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GPS : February 2000
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Automatic Roadmaking software
First Personal GPS Location System debuts in Japan
A new Navigation System for Hyderabad
Trimble Seiko Alliance
Automatic Roadmaking software
An UK-based GPS company, Ormston Technology Limited, has introduced Centaur (Civil Engineering Technology for Automatic Roadmaking), a new software product developed for use with DSNP’s series of Scorpio 6000 GPS-GNSS real-time kinematic land surveys systems. Centaur comprises three basic modules: Project, Walker and Driver. Project enables the operator to define a centre line and cross-sections that are kilometres-long in just a few hours, while the Walker version is onstalled on a pen computer connected to a DSNP 6000 series real-time kinematic GPS-GNSS receiver. With Walker, tasks such as DTM surveying, staking out and positioning of explosive land volume computation can be readily carried out. The Driver or Automatic Machine Control module is based on the RTK GPS system, allowing automatic checking and guidance of positions of work tools such as bulldozers, graders and scrapers.
First Personal GPS Location System debuts in Japan
 NTT DoCoMo, a wireless giant of Japan, has unveiled the world’s first high performance, GPS-based mobile personal location service, which can accurately process the position signals it receives from GPS satellites. The information is relayed via a cell phone link to a SnapTrack location server, a computer with special location calculation software operating in DoCoMo’s network. The server extracts information from the cellular link, and in combination with the GPS signals, calculates the caller’s position. A caller’s position is typically pinpointed to within 5-20 metres, and is displayed on a map on the Naviewn (a personal digital assistant – PDA) to locate them in a wide range of environments. The system could precisely locate callers in the most difficult places - inside buildings, between tall buildings and inside cars. DoCoMo also plans to add location-based services that will allow subscribers to track pets, children and elders using GPS/PHS-enabled collars, bracelets, necklaces, or even wristwatches. With more than 26 million subscribers, DoCoMo is the world’s single largest provider of wireless telephone services. For more information visit:
www.snaptrack.com
A new Navigation System for Hyderabad
Hyderabad will now have a state-of-the-art satellite based communication system to ensure faster and smoother flow of traffic to its increasing population as well as a number of vehicles on the road. There are possibilities of using the GPS, as well as the new navigation system to constantly provide online information to vehicle users, even as they drive on the roads, giving them early warnings about traffic jams ahead. The navigation system, which can flash the latest information from a satellite on a small screen in the vehicle, can also guide the driver on alternative routes to avoid traffic snarls and reach the destination in the shortest possible time. This is one of the many information technology related projects being considered by the government to improve the quality of life. The digitisation of roads using GIS will also be an important component of this project.
Trimble Seiko Alliance
 Trimble (USA) will provide its GPS technology to Seiko Epson’s Locatio communication device and i-Point wireless data service in Japan. In addition to providing the GPS technology in the Locatio subscriber unit, Trimble server technology is embedded into the network infrastructure to improve accuracy of the user position as well as the initial GPS signal acquisition time. Seiko Epson’s i-Point also uses a Japan-wide network of Trimble differential reference stations.
www.trimble.com
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