PNT National Coordination Office to Focus on GPS Modernization, Spectrum, and Threats to Signals
[SIGNALS Exclusive] In an interview with Jan Brecht-Clark, the new director, it appears that the NCO's agenda does not include talking to Congress about GPS civil funding. With the urgent interference and patent controversies of the last two years largely resolved, the office tasked with helping sync federal GPS activities will take advantage of the lull in the action to plan a more strategic way forward. (more)
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FAA Issues Call for UAS Research and Test Sites
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun the delayed process of selecting six research and test sites where unmanned aerial systems or UAS will finally be able to spread their wings and, hopefully, launch a new, multi-billion dollar industry. (more)
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EU Council Sets 2014-2020 Budget; Galileo Request Reduced
[SIGNALS Exclusive] For the first time ever, European Union (EU) leaders have agreed to a real-terms cut in spending, after all-night marathon talks in Brussels that left some delegates angry, some disappointed, and a lot of others simply relieved that they could get out of town. (more)
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East Meets West: Hemisphere GNSS's New Era
[SIGNALS Exclusive] Although not on the scale or at the strategic level of China National Offshore Oil Corporation's takeover of Canada's Nexen Inc., the recent acquisition of the Precise Products business of Hemisphere GPS by Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co. Ltd. marks a notable achievement in the GNSS world - the acquisition of a North American manufacturer with core GNSS receiver intellectual property by a Chinese enterprise. (more)
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U.S. GPS Industry Launches New Association
The GPS industry has formed a new trade association called the GPS Innovation Alliance that will work to educate policy makers and the public about the GPS system and protect the interests of the hundreds of organizations and users that rely upon the constellation, according to sources familiar with the new group. (more)
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FTC Report Recommends Greater Location Privacy Effort for Mobile Devices
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a staff report that suggests companies consider offering a Do Not Track (DNT) mechanism for smartphone users among other measures to protect location privacy. (more)
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