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Weather warning system for Satellites?

by gps4us news 2012-03-05 17:36

Satellites are widely used for weather tracking and prediction. However, the satellites themselves are at risk when it comes to particular type of storms – solar storms. [More]

Tags: Satellite, GPS, navigation, solar storm, solar, weather, Garmin

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TomTom’s annual sales slump.

by gps4us news 2012-02-20 18:42

TomTom, a Dutch maker of digital maps and PNDs (Personal Navigation Devices) reported a staggering 76 percent in fourth quarter net profit due to declining demand for PNDs. The company also predicted further decline this year. [More]

Tags: TomTom, GPS, satellite, navigation, PND, Mazda, Renault, Fiat

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Increased Military-Civilian cooperation on space programs.

by gps4us news 2012-02-10 18:35

Even though defense-related budgets are tightening, Richard McKinney, deputy undersecretary for space programs said in February that US Military continues its coopetation and international collaboration on space programs. [More]

Tags: WGS, GPS, satellite, navigation Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Pentagon

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Next generation GPS satellite aided Distress Alerting system becomes an integral part of Worldwide Search and Rescue operations

by Russel 2012-01-13 13:03

Satellite-Aided Search and Rescue Technology for detection and location of aircraft and vessels in distress which was originally developed by NASA has evolved into an international cooperative project to fulfill Search and Rescue objectives by enhancing the global Cospas-Sarsat system with improved space-based distress alerting and locating capability. NASA leads research and development or application of advanced technology to develop highly efficient search and rescue, survival and recovery systems. They include GPS navigation and tracking solutions, transmitters, receivers, and antennas capable of locating spacecraft, aircraft, ships, vehicles and individuals in potential or actual distress. The Satellite Aided Search and Rescue System serves search and rescue agencies worldwide with a network of 58 ground terminals. It currently has 38 participating countries, with Cospas-Sarsat payloads on 11 satellites, orbital spacecraft, instrumentation and equipment provided and supported by Unites States, Canada, France, and Russia. Geostationary orbit satellites have been used as key system components to detect and locate radio beacons activated by mariners, aviators and travelers in distress virtually anywhere in the world and at any time. Thousands of lives have been saved worldwide since the search and rescue satellite-aided tracking, the SARSAT system was implemented. Geostationary orbit satellites have a large field of view, although missing parts of the Arctic and Antarctic, but they cannot position a beacon unless its signal contains location information provided by an integral satellite navigation receiver. An extended study determined that a better SARSAT system would be one based on medium Earth orbit satellites. A medium Earth orbit system can provide full global coverage, determine beacon location, and do this with fewer ground stations. Global Positioning System satellites constellation provides the foundation for the improved system to help mariners, aviators, and recreational enthusiasts in distress almost anywhere in the world at anytime and in almost any condition. Included as an operational part of International Cospas-Sarsat, the Distress Alerting Satellite System is based on Global Positioning System which significantly enhances its performance. The NASA Search and Rescue Mission Office in collaboration with several government agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Coast Guard has developed a next-generation satellite-aided search and rescue system, called the Distress Alerting Satellite System. The foundation of new Distress Alerting Satellite System has been established with nine GPS satellites which are hosting prototype hardware that is being used for proof-of-concept testing. The system will become fully operational after receiving complete test results that will determine the separation of search functionality out of search and rescue. The new technology will more quickly identify the locations of people in distress and reduce the risk to rescue operation teams. The SAR survival individual kit includes personal Locator Beacon and rugged waterproof GPS or floating handheld GPS navigator. The GPS satellites will have instrument clusters to relay the emergency signals from risque beacons located on the aircraft, ground vehicles, on the water vessels and in personal use. The Micro Personal Locator Beacon technology could be used as a separate tracking device or embedded in the circuitry of onboard and personal GPS navigators carried by travelers, aviators and marine enthusiasts. NASA and participating agencies are now completing the development and testing of the new system and expect to make it operational in the coming years after a complete constellation of satellites carrying the Distress Alerting Satellite System payloads is launched. Once completed the Distress Alerting Satellite System will be able to almost instantaneously detect and locate distress signals generated by emergency beacons installed on aircraft and maritime vessels or carried by travelers greatly enhancing the international community’s ability to rescue people in distress.

