Re: [egov] Galileo system in Europe + OASIS?

[creed@opengeospatial.org]

David -

This will definitely help expand the use (and speed of use) of GPS
location content.

However, I am not sure if there will be significant impacts on existing
standards as the hardware providers are already beginning to develop
products that recognize both GPS systems and output the location in
already supported formats (see below).

Regards

Carl Reed
OGC

Technology compatible with GPS and Galileo standards adding to location
revolution


4 December 2006 - It began as a military project, but location technology
has changed the way we travel. There's no longer any need to rely on
outdated maps or your own sense of direction, since location systems are
declining in price and improving in precision. Devices that fit on your
dashboard or right in your pocket can keep you from ever getting lost
again.

GPS, the original system created by the U.S. military, now has some help.
The European Union's similar and slightly more accurate Galileo system is
about to go online, complementing GPS and filling in the gaps. Technology
compatible with both standards will add to the location revolution. This
year, SiGe Semiconductor offered the SE4120L, the world's first
GPS/Galileo IC receiver.

The SE4120L and similar products will find their way into more and more
military, commercial, and especially consumer products. As handheld GPS
receivers continue to decline in price, they're becoming attractive to a
wider audience of consumers, hunters, hikers, and boaters. In-car GPS
navigation options are even being added to lower-end cars and trucks.

The SE4120L targets consumer electronics such as laptops, PDAs, cell
phones, handheld and automotive navigation systems, digital cameras, and
even MP3 players. It will receive Galileo and GPS signals. Its overall
sensitivity is as high as 170 dBm, making it possible to grab weak
satellite signals under difficult and degenerating environmental
conditions.

The output signal is serial applied to the external baseband processing
chip, usually an ARM9 or equivalent CPU that handles the navigation
computation. The external processor, which is fully software programmed
for Galileo and GPS functions, controls the SE4120L. The software-defined
radio (SDR) nature of the resulting systems makes it possible to update
the receiver as future versions of the Galileo system are finalized.

Only one Galileo satellite is in orbit so far, and it's being used for
testing. An additional satellite will be launched later this year. Several
will be in operation by 2008, when service is expected to begin on a
limited basis. The full constellation of 30 satellites isn't expected to
be in service until 2010. But when it goes online, the SE4120L and similar
ICs will be ready.

Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to churn out location devices. And with
their large color LCDs and extensive mapping, they're more useful and
attractive than ever. Look for that to continue. GPS already plays a huge
role in the trucking business, where drivers enjoy the mapping
capabilities and the owners love the ability to track and locate any truck
and its cargo at any time.

The impetus for further widespread location-based technologies has been
the FCC's mandated E911 program, which requires all cell phones to
eventually contain either GPS or some other location technology that can
locate the cell phone from a 911 emergency call. Many CDMA phones already
have GPS with an expectation of up to 25% penetration by 2008.

GSM phones have an alternative location technology called uplink-time
difference of arrival (U-TDOA). But rumor has it that newer GSM phones
will include GPS simply because it is more generally useful to subscribers
who want navigation and location information. As consumers replace their
old phones with newer phones that have the E911 location technology built
in, we will begin to see real benefits like emergency location as well as
special location-based services (LBS), whatever they may be.

Location technology is also expanding beyond GPS, Galileo, and other
satellite navigation products. Systems using Wi-Fi and RFID are already
available to track people and objects. RFID systems can even track
conference participants by the RFID tags in their ID badges, showing what
meeting rooms they were in, what exhibits they visited, and so on. With
that kind of information, conference sponsors can figure out what is
popular and interesting to better prepare future events.

Yet the prospect of all of this tracking scares the living daylights out
of some people. What about privacy rights? Many critics say the technology
just puts us one step closer to complete "Big Brother" monitoring. If
you're up to no good, that may be a concern. But the technology can be
essential in locating, say, accident victims via E911 before it is too
late to save them.

Source : http://www.elecdesign.com


> Definitely something that will impact OASIS standards and use cases:
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> http://apnews.myway.com//article/20061208/D8LSOH682.html
> <http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061208/D8LSOH682.html>
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> DW
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