NEWSBRIEFS – GPS		
		     Feb 2007 | Comments Off on NEWSBRIEFS – GPS
	  			
  
    
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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 
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Tribes use GPS and Google Earth in conservation effort
Mark Plotkin, head of the Amazon                           Conservation Team and his colleagues                           are teaching Amazon Indians to                           use handheld GPS computers and                           Googlemaps. It is being used to plot                           water sources, areas of illegal logging,                           sacred areas, hunting spots, religious sanctuaries, medicinal plants and                           much more. The result is detailed maps of areas that are both very                           vulnerable to exploitation (e.g. illegal logging) and very diffi cult to patrol                           and protect.  
  www.newscientist.com 
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World GPS market                         forecast
Allbizreport.com announces the World GPS Market Forecast (2006- 2008)  report reviews the recent market status, developments and capabilities  of GPS. The key findings are: 
–                           The worldwide GPS market will reach a value of more than US$ 30    Billion approximately by 2008. 
– The people tracking and handset market segments under GPS will     have the largest growth rate, of approximately 9%, by 2008.  
–  Use of digital signaling and media broadcasts has increased the demand for the use of network applications fi tted with GPS tools,     thereby paving the way for cheaper and more reliable GPS devices. 
–  The key opportunity lies in the field of RFID. 
–  However, cost of deployment would be a major deciding 
factor.  
www.allbizreport.com 
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GPS and the Internet improves                         International time coordination
International time coordination is                           improving throughout the Americas by using a system that relies on GPS                           satellites and the Internet. The time and frequency network of the Sistema                           Interamericano de Metrologia (SIM),                           or Inter-American Metrology System,                           began operation in 2005 and includes                           national metrology institutes in                           member nations of the Organization                           of American States (OAS). The SIM                           network currently compares time and                           frequency measurements made in                            Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Panama and                           the USA. Costa Rica and Columbia                           are expected join the network soon,                            and additional OAS members have expressed interest. 
    www.ccnmag.com  
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US considers shutting                         down LORAN system
The Transportation Department (DOT) of USA wants comments on whether to  shut down the ground-based Long- Range Navigation (LORAN) system  operated by the Coast Guard or to develop a fully deployed  enhancedLORAN (eLORAN) system that could serve as a GPS backup. It is  also working with the Homeland Security Department, which includes the  Coast Guard, to determine whether investments made so far now merit  consideration of eLORAN as complementary electronic system to GPS. The  Coast Guard has spent USD 160 million on LORAN modernization since 1997. 
    www.fcw.com 
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Chronos, NPL and Bath University                         form Saturn Consortium
Chronos Technology, the National                           Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Bath University announce the formation of the Saturn Consortium The  consortium proposes to assess the susceptibility of GNSS applications  to external interference and multipath problems. It aims to develop  cost effective techniques to assess local availability of GNSS  transmissions, and to defi ne new standards for Galileo integrity and availability at the point of use. 
louise.davies@chronos.co.uk 
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