
The authors have continued a research on the prediction of earthquake using GPS data in Japan, one of the disaster prone countries since 2000. The authors have discovered pre-signals of those past big earthquakes with more than M6, such as Miyagi Offshore and Hokubu Earthquakes (2003.5.26; M7.1 and 7.26; M6.4), Tokachi Offshore Earthquake (2003.9.26; M8.0)…

GLONASS for civilian use in 2006
The restrictions on precise satellite definition of on-land coordinates will be lifted by yearend, a senior military official said. Lieutenant-General Valery Filatov said the location of geographical objects at accuracy of up to 30 meters would be available for civilian use from the Russian GLONASS satellite system and the US GPS.
www.spacedaily.com

Chunghwa Telecom and SiRF to offer A-GPS services
Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan announced the formation of an alliance with SiRF International to establish an A-GPS platform for operation of mobile location services in the Taiwan market. CHT has finished R&D and testing of the A-GPS platform that integrates GPS technology with CHT’s mobile communication infrastructure, It initially offered A-GPS services to Taiwan SECOM, one of the largest provider of security services in Taiwan, at the end of last year and plans to offer personal A-GPS value-added services to mobile communication users later this year.
www.digitimes.com

New Tiny Surface Mount GPS Receiver
Trimble has introduced its new Copernicus GPS receiver – a thumbnail-sized, surface-mount, low power module ideal for adding GPS capabilities to Bluetooth appliances, sport accessories, personal navigators or cameras, computer and communication peripherals as well as vehicle tracking, navigation, and security products.
It enables system integrators to easily add GPS capability to a mobile device with minimal impact on its size or battery life at a very economical price.
www.trimble.com
April 2006
Geo-Siberia 2006
26-28 April in Novosibirsk, Russia
http://www.sibfair.ru/en/exhibition.php?id=533
May 2006
European …

GIOVE A Transmits Loud And Clear
After launch and platform commissioning, GIOVE A started signal transmission on 12 January and the quality of these signals is now being checked. This checking process is employing several facilities, including the Navigation Laboratory at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), in the Netherlands, the ESA ground station at Redu, in Belgium, and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) Chilbolton Observatory in the United Kingdom.
Chilbolton’s 25 metre antenna makes it possible to acquire the signals from GIOVE A and verify they conform to the Galileo system’s design specifi cation. Each time the satellite is visible from Chilbolton, the large antenna is activated and tracks the satellite. GIOVE A orbits at an altitude of 23 260 kilometres, making a complete journey around the Earth in 14 hours and 22 minutes.
The GIOVE A mission also represents an opportunity for the testing of a key element of the future Galileo system, the user receivers. The first Galileo experimental receivers, manufactured by Septentrio of Belgium, were installed at the Redu and Chilbolton In Orbit Test Stations and at the Guildford, United Kingdom, premises of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), the manufacturer of the satellite and now in charge of its control in orbit.