Tags: Search and rescue, Distress Alerting, Satellite System, Cospas-Sarsat, Earth orbit

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NASA Navigator detects GPS satellite constellation from Lunar distances

by Russel 2012-01-11 13:05

For spacecraft operating above the GPS constellation, which is about thirteen thousand miles above Earth in an area normally referred to as high-Earth orbit, the onboard GPS navigation for spaceflight operations at geosynchronous orbits has been extremely challenging. Existing GPS receivers could not adequately pick up the GPS signal, which is transmitted toward Earth to serve millions of GPS navigator devices widely used in terrestrial applications. However. the constellation does not transmit GPS signals away from Earth and into the open space. As a result, spacecraft above the GPS constellation could not reliably detect GPS signals for tracking and navigational purposes, which is the case with many upscale projects forcing them to use much more expensive ground-tracking assets. Open space exploration and high-altitude science missions are relying on the expensive ground stations to track high altitude geosynchronous spacecraft. Scientists have discovered an alternative, which at fraction of cost offers same or better navigation performance in weak-signal and highly dynamic environments, such as space projects with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To help lower mission costs NASA Navigator research and development group developed new GPS signal-processing algorithms and sophisticated hardware for a ultra high orbiter spacecraft GPS receiver. The innovative GPS device and tracking method is used for spacecraft orbiting much higher than GPS constellation, as far as at Lunar distances. Spacecraft operating in weak-signal areas, such as geosynchronous orbits where global communications and weather satellite services spacecrafts typically operate, will be able to acquire and track the weak GPS signals to determine their locations. The next-generation GPS navigator receiver can acquire the GPS signal even if the spacecraft carrying the receiver is located at lunar distances to maintain their precise orbital position. The task which seem to be impossible with existing GPS receivers as they could not recognize signals of GPS constellation satellites in the open space, has been solved by Navigator GPS receiver. With new technology spacecraft orbiting well above the constellation will be able to reliably use low strength GPS signals for tracking and navigational purposes, instead of using expensive ground-tracking assets. The new enabling navigation technology, the NASA Navigator provides accurate positioning, navigation, and timing services. The solution will be used in the Magnetosphere research missions. The sensitivity of the Navigator GPS receiver is so high that it would allow spaceship to acquire and track weak GPS signals at an altitude of over sixty two thousand miles above the Earth. The mission is made up of four identically instrumented spacecraft which require extremely precise positioning in a unique formation in a very high-altitude Earth orbit, while measuring the three dimensional structure and dynamics of Earth’s protective magnetosphere. The mission relies on the newly invented weak-signal Navigator GPS receiver with improved sensitivity to help the Magnetospheric MultiScale mission spacecraft maintain their precise orbital position. NASA Navigator GPS receiver has been instrumental in a unique experiment carried out during the last Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission. The radar measurements of GPS signals that were reflected off the Hubble telescope were used for range estimates during docking and undocking, proving a key relative navigation sensing technology for a robotic rendezvous with the Hubble in the future. The invention will serve as the primary navigation sensor on NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement Mission, which will study global rain and snowfall when it launches in 2013. The Air Force Research Laboratory is planning to use a Navigator engineering test unit in its Plug-and-Play spacecraft, an experimental satellite that has modular structure with an interchangeable components that easily hook together. The Navigator's revolutionary signal-processing design will be also used in an engineering test unit to the next-generation weather satellite which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to launch in 2015.

Tags: geosynchronous, NASA Navigator, signal-processing, GPS constellation, Magnetosphere, spacecraft, Hubble space telescope, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, weather satellite

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GPS collar tracking system helps understand the wildlife migration habits

