Europe is building its own global satellite navigation system, Galileo, which will offer very accurate positioning and timing, under civilian responsibility. This system will be compatible with the two other existing systems, GPS and GLONASS. A user will be able to use the same receiver to calculate his position from signals sent out by any satellites combination, however Galileo will offer to all users a bi frequency system that will allow knowing position within one meter of accuracy, which is unprecedented for an openly accessible service. Apart from extreme circumstances, it will always be available and its users will be informed in a few seconds of a potential disruption of one of the satellites. Thus it will be usable for safety of life applications, requiring the highest security level, such as plane landing, train circulation or car guidance.

The tools of GI Science deal with geospatial information in which spatial relationships are the fundamental data. Fundamental data is that which relates to geolocation or spatial data that will permit the mapping of any object in terrestrial space. But, GI Science may also handle a diverse range of personal information from the truly ‘personal’ ones through to those of a more general nature – age, gender, height, home address, social security number…

Prem Shanker

Goel is Secretary to the Government of India,

Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

India has recently launched the National Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) established by Ministry of Earth Sciences. Coordinates discussed various aspects of the TEWS with Dr P S Goel, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Earth Sciences

Who can forget December 26, …

In looking ahead at what milestones we may expect to see during 2008 in the world of GPS and GNSS it is easy to be caught at one of two extremes. The first extreme would be to make the mistake of the shortsighted person who in the late nineteenth century proposed that the US Patent Office should be closed because everything conceivable had already been invented. The other extreme would be to look ahead at the promise of new constellations…

Real-time traffic information to reach more than 83 million users
According to ABI Research, real-time traffic information services will reach more than 83 million paid or registered users worldwide by 2012. It sees three elements to the puzzle of providing truly useful traffic data for navigation systems.

First, the traffic data collection ecosystem is very complex. Infrastructure measurement systems (road sensors, cameras, radar, or loop sensors) are expensive and hard to install. A second challenge is traffic data aggregation. As the basic data becomes more available, the complex data derived from floating-car probes or predictive modeling will become the differentiator. But such data are harder to integrate into navigation routing. A third factor is market landscape. ABI Research expects INRIX and NAVTEQ/Traffic. com to become the two players in traffic data. www.gpsbusinessnews.com

Better ‘eye’ in space for Malaysia
Weighing 180 kg and with a 2.5 m resolution, Malaysia’s second remotesensing satellite shall provide images every 100 minutes. The RazakSAT is expected to be launched into space by the middle of this year. The satellite was jointly developed by Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd and Satellite Technology Research Center Initiative Co Ltd, South Korea. The cost of the RazakSAT programme is RM60 million. http://www.nst.com.my/

Mapping center of israel to launch Geography portal
The Mapping Center of Israel (MAPI) will soon launch a new national geography portal. The new site will have 120 information levels about land, outline plans, maps, trips, sites, aerial images, and historical maps. The maps on the site were created through collaboration with various ministries and will be free. www.globes.co.il

Quality hydrographic survey data is essential for efficient maritime development

N R Raut
Assistant Hydrographic Surveyor in Minor Ports Survey Organisation,
Ministry Of Shipping, Road, Transport & Highways.
nrrautahs@yahoo.com

India has long coastline of 7517 kms with 12 major ports and 187 minor & intermediary ports. Major ports all together handled 423 million tones traffic & non–major ports all together …

They went up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his bone and Jill came tumbling after… And now they need medical attention and must locate a medical center soon. How far is the nearest hospital? How do they get there from the accursed hill? What is their current location? They need location-based services (LBS). “What is LBS?” asks Jill….

INDUSTRY | LBS | GPS | GIS | REMOTE SENSING | GALILEO UPDATE

WorldView-1 reaches full operational capability

WorldView-1 is now fully commissed, meets all its requirements, and is delivering imagery to the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency (NGA) as part of the NextView program. DigitalGlobe will begin taking orders for WorldView-1 imagery from its global resellers, …