GNSS

Dr G Satheesh Reddy Conferred Royal Aeronautical Society “Silver Medal”

The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), London conferred Dr. G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri and eminent Missile Scientist of DRDO with the prestigious Silver Medal. He was given this medal in recognition of his contributions as one of the leading navigation and avionics experts, under whose leadership India has developed state-of-the-art avionics sensors and systems for key national strategic programmes and other defence applications. His pioneering contributions in promoting Aerospace and Aeronautics in India were also acknowledged.

Scientists win $6.4 million to crack the code of smell navigation

A team of scientists, including a UC Berkeley pioneer in odor mapping, has received a $6.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to dig deeper into how humans and animals navigate by using their sense of smell and converting odors into spatial information.

Death’s head roaches will be among the insects whose smell navigation skills will be studied as part of a project just funded by the National Science Foundation. The NSF awarded $15 million to three interdisciplinary teams of scientists to “crack the olfactory code” as part of President Obama’s BRAIN initiative.

“Olfaction is one of the last frontiers of neuroscience, the least understood of the five senses, so this is a big win,” said UC Berkeley psychologist Lucia Jacobs, one of 30 researchers who hashed out ideas and presented research proposals at the NSF’s Ideas Lab in Virginia in June. “We can create a virtual olfactory landscape for the animals and see how they respond behaviorally and in terms of neural activity,” she added. http://news.berkeley.edu/

The system “ERA-GLONASS” is in the standard equipment of LADA Vesta

LADA Vesta is the first stock car in Russia which works in the emergency alert system “ERA-GLONASS”. The system is designed to transmit a signal about the accident and other incidents to emergency services. When a car gets into an accident, the terminal installed in the vehicle automatically determines its location and through mobile communication channel transmits to the “ERA-GLONASS” an information about exact coordinates, time and severity of the accident, as well as the VIN-number of the car – to the System-112, or to the duty of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. www.tltnews.net

Mini RTK Receiver for UAS and Mobile Platform

SkyTraq Technology Inc. has introduced S2525F8-BD-RTK, a cost effective, low power, small size, single frequency RTK receiver for unmanned aerial systems and mobile platforms requiring centimeter-level position accuracy. It is a multi-constellation GNSS RTK receiver that supports GPS, BDS, QZSS, and SBAS; simultaneously tracks up to 28 satellites. Its 25mm x 25mm form factor, 300mW power consumption, and 3 gram weigh makes it ideal for any outdoor applications requiring high precision RTK positioning. www.skytraq.com.tw

Brazil and Russia Boost Space Cooperation with New Glonass Station

The decision was announced at the end of the ninth meeting of a Russia-Brazil intergovernmental commission on scientific and technological cooperation. The two countries have been looking to boost space cooperation, with Glonass as a focal point.

Russia has targeted Cuba and Brazil to host Glonass stations in the Western hemisphere. Stations have already been established in Brazil and Antarctica, but nowhere else. www.themoscowtimes.com

Joint Satellite Navigation System Receiver by Russia & China

Russia and China are negotiating the development of a joint four-system satellite navigation receiver which would include access to China’s BeiDou satellite navigation. Currently, navigation receivers are either dual-system, including access to Russia’s Glonass satellite navigation and GPS, or three-system, which also include EU Galileo satellite navigation. The creation of a four-system navigation receiver would be a new market niche for Russia and China to fill. http://sputniknews.com

Railways, ISRO tie-up for improving safety

Indian Railways will join hands with ISRO to get online satellite images for improving safety and enhancing efficiency. “We will undertake a massive exercise of GIS mapping of the entire rail route and assets including buildings, land, workshops and other facilities in the network using geospatial technology,” said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with GIS mapping project.

The official said geospatial services will be available from satellite-assisted navigational support through the GPS aided geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN) system of ISRO. The MoU will facilitate getting images and communications through the satellite system. While the images will help in mapping the area, communications will enable the introduction of Wi- fiservice in trains in a larger way. http://www.thehindu.com/news/

Applanix introduces two new direct georeferencing solutions

Applanix Corporation introduced today two new solutions to its POS LV™ (Position and Orientation Solution for Land Vehicles) portfolio, the POS LV 125 and the POS LVX. With these additions, Applanix offers highperformance solutions for a wide crosssection of land-based applications, including large fl eet mobile mapping, autonomous vehicle guidance and field robotics applications. It is a compact, fully integrated, turnkey position and orientation system, utilizing integrated inertial technology to generate stable, reliable and repeatable positioning solutions for land-based mobile mapping and guidance applications