by gps4us news 2012-01-10 13:44

Nature scientists have tracked the movements of wild animals with electronic collars that emit radio signals in the VHF band. The data received from the collars helps researchers to better understand the animal's social structure, mortality rates, feeding ecology and other behavior patterns. That method of tracking wild animals requires ecologists work extensively in the field to search for the radio signal from the collars, then record the wild animals location on a handheld GPS, which is a cumbersome process. The new generation of GPS collars is designed to calculate the exact location of the wild animals with adjustable polling intervals from seconds to hours and send a data packets and text messages to a central processing application via the first tier of the distributed GPS tracking system which consists of multiple VHF transmitting GPS enabled tracking collars. In many cases the researchers use custom built expensive GPS tracking collars for larger animals, but often the less expensive GPS tracking systems such as Astro DC 40 or DC 30 transmitters and and Astro 320 receivers could be used at a fraction of cost. The collars are instantly paired with GPS navigation handheld receivers either Astro 220 or Astro 320 among most advanced models. Originally designed as hunting dog collars the Dc 30 and Dc 40 have been proven to be suitable not only for dogs but for many other animals including wild cats, mountain lions as one example. GPS tracking collar helps researchers bring to light critical information about pumas and mountain wild cats as many regions most active predator, so that key conservation objectives can be initiated to preserve this essential member of the ecological environments. Biologists have collared growing numbers of wild animals for tracking in studies to better understand the migration habits of wildlife across geographical areas. Lynx, pumas and mountain wild cats have been fitted with innovative GPS tracker collars with an embedded accelerometer to provide new insight into puma wildlife range, habitat, biology and behavior. Depending on the goals of the wildlife research the GPS navigation and tracker system may take shape of a complex multi-tiered distributed platform. The Astro 320 combo bundle of the navigation handheld and DC 40 tracking GPS collar is a good example of the first tier at the heart of the more complex wildlife animals tracking system. Both the collar and the host station are receiving the GPS satellite constellation information in real time. Multiple Astro units are individually paired and work as universal VHF radio communication devices with collars transmitting the tracked animal's most current GPS location Astro 320 host device which compares the received GPS location information with its own reading of the GPS satellite constellation. Next tier of distributed application may perform the consolidation of information from GPS navigators and involves a cloud computing web services enabled dedicated servers, which are collecting information from GPS devices and store in the database. The processing application queries the data cube, extracting records containing most current information about animal's location, and then translates it into an electronic messages for the distribution to the subscribed researchers and to the e-mail web service application. In parallel, the data then is analyzed, formatted and aggregated on an open-source topographic map that displays the wild animals' movements, allowing nature researchers to know when the animals have strayed too close to livestock herds. The GPS tracking collar advanced antenna design safeguards against the animal location information is getting lost when the animal enters into the water to cross the river. Astro DC 40 is rugged and reliably works in all weather conditions. Combination of a high-sensitivity GPS collar receiver, quad helix GPS antenna and extended range VHF antenna into an all-in-one transmitter makes this orange colored collar the universal wearable tracking device eliminating the need to put two separate collars on an animal. Each collar transmitting circuitry has an unique electronic lock which uses a four-digit PIN number that helps keep the data packets broadcast by the collar secured in transmit. The paired Astro 320 navigator unlocks the information for the nature scientists to see tracked animal whereabouts. The GPS satellite acquisition system keeps connectivity with the GPS constellation satellites even in the heavy bush or densest covered forest. The DC 40, in combination with the Astro 320 pinpoints the tracked animal position in preselected intervals to keep optimal balance between frequency of the transmit intervals while checking the animal current location and longer battery life. With an increased range and simplified user interface the Astro also offers rich mapping capabilities. Depending on terrain Astro 320 keeps track of up to ten animals as far as nine miles away. Animals that are too far away to fit on the Astro 320 map’s current zoom scale can be notated on the display’s margin in the direction of the animal’s location. The researcher also can choose the duration that each animal’s track-log is viewed on the display, and optionally completely toggle it off for a cleaner display. The nature animal scientist or nature explorer can mark the exact spot - a special waypoint that will keep the exact location, time of day and elevation where the animal performed certain activity such as has found its prey. The tracker page allows to view a compass pointing to most current animal location. Astro tracking system lets the researcher save other special waypoints, such as location of the vehicle and base camp for each trip in the field.

