GPS World, a business-to-business (B2B) media brand, was honored with a 2021 Azbee Award of Excellence from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). GPS World is published by North Coast Media, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Other NCM brands taking home awards were Pest Management Professional and Golfdom.
GPS World received a regional bronze award for its online and social media coverage of how COVID-19 affected the GPS and GNSS industry throughout 2020. Our COVID-19 coverage can be seen here.
Azbee Awards recognize the exceptional work of print and digital media in the professional publications industry. One of the most competitive award programs for trade media, the Azbees highlight editorial and design excellence in magazines, and digital and social media. More than 800 entries were submitted for this year’s Azbee Awards.
“Year in and year out, our print and digital media are selected as content and design leaders,” said Kevin Stoltman, NCM president and CEO. “This is great news for our marketing partners. Our brands continue to be the most trusted in their respective industries because our print and digital content, and highly engaged audiences of qualified buyers, are unparalleled.”
North Coast Media (NCM) has hired Matteo Luccio as editor-in-chief of GPS World, the industry’s most-trusted resource since 1990. Luccio possesses more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for various geospatial, GNSS and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) media.
“I am thrilled to help guide the editorial team of GPS World, the undisputed GNSS/PNT media leader,” said Editor-in-Chief Matteo Luccio. “Our content will continue to be driven by our unparalleled audited audience of 54,000-plus engineers designing solutions to today’s most-pressing GNSS/PNT challenges.”
Luccio began his current career in 2000, serving as managing editor of GPS World and Galileo’s World. After that, he served as editor and publisher of GPS User, and editor of Earth Observation Magazine and GIS Monitor. He has served as a columnist for Professional Surveyor, a contributing writer for Apogeo Spatial and xyHt, and a special correspondent for Sensors and Systems. He also has written for ArcNews, ArcWatch, GeoWorld, GIM International, and GEO Informatics.
The past several years, Matteo has served as a GPS World contributing editor, reporting on new technologies and applications for GNSS receivers, antennas, simulators, and alternative PNT solutions. Luccio holds a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Luccio will work closely with Marty Whitford, Editorial Director and Publisher; Tracy Cozzens, Senior Editor; Diane Sofranec, Staff Editor; Wes Temple, Digital Media Editor; and Charles Park, Art Director.
“Matteo has come full circle, returning full time to GPS World, where he began his stellar GNSS/PNT career,” Whitford said. “We’re excited to have Matteo share GPS World’s edit helm, helping our readers and marketing partners position for maximum growth for years to come.”
Bernard Gruber, who previously headed the GPS program for the United States Air Force, has joined the GPS World Editorial Advisory Board.
Gruber is senior director of Guided Projectiles and Precision Weapons, Innovation Systems, at the Armament Systems Division of Northrop Grumman in Plymouth, Minnesota. In this role, he is responsible for the capture and program execution of multiple U.S. Department of Defense and global programs within five business lanes:
Precision Guidance Kits
Advanced Weapons
Barriers/Area Denial Systems
Air Defense/Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS)
Air-to-Ground Precision Weapons
Gruber joined Northrop Grumman (then ATK) in September 2013, where he was responsible for winning and managing cost, schedule and technical performance of a significant international co-production program before moving on to deputy for precision weapons and then senior director in 2015.
Before joining Northrop Grumman, Gruber completed a distinguished 26-year Air Force career and retired as the program director of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Los Angeles Air Force Base. As GPS director, he was responsible for development, acquisition, fielding and sustainment of all GPS satellites, command and control (ground segment) and military user equipment.
The $32 billion GPS program, with a $1 billion annual budget and 700 member team, maintained the largest satellite constellation and the largest avionics integration and installation program in the entire DOD.
Gruber earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University and his M.B.A. from Michigan. He is a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, Defense Systems Management College and the Joint Forces Staff College; he has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels.
