On November 30, the GLONASS-K1 satellite, GLONASS 701(K), which had been using broadcast almanac slot 3 and transmitting on frequency channel -5 while undergoing flight tests, ceased transmissions on its assigned channel and was removed from the almanac.GLONASS 744, launched with the other Block 44 satellites on 4 November 2011 and which achieved its orbital slot 3 in Plane 1 a few days ago, was activated and is transmitting on frequency channel 5. It is currently set unhealthy in both the almanac and the ephemeris while undergoing further commissioning.GLONASS 743 and 745 are still moving towards their designated orbit slots.

LightSquared is a gem! I am not only talking about its nationwide high-speed 4G capabilities and that it will be a boost to our lagging IT industry which has fallen behind 18 other nations. I am focusing on how it can beautifully complement high precision applications of GPS. It is a gem for GPS high precision users and for RTK.

USTDA helps countries expand economic growth by utilizing U.S. expertise, technology, and investment. The Agency’s objectives are to help build the infrastructure for trade, match U.S. technological expertise with overseas development needs, and help create lasting business partnerships between the United States and emerging market economies.

Land & Property Services (LPS) has announced its plan to deliver a programme of improved mapping for Northern Ireland. The Positional Improvement Project, which examines the accuracy of features of LPS Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (OSNI) maps, will deliver significant improvements to the quality of current mapping, enabling its customers to provide more efficient and accurate service delivery.

With more than 2 500 attendees from 65 countries, the conference started with hands-on training sessions for Intergraph® and Geosystems solutions that offered the opportunity to learn more about the solutions and then apply that knowledge.

Location Base Services (LBS) is service mechanisms that provides information about the location and take advantage of the location. Global Positioning System (GPS) is one of Devices that inform the position. Mobile phone GPS has the advantage because they can be used also as a means of communication and the completeness of the camera (photo and video) resolution good enough to take photos that have coordinates ((Geo)tagging photo) and can be sent directly to the office for more information .

National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) is announced by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India in May 2011. This is certainly a bold step in terms of providing the information proactively as Indians have a constitutional backup for the right to information through the Right to Information Act 2005. The NDSAP talks about sharable data and non-sharable data (negative list). The negative list is that which includes the data that is not sharable and would not be available on the public domain. Section 8 and 9 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Right to Privacy upheld by the Honourable Supreme Court of India in its various judgments, will be the guiding factors preparing the negative list. The metadata of the sharable data will be available on a portal (www.data.gov.in).

The Survey Department of Brunei Darussalam, with the collaboration of the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), has carried out a study on the establishment of a new geodetic framework for the country. A new geocentric datum for Brunei Darussalam 2009 (GDBD2009) was established using GPS space geodetic technology based on the ITRF2005 reference frame. The GDBD2009 is related to ITRF2005 through the inclusion of the 8 GPS stations of the Brunei Darussalam Zero Order Network and have been processed together with more than fifty IGS stations around the world. The realization of GDBD2009 requires the determination of a new datum transformation and map projection scheme. A new set of transformation parameters to be use in converting from the existing local datum to the new GDBD2009 has been computed. The implication of this new datum on the existing cadastral and mapping practices, various GPS non-mapping applications, and the GIS/LIS related applications are taken into consideration.

Surveying education has been ‘playing’ catch up with changes in the surveying/geomatics industry and some individuals are of the opinion that the lag is substantial and demands immediate attention. Not only has technology impacted the surveying industry but the modernisation brought on by information and computer technologies has considerably impacted educational methods used in surveying/geomatics programmes. This paper examines how selected surveying/geomatics programmes address the issue of making their courses relevant to industry needs, student characteristics and one particular trend within higher education. The discussion is based on empirical data from a research that involved fifteen surveying/geomatics programmes from thirteen countries. The study investigated curriculum architecture and pedagogical alternatives within the discipline and the impact these have on students’ preparedness for work.

UniStrong holds 40 pc GIS market share in China: Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co. Ltd. holds approximately 40 percent GIS market share in China, according to a report by Orient Securities Company Ltd. In next five years, the company is poised to do the business of approximately 100 billion yuan (USD 15.6 billion), China Daily reported.