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Image
of a Satellite of Block IIF, of the GPS constellation.
This is page 2 of GPS Links and
News Items
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Geocaching- here now! 
GPS Mapping in
Australia 
Garmin have produced map GPS models with mapping capability
to street level. These units are supplied in Australia by
the authorized importer, and contain
base mapping for the western Pacific, through Japan, China, Russia and
India to Australia and New Zealand. This is in addition to memory allocated
for loadable detailed street mapping. Most major and secondary roads, towns
and railway lines are shown on the base maps. Be aware that Garmin GPS
units purchased overseas may not have the specialized mapping for this
area, which is suitable for the Australian market.
See the following GPS models:
11 February 2002
The Australian Department of Defence is investing
and working toward providing Digital Chart Data and Electronic
Chart Display and Information Systems
(ECDIS) for its ships and selected shore establishments.
Project SEA 1430 Phase 1will provide a Digital Hydrographic
Database and SEA 1430 Phase 2A Hydrographic Display Systems (HDS)
or ECDIS Systems.
The ECDIS will be tailored for the navigation of
RAN vessels. ECDIS systems will also be delivered to related shore-based
ADF command and training areas. Introduction of these capabilities
will replace the use of paper charts for navigation of RAN ships,
and in so doing, improve navigation safety and efficiency of RAN
operations, as well as streamline maritime planning at headquarters
level.
ECDIS will provide much more than just images
of a chart on a computer screen. ECDIS will provide a decision
making tool on the bridge by combining satellite and other position
fixing with ship's sensors and a sophisticated electronic database
of charting and other navigation information.
ECDIS continuously analyses and compares the chart
information with a ship's position, intended course and its maneuvering
characteristics to give warning of approaching dangers. Amongst
other things, ECDIS provides alerts and prompts for planned course
alterations. Chart and positional information can be accessed instantly
and is displayed on high resolution full colour screens. In addition,
ECDIS provides many other sophisticated features, including continuous
data recording for later analysis; efficient and reliable updating
of chart information; improved safety of navigation and protection
of the marine environment; efficient voyage planning and a reduced
workload for officers on the bridge. Reducing the workload of planning
and plotting on paper charts means more attention can be given
to maintaining situational and tactical awareness.
With acknowledgement to the article, U.S. Could Deny GPS to Terrorists, By Declan
McCullagh at www.wired.com
2:00
a.m. Oct. 20, 2001 PDT
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said on Friday that it won't limit the accuracy
of positioning information that's beamed to civilian global positioning
system (GPS) receivers, regardless of the campaign against terrorism.
As the military campaign continues,
the Defense Department could take steps to limit the usefulness
of GPS receivers in the
hands of terrorist forces. "We have demonstrated the ability to selectively
deny GPS signals on a regional basis, particularly ... when our
national security is threatened," said Lt. Jeremy Eggers,
a spokesman at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. That's home
to the 50th Space Wing, which oversees GPS.
That
would mean only military GPS receivers -- in planes, ships and
in the hands of U.S. special
forces -- would
work within the targeted area. Eggers wouldn't say if a selective
denial would be precise enough to hit just Afghanistan, for example,
or if neighboring nations like Pakistan and Uzbekistan would be
affected too. He'd only say that the "region can be very well
defined."
Selective
availability (SA), which globally degraded the quality of GPS available
to civilians, has been turned off since a May 2000 executive order
signed by President Clinton. It's been replaced by selective deniability, which allows the military to geographically
pinpoint areas should it choose to degrade GPS quality.
This
is not a 727!
Civil-Military Inter operability For GPS Assisted Aircraft Landings
Demonstrated
A government-industry team accomplished the first
precision approach by a civil aircraft using a military Global
Positioning System (GPS) landing system Aug. 25 at Holloman AFB,
New.Mexico, USA., Raytheon Company announced today.
A FedEx Express 727-200 Aircraft equipped with a Rockwell-Collins GNLU-930
Multi-Mode Receiver landed using a Raytheon-developed military ground station.