Gruber has distinguished himself in a variety of leadership positions within the operations, intelligence, launch, engineering and acquisition disciplines, and had served in key positions at Major Command, Air Staff, Joint Staff, Corporate and Defense Agency levels. He is a National Defense Fellow, life member of the Air Force Association, National Eagle Scout Association, Program Management Institute and sits on the board of directors for AirSpace Minnesota and the Midwest Defense Alliance.
Northrop Grumman is a global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide.
1990: UNB Professor Richard Langley and two graduate students use a GPS antenna (recognize it?) on a tripod to re-measure a historical baseline. (Photo: UNB Perspectives)
When GPS World published its first issue in January 1990, only 15 GPS satellites had been launched, including the 10 prototype or Block I satellites. And four of those early satellites had ceased operation. But there had been enough satellites in orbit for more than a decade to permit early commercial and scientific use of the system. There were even handheld receivers for personal navigation, albeit somewhat larger than those we have today. But it was clear that GPS was going to take off in a big way, and that there was a business case for launching a monthly magazine (bimonthly in its first year) about GPS for professionals in the positioning, navigation and timing communities.
The new magazine was to feature a blend of news, product announcements and articles about GPS, including cutting-edge research on GPS technology and its applications taking place at universities and research institutes around the world. That is why Glen Gibbons, the founding editor of GPS World, reached out to the University of New Brunswick (UNB), an early leader in GPS research and education, to manage a column to be called simply “Innovation.” Glen stipulated that “the column should deal with issues that have broad application and interest and are presented in terms that are accessible to as wide a range of readers as possible.”
Four faculty members were engaged in GPS research at UNB back then: David Wells, Alfred Kleusberg, Petr Vaníček (who famously foretold of the GPS watch back in 1983), and me. Dr. Kleusberg and I volunteered to manage the column and to scour academia and government and industry labs to find authors to write the column’s articles — or to write them ourselves, which we sometimes did. Beginning in 1997, I took over as the sole coordinator of the column — a role I have continued to this day.
There have been close to 300 “Innovation” articles since the first one in the premier issue of the magazine. I’ve also contributed to a number of news and feature articles in the magazine over the years. I might just be the longest-serving active GPS “journalist.” I’m still a full-time teaching and research professor at UNB, and recently took over as the editor-in-chief of The Institute of Navigation’s journal NAVIGATION, but I still have time to write for GPS World and hope to continue to serve the magazine in the years to come.
GPS World’s 30th anniversary GNSS timeline provides highlights in both system and policy development and industry over the past three decades. The timeline originally appeared in the September 2020 Special 30th Anniversary Supplement. Download the PDF.
Recent GPS World webinars have focused on a variety of proven, resilient technologies to combat GNSS and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
Now a Sept. 17 GPS World webinar focuses on how PNT monitoring can further protect critical systems from these vulnerabilities through continuous monitoring and improvement.
The Orolia-sponsored webinar is free. It is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT / 7 p.m. (1900h) Central European Time. Register here.
Protecting critical infrastructure is now a national priority for the U.S. and allied countries. Similar to cybersecurity for network systems, effective GNSS and PNT protection involves identifying and monitoring weak entry points, knowing where and when an intrusion occurs, and providing data about new threats to help strengthen the system going forward. Its value applies across all critical infrastructure sectors such as telecom, power grids and data centers.
Webinar speakers include:
John Fischer Vice President, Advanced R&D, Orolia
For more than 15 years, Fischer has been part of Orolia where he works with global navigation satellite systems, wireless, positioning navigation and timing, as well as specialized systems for its customers. Prior to joining Orolia, he specialized in wireless telecom as a founding member of two startups: Aria Wireless in 1990 and Clearwire Technologies in 1997. At Clearwire, he served as chief technology officer in creating wireless broadband equipment for internet connectivity. Early in his career, Fischer worked as a systems engineer in radar, EW, and command and control systems at Sierra Research and Comptek Research. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and computing engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Tim Frost Strategic Technology Manager, Calnex Solutions
Tim Frost is a specialist in next-generation synchronisation techniques, having worked with Zarlink Semiconductor, Symmetricom and now Calnex Solutions on packet-based synchronisation technologies. He is an active contributor to the ITU-T, and has also contributed to the AVnu Alliance, Small Cell Forum, Metro Ethernet Forum and IETF. He has a BSc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Leeds, and a MSc. in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Manchester.
