Hemisphere GPS Innovation Wins FinOvation Award
Hemisphere GPS has announced that the Outback S2 GPS guidance system has won a FinOvation Award by Farm Industry News. The Award recognizes the most innovative new products published in Farm Industry News during the past year. The guidance system combines Crescent® GPS Technology with a simple guidance interface. When combined with Outback eDrive and the new BaseLineHD, it provides the most affordable one-inch pass-to-pass automated steering system available.
Hemisphere GPS has also introduced centimeter-level accuracy through a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) application for professionals working in precision agriculture, marine navigation, surveying and others. It also provides the same accuracy as dual-frequency RTK systems but at a fraction of the cost. www.hemispheregps.com

Galileo – the European Programme for Global Navigation Services for civil purposes is an initiative led by European Union. We provide regular updates to our readers on the Galileo programme.

US expresses concern over satellite-killing test by China
The USA, Australia and Canada have voiced concerns to China over the fi rst known satellite-killing test in space in more than 20 years. The capability demonstrated by China was no surprise to the Bush administration, which revised U.S. national space policy in October to assert a right to deny space access to anyone hostile to US Interests. The US has been researching satellitekillers of its own, experimenting with lasers on the ground that could disable, disrupt and destroy spacecraft. http://news.scotsman.com

NATO awards GIS contract to TENET
NATO NC3 Agency has awarded the GIS Data Preparation Contract to TENET supported by Galdos Systems Inc. and IIC Technologies Inc in Canada. The project involves the generation of a wide range of geospatial data models compliant with some of the latest spatial open information standards from OGC and ISO and the conversion of many terabytes of vector, raster and gridded data. A large proportion of NATO’s paper holdings of maps and charts will also be digitized and converted to the same set of open standards. The objective is to create an open and shareable map database as part of NATO core GIS infrastructure withinz the Alliance. At the forefront of these open standards are the two key encodings of GML and GMLJP2 to provide effective encoding for Raster and Coverage data.
www.galdosinc.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

GloNav unveils industry’s lowest-power GPS RFIC
GloNav Inc. announced the volume production availability of its ultra low-power L1 GPS RFIC optimized for integration into cellular handsets, portable consumer electronic devices and battery operated GPS devices.
The GNR1040 is a highly integrated, low-power, single-conversion low- IF GPS RFIC for the 1.575GHz – L1 signal that includes built-in flexibility and programmability to support multiple GPS baseband processors. www.glonavgps.com

Leica FCMS Flight & Sensor Control Management System
Sweden-based Leica Geosystems’ Flight & Sensor Control Management System (FCMS), assists pilots and sensor operators to effi ciently control GPS-based survey fl ights. It performs all tasks, such as fl ight guidance, sensor recording and sensor monitoring, on a single man-machine interface, providing automated operation and minimized user interaction.Leica Geosystems also introduces the Rugby 50 and Rugby 55. With the Leica Rugby 50 and 55 are two new lasers that are designed for different applications: The Rugby 50 is dedicated to general construction contractors, being a tough, affordable laser with a single button. Whereas the Leica Rugby 55 is designed for the interior contractor – a versatile laser, perfect for almost any leveling and alignment job. In addition, Leica Geosystems has also announced a new enterprise software licensing program called Leica EnterpriseElite. Qualifi- ed companies benefi t from simplified software license management tools, fl exibility to immediately react to changing project demands, signifi cant software cost savings, and the ability to effi ciently standardize an entire global organization. www.leica-geosystems.com

Sales contract from Cessna Aircraft Company to Leica
The Metrology Division of Leica Geosystems, Switzerland announced USA based Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron company, has signed a sales contract for eight portable Leica Geosystems CMM systems used for industrial measurement and inspection. The acquisition consists of four Leica LTD840 Laser Trackers, and four Leica LTD640 Laser Trackers. Cessna is a manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. Leica Geosystems’ 3D coordinate measurement systems are used by manufacturers worldwide in the aerospace, automotive and shipbuilding industries. www.leica-geosystems.com

EU, Morocco seal deal on Galileo
The European Union (EU) and Morocco signed an agreement in Brussels for cooperation on the European satellite radio navigation program Galileo. The two sides will join hands in a wide range of activities, including scientific research and training, industrial cooperation, trade and market development, standards, certification and regulatory measures. Morocco is the seventh international partner of the EU on the Galileo global positioning system. The 25- nation bloc has signed cooperation agreements with the United States, China, Israel, Ukraine, India and South Korea.

£2 million printing press for paper maps
Ordnance Survey Director General and Chief Executive Vanessa Lawrence officially pushed the on button of a massive new £2 million printing press at the mapping agency’s Southampton head office recently. The six-colour printing press is one of the largest in the country and will be used to produce Ordnance Survey’s paper maps, including the 650 different recreational and leisure maps that together cover every corner of Britain. www.OrdnanceSurvey.co.uk