Galileo & GPS Questions

[Viceroy]

From across the pond I've been reading about the European Galileo project which apparently will compete/supplement the American financed GPS system. Is a second system necessary? Why? Will current hardware (GPS Receivers) work with Galileo? Seems redundant to me unless there's some sort of European paranoia. Oh, and there will apparently be some cost involved with Galileo as opposed to the free access to GPS. Any comments? Cheers, Richard.

 

[tcm]

The french establishment types are still quite narked at the way the brits and yanks had to dig them out of the shit at least twice in one century, and then the yanks inventd Big Macs when the french are sposed to know all about food, and navigationally they are hopeless with the meridian going through our house (which make it look like a gps is busted BTW)and not Paris.

So, they won't use gps out of spite, and will use loads of Euros to make a new systeme (with an e) which will cost a whole bundle, require lots of tax, keep the euro nice and weak, so nice cheap boat repayemnts for £ and $ earners, so we'll carry on buying all their gear. A total failure wil take ten years to make. And the resulting kit wil probly be like a citroen SM i.e. really great in parts, sometimes actually works, and only a rich loony would buy one.

 

[davel]

Extract from Portsmouth Local Paper this evening. It's the long winded version of what tcm said! :

SPACE firm Astrium could bring up to 250 jobs to the city after its massive project to build a satellite system was approved.

European transport ministers have given the green light for the £700m network of navigational satellites which will be part-built by the firm.

The Galileo satellite deal could pump £70m of work into the company's Anchorage Park site in Portsmouth as it makes the devices with its European partners.

It means the company will be looking for extra staff to make sure the work is done.

Spokesman Alistair Scott said: 'We're extremely pleased to hear this fantastic programme has been given the go ahead.

'We hope this could provide work for us for the next five to 10 years the aim is for the system to be up and running by 2008 and then there will be work on follow up satellites.'

Astrium which already employs 950 in Portsmouth says it could increase its workforce by 250, with most new recruits based at Anchorage Park.

Work should start this year on completing designs and building the first devices.

The Galileo project will help to replace America's GPS global positioning system.

Unlike the military-run GPS, Galileo will be on offer constantly for civilian uses such as for landing planes and avoiding train and car crashes, to find missing persons or to help disaster relief troops track down those in distress.

At a meeting yesterday, European Union transport ministers approved about £300m worth of funding for the project, with more cash coming from the European Space Agency.

The amount of work Astrium gets depends on how much money the UK government puts into the project, with a decision expected next month.


Dave L.
Location: 50 51.0 N 1 18.6 W

 

[byron]

Total waste of money and just a sop for French Pride on the feeble excuse the the Yanks can switch off the existing system on a whim. Yeh! Right! and send all their own Planes and Boats up the Swanee too. Then there is the charging aspect too.

ô¿ô

 

[Viceroy]

Gentlemen...such a venting of French spleen! Sorry, from 1000's of miles (oops, kilometres) away, I had no idea of the divisiveness that apparently exists. But I do recall a French attempt to use a compass with 300 degrees in the 1700's...perhaps we'll see its return or even...metrified...100 degrees? 1000? Back to Galileo...seems with the vast amount of money involved vs. the jobs proposed...why not scrap the project and divide the amounts to potential employees and let them purchase boats (for the type of employment needed) and all go sailing! Cheers, adieu, etc. (that's English, French & Latin...to show no bias), Richard.

 

[hlb]

So hows this going to work then. We keep the GPS we've all ready got and buy another one that we also pay a monthly/yearly licence for. Yes right. I'll have three please!!

Have you sent off Your Stamped. SAE and cheque. Yet.

Haydn

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

Evidently our cars are all going to be fitted with recievers so we can be constantly tracked. If we go on toll roads we will be instantly billed, if we exceed the speed limit for the road we are on we will get an instant fine. Perhaps we will all be fitted with micro recievers so we can be tracted from birth to grave. Never say never.
Scarey stuff!
Trevor

 

[ParaHandy]

Couldn't be that the French have the only European satellite launching system, could it? Well...slap my thighs, so they have...is that a coincidence?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Why are we blaming the French entirely for this when His Toniness has also signed on the dotted line. Anyway, I understand we're only talking a few hundred million squids, a mere bagatelle compared to what Euroland wastes on keeping French farmers in garlic and Ricard.
Whilst the US GPS system may be free at the moment and selective availability switched off, thats not to say Dubya wont change his mind especially if OBL and his mates dream up some more wheezes
Anyway, competition never did anyone any harm

 

[kingfisher]

Once the ball of snow starts rolling...

Galileo started out before Selective Availability was removed. The EU was not happy that the US kept the privilage of accurate GPS signals for its own strategic use.

Initialy, the project would run in conjunction with GLONASS, the russian system.

Now that SA has been turned off, Galileo has no reason of existence anymore. However, the stakes are so high, that it is almost impossible to stop the ball rolling. For one thing, the european space agency, and a lot of the aerospace industries are banking on the Galileo system.

So it's an indirect subsidy for that sector. And before you start blaming the french, the brits are also a major backer of the galileo system.

Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[ccscott49]

The old GPS system is now being sold off, as the yankees have a new one for military use, very very accurate, positioning individual soldiers etc. The old system is being sold off at a premium, and who is buying it?.............Bill Gates!!! So we will be paying for it sooner rather than later! As soon as he gets a controlling interest, SA will be switched back on, with a decoder/licence, being available from Microsoft or somesuch, anyway we will pay!! So we might aswell pay for our own and get a few jobs and income into the european pockets, even if it is mainly French pockets, who elses?? Yes the french control the european space industry, but we had our chance and buggered it up with blue steel or streak, can´t remember which, rolls royce made the jet engines, very good they were aswell. Dont blamee the french for our own failures. I don´t like ot either, but there it is!

 

[byron]

Not that old bugbear SA again. Who gives a toss if its on or off. GPS even with it switched was still more accurate than one could ever get with a sextant, using RDF or taking a cross fix on land objects. Anyways if B.Gates Esq. does buy it the cost of using it will be built into the cost of a new GPS.
Why should we get it for free anyway?

ô¿ô

 

[numenius]

Despite SA being turned off, obviously too much momentum to stop Galileo now (what an insane world we live in). Anyway, if its using the French launching platform (Arianne?) then it'll take absolute years to get into place anyway - they keep blowing up along with thier mutlti million £ (€?) satellite payloads anyway.

Also, if the yanks want to turn on SA in time of war - then I somehow can't see them leaving the european system intact in those circumstances either .. otherwise the opposition would obviously just use Galileo based equipment. Therefore either the U.S would have to interfere with Galileo, or just not bother using SA anymore anyway....

Sounds like apart from the usual outrageous EC money burning (you KNOW its going to go over budget by a minimum factor of 2), a second system means that the competition wont do us users much harm - so if its true about Bill Gates getting GPS then charges will have to be limited anyway as there will be a choice.

Anyone able to tell us more about the Russian system?

http://members.lycos.co.uk/boaty1965/index.htm

 

[Guest]

It's ready for the Euro-American war.

Nick