GPS System Could Fail Within a Year

[mtn-high]

The Global Positioning System faces the possibility of failures and blackouts, a federal watchdog agency has warned the U.S. Congress. Mismanagement by and underinvestment by the U.S. Air Force places the GPS at risk of failure in 2010 and beyond. The problem: Delays in launching replacement satellites, among other things.

According to the Government Accountability Office report, "In recent years, the Air Force has struggled to successfully build GPS satellites within cost and schedule goals" as part of a $2 billion modernization program.

"If the Air Force does not meet its schedule goals for development of GPS IIIA satellites, there will be an increased likelihood that in 2010, as old satellites begin to fail, the overall GPS constellation will fall below the number of satellites required to provide the level of GPS service that the U.S. government commits to."

Considered by the GAO to be "essential to national security" the GPS is also widely used by business and consumers and is a driver for next-generation location-based mobile applications used with smartphones and other devices.

"Such a gap in capability could have wide-ranging impacts on all GPS users," the GAO report states, "though there are measures the Air Force and others can take to plan for and minimize these impacts."

It is hard to imagine the U.S. government could allow this to happen. Actually, that's a lie, it's easy to imagine, but there is also time for corrective action to be taken. The first replacement satellite is expected to be launched this November, some three years after the original launch date. Speeding up future launches can solve the problem, but is likely to come at a high price.

The American GPS, though the pioneering consumer satnav system, is not alone. Russia, China, and India each have systems of their own, which are being expanded.

The European Union's Galileo system, intended as a rival for GPS, is expected to begin its rollout later this year.

The delay and potential failure of GPS gives these other nations the potential to rival the U.S. in space, something the U.S. government is unlikely to accept. The report is a black eye for the Air Force, which developed the GPS system during the 1990s and has maintained it since.

At last count, David Coursey owned more than a dozen GPS devices and expects his government to keep them working. He Tweets as dcoursey and can be reached using the email form at http://www.coursey.com/contact http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/a ... _year.html

 

[Phird05]

mtn-high,

Not that the government would care about the recreational uses of GPS navigation, but due to Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear desires, it is my firm belief this will never happen. I also read something on line, regarding your post. What I read implied this report was due to be released, and they had already discussed the situation some time ago. They must have known it (the report) was not going to look good so the damage control began sometime before this report was released. I want to say I read something about this some three or four months ago, maybe longer. Just think.....people may have to learn how to read maps again! . I managed our mountain rescue team for ten years, and am a member over twenty years now, and I still teach people to use maps IN CONJUNCTION with any GPS unit. Now I know why I have stuck to my guns on this issue.

Paul

 

[K6ON]

I Agree with Phird05...As a private pilot I use GPS extensively, and of course the commercial airlines would be lost ( figuratively and literally ) without it...I still carry sectional charts on board, but I have 2 GPS units..One in the dash and a hand-held. I just downloaded flight software for my I-phone that will let me use the GPS in that, if everything else failed. I have a GPS Chart-plotter in the boat and Uncle Sam is winding down support of Loran-C so when that's gone in the next year or so, without GPS ships and boats would be back using RDF and Sextants. Law Enforcement uses hundreds of GPS trackers, truckers use it, and on & on it goes...There are too many commercial / military uses of GPS for Uncle Sam to let it fail.

 

[mtn-high]

Just relaying the article, guys....

FWIW, I have no GPS toys/etc... but I love maps...especially topo's. I grew up scouring the aeronautical "sectionals" as my dad had Luscombe's, Piper cub's/PA's, Cessna's, Mooney's, and Bonanza's and hauled my butt all over the place as a kid. I've barfed AND pee'd my pants...scared shitlless in T-storms in Kansas/New mexico and in one of those instances we had to put the plane down and had a little crash with the entire family onboard. (my dad hurled more than anyone once it was over)

Fortunately no one was seriously injured...or worse.....

And regarding all this GPS stuff...

Is it really "wandering" if you know WTF you are?

And talk about somethin that sticks in your head (other than "Staying alive..Staying Alive...")....and that's the beep beep beep beep beep of the Vortac I remember so well as a kid.........

 

[EdoHart]

...
And regarding all this GPS stuff...

Is it really "wandering" if you know WTF you are?
...


Knowing where you are doesn't necessarily mean you know where you're going, therefore yes.

 

[chnlisle]

And remember no matter where you might be....there you are.

 

[keith]

Just relaying the article, guys....



And regarding all this GPS stuff...

Is it really "wandering" if you know WTF you are?

