Brussels Celebratory Launch Events: The launch of the two operational Galileo IOV (In-Orbit Validation) satellites on 20 October is a first in the history of the European Union. It is a moment to celebrate this unique and ambitious European collaboration.

UniStrong holds 40 pc GIS market share in China: Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co. Ltd. holds approximately 40 percent GIS market share in China, according to a report by Orient Securities Company Ltd. In next five years, the company is poised to do the business of approximately 100 billion yuan (USD 15.6 billion), China Daily reported.

50th Space Wing gains control of newest GPS Satellite: The 50th Space Wing’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron accepted command and control of the second Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite. The Space and Missile Systems Center’s GPS Directorate, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base, remained in control of the satellite during a 30-day on-orbit checkout period before the hand-off to 2 SOPS. The next-generation GPS IIF satellites built by Boeing will provide improved accuracy through advanced atomic clocks, a longer design life than legacy GPS satellites, and a new third civil signal, L5 that will eventually benefit commercial aviation and safety-of-life applications

TRIUMPH-VS software updates version 1.6 is released: Javad has released Version 1.6 of TRIUMPH-VS software. Its new features include Polish language support and Action button debounce. It has also improved Map screen performance, Languages support, Point coordinates input, Fixed Base Station action, Solution RMSes display in Action screen, US Survey units (feet) support, Device temperature monitoring and UHF Setup.

France to begin investigation of Apple’s location-based tracking services: The issue over location-based tracking has been plaguing Apple for a while now. The Cupertino-based company along with Google were questioned by the government over privacy concerns with location-based tracking. A federal lawsuit was also filed against Apple several months ago and not too long ago Apple recently settled a similar lawsuit in South Korea by paying a $3,000 fine and an additional $1,000 to a South Korean user, who seemed to take an issue with the tracking. Given that the fine Apple had to pay in South Korea seems like a pittance, we’re guessing the legal fees will cost a lot more and it appears that Apple may have to start digging into their coffers again as France has started their own investigation.

1,145 satellites to be launched in next decade:
Euroconsult, a research and analyst firm specialising in the satellite and space sectors, forecasted that approximately 1,145 satellites will be built for launch during the next ten years (2011-2020), 51 percent more satellites than the previous decade. These projections came from Euroconsult’s just-released Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2020, World Market Survey.

NovAtel in collaboration with QinetiQ has developed GAJT (pronounced “Gadget”), the world’s first single-enclosure GPS anti-jam system small enough for light armored and other land-based military vehicles. GAJT combines NovAtel’s and QinetiQ’s outstanding technologies in a stand-alone, rugged enclosure that mounts to the exterior of vehicles. Intentional jamming of GPS can completely deny a position solution to users over a broad area. GAJT is a seven element controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA) that nulls jammers, ensuring GPS positioning capabilities are retained during combat, training or other vehicle-based missions.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to establish a committee of experts on global geospatial information management to coordinate international dialogue on spatial data infrastructures and enhance cooperation in that field. According to the latest report of the Secretary-General on global geospatial information management, the rapid technological advances in geospatial information and related technologies have made this kind of information readily available.

Astrium has been selected by the European Space Agency and the European Union as prime contractor for the Galileo Full Operational Capability Ground Control Segment. The contract value is 73.5 million euros. The Ground Control Segment (GCS) contract covers the provision of GCS facilities for the operation of the constellation of Europe’s global navigation satellite system. The contract, which will be led by an Astrium team out of the UK, covers the provision of a new facility at Fucino (Italy) and the expansion of the existing Ground Control Centre at Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). The deployment also includes the provision of a temporary GCS back-up facility at the Fucino Galileo Control Centre for the four In-Orbit Validation satellites, and the provision of two further Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TTC) stations on Reunion and Noumea. Astrium’s unique expertise in ground systems has enabled them to be selected for all phases of the Galileo GCS development and implementation. Astrium was responsible for the development, installation and test of the GCS for the Galileo demonstrator GIOVE-B, launched in April 2008 and which is still successfully operating in-orbit.

The use of mobile apps by small businesses saved approximately USD 17.6 billion annually, estimates a survey conducted by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council. The most popular type of application used was GPS navigation, with 68 percent, followed by apps for contact management at 46 percent and remote document access at 41 percent. Other popular kinds of apps included travel planning (32 percent), banking and finance management (30 percent), social media marketing (27 percent) and location-based services (23 percent).