WAYPOINTS!
GPS NEWS DECEMBER
2009
Remote
Safety & Work/Travel Alone GPS
Last
month's feature...
This
Decade of GPS, now GNSS... an homage to clunkies.
The
absolutely fun thing about old
products in Our Vault is their resilience!
These products can and do still work, many
can be updated with new maps. The GPS chipsets are operationally
fine, just slower for satellite signal acquisition, also maybe
less receptive in ravines or streets of tall buildings
in cities. Consumer products come and go, but these are like
50's chrome toasters. That
is good engineering. (Take THAT Henry Ford - 'parts
engineered to fail' mass consumer product manufacturing malfunction
part design, like poor quality derivatives!)
There's
a bit more razzle dazzle (some NICE razzle dazzle), like G2
Vision marine mapping that Garmin released in 2007. The iPhone
launch, Nokia cameras (N95
earned TIPA Award for best mobile
imaging), the nuvifone attempted launch, new products
like tablets, ebook readers.
A
few companies merged, e.g. Mio/MiTAC bought Magellan last year
on its 1965 Sercel long journey through the US DoD declassification
of satellite signals to civilian use. Commercial sat phones
hit the commercial market. See Magellan GSC 100, released to
the public in 1997. After the 2001 attack on the USA, all cell
phones were equipped with GPS chips, to help locate missing
persons, a 911 function; it's also a privacy and civil rights
issue re citizen surveillance.
Of
course, there also
were duds, e.g. CoPilot
Truck Pocket PC 6 with the poor mapping interface & county
maps for Canada. Really, who cares or gets around or navigates
via counties in
Canada? Not a trucker, not anybody. In any case, this Canadian
product from a US company (where county navigation presumably
happens) flopped.
What
is
GPS and GNSS
... anyway...?
The
future started a long time ago! Global
Navigation Satellite System is a generic term for ALL global
satellite navigtion systems.
1978
NAVSTAR (Navigation System with Timing And Ranging), now
known as GPS (Global Positioning System), launched by U.S. Department
of Defense for military use, with 11 satellites in orbit
1982
First GLONASS satellites launched by the Russian Federation
Ministry of Defense.
1983
GPS declassified by President Reagan after a Korean Airliner
was shot down by Soviet fighters. GPS moves from pure military
effort to public project.
1996
- Sercel sells its radio-positioning division
to Dassault Electronique. A joint venture is formed under the name
Dassault Sercel Navigation Positioning.
-
U.S. President Clinton authorizes
SA to be phased out to provide civilians worldwide with greater
GPS accuracy.
2002
- GNSS: generic, international term
'Global Navigation Satellite System'
2009
ICG: International
Committee on GNSS ~~ GPS:
Global Positioning System (US, also NATO allied coutries),
NAVSTAR program ~~ GLONASS (Russia > English
info) ~~ COMPASS/Beidou (China) ~~
INSAT (India) ~~ QZSS (Japan)
If you
want to start geocaching...
It's
a fun and engaging activity, similar to orienteering. Want details? Check
our Sept/09 newsletter for information about how to get
started, the gear (it does not require a lot!), rules and
more.
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