I agree with mtn-high, Some of my greatest wandering memories are when I was compleatly "lost", seeing amazing site's, that I'll never be able to find again. I have a friend who is leashed to his GPS, He always knows where he's going and where he is . But he misses a lot of the views alond the way.

 

[craig333]

When it comes to tech gadgets I love em all. But my gps just never got that much use. I'd rather use paper maps for my traveling. Its not uncommon for me to not even unfold the map until I realize I'm probably not where I think I am.

I am one of those cursed with a pretty good sense of direction. When others are pointing everywhich way, I go, no, north is that way, we came from that direction and we're going that way. Works well about ninety percent of the time. Unfortunately that other ten percent gets me in a wee bit of trouble on occasion. Thats when I like to have the gps.

 

[ScottBailey]

Can't see DOD letting GPS fail, or any of the other now dependent industries.

 

[Southern Gent]

3 Failures this Year

Fellows, User error not changing batteries is my problem. GPS eat through batteries like a Pac-man game.

 

[simimike]

I have a suction cup to the windshield type GPS that I use to find a specific address or to navigate big city freeways. When I get off the Interstate I refer to my 2D Analog Navigation System(maps). I'm probably misquoting here but:

Some one once asked Daniel Boone if he ever had been lost. His reply was " No, but I have been confused for a few days". Like others here I have found that my best trips are the confused ones.

Staying confused in the west,


Mike

 

[Swath]

Heck, I have spent a lot of time wandering here and there on foot, horseback, dirt bikes, and 4WDs. In days past we carried only paper road maps, topos, and a compass, nothing else was available. I have always found my way back or I guess I wouldn't be typing this. I have gotten a little "confused" on a rare occasion but never for long. I love maps and am good a using them.

For a few years now I have been using a Dell Axim x51v with a GPS reciever. I loaded up a program called Mapopolis (now extinct) and it is great. I connect the Dell to a Blue tooth GPS reciever, both the Dell and the GPS connect to the cigarette lighter so I have yet to run out of batt power. I use the track or bread crumbs it leaves to compare to a map and can pinpoint my location exactly which is quite fun and very useful. It aids me in looking for trails to explore when in an area. I have a recorded trail of the route I have taken, time/speed/elevation/gps coordinates at each cookie crumb spot on the map. I always poor over maps (and google earth satellite images) prior to my trips to get a bit of a lay of the land.

It does feel a bit like cheating, it does take away some of that queezy pit of the stomach where the fug are we and how far is it to get out feelings (some might call that feeling excitement).

I love using the GPS but feel like a person should first get real good at using maps and a compass cause all that electronic crap can fail at any moment. And a person should be able to use his/her brain when navigating via GPS. There was a CA family in vacationing in Oregon (Grants Pass I believe) that got themselves stuck because they were following the suggestions of a GPS that didn't know the road was closed in the winter! The dad died trying to walk out for help, the wife and 2 kids were saved shortly thereafter. They stayed with the rig, burned tires for warmth. Folks missing them used their last cell phone signal to track them to the general area. I guess I am saying, use all your resources at all times and try applying a little common sense when doing so. I wish I could find a topo map program that worked this well with my current equipment.

I have been places that I would not want to have to try to walk out from. When my longevity is on the line, I will certainly apply the best technology at hand to try to enhance my stay time.

How well would Lewis and Clark have fared in their journey into Terra Incognita without a time piece, sexton and compass? That was high tech in their day.

As far as the GPS satellites going away? Unlikely... Who wrote that original article, Chicken Little?

Just my .02

 

[HERR42]

i like the ability to record where you have been.....exactly.

once back home that info is very helpful.

especially for finding your way back!

 

[sandstonesloper]

here to stay

Well the reality is that GPS is here to stay unless it gets replaced with even better technology. That is not likely to happen anytime soon. Fact is the first NAVSTAR GPS satelitte was launched in 1978. GPS has been around a long time in the military sector. Today our government has many satellites up there in space but the private sector has been building them and sending them up too. There is no governance in space and in places like India one can launch a rocket to deploy a satellite very easily. India actually used to have the most satellites in space but I don't know if that still stands true today. At any rate I rely on GPS and mapping since it is the foundation of my career. I have tons of sweet technology at my disposal but when I am out on the road or up in the mountains you will never see me with a GPS unless I am marking a critical waypoint that I need to relocate. On the road, well forget about it, I use a map and never rely on road data retrieved by GPS. These data companies like GDT, TeleAtlas, Google, etc. are doing a great job of mapping roads but the reality is that most of it is digitized from satellite imagery with 10 - 30 meter resolution (which is poor) and the mappers are outsourced mostly from India.

