DigitalGlobe signs agreement with Microsoft
DigitalGlobe has signed an agreement with Microsoft to launch the Clear30 program, an initiative to distribute high-resolution, 30-cm aerial imagery of contiguous landscapes, initially in the U.S. and Western Europe. http://media.digitalglobe.com

USGS seeks proposals to build NSDI
USGS and the Federal Geographic Data Committee of USA formally announced their request for proposals to support the 2010 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program.
The NSDI CAP will award an estimated 31 innovative projects in the geospatial data community. www.fgdc.gov

Inauguration of Galileo station at Kourou
The site of a ground station for Galileo inside the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), near Kourou in French Guiana, has been inaugurated. The site, which was made available by France’s Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), will play an essential role in the setting up of the Galileo system, since it will accommodate the most comprehensive of the Galileo ground segment stations. The Kourou station will consist of a telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) station to monitor and control the Galileo constellation satellites, a sensor station (GSS) for acquisition of the satellite navigation signals, and two uplink stations (ULS) for transmission of navigation and integrity messages to the satellites. In all, the Galileo ground segment for the in-orbit validation phase (IOV) will comprise 18 sensor stations,

TurboGPS wireless service in S Korea
u-blox and FINEDIGITAL Inc. has launched a wireless accelerated-GPS service “TurboGPS”. It provides GPS aiding data to vehicle and PNDs throughout South Korea and is available to 3rd party manufacturers of GPS products. www.u-blox.com

Vehicle Tracking in Papua New Guinea
MapData Sciences (MDS) and Data Nets Limited shall be providing current digital mapping and live fleet tracking services in Papua New Guinea (PNG). One of the first applications shall be to protect the fuel tankers and their cargo for a major energy provider in the region, by allowing them to utilise GPS tracking devices and real time monitoring of the vehicles. www.mapds.com.au

First Galileo satellite repositioned
Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), UK, has completed the repositioning of the first Galileo test satellite, GIOVE-A, to a higher orbit to make way for the operational satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. From the GIOVE-A operational headquarters, the operating team executed a series of precisely planned manoeuvres during July and August that have repositioned the satellite 113km above the orbit that the 27 operational Galileo navigation satellites will occupy. www.sstl.co.uk

ISRO’s Desk
India to launch satellites to study climate change
India shall soon be launching two dedicated satellites in polar orbit to study climate change through atmospheric research and detection of greenhouse gases. It will make India one of the few countries in the world to have such advanced facility to study the impact of climate change due to emission of greenhouse gases. www.thaindian.com

Digital village in China
A two-year project to bridge the urbanrural digital divide in Yunnan Province in southern China is gathering pace. US$18 million so far has been spent in the creation of the ‘Yunnan Digital Village’, which will bring information technology to 16 cities, 129 counties and 130,000 villages in the province. The initiative was devised by Intel, which provided consulting services as well as technology and engineering solutions. http://chinadigitaltimes.net

GPS IC shipments forecast for 2010
According to ABI research GPS IC shipment growth should see a 30% increase. The unabated interest in GPS-enabled smartphones during the recession has been a life-saver for the GPS IC industry, and future growth will be fuelled by the integration of GPS in feature phones across Europe and Asia. www.abiresearch.com

Integration of GPS Flight Tracking into Aviation Management SaaS
Trindigo has integrated Blue Sky Network’s GPS tracking and automated flight following technology into Blue Sky aviation management suite. It will enable continuous monitoring location of flights within Trindigo’s web-based solution using Blue Sky’s near real-time GPS data. www.blueskynetwork.com

ikeGPS™ powered by u-blox
u-blox and Surveylab has unveiled the successful integration of u-blox’ LEA GPS receiver module into Surveylab’s ikeGPS remote data capture products. It is a combination of positioning technology from u-blox with a 3D compass, laser rangefinder and digital camera. www.u-blox.com