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| Topic: Worldwide GPS may die in 2010, say US gov | |
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Worldwide GPS may die in 2010, say US gov Can the fanbois live without it? By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco • Get more from this author Posted in Mobile, 21st May 2009 00:48 GMT The global positioning system (GPS) operated by the US government could fail as early as next year. According to a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), the independent and nonpartisan agency charged with keeping track of government efficiency (or lack thereof), "It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption." The report cites the failure of the US Air Force to successfully complete the current GPS IIF satellite program, which has cost $870m (£550m) more than originally estimated and is now three years behind schedule. The first IIF satellite is now scheduled to be launched in November of this year. Hope it works. Even more worrisome is the new GPS IIIA satellite program. According to the report, the Air Force told the GAO that it will complete this upgraded program three years faster than the IIF program - a schedule that the GAO kindly calls "optimistic". If - when? - the IIIA program falls behind, the GAO cautions that "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." In other words, not only will your iPhone not know where it is, but neither will your geotagging camera accurately insert location info into your photos' metadata, nor your car's navigation system help you find your way out of the morass of freeways that is Los Angeles. And then there's the small matter of the US Army and Marines knowing where the hell they are as they trudge through Afghanistan's Helmand Province in search of poppy fields and Toyota-trucking terrorists. Predator drones? Cruise missiles? Nighttime bombing runs? Fuggedaboutit. The GAO - possibly the only US government agency known to not mince words - doesn't shift the blame to a few bad apples. "Of particular concern is leadership for GPS acquisition," the report pointedly points out, "as GAO and other studies have found the lack of a single point of authority for space programs and frequent turnover in program managers have hampered requirements setting, funding stability, and resource allocation." In other words, failure starts at the top and trickles down. The GAO recommends that the US secretary of defense "appoint a single authority to oversee the development of GPS, including space, ground control, and user equipment assets, to ensure these assets are synchronized and well executed, and potential disruptions are minimized." If that doesn't happen, and you find yourself driving somewhere north of nowhere next year and your car's navigation system suddenly kicks the bucket, leaving you cluelessly lost, don't say the GAO didn't warn you. ® http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/21/gao_predicts_gps_failure/ |
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stars the original gps system
or there are these things called maps i have an electronic gps but it very seldom gives the best route anyway granted when in unfamiliar area i may not know the best route anyway but that is why i checked it in areas i am familiar with and it even had me back tracking a couple times 
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I propose a new tax, on everyone using GPS service. Every GPS device with a serial not listed in "tax paid" database, will be sent a reflash code followed by an error.
The tax should be , let's say $1000/ year. That should finally make this matter settle. For too long they were taxing everyone, so that few can enjoy their useless toys. |
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<----doesn't use GPS....i argue with it and always lose
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<----doesn't use GPS....i argue with it and always lose insert whistling and looking up and around emoticon here 
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Loran, or IFR (I follow roads)
Back to the good ol days. |
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 shaddup adj I'm directionzally challenged  but won't stop me from arguing with a GPS
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shaddup adj I'm directionzally challenged but won't stop me from arguing with a GPS or you know who
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hush you!!!!!
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You only need four satellites to get a fix. I usually get about eight. My unit usually sees at least twelve.
I think the article is a little overblown. The military also has temporary sats that they could use in a pinch. |
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Sometimes, I have to give my unit a good thrashing. It directs me to places I have no business in.
If I had to have a sattilite to be able to find my unit, I'd just give up looking or move to a warmer climate. Had one once that kept telling me to pull over and ask directions. Pulled into a gas station, she went in to ask and I drove away. Danged if she didn't find her way back home |
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willing I happen to like using my GPS but always travel with a map just in case. Surprisingly enough, I can read a map without turning it to the direction I'm heading So if my GPS goes kaput, I will pull over, pull out my map and continue my journey
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I think the BANKS should have to bail out this one out - after all how will we ever manage to find the bank?
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...I can read a map without turning it to the direction I'm heading...  Yep, that's funny, I see it sometimes too!!! Why do people do that? Map isn't a compass, it isn't going to "turn" if you turn... |
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...I can read a map without turning it to the direction I'm heading... Yep, that's funny, I see it sometimes too!!! Why do people do that? Map isn't a compass, it isn't going to "turn" if you turn... it doesn't??? why not???
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You only need four satellites to get a fix. I usually get about eight. My unit usually sees at least twelve. I think the article is a little overblown. The military also has temporary sats that they could use in a pinch. I was going to write a similar post. There are literally hundreds of satellites out there being used for GPS systems. The worst case situation is possibly a slightly less accurate position. I have one that a few years old still capable of reading up to 16 sat's but I have a really old model with very limited mapping however it can only see 5 sat's and does a perfectly acceptable job of locating where I am. I seriously doubt we're going to see massive sudden lost of hundreds of satelites which is what it would take to bring the system down. |
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...I can read a map without turning it to the direction I'm heading... Yep, that's funny, I see it sometimes too!!! Why do people do that? Map isn't a compass, it isn't going to "turn" if you turn... it is easier to imagine the route to take if one can visualize it I guess
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turning the map give you real turn visualization (good call fran
) so if yer not writing down yourr route (which you should) it is easier to remember which way to turn |
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What happened to reading maps???
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