An outage
That lasted a weeklong (11th July’19 onwards)
Again re-emphasizes the GNSS vulnerabilities.
As stakes are high, so are the worries.
There will be plausible explanations
To such technical incidents
Yet they do not lessen the likely consequences.
Voices making the case for complementarity among GNSS systems
And lobby for back-up system
Gain further credence.

Bal Krishna, Editor
bal@mycoordinates.org

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‘Plastic’ concerns
Dead whales with kilograms of plastics in their stomach.
An appalling sight
Increasingly being common in Europe and Asia coast.
In May in coast of Sicilia, in April in Sardinia
And in March in the Philippines.
The list goes on.
We dump million of tonnes of plastic debris in seas and oceans
Causing monumental damage to the marine flora and fauna
Aquatic …

Protecting privacy
When a trade off is made
Between convenience and personal information
We not only underestimate the value of the information
But many a times underestimate its potential exploitation, as well
And we do not realize when and how
The technology that otherwise is pushed as a facilitator,
Turns into a surveillance tool.
Is it true that in bio-techno sphere
Where we live …

Setting an example
As the state of Odisha in India grapples with the aftermath of cyclone Fani,
What deserves to be appreciated
Is the initial response of the Odisha government.
Timely weather alerts, preparedness and public participation
Have played the key roles.
Though Fani has caused massive devastation,
Loss of lives were limited to 41
Given …

When fake is in vogue
Not only in our physical world
But has percolated in cognitive arena as well.
Forces with vested agendas armed with powerful tools
Like facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc.
Appears to have taken over our minds.
There have been reports that a few technical giants
Are said to have waged a war …

When notion of safety crashes
Two crashes within a short span of 5 months.
In October it was PT Lion Mentari Airlines’ Flight 610, Indonesia
And now Ethiopian Airlines Group Flight 302.
Boeing Co.’s 737 Max jet was in service.
Passenger comforts, technologically advanced, cheaper to run,
fuel efficient, …
Wish air safety was a prime …

Data colonies
The nature of data are changing
And so are the methods of data gathering.
In this digital era,
Not only our personal information are accumulated, with or without consent
But our behavioral patterns, thought processes, etc.
are tracked, documented and exploited.
Benefits of the digital technology are immense
And we happen to be incidental …

Mission Possible!
India gears up for Gaganyaan,
India’s manned mission to space.
With the approval of the Government funding Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) targets the manned space mission by December 2021.
Before this, it plans two non-crew flights in December 2020 and July 2021.
The mission will be capable of carrying three Indian astronauts and will orbit the Earth …

InSight lander
On 26 November 2018
Humanity achieved another milestone
When InSight lander successfully landed on Mars.
Launched on 5th May 2018
It not only intends to study the deep interiors of the Mars
And evolutionary processes
but also the possible seismic activity there.
However, the mission gets an unexpected breakthrough
When it is said to have recorded the sounds of wind
On 1 December …

Let’s map together!
Mapping millions of land rights
That remains unrecorded in East Africa
Poses major challenge.
Its4land, a European Commission Horizon 2020 project
Aims to develop tools
With a multi-disciplinary approach in diverse cultural set-ups
Utilizing latest technologies
Like smart sketch maps, UAVs, automated feature extraction
Those are innovative, scalable and transferable.
However, the key …