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.

PRS92 surveying standard compulsory
All offices of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Philippines have to adopt the Philippine Reference System of 1992 (PRS92) as the standard reference for all their surveying and mapping activities. “PRS92 is based on the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84) which makes use of the GPS. Adoption of this system in the Philippines may help the country to be at par with global standards.

UN proposes global geospatial information mechanism
“There is general agreement of an urgent need for an inter-government consultative mechanism that can play a leadership role in setting the agenda for the development of global geospatial information, and to promote its use to address key global challenges; to liaise and coordinate among member states, and between member states and international organizations,” according to a statement by the United Nations (UN). During a meeting on Global Geospatial Information Management (GGIM), Cochair Hiroshi Murakami said while there are various international organisations that have been working on geospatial information, the UN feels that there is a need for an official mechanism that would link the outcomes of such organisations to specific policy decisions and actions of member states. www.futuregov.asia

NRSC inducts state of the art Airborne Large Format Digital Camera into service
National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, India has inducted state of the art Airborne Large Format Digital Camera (LFDC) into the country and successfully carried out the first operational task during December, 2010 over 10 towns in Chhattisgarh state for the Department of Land Records, Government of Chhattisgarh. NRSC utilized it Super King Air B -200 aircraft fitted with Computer Controlled Navigation System (CCNS), Gyro stabilized mount and Kinematic GPS system (KGPS) for the survey.

Consumers share uneasy relationship with LBS
Location-based advertisements prompt nearly half of customers to take action, says a new study from Microsoft. The Microsoft-commissioned research in the UK, Germany, Japan, the U.S. and Canada, and found that 18% of consumers (22% in the U.S.) have seen an advertisement based on their location. Of those, 46% have taken action, including redeeming the coupon offered or visiting the store. Nine in 10 users think location-based ads are useful.

JAXA selects Spirent for Multi-GNSS Testing
To further the development of the Quazi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) program, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has selected Spirent Communications’ testing solutions to verify performance of its satellite receivers. JAXA is using Spirent’s GSS8000 Multi-GNSS Constellation Simulator.