BRUSSELS - The European Union launched a free satellite navigation network that could help pilots, drivers and blind people by fine-tuning the accuracy of the U.S. GPS to around 2 meters.
The EGNOS system will use three satellites and 34 ground stations to narrow the horizontal accuracy of GPS from around 7 meters previously and improve its vertical accuracy to help pilots during landings.
Farmers could also benefit from improved precision for spraying fertilizers, and new applications could emerge on roads, such as automatic tolling and pay-per-use car insurance.
The system was pioneered by the Commission, the European Space Agency and aviation safety authority Eurocontrol. It paves the way for the better known Galileo project, a European satellite system which will rival GPS and could be up and running in 2014.
Source : http://www.reuters.com
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