Multimap Australasia announces online mapping deal Multimap, one of the online mapping providers, announced the implementation of its online mapping services for the Commonwealth Travel Services Corporation (CTC), at the Travel Distribution Summit in Singapore (14th & 15th February, 2006). Now, customers of one of the largest and most trusted travel and tour operators in Singapore can access content-rich, easy-to-read interactive maps of their…

CRPF vehicles to have GPS sets
The Government of India has decided to introduce GPS sets in all vehicles carrying security personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the country. Initially the GPS sets will be installed in 513 vehicles of the CRPF and later it will be introduced in all vehicles. The ministry has decided to provide 23 mine protective vehicles to the CRPF for counter-insurgency operations. The government has decided to arm its paramilitary forces with hi-tech weapons to fi ght the Naxals and insurgents.
www.asianage.com

LEICA SpiderWEB software to track users
Leica SpiderWEB allows the GPS Network administrators to keep track of users, data and downloads. They can conveniently download GPS RINEX observation data for single or multiple stations with just a few mouse clicks. It’s a solution for those who are looking for a fast and easy way to supply customers with GPS reference. It perfectly complements the Leica Geosystems reference stations software product portfolio consisting of Leica GPS Spider and Leica GNSS QC.
Leica Geosystems also presents an extremely powerful data collection and evaluation solution for tunnel construction – from tunnel guidance to the handover documentation. TMS Tunnelscan is the new system module for tunnel scanning within the Leica TMS product family. www.leica-geosystems.com

GIOVE-A transmits first Galileo signals

The GIOVE-A satellite is in good health and started transmitting the
fi rst Galileo signals from medium earth orbit on 12 January.
GIOVE-A was placed in orbit (altitude 23,260 km) by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket
operated by Starsem on 28 December last from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

250 Village resources centres by March end

As many as 250 Village Resource Centres (VRCs), aimed at providing
locale-specifi c information to rural population by effectively using
satellite techonology, will be set up in the country by March end this year,
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

Digital Thailand to launch mapping service

A system has been developed to conduct satellite mapping specifically for Thailand. Starting in February,
Digital Thailand plans to begin distributing satellite maps on compact discs to interested public and students. Digital Thailand’s online map service, also being launched in February, also will be made available to the public.

Lockheed Martin GPS updates enhance system accuracy

Lockheed Martin has upgraded the software processing and modeling forthe Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS), enhancing the Air Force’s ability to monitor GPS satellites and improve system accuracy 10-15 percent for users worldwide. The recently completed update, named the Legacy Accuracy Improvement Initiative (L-AII), doubles the amount of navigation data collected and provided to Air Force operators.

Thales ProMark™3 reduces survey time

Thales has recently introduced ProMark3 with which surveyors can reduce their fi eld data collectiontime by up to 33%, saving critical time and resources that all add up to profi tability for surveyors. It is also the first all-in-one GPS survey solution in the industry to offer both centimeter accuracy in post-processing and GIS capabilities included in a single rugged package. It provides submeter, real-time accuracy using WAAS or EGNOS, centimeter level accuracy in post-processing,and keeps working even in urban canyons and dense foliage using optimized multi-path mitigation.

First Galileo satellite launched from Kazakhstan
The EU’s fi rst satellite of the Galileo navigation program has been launched from Kazakhstan. The 600 kg British built spacecraft, named “Giove A,” took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Soyuz rocket early Wednesday morning (28 December 2005). The satellite is part of Galileo, the €3.4 billion system from which the EU is aiming to deploy a total of 30 satellites by 2010. The network will provide access to precise timing and location services delivered from space to the bloc’s member states. The Galileo project aims to revolutionise industries including transport and will be used in maritime, rail and other navigation systems. According to reorts it will help the EU to set up a new air-traffi c control system, allowing pilots to fly their own routes and altitudes. Giove A will test technologies needed for the other components of the project, like the in-orbit performance of two atomic clocks or radio frequencies assigned to Galileo within the International Telecommunications Union. Galileo is a joint project between the EU and the ESA.
http://euobserver.com

Earth Commission: A new initiative in India
The Earth Commission — the first of its kind in any country, will pursue an integrated approach of research to tweak meteorological data for accuracy and reliability. Meteorologists, geo-physicists, oceanographers, atmospheric scientists and space scientists will pool their expertise.
CNR Rao, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Science Advisory Council, told HT, “We have taken a holistic view of earth science. Kapil Sibal (Science and Technology Minister) has endorsed our opinion. The Prime Minister has received our report. It (the new commission) will be placed before the cabinet for approval.” The Earth Commission will be structured along the lines of the space set-up, with three rungs, namely, the Earth Commission, the Department of Earth System Science (DESS) and the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO). The commission, its department and research organisation will have a single head, just as with the space agency.