Where the Action Is

Where the Action Is
http://www.gpsworld.com/gnss-system/where-action-is-10402

August 25, 2010 By: Alan Cameron
GNSS Design & Test Newsletter, August 2010


Name the hottest test-bed for interoperability of multiple GNSS in user
applications.

North America, cradle of global satellite positioning, navigation, and
timing? Close, but as the saying goes, no cigar.

Europe, the up and coming? You’re getting colder.

Russia, rocketeer of the once and future second global system? Not even.

The dramatic jump in the number of regionally broadcasting satellites to
be launched over the next five years by three Asian/Pacific countries,
added to the more gradual increase in the above-named three global
systems that users everywhere can see, make Asia and Oceania the fastest
growing area in GNSS. A demonstration campaign has come into being to
take advantage of this perhaps surprising — to some — new trend.

The April crash-and-burn of the rocket carrying a satellite for India's
GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) program will not stem this
tide. The relatively short postponement of Japan’s first QZSS launch
will make barely a ripple. The Indian space program will recover, and
Japan’s Michibiki reaches space shortly after you read this — on
September 11.

In the near term, Compass will carry the regional load. China plans to
boost four more geostationary satellites by 2012, joining one now on
station, three new mid-Earth orbit satellites (one circling now), and
four inclined geosynchronous birds to flock with the one launched July 31.

The Multi-GNSS Demonstration Campaign is poised to take advantage of
this proliferation in space. As its website,
www.multignss.asia/campaign.html, states, “The Asia and Oceania region
is a unique place where the number of usable modernized navigation
satellites will increase much faster than other areas in the world. We
will see great improvement of Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT)
capability and hence there is a great opportunity to try, test and
validate new receiver hardware, algorithms and applications in order to
address user requirements.”

The campaign consists of a series of activities during 2010 to 2015,
comprising three parts:

Infrastructure Establishment. An international multi-GNSS monitoring
network will form a basis to produce precise orbit and clock offset for
the multi-GNSS constellation. Conducted in cooperation with the
International GNSS Service (IGS) and based on a regional continuously
operating reference system (CORS), it will include data and analysis
centers sharing information and resources among participating organizations.

Projects. Joint application developments and experiments of new or
extended multi-GNSS applications, such as disaster management,
intelligent transportation systems, precise positioning, and
location-based services will be promoted among GNSS providers, receiver
manufacturers, local service providers, government organizations, and
universities in the Asia-Oceania region.

Regional Workshops. These will be organized annually in the region to
report on joint experiments and results and air proposals for new joint
projects.

All this is not to say that attention will focus exclusively on the
regional satellites. The campaign explicitly focuses as well on current
and modernizing GPS-IIF and planned GPS-III, revitalized and soon
modernizing GLONASS, and GALILEO as well, a plethora of satellites and
signals in multi-constellation mix. Chris Rizos from the University of
South Wales and vice-chair of the campaign, says “The future is bright,
but we need to prepare ourselves. What we learned in the GPS-only era
will have to be augmented with new knowledge, about receiver hardware,
algorithms, applications and user requirements. A first step therefore
is to advocate Asia-Oceania as the showcase of the new GNSS era.”

His co-chair Akio Yasuda from the Graduate School of Tokyo University of
Marine Science and Technology, adds “The Asia Oceania region (AOR) is
the best place to receive the earliest benefit from this new multi GNSS
era. Why don't you join the experiences and opportunities for new multi
GNSS utilization which can maximize the benefits of PNT services, by
collaborating among academies, GNSS providers, receiver vendors, and
solution partners in AOR countries. We will develop the foundation for
the collaboration to the future."

For a moving picture of the availability of more than 100 GNSS space
vehicles that will operate over the Asia-Oceania region in the next
decade, play the animation of their availability.

The First Asia Oceania Regional Workshop on GNSS, January 25–26 in
Bangkok, Thailand, drew 195 participants from 18 countries. A second
regional workshop is tentatively scheduled for November 21–22 in
Melbourne, Australia.