Francisco Girela Americas Tech Responsible, Seven Solutions
Francisco Girela is the Americas Tech Responsible at Seven Solutions. He holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Granada. After some time in the private sector, Francisco joined the Timing Keepers group at the same university as a researcher. During his research, he specialized in ultra-accurate time transfer systems and he focused on the development of the White Rabbit technology. He combines his work for Seven Solutions with his studies for a Ph.D. in Telecommunications Engineering. This combination has provided Francisco with a strong technical background on high-accuracy time synchronization and deep knowledge on timing applications in industrial sectors.
Following the announcement that ION GNSS+ 2020 will be virtual only this year, GPS World has decided to cancel this year’s Leadership Dinner and Awards Ceremony, which would’ve been held Sept. 24 in St. Louis.
The GPS World Leadership Dinner and Awards Ceremony is held annually at the time of (although separately from and independent of) the ION GNSS+ conference. Four innovators in the fields of satellites, signals, services and products are honored with awards in front of an audience of nearly 150 PNT industry and research community VIPs.
“This was not a decision we took lightly as so many of us look forward to wrapping up the conference by honoring deserving colleagues over a nice meal followed by a fun activity,” said Marty Whitford, GPS World’s group publisher and editorial director.
Mitch Narins is the principal consultant and owner of Strategic Synergies LLC, a technical and management consulting firm that he formed after retiring following over four decades of U.S. government service. He worked at the Federal Communications Commission as an acquisition engineer for the Field Operation Bureau; supported the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps as branch chief for Data Terminal Systems and Electronic Warfare Systems; and served more than 26 years at the Federal Aviation Administration as a program manager, systems engineer, and finally as the chief systems engineer for navigation.
At the FAA, he was integrated into all aspects of aviation sector position, navigation and time systems engineering, standards development, and enterprise architecture efforts in support of the National Airspace System and the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).
Narins is a recognized position, navigation, and timing (PNT) expert, who has published numerous articles and delivered many papers at conferences and seminars worldwide. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, an active member of the Institute of Navigation (ION), and a member of RTCA, RTCM, and SAE Standards Committees. He is a recipient of ION’s Norman P. Hays Award and the International Loran Association’s President’s Award and Medal of Merit.
Stuart Riley
Stuart Riley is vice president of GNSS technology responsible for GNSS signal processing and products for several Trimble business areas. In this role, he is responsible for the core GNSS technology from signal reception through to the measurement engine that is used in all Trimble GNSS precision products. He oversees GNSS product development for Trimble’s GNSS Real-time Networks, Geospatial, Heavy Civil Construction and InTech OEM Divisions.
Beginning his career at Trimble in 1995, Stuart has worked on GNSS receiver development in various engineering roles, in addition to holding several management roles. He holds several patents filed and pending in the field of GNSS and is often a guest speaker at international conferences.
His research interests include improving GNSS performance in harsh environments, and taking measurements from additional sensors along with optimizing the GNSS receiver architecture, especially for the newer GNSS signals BeiDou, Galileo, IRNSS, QZSS and next-generation GPS and GLONASS signals.
Riley has an electronic engineering Ph.D. in the field of GNSS from the University of Leeds in England. After he graduated, he was a research fellow at the university on a European Space Agency-funded project to develop a prototype GNSS receiver for space applications.
Dr. Javad Ashjaee, Founder and CEO of Javad GNSS, 1949–2020. (Photo: Javad GNSS)
The GNSS community was deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Javad Ashjaee — Javad, as he liked to be called — on May 30. Following are excerpts of comments by GPS World Editorial Advisory Board members and others, all of whom also expressed their heartfelt sorrow.
