announced the availability of the Garmin LBS Toolkit, a flexible location-based service platform that can serve as the engine behind third party LBS applications. It incorporates Garmin’s navigation API, local search, real-time content delivery services, and mobile advertising delivery services, into one powerful platform. www.garmin.com

Spectra Precision Laser LG20 Crossbeam Generator
Trimble has announced new Laser portable tools – Spectra Precision Laser LG20 Crossbeam Generator, Spectra Precision Laser HR250 Laser Receiver and Spectra Precision Laser HD50 Handheld Distance Meter.
The easy-to-use, self-leveling Spectra Precision Laser LG20 Crossbeam Generator is a rugged, one-person tool designed for a variety of interior and exterior applications. The LG20 is a highly versatile hand tool that replaces a level, square, plumb bob, chalk, and optical instrument for faster completion and increased accuracy on the job site.
Feature-packed and developed for use with the LG20 CrossbeamGenerator, the optional HR250 Laser Receiver is a versatile, economical laser for longrange interior and exterior applications up to 75 m (250 ft). www.trimble.com

Universal lessons have emerged from Australian local governments using GIS for more than 25 years. This commonality of GIS experience rises above the significant variations in functions, statues, geographical coverage and population densities in Australian local government. These lessons are relevant to the skill development, data access, technology integration, and functional integration of GIS to any organisation managing the assorted demands upon a region, or locality.

The first and original version of the “WGS 84”, defined by a special committee of the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), was released in September 1987. As this task of updating the WGS 72 was concurrent with development of the North American Datum (NAD)

For extended periods throughout his long stay in India Everest was …

EU’s transport chief eyes military use for satellite system
The European Union should consider employing its Galileo satellite navigation program for military uses in addition to the civilian purposes for which it was designed, the EU’s transport chief said. “Galileo was supposed to be a civilian system only but I wonder whether we shouldn’t question that,” Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot told a conference in Luxembourg. “Using it for military purposes, for defence purposes … would be very interesting in terms of paying for the infrastructure and the
investment,” he said of the multi-billioneuro project.
www.defensenews.com

According to the reports published recently, ISRO plans to put an Indian in space by 2014 …