 

[RonSchon]

I agree that it's probably here to stay - but I see it being sold as a subscription service in the not so distant future.

Get a high percentage of the population comfortable, even dependant, with it, then create the secondary profit center.

I paid a few hundred bucks for my TomTom about 5 years ago, and haven't spent a penny on it or even atlas's since. If it were a subscription plan, I'd have to think hard if I still wanted it - but a lot of people would just have to sign up for it, as they've gotten very dependant on it.

Mapquest and Google Maps can be free, because advertisers are footing the bill through cross marketing opportunities that it provides.

 

[chnlisle]

Having said all that I would still love to know how to turn my iBook into a real time GPS. In simple easy (for me an idiot) to understand language. Y'know a big screen regular GPS like a Nuvi or TomTom. Every time I look into it I get some techy (no offense intended) explaining about a new piece of hi tech soft ware that they got and how blah blah blah blah. Since I no longer have any 12 year olds in the house I need much more simple instructions. Kinda like teaching me to play baseball....you pitch the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. I can understand that.

 

[Swath]

Having said all that I would still love to know how to turn my iBook into a real time GPS. In simple easy (for me an idiot) to understand language. Y'know a big screen regular GPS like a Nuvi or TomTom. Every time I look into it I get some techy (no offense intended) explaining about a new piece of hi tech soft ware that they got and how blah blah blah blah. Since I no longer have any 12 year olds in the house I need much more simple instructions. Kinda like teaching me to play baseball....you pitch the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. I can understand that.

Seems like if you bought a GPS reciever you could get it to talk to your iBook. Add a good map program and your done. I don't use apple stuff, should be able to do it with a little cash outlay. $100 for a blue tooth GPS reciever and another $100 for a good map prog.

 

[Swath]

I agree that it's probably here to stay - but I see it being sold as a subscription service in the not so distant future.

Get a high percentage of the population comfortable, even dependant, with it, then create the secondary profit center.

I paid a few hundred bucks for my TomTom about 5 years ago, and haven't spent a penny on it or even atlas's since. If it were a subscription plan, I'd have to think hard if I still wanted it - but a lot of people would just have to sign up for it, as they've gotten very dependant on it.

Mapquest and Google Maps can be free, because advertisers are footing the bill through cross marketing opportunities that it provides.

Ya, I would have to do something different if they wanted to charge me for using the Satelites. My Blackberry has maps and can talk to the satelites but to unlock that you have to pay a montly or yearly fee. I would like to be able to use it like that, however, I am not going to pay for it. Fricking dorks. It is kind of nice to be able to see the satelite images of the areas I am currently in. I have found a few trails that way that are not on any maps.

 

[EdoHart]

Can you run Windows software?

Having said all that I would still love to know how to turn my iBook into a real time GPS. In simple easy (for me an idiot) to understand language. Y'know a big screen regular GPS like a Nuvi or TomTom. Every time I look into it I get some techy (no offense intended) explaining about a new piece of hi tech soft ware that they got and how blah blah blah blah. Since I no longer have any 12 year olds in the house I need much more simple instructions. Kinda like teaching me to play baseball....you pitch the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. I can understand that.

I have a DeLorme GPS that came bundled with DeLorme TopoUSA 7.0 that runs great on a Windows based PC. Connect the GPS via a USB cable to a laptop and it could be a big screen, in cab, electronic navigation aid. I've thought of buying a laptop with a touch screen that reverses (open the screen, spin it 180 degrees and close it so the screen now faces up - no keyboard is visible), but that's an expensive toy. Even with a backup camera connected, I can't justify the cost.

The down side of mapping software is that you can only see as big of an area as your screen size. The upside is that you can zoom in/out and pan without unfolding a full size paper map. About the only down side I have with paper maps is that they wear out quickly, what with all the unfolding, folding against the previous crease, etc. that I do while traveling to keep a picture of where I am in a convenient size.

My sister works as a data verifier for a company which sells information to a lot of the mapping companies. The initial data was collect just as sandstonesloper described, but they're updating it with real world, on-site data. Her job is to drive 8 hours per day, on every highway, road, side street and ally with her GPS and compare it all to the digital data her company sells and report any discrepancy. On the plus side, she doesn't work in an office and gets paid from the time she leaves her house, on the VERY down side, she's driving 8 hours per day, ugh.