Message from The Ashjaee Family
“Once in a while an individual comes along with a spirit seemingly superhuman, a resolve and constitution seemingly indestructible. Dr. Javad Ashjaee was one such individual. His talent, intellect, commitment and sheer guts were head and shoulders above the rest, much to the chagrin and frustration of his competitors and naysayers. But those closest to him know that he was also simply, beautifully, erringly human. He brought out in the rest of us the strength and wisdom we could not always see in ourselves. Yes, he was a force of nature, as many describe, but Javad never did anything alone. Throughout the years, he has had a sizable family and team, by blood as well as by love, behind each of his many achievements and contributions to his field. He once told us his name, Javad, means ‘generous.’ And that he was. All that he has given to, and all that he has inspired in, his family, team, and professional industry, forms a legacy that will continue for years to come. We, his family, his team, his protégés and protectors, are here to stay and stronger than ever. If he were here, he would surely wonder how his competition would proceed without that fire only he could ‘light up their asses.’”
Jules McNeff VP of Strategy and Programs Overlook Systems Technologies
“Javad was a brilliant innovator, although he could be a bit infuriating at times. He loved to place ads in GPS World in part to poke fun at the DoD for our Selective Availability policies, for which I was the principal defender at the time. Javad was a unique and talented person of tremendous fortitude and intellectual confidence who was never afraid of controversy. The GNSS community will miss his energy.”
Mitch Narins CISSP/FRIN Strategic Synergies
“When I think of Javad, the words that come to mind are ‘brilliant, dedicated, driven, and committed.’ The last time I saw Javad at an ION GNSS+ conference, he knew he was on the side of an argument opposing many other experts in our GNSS community. That did not bother Javad. He was never one to go along to get along — which was one of the reasons he was able to develop such innovative and capable systems. Our GNSS community has lost a leader, innovator and contributor to the science and engineering behind position, navigation and time.”
Paul McBurney Ph.D., CTO and co-founder OneNav
“Javad was a one-man army who was not afraid to fight. From his days at Trimble, where he developed major advancements in receiver software, and through all of his endeavors, Javad produced an impressive amount of truly innovative solutions. He used the LightSquared crisis as an opportunity to add novel front-end filtering to his products, and cleverly marketed it. His writing was unmistakable, featuring the wordsmithing of both an engineer and a salesman. He was a role model to many aspiring GPS entrepreneurs.”
Tim Burch Director of Surveying SPACECO
“Javad’s contributions to the surveying profession helped turn every practitioner into a geospatial information provider. From his early days at Trimble pioneering the commercial-grade receiver to creating his company at Ashtech and embracing GLONASS with GPS, he continued to expand the capability of the GNSS receiver. Many surveyors today, however, only know his name through his latest company, Javad GNSS, and its unique line of receivers and measuring devices, with their distinct green color. Javad was a big part of the GNSS revolution, so the next time someone starts up his/her receiver to collect survey data, take a moment to thank him. His departure leaves a giant hole in the geospatial world.”
Michael Swiek Managing Director, Executive Branch and International GPS Innovation Alliance
“The ‘Original Cast’ of GPS innovators is dwindling. Javad was a complicated, self-made, innovative, and entertaining man. In the many years we knew each other, we worked on shared visions, many challenges, laughed a lot, and disagreed and argued more than a bit. We always remained friends, honest to each other. Javad was a true GNSS pioneer.”
Ellen Hall President and CEO Spirent Federal Systems
“What a loss for everyone. Such a talented person who truly made his mark on the world.”
Greg Turetzky consultant
Dr. Ashjaee leD the signals team of the “Satellites vs. Signals” after-dinner debate at the GPS World Leadership Dinner held during ION GNSS 2008. (Photo: GPS World)
“I have very fond memories of Javad from the many years we attended
ION GNSS+ and other industry conferences. I will always remember a spirited ‘Satellites vs. Signals’ debate we had at a GPS World Leadership Awards Dinner. We were equally passionate about the debate — despite not having chosen the opposite sides to which we were attached. These are the memories of Javad I treasure. He was passionate, informed, innovative and really good at playing the game. His spirit of innovation will be missed, but I am confident it will be carried on by other members of the GNSS community of which he was such an important part.”
