GPS-enabled mobile gaming gets out of the lab in Germany
Students from the University of Bonn, with the game publisher Ravensburger Spiele and T-Mobile have invented Scotland Yard – to go!, a wireless version. The players are equipped with a Ultra Mobile PC including a GPRS connectivity and a GPS receiver. The GPS-enabled device provides the current location of the different players which is fed to a webserver. www.gpsbusinessnews.com

GPS technology aids biologists in research
Satellite tracking technology may help state biologists learn more about the habits of mountain goats while helping keep track of them. Two goats shall be the test animals for the tracking experiment, said officials of district wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Baker City. Biologists equipped two of the goats with GPS, collars programmed to pinpoint the goats’ position every 30 minutes for the next couple of months, then every three hours. They can adjust that interval to as often as every 10 minutes by remote control. The collars will also record temperatures. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

CEOs review the progress of EGNOS
The CEOs of the Members of the European Geostationnary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Operators and Infrastructure Group (EOIG) and of the ESSP met recently in Paris to review the progress of EGNOS. The fi rst in-fl ight operational trials conducted recently in Spain, Switzerland and France have confi rmed the capability of EGNOSbased approaches similar to existing precision approaches (Cat I) supported today by conventional navigation systems, in line with the high standard safety procedures of civil aviation.
The European Commission Communication is proposing to secure the fi nancing of EGNOS for the next six years with public funding. The CEOs of the EOIG urge the States to achieve a fi nancial resolution in October 2007, in order to guarantee the success of the launching phase of EGNOS as a new air navigation system. michel.
calvet@aviation-civile.gouv.fr

Real Time Traffic GPS Navigation Singapore
The first “Real Time Traffic GPS Navigation” beta solution is launched by MapKing in Singapore. It runs on Windows Mobile 5/6 Pocket PC phone devices equipped with 3G or GPRS wireless connection. Streamed from the intelligent transport system of Land Transport Authority, Singapore, Its real time traffic server dispatches traffic speed data to each device connected wirelessly on the road. At present, the data is updated every 5 minutes and the first generation covers highways and major roads. www.mapking.com

GPS navigation for athletes
eSymetric GmbH, Germany, has invented a computer program for use on mobile Pocket PC devices that offers navigation for athletes named “Run.GPS”. It makes navigation possible outdoors without looking on the screen. This is accomplished by speaking all the relevant information. www.businessportal24.com

Consumer demand for GPS increasing: CEA report
According to a research report by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), GPS – Exploring Ownership and Interest revealed an 80 percent owner satisfaction rate, which was strongly influenced by the ease of use and display quality of the devices, which are used primarily for navigation assistance in a vehicle. While GPS ownership is still relatively small at 18 percent of online consumers, the research demonstrates shipment revenues nearly tripling between 2005 and 2006. Nearly 24% of online consumers are planning to purchase a GPS device within the next year, spending an average of $410 resulting in sales reaching $4.1 billion in 2007. The study shows that 33 percent of future GPS buyers are interested in owning a cell phone with a GPS. Rest of the other uses are hiking 18%, walking16%, boating 14% biking 7%, running 6% and flying 4% www.webwire.com

China cracks down on illegal surveying, mapping
China continues cracking down on illegal surveying and mapping and investigate and punish leaks of state secrets, said an of?cial from the State Bureau of Survey and Mapping (SBSM). Seven government departments including SBSM, Ministry of Information Industry and National Administration for Protection of State Secrets have pledged to strengthen control of the geographical information market. A total of 759 cases of illegal surveying and mapping were found in 2006, and many of the cases involved foreign organizations and individuals. Last year, two Japanese scholars were ?ned a total of 80,000 yuan and deported for mapping the coordinates of an airport and water facilities in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It was feared their results could be used for military purposes.

Abu Dhabi to introduce new road maintenance system
Abu Dhabi is preparing a unique Road and Bridge Asset Management System. The system would establish a satellite-aided geographical database by using the GPS. It will also feature an e-archives for road executive designs and an e-connection with other working systems. The system seeks to standardize the methods and costs of maintenance work of the 20, 000- km road network and 90 bridges in the emirates, according to an official at department for Municipalities and Agriculture. www.khaleejtimes.com

Russia, India sign agreements on GLONASS
Russia and India has signed two cooperation agreements on GLONASS, which will be used by Moscow’s longtime partner in the military-technical sector. The agreements were signed by the head of Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, and Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Perminov earlier said Russia and India plan to jointly use GLONASS. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Moscow and New Delhi had agreed to launch GLONASS-M satellites with the help of Indian booster rockets, and to create new-generation navigation satellites. The Russian Ministry of Defense has already lifted all restrictions on obtaining and using the geospatial information provided by the GLONASS.
http://en.rian.ru

GPS infrastructure network in Southern Poland
Trimble has announced it has supplied its VRS (Virtual Reference Station) software to establish a national GPS infrastructure network in the south of Poland. The VRS network provides a geospatial infrastructure for surveying, engineering and GIS professionals. The network is the first of its kind in Poland and supplies centimeterlevel RTK GPS data for a variety of positioning applications including geodetic and cadastral surveying, road and bridge construction, and archeological excavation site location and documentation. There are also plans to use the network for managing and dispatching emergency medical and rescue teams in Krakw to improve efficiency and response times.
The VRS network, known as Malopolski System Pozycjonowania Precyzyjnego, is operated by the BGUM, the survey office of the local government. Built with Trimble GPSNet and RTKNet software, the network covers the southern part of Poland, called Malopolska. In addition to improving the accuracy of results, the network is expected to enable fast measurements within 2-5 seconds. The use of the network will be free of charge for surveyors in the next three years. www.trimble.com