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  • senseFly eBee Drone Demonstrates Mapping Capabilities in Swiss Alps

    senseFly successfully demonstrated the 3D mapping capabilities of its fully autonomous mini drone under extreme conditions. In mid-February, the eBee conducted a mapping mission in the mountains above Zermatt at altitudes of up to 3000 meters. Several flights were conducted to map small hamlets and valleys at temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius (14°F).

    “Zermatt village, the starting point of this excursion, is a car-free zone, therefore all transportation of equipment had to be done manually,” said Andrea Hildebrand, co-founder of senseFly. “On top of this, the only means of transportation to reach the takeoff locations, some at altitudes as high as 2800 meters, were ski lifts and skis. Luckily the eBee only weighs 630 grams and fits with all its accessories in a carry-on case, so we could easily carry it with us and even ski down the slopes with it.”

    The entire mapping of a small valley, including the takeoff, flight, landing and resulting geo-referenced orthomosaic and 3D elevation map, is documented in a video available online.

  • New Organization Advocates for GPS Industry

    A new group, the GPS Innovation Alliance, has formed and announced itself as the voice of the U.S. GPS industry and community of users, to “support the ever-increasing importance of GPS” in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C.  The organization subsumes and replaces both the U.S. GPS Industry Council, an entity of longstanding, and the Coalition to Save Our GPS, which arose in March 2011 in response to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conditional waiver granted to LightSquared.

    The alliance appears to reflect a desire on the part of some industry members to take a more aggressive approach inside the Washington Beltway, a sign, it would seem, of the political times. Some of those involved spoke informally of a desire to take advantage of contacts made on