Alison Brown President and CEO NAVSYS
“I am so sorry to hear about Javad’s passing. He was an innovator and an originalist. We worked together after he left Trimble and was in the process of starting Ashtech. I particularly remember his championing the cause, with me, against Selective Availability. He ran an ad with the iconic image of the Mona Lisa as part of this cause, with the slogan “Why ruin a work of art?” It is tragic that Javad fell victim to COVID-19. He will be sorely missed.”
GPS World is conducting a short survey to shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on the GNSS/PNT industry.
The short survey covers topics such as
changes in daily work habits
communication methods with staff, technology partners and clients
how each core sector is responding to the coronavirus pandemic
how we are all trying to remain productive despite social-distancing directives.
GPS World is committed to providing the most up-to-date coronavirus resources for the GNSS/PNT industry. We value your thoughts and opinions and would love to include your thoughts on the subject through our survey.
Results of the survey will be shared in the June issue of GPS World magazine.
With impacts related to the coronavirus developing on a daily basis, GPS World may reach out again in the near future to hear how you’re doing. As always, thank you for your continued support.
As a valued member of GPS World‘s family, we’d like to share with you a short update. COVID-19 is impacting all of us — individuals, businesses and communities — in unprecedented ways. GPS World continues to be here for you, and while working remotely, will deliver the same information resources across our print and web-based platforms. Consider bookmarking GPSWorld.com and GPSWorld.com/gps-world-coverage-of-COVID-19 or subscribe to GPS World‘s free resources, if you aren’t already receiving them.
Along with delivering the most relevant information GPS/GNSS professionals need to run their businesses, we will continue to share ideas and information to keep our industry moving forward. This moment in history affords us the opportunity to look at new ways to operate and stay connected with each other. With that said, we always welcome your inquiries, insights and ideas, so please reach out. We’d love to hear from you.
Sincerely, Marty Whitford Publisher & Editorial Director
OriginGPS has collaborated with Broadcom to create a new miniature module with L1 + L5 support provided by the BCM47758 chip, enabling ultra-accurate GNSS positioning. The module was developed for solutions requiring super-precision GNSS and a dual-frequency combination.
Photo: OriginGPS
The ORG4600-B01 is OriginGPS’ first dual-frequency GNSS module. The module enables customers to build solutions with sub-1-meter accuracy without implementing external components.
Measuring 10 x 10 mm, the ORG4600-B01 module supports L1 + L5 GNSS reception with one RF port, enabling the use of a low-cost, dual-band antenna delivering sub-1-meter accuracy performance in real-world operating conditions.
Alternate Build. An alternate build option allows for separate L1/L5 RF outputs when dual antennas are required. The ORG4600-B01 is suitable for solutions requiring ultra-accurate positioning, such as telematics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and auto OBD applications.
“This year has seen several satellites launched into orbit every month, most of them fitted with L5/E5 capabilities, and the Chinese and European Union governments plan to have their satellite constellations fully operational by 2020.” said Haim Goldberger, CEO of OriginGPS.
Developing the ORG4600-B01 module with the BCM47758 GNSS receiver chip by Broadcom Inc. was the fastest and surest way to add a high-quality dual-frequency module to our portfolio and meet our customers’ increasing requirements for ultra-accurate GNSS modules,” Goldberger said.
“Size is a crucial parameter in GNSS dual-frequency solutions,” said Prasan Pai, product marketing director for the Wireless Communications and Connectivity Division at Broadcom. “The collaboration with OriginGPS has created the industry’s smallest dual-frequency module with ‘no compromise’ quality. For our customers seeking an ultra-accurate GNSS solution in a compact form factor, the ORG4600-B01 fits the bill. The collaboration enables Broadcom to reach new markets, such as precision agriculture, security, children tracking and fleet management.”
“OriginGPS is interested in additional partnerships to enable bringing advanced solutions to market quickly,” said Haim Goldberger, CEO of OriginGPS.
OriginGPS is presenting its products with real-life demonstrations at MWC 2019, Los Angeles, Oct 22-24, Booth S2938.