Tags: tracking system, wildlife, puma, wild cat, GPS collar

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In-Vehicle Cloud Computing and Networking platform at a heart of the next generation Safe Car

by Rus Abz 2012-01-06 12:25

Cars are rapidly becoming fully networked inside and out computing platforms. General Motors, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Renault-Nissan, Ford and other automotive manufacturers are working on making an automobile a fully integrated computing platform with full networking capabilities. In-vehicle application landscape has been shaped by innovative design approaches of most talented engineering force in the automotive, communication and computing industries over past decade with close collaboration among car designers. As a result of breakthrough integration of car safety, GPS navigation, autopilot and entertainment systems the new generation of automobile world’s most complete and modular In-Vehicle Cloud Computing solution possibly imaginable. Voice and data communications, on the road GPS navigation and vehicle tracking, management of vehicle telemetry are fully integrated on a single powerful platform. The cloud category consists of car application platform that keeps itself accurately updated in real time. It utilizes the vehicle's onboard high speed network, GPS and satellite communications system and virtually represents a fully integrated vehicle virtual model created in the computer memory. The in-vehicle cloud cloud computing services manage interoperability of the suite of the vehicle onboard systems and applications. It knows how to separate front and backseat content areas, GPS navigation, autopilot and diagnostic instrumentation controls for the driver. The three dimensional maps are transparently rendered on the windshield for the safer driving, the mapping services and 3D topographic maps database includes thousands of include points of interest and receives real time information from the GPS satellite constellation. The back seat infotainment content area serves radio, video and entertainment features for all passengers. On the road safety applications are an integral part of the in-vehicle cloud services. They interact with vehicle lightweight electronic onboard sensors and controls that run and monitor vehicle diagnostics services, use GPS satellite constellation information to locate and connect to the car service shop and to the infrastructure-to-car stationary services. Safety sensor arrays include laser, ultrasonic and infrared object detection technologies as well as front-mounted cameras on car bumpers and side mirrors. Safety system applications run at the highest priority among in-vehicle cloud services. The safety weather alert control and reporting service is interacting with global positioning satellites, weather alert system and depending on the changing traffic and weather conditions takes care of timely engaging the car's fog lights, night vision system, advice on adjusting the traction control settings or activate car's rain-sensing wipers. Interoperation of GPS enabled safety services allows clusters of vehicles traveling together track each other along the journey. The route is shared among the vehicles and fellow travelers, the participating users can see each vehicle telemetry including fuel level and speed, track each vehicle, map routes, send alerts about stops along the way and send voice and text notifications about road conditions and hazards. It also collects data about road and traffic conditions generating and sharing advance notice about poor road conditions or accidents. With the automobile rapidly becoming a powerful mobile computing platform, the driver and passenger's personal communicators, handheld GPS navigators, smartphones and other mobile devices seamlessly connect to the in-vehicle cloud networking services, as their owners take seats in the car. Pervasive computing allows friendly interfaces for better integration of any personal device into the car virtual environment. The driver and passengers become a team of networked travelers with multiplied power of several handheld personal GPS navigators and communicators. The team can easily find an open parking space and reserve it using the smartphone. Interacting with the social networks a collaborative ride-sharing feature connects drivers with potential carpool passengers in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The app is connected through in-vehicle cloud to social networks friendly interface matching friends who need rides with destinations entered by the driver and also allowing the driver or passenger to invite friends to ride. The in-vehicle cloud computing and networking platform employs wide variety of task specific applications and services. Its synchronization service performs the real time timely updates of the integrated components firmware and software to the most current version. The synchronization service also exposes easily pluggable interfaces to connect to the stationary diagnostics and maintenance systems which take care of keeping all onboard systems, instruments and controls healthy, reprogram the car serviceable computerized and electronic components and update it with newest diagnostic applications.

Tags: social networks, in-vehicle, cloud computing, vehicle telemetry, satellite constellation, weather alert, topographic maps

An innovative new trends sparkle colorful rainbow of Technology News connecting the ends of the world's ocean of innovation. From robots to satellites, from cloud computing to internet security, from global positioning navigation to sea exploration, we cover technology news for restless explorer, cycling and hiking enthusiast, runner, swimmer, moto biker, car and truck driver, hunter and dog trainer, power boat and sail yacht captain, marine engineer, geologist and scientist, fisherman and kayaker, geocaching enthusiast and mountain adventurer.

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Weather warning system for Satellites?

TomTom’s annual sales slump.

Increased Military-Civilian cooperation on space programs.

Next generation GPS satellite aided Distress Alerting system becomes an integral part of Worldwide Search and Rescue operations

NASA Navigator detects GPS satellite constellation from Lunar distances

GPS collar tracking system helps understand the wildlife migration habits

In-Vehicle Cloud Computing and Networking platform at a heart of the next generation Safe Car

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