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GPS : March - April 1998
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Trimble appoints PTPL its representative in India
HAL and BEL develops GPS in India
Aerospace Systems presents royalty to DoE
Trimble appoints PTPL its representative in India
Trimble Navigation Ltd., the world leader in the emerging commercial markets for GPS satellite-based navigation, positioning and communication data products has appointed Positioning Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (PTPL), New Delhi as its representative in India to strengthen its marketing network.
In an exclusive interview to GIS@development, Mr. S K Paul of Positioning Technologies said that PTPL have been appointed by Trimble with the objective to increase sales of products manufactured by Trimble. Mr. Paul opined that with the increasing commitment of the government towards infrastructure development, the Indian GPS market is set for a rapid growth.
PTPL has announced the availability of full line of Trimble products with enhanced servicing, support and training capability in India. These products based on GPS include high precision surveying instruments for land and hydrographic surveying; mapping/GIS data acquisition; marine navigation; vehicle tracking and communications; mobile GPS; GPS engines for the OEM market, precise positioning products for the mining, construction and agriculture markets, timing synchronisation products, for the power sector, computer and wireless networking sectors, GPS starter kits for developers and integrators and handheld GPS for the recreational market.
Positioning Technologies Pvt. Ltd. will concentrate on strengthening distribution of Trimble products, building the infrastructure for training, service and support, integration of Trimble products with other technologies to create end user applications and systems for Indian markets and possibly for exports.
Mr. Sanjay Mukerji, Senior Vice President said, "GPS survey and mapping instruments can bring dramatic productivity gains combined with remarkable accuracy. These instruments have become standard equipment for critical surveying and mapping work in most industrialised countries. It is about time these products were easily available to government and commercial enterprises in India. Given India’s emergence as an Information Technology centre, we also believe India could become a centre for the development of GPS integrated products for the Indian as well as export markets’’. He said that PTPL and its local Agents Mekaster international and Deekay International are committed to bring full service, support and training to India.
HAL and BEL develop GPS in India
Hindustan Aernautics Ltd. (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) have developed global positioning system (GPS) equipment indigneously. Trials at the shop floor level have been completed and flight tests are on now.
GPS equipment made by these two public sector undertakings may be available in the market soon as the project is in final stages of completion. The development of indigenous technology for GPS equipment was partially funded by the Ministry of Defence jointly.
Production of GPS equipment within the country has fructified at an opportune moment as the Governemtn is planning to initiate replacements of the current technology of transmitting signals to aircraft through a series of satellites. Implementation of the modern technology has already begun and aircraft all over the world are supposed t be fitted with the GPS equipment by the year 2010.
Some aircraft of Air India and Indian Airlines as already fitted with GPS equipment. Other should also gradually move over to the new technology as the ground based systems and GPS systemshave to be run simultaneously for five years. After this, ground-based system like VHF omnidirectional radio range (VOR) would be phased out.
Once the GPS technology is implemented, airports need not maintain VHF and ILS (instrument landing system) equipment. The new technology would help in providing ILS facilities without ground-based equipment. This would save them a lot of money spent in setting up and maintaining these equipment, he said. In the case of ground-based systems, it is necessary to put up separate ILS equipment for each runway.
Currently the system is being used only on a small scale, especially in airport located in hilly aea. For example, the Indian Airlines A320 aircraft flying to Leh are fitted with GPS equipment since it is not possible to setup VOR facilities there. The GPS system is also used in the case of Port Blair since aircraft have to fly over the sea to approach the airport.
In the case of ILS, a technology for ‘correction’ of GPS signals is being developed. Work on coordination of equipment fitted on aircraft with ground support equipment also on now.
Aerospace Systems presents royalty to DoE.
As a result of Future Air Navigation System (FANS) Development Programme of the Department of Electronics (DoE), GPS Receivers have been developed and subsequently productionised and sold to number of users in defence and Civilian areas by Aerospace Systems Private Ltd. (ASPL), Bangalore.
Rear Admiral J. J. Baxi (Retd), MD, ASPL presented a token royalty cheque of Rs. 2 lakhs to the secretary, Shyamal Ghosh, DoE in a ceremony held on April 2, 1998 in the DoE.
Department of Electronics (DoE) under its Technology Development Programme of Strategic Electronics Division had initiated the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) activity as multi institutional development programme in co-operation with Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA), Department of Space, Defence Services, Centre for Airborne Systems, National Physical Laboratory, Air India, Indian Airlines, Public and Private Sector Industries. Under the programme, Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers, Differential GPS, Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS), VHF Data Link, Mode S Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar and Satcom Networking have been identified as key areas.
The DoE is also planning to develop Aircraft Collision Avoiding System and Aeronautical Telecommunication Network System for the avionics sector.
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