GPS navigation device manufacturers know that a quick time to first fix is a selling point with consumers. Running predictive calculations of satellite positions while the GPS navigator is off is one way to speed up the time taken to establish a lock on a few GPS satellites so that navigation can begin is to. It works by giving the restarted GPS device a head start by knowing where to start looking for GPS satellites. Time saved with this technique makes possible warm start ups taking as little as 3.5 seconds.

Starting with the Nuvi 205 of the Nuvi 2×5 models, Garmin has based their product on STMicroelectronics’ Teseo GPS engine. As the result of collaboration with Rx Networks, their GPStream PGPS product is included. It enables the behaviour of GPS satellites to be modelled based on broadcast ephemeris readings for accurate prediction of satellite positions up to 5 days ahead. A single broadcast ephemeris reading allows the accurate prediction of satellite orbits which are developed and refined every time new broadcast ephemeris is obtained.

A useful, convenient feature available with Google Maps and Mapquest allows you to download a location you’ve found (GPS coordinates and address) directly to your TomTom or Garmin GPS navigator.

Sending an Address from Google Maps to Your TomTom GPS Navigator

With TomTom home running and your TomTom navigator connected to your PC, search for and find your desired location. You then click on the send link bringing up a popup Send to web form. To finish you pick the GPS link and TomTom from the Brand dropdown box and click send. The address will be transferred to your TomTom navigator and saved as a favourite. It’s that simple!

Because there are lots of differing reasons for people to purchase GPS navigator for their car, there is a matching wide variety of features and functionalities available. Following is an exploration and explanation of some of the common ones you will need to consider.

GPS Receiver

Probably the most common GPS receiver included in automotive GPS navigators at the moment is the SiRF Star III chipset. The SiRF Star III family was a watershed development in GPS chip architecture for GPS manufacturers and provides excellent fix times, excellent sensitivity for gaining a lock even in weak GPS signal areas such as urban jungles or densely forested areas. SiRF now also provide SiRFDiRect technology which provides accurate positioning even when a GPS satellite lock cannot be maintained (eg. in a tunnel). SiRFDiRect works through the utilization of miniature heading and acceleration sensors to provide dead reckoning data.

Consumers will likely hear more of Texas Instruments new NaviLink 5.0 which has a very small 25 mm x 25 mm footprint and performance similar to a SiRF III.
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SiRFtitan is one of SiRF’s Multifunction Platform products, a GPS and multi-functional processor designed to push along GPS navigation’s acceptance as an embeddable technology. The multi-functional SiRFtitan processor is just what mobile device manufacturers require for design flexibility and reduction of hardware and development costs for portable navigation devices which include GPS and other converging features such as infotainment.

It is not a case of GPS receiver capability/sensitivity being compromised by other functionalities as the SiRFtitan is just as signal sensitive as the ubiquitous SiRFStarIII and actually has 10 times the number of effective correlators (2,000,000) for fast TTFF (time to first fix).
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Geotate, a geo-software company, has announced a new instant response, low power, Geotagging GPS technology ideal for digital cameras, camera equipped cell phones and other mobile geotagging devices. The key to success for Capture and Process technology is the separation of capturing a short sample of the GPS satellite signal (less than 0.2s) and the later position calculation which uses remote servers through a web-based service to access necessary GPS data. Worldwide trials have revealed good accuracy (< 10m), with a good fix location established in 96% of cases.

The attractive combination of low power consumption, speed of action and separation of fix calculation (lower onboard processor demands) should see geotagging functionality penetrate deeper into the digital camera market and further boost location based services demand. Consumers will appreciate the lack of processing delay while a position fix is calculated. The five-fold increase in GPS enabled consumer devices by 2011 already predicted by IMS research will not doubt be exceeded.

Geotate Capture and Process Technology Demonstration

Custom Search

The predicted ramping up of location based services depends on the proliferation of GPS enablement - particularly mobile handsets such as cell phones and PDAs. This proliferation process will receive a boost from the rollout of mobile handset platforms based on CellGuide’s new CGX5900 ultra-miniature GPS co-processor designed specifically for mass-market mobile devices.

Cost Breakthrough

The ACLYS GPS receiver chip has a claimed 70% cost reduction compared to conventional dedicated GPS receiver chip products. Cost reduction comes from the lack of duplication of computing power of the host CPU and reduced signal processing requirements from unique algorithms.
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Technorati Tags: GPS enablement, CGX5900 ultra-miniature GPS co-processor, ACLYS GPS receiver chip

It’s always fascinating to discover something new among the myriad of applications to which GPS positioning technology can be applied such as parachute guidance, weather forecasting and location based services. Now one of the principles which underlie global positioning technology, trilateration , is being used to assist surgeons with orthopedic, ear nose and throat, soft tissue and prosthetics surgery.
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Technorati Tags: GPS positioning technology

SiRF has introduced its new SiRFDiRect(TM) technology , which delivers to portable navigation devices the navigation accuracy and coverage which has previously only been available with expensive in-dash car GPS navigation systems.

The SiRFDiRect technology integrates the award-winning SiRFstarIII(R) architecture with low-cost, small footprint heading and acceleration sensors which provide dead reckoning data for greater navigational accuracy in weak GPS signal conditions. Significantly, SiRFDiRect technology allows considerable orientation flexibility without performance degradation. To ensure continuous optimum performance, the heading and acceleration sensors and continuously recalibrated by the closely coupled GPS/DR (Dead Reckoning) architecture of SiRFDiRect technology. (read more..)

GPS component manufacturers are in a race to produce GPS chip receivers at a lower cost and with increased sensitivity, reduced footprint size and reduced power consumption. Driving their efforts is the desire of mobile device manufacturers to integrate GPS into more devices and feed the expansion of location based services. To see where the market is at the moment, specifications from a number of GPS chip manufacturers were surveyed for comparison in the table below.

The number of chips available is growing and some manufacturers have more than one chip available (the best were selected). Judging by sensitivity alone is not enough to separate the contenders. The more prominent differences are in position accuracy. SiRF and u-Blox come out in front on position accuracy but, unfortunately TTFF data is not available for u-Blox to separate the two chips overall.

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According to the Natrick Soldier Center, High altitude, precision airdrop is expected to be a key enabling technology for the Future Force. Allowing transport aircraft to safely stand off the combat area and exposing troops to less danger during retrieval are just a couple of advantages of a precision airdrop capability.

Natrick Soldier Center conducts research and engineering on military personnel parachuting and cargo airdrop systems. This includes management of the Joint Precision Airdrop Systems initiative for development of autonomous delivery of cargo from high altitudes and significant standoff.

Para-Flite, a military ram air parachute system developer, has the 10,000 lb DragonFly and 2,000 lb FireFly JPADS systems and is currently developing the US Army’s 30,000 lb (13.600 kg) Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS). Para-Flite’s systems are capable of delivering equipment loads over 30km horizontally from a release altitude of 25,000 ft.

JPADS systems use a GPS receiver and a specialist flight algorithm to independently fly equipment to a designated target point. The flight algorithms can be programmed, even en-route, with weather forecasts, terrain details and environmental threats.
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