We've all heard the mutterings about satellite-controlled congestion charging and satellite-monitoring of speed.
now we hear that the EU (who else?) is to go ahead and blow £2billion on a new 'GPS' style satellite network. It virtually duplicates everything the American system does, so what is it really for?
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The US GPS system is a military thing. The US could switch off civilian access tomorrow if they wanted. The EU want to fly their own non-military system that would have "guaranteed" access (excepting unforseen circumstances) for civilian/commercial use. Tha yanks are a bit p*ssed by this !!
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I believe US system has (or had?) built in 'margin of error' to stop you delivering an accurate cruise missile with it. European system will, reportedly, be accurate.
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you dont need much accuracy to deliver a nuke payload that will wipe out 10s of miles in all directions
but yes the US system routinely gives pinpoint accuracy to military users and civilians are artifically barred from similar accuracy for political/military reasons
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The US switched off "selective availability"(SA) for GPS in May 2000. SA introduced an error "wobble" in the GPS signal that meant that civilian GPS units were only accurate down to about 100m. Now SA is off civilian units can get accurate to about 15m.
If interested then there's additional info here
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What a load of rubbish ,You can use the US system for absolutle pinpoint accuracy how to you think planes fly or In my profession we design telephone sysrems.The built in deveition is well known and is overcome by asystem of land based references such as long wave transmissions and coastal beacons .The reason the EU wants to build a new system is because technology moves on and the US system is old hat.It will also provide thousands of jobs in the EU.It will also have inbuild systems for air traffic control,shipping,and all sorts of spin off benifits.
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And guess who will pay, in the end.
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Andy,
I have read that whilst the US system is free, the EU system will involve a cost. Wonder how they will monitor that?
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GPS may be free to you lot but we here in the US have been Paying for it (via our taxes) for over 25 years.
And very glad I have been to use it in my side line as a Yacht delivery skipper... I spent over $2000 for my first portable receiver in 1989 for when weather prevented me from using my sextant... today a better unit costs less than $100.
If the Euro system is pay as you use it... well I do not think many will use it as the US is now well into launching the newest version of the sat constellation for GPS. As to bad reception over the poles... I don't think that is the case you may have to wait a bit longer for 5 sat 3D fix but first of all aircraft do not use GPS for enroute altitude info (only for short range enhanced by Groundstation use when landing end even then it is a 3rd point of alt ref after altimeter and radar altimeter and used only to create the glide slope) and enroute over the poles a 2 min wait for a good 2D fix (the 98% time taken above 85deg north with Generation 2 GPS sats (gen 3 now being launched)
~R~
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yea well lots of american friends have had free expensive medical care wihile in this country (why they dont get billed i dont know) out of out taxes
and we get stiched up big time if we get ill over there
in case you havent noticed it our marines doing the dirty work since your guys could pull off operation annoconda
who pays for what is much more complex than a few quid for gps
lots of senior staff in allsorts of US companies are brits educated here at our tax payers expense
etc etc
strnage old world, dont think gps is so generous really
i) you wanted it anyway for military reaons
ii) costs of making it widely available are marginal on top of i)
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The EU system (GALILEO ) will provide a number of different services, some of these will be free some won't be. The "Open Service" will provide navigation and timing services to a better precision than is available using civilian GPS - this service will be free to anyone with a receiver unit.
However, the GALILEO www site gives the example of providing data for applications such as road tolls and traffic management as a fee based service!!
More details here if interested.
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It is a purely political move brought about by the fact that Europe in general the French in particular resent being dependent on the Americans for anything.
It will probably mean that planes and ships will have to carry duplicate GPS systems because the europeans will eventually insist that craft this side of the Atlantic use the "local" system.
In the same way, the Eurofighter is a more expensive and inferior aircraft, later in service than what could be bought off the shelf from the USA. Same with early warning and transport aircraft.
Same as the European "Rapid Reaction Force" (there's a misnomer if ever I saw one) will compete with NATO rather than complement it. One job to do, two sets of masters, two chains of command, incompatible equipment.
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Brian, The obvious answer is that the Americans give up their old GPS and rely on our new one. Thus no duplication.
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America already has a new system and has not used GPS militarialy for many years.The cost of the new system is to be born by private investment.Without private or EU investment in large projects many thousand of people who have nice cushy jobs and complain about the cost will find themselves among the ranks of the unemployed.Or shall we not bother with anything just stay as we are forever ,its not human nature.
One small other point to release air space the new system will operate over the poles, at present there is no GPS coverage in these areas.The system will also be built with the co-operation with the US as it will be their technology that is used.
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