Raytheon designed and developed the differential GPS ground station under
an Air Force contract for the Joint Precision Approach and Landings System
(JPALS) program.
The JPALS system is being developed to meet the Defense Department's need
for an anti-jam, secure, all weather Category II/III aircraft landing system
that will be fully inter operable with planned civil systems utilizing the
same technology.
The aircraft was guided by differential GPS corrections, integrity information,
and precision approach path points transmitted from the Raytheon developed
JPALS ground station. Although the approaches were restricted to Category
I, accuracies sufficient to meet Cat II/III requirements were observed.
Raytheon is the world leader in designing and building satellite-based navigation
and landing solutions for civil and military applications. In addition to
developing JPALS for the Department of Defense, Raytheon is also developing
both the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) and the Wide
Area Augmentation System (WAAS) for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The JPALS and LAAS will provide an inter operable landing capability for
military and civil applications.
"Raytheon is committed to developing and deploying satellite based navigation
and landing systems for the military and the flying public," said Bob Eckel,
Raytheon vice president for Air Traffic Management. "We understand the importance
of this technology and are proud to be a part of the success achieved this summer
during JPALS testing at Holloman."
How to measure ocean surface meteorological data using reflected GPS
signals. -
James Garrison, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at
Purdue University, presented a paper on a new meteorological measurement
technique. A special session during the International Geoscience and Remote
Sensing Symposium, in Sydney, Australia, July 13 2001, was used as the
venue. The conference is sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Because water is an especially good reflector of
GPS signals, the new technique is promising for studying how ocean-related
conditions affect global circulation and world climate. For example,
scientists monitor wind patterns near the surfaces of the oceans
to track global circulation, which influences climate.
As each GPS signal bounces off of the water, it reflects from numerous facets
on the rough, undulating surface. The signal is then picked up by a receiver,
located on an aircraft or a satellite, and then software interprets the data,
providing detailed measurements of the changing ocean surface.
Block
IIF satellites designed and built by Boeing - 2008
New Capabilities
As a result of increased civil and commercial use as well as
experience in military operations, the U.S. Air Force is
introducing the following new capabilities and technologies
to the GPS IIF
to sustain the space and control segments while improving
mission performance:
Twice as many navigation signals, including three new signals
dedicated to civilian and commercial use, including support for
codeless receivers
UHF crosslink commanding and telemetry for improved user accuracy
An update of the navigation payload architecture
Operational capability for a new military signal
Long-Term Growth Capability
The original GPS IIF design incorporates flexibility to accommodate
new and evolving requirements and upgrades. This flexibility includes
the following areas:
Processor throughput
Memory margins
Weight
Power
Thermal requirements
Internal volume
Link to Boeing GPS
Applications for GPS
The new GPS fun thing for everybody.
- Geocaching! Another name for treasure hunting.
See also our new page on Geocaching, specifically for Australia!
As reported in the Australian (IT pages), Dec 12
2000, published by Nationwide News Pty Ltd under
the headline, "A
global game of hide-and-seek coming via satellite, ready or not"
Basically, geocachers leave some small treasures in a watertight
container (metal are the best, an old paint tin for example) in a
particular location, and record the position by GPS. This location
is published, so that others can enjoy the challenge of finding the
treasure. The treasure may be something like a small toy, a sweet,
and a notebook and pen, so that finders can mark their success, and
leave other items for the next caller.
Log on to Geocaching or Navicache or Buxleys (specifically
Australian site) to obtain the coordinates of a local treasure site.
Here's a great way to spend a weekend, and contribute to a worldwide project.
Albeit a little eccentric. But sometimes, that's what life is about, is it
not?
http://www.confluence.org
It is called the confluence project, and is designed to log a landscape photograph
for every confluence of whole latitude (eg.27 degrees), and whole longitude
(eg. 153 degrees).
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Johnny Appleseed GPS