Trimble to acquire OmniSTAR for land applications: Trimble has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets related to the OmniSTAR Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal corrections business from Fugro N.V. The acquisition is expected to expand Trimble’s worldwide ability to provide correction services for land-based agriculture, construction, mapping and GIS and survey applications.

Expert blames poor infra for tsunami disaster: More infrastructures spending by Japan could have lessened the impact of this month’s deadly tsunami but the government has become too reliant on low-cost measures such as handing out warning maps, said Professor Fumihiko Imamura, Tohoku University’s Disaster Control Research Center.

EU aims to curb Galileo costs: The EU Commission isn’t willing to accept further costs increases for the Galileo satellite navigation system, German daily Handelsblatt reported, citing industry commissioner Antonio Tajani. “On the contrary, the estimated additional costs for the time after 2014 must decrease,” Tajani told

Israel, Russia to boost cooperation in space: Israel and Russia have agreed to increase cooperation on space research and exploration. According to Zvi Kaplan, Director, Israel Space Agency, a project has been proposed which includes remote sensing of Earth from space, planetary studies and space medicine. Kaplan said that the two nations may also join forces on astrophysical research and satellite navigation.

GPS power for Australian public transport info: The next generation TransLink mobile website will include Journey Planner easy travel, featuring a GPS capability that allows customers to search for stops, go card retailers and journeys near their current location, according to Annastacia Palaszczuk, Transport Minister, Australia.

India grant-in-aid for GAGAN project: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in India approved a one time grant-in aid of INR 378 crore as budgetary support for implementation of GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN). The GAGAN system, estimated to cost INR 774 crore, would make the skies from South-east Asia to Africa, including Indian airspace, much safer. The system, being developed jointly by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), would place India in the fourth position along with the US, Europe and Japan to have such an advanced navigation system.

India terminates S-band contract
As allegations of wrongful allocation of S-band frequencies for radio waves to a private company is mounting pressure on the Government of India, the government decided to terminate the controversial contract with Bangalore-based Devas Multimedia. It also claimed that it had not incurred any financial losses because of the contract. But the Department of Space conceded it had not fully informed the Cabinet that G-SAT6 and G-SAT6A satellites it intended to launch were meant primarily for use by Devas Multimedia.

NovAtel announces SMARTMR15™ GNSS Receiver/Antenna
NovAtel released its new SMARTMR15 antenna. It builds on last year’s successful launch of NovAtel’s SMART-MR10 GNSS receiver/antenna. Speaking to Coordinates Mr . Ben Greenwood, Product Manager, Enclosures, NovAtel Inc. explains about the new receiver antenna

Galileo test environment open for business
The Galileo Test and Development Environment (GATE) in Berchtesgaden, Germany, officially opened on February 4. The system operator, IFEN GmbH of Poing, Germany, jointly with the German Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Development, announced the opening for use by commercial and organizational entities seeking to test equipment with the coming Galileo signals. GATE was developed on behalf of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) with funding by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The test area extends across a valley of approximately 65 square kilometers, south-east of Munich, where antennae atop surrounding peaks broadcast the various Galileo signals. Technical details and specifications of the test environment are at www.gate-testbed.com.

Senator to introduce privacy bill for LBS
The US needs consistent rules for how law enforcement agencies can access the ever-growing collection of location-based data from mobile devices, according to a US senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. He said that he will soon introduce a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to get courtordered warrants to get location-based information from smartphones and other mobile devices, instead of simple subpoenas or other methods without court oversight. The increasing ability of mobile service providers to track customer locations raises “serious issues” for law enforcement and intelligence agencies, he added.