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By the way, did anybody notice the sequence at GPS headquarters (minutes 24:00 to 27:00), where the air force guy couldn't even name a commercial GPS manufactur
by frossie 17y ago
By the way, did anybody notice the sequence at GPS headquarters (minutes 24:00 to 27:00), where the air force guy couldn't even name a commercial GPS manufacturer? It is amazing how much indifference there was towards civilian use of GPS, contrasted with the vast commercial usage built upon them providing the service.
- joezydeco 17y agoIt's not really his job to care what the private sector does with GPS. In fact, if some kind of combat ever broke out inside the borders of the USA, civilian GPS would be shut off in a heartbeat.
- andreyf 17y agoIs that possible? How could one "shut off" civilian GPS?
- frossie 17y agoYeah it is possible. It can either be shut down, or its accuracy can be degraded. See for example http://www.equipmentworldmagazine.com/apps/news/articleeqw.asp?id=45940 http://www.equipmentworldmagazine.com/apps/news/articleeqw.a... How is easy - all the GPS satellites belong and are operated by the US air force (see video segment above). I think the EU is/was trying to get a competing network up there in order not to be so totally dependent on the whim of the US President. I don't know what the status of that is.
- joezydeco 17y agoThe European system is called Galileo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_(satellite_navigation) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_(satellite_navigation) Supposedly ready by 2013.