VNU-HCM plans to establish the Institute of Space Science and Technology
Vietnam National University – Hochiminh City (VNU-HCM) plans to establish the Institute of Space Science and Technology (ISST) to educate and carry on research in the disciplines of space science and technology, to develop applications of space technology for socio-economy. It will also aim at collaboration with other scientific institutions. With this mission, President Board of VNU-HCM expects collaborations, supports from international institutions on space science and technology. Dr. Tran Vinh Phuoc, Associate Professor in GIS & RS of the VNU-HCM is assigned to hold the Head of the Project Establishing the ISST.

GPS-enabled mobile gaming gets out of the lab in Germany
Students from the University of Bonn, with the game publisher Ravensburger Spiele and T-Mobile have invented Scotland Yard – to go!, a wireless version. The players are equipped with a Ultra Mobile PC including a GPRS connectivity and a GPS receiver. The GPS-enabled device provides the current location of the different players which is fed to a webserver. www.gpsbusinessnews.com

GAORFID Inc. announces LocateWare software
GAORFID Inc., Canada announces LocateWare, an RFID middleware that reports real-time location of people, animals and things. It enables tracking, locating and identification for a wide range of businesses. www.gaorfid.com

Leica TPS1200+ Total Station
Leica Geosystems introduces TPS1200+, its most competitive total station ever. It provides the market’s most accurate reflectorless EDM with the smallest laser dot and measures distances over 1000 meters. It has also launched Leica GNSS Spider V3.0, which provides the full range of GNSS Network RTK services including GPS & GLONASS.

Galileo to support global search and rescue
The detection of emergency beacons will be greatly improved by the introduction Galileo. It will carry transponders to relay distress signals to search and rescue organisations. In connection with this, representatives of the Galileo project attended the recent 21st annual Joint Committee Meeting of COSPAS-SARSAT, the international programme for satellite-aided search and rescue. The partners in Galileo are committed to developing the Galileo search and rescue component as an integral part of MEOSAR (Medium Earth Orbit Search And Rescue, the future worldwide search and rescue satellite system. Galileo joined the meeting in a formal capacity as a major contributor to the MEOSAR programme, following the signature of the ‘Declaration of Intent to Cooperate on the Development and Evaluation of MEOSAR’. It is a programme to equip satellites that operate in medium- Earth orbits with payloads that receive signals from distress beacons on Earth. These signals are then relayed to rescue organisations, giving them the location of the emergency.
www.gpsdaily.com

Nothing Succeed like Success! GSLV-F04 successfully launched – Places INSAT-4CR in Orbit
India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-F04, had a successful launch on September 2, 2007. It placed India’s INSAT-4CR into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. This was the fifth flight of GSLV and the fourth successful one.
GSLV was commissioned after both its developmental test flights conducted in April 2001 and May 2003 were successful. GSLV was designed and developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Russian supplied cryogenic stage was used for third stage propulsion, the guidance and control of the stage has been implemented by ISRO. INSAT-4CR was developed by ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. The payloads were developed by Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. The successful launch of GSLV-F04 demonstrated the operational reliability of GSLV as well as reiterated the endto- end capability of ISRO.
http://www.isro.gov.in/gslv-f04/photos/index.htm

GIS to fi ght dengue epidemic in Bangkok
Authorities in Bangkok are resorting to a GIS to ease the dengue epidemic in the Thai capital. According to Bangkok governor, a longer rainy season and changing temperatures have favored the breeding of the mosquito that transmit the fatal disease. He added, the GIS will help the city officials to find critical epidemic areas. www.allheadlinenews.com

GPS technology aids biologists in research
Satellite tracking technology may help state biologists learn more about the habits of mountain goats while helping keep track of them. Two goats shall be the test animals for the tracking experiment, said officials of district wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Baker City. Biologists equipped two of the goats with GPS, collars programmed to pinpoint the goats’ position every 30 minutes for the next couple of months, then every three hours. They can adjust that interval to as often as every 10 minutes by remote control. The collars will also record temperatures. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

GAORFID Inc. announces LocateWare software
GAORFID Inc., Canada announces LocateWare, an RFID middleware that reports real-time location of people, animals and things. It enables tracking, locating and identification for a wide range of businesses. www.gaorfid.com

Leica Geosystems introduces GMX902 GG GPS + GLONASS receiver
Leica Geosystems has introduced Leica GMX902 GG GNSS, a GPS + GLONASS receiver, developed to monitor sensitive structures and crucial topographies. It provides precise dual frequency code and phase data up to 20 Hz, enabling precise data capture as the basis for highly accurate position calculation and motion analysis.
Leica has also announced the further continuation ATHENA Program – a formalized purchase scheme designed to help Universities, Research Organisations and UNAVCO members to better facilitate the use of GNSS Reference Station and Structural Monitoring technology for both teaching and scientific research purposes. ATHENA stands for ‘Advanced Technology for Higher-Education and Non-profit Associations’ www.leica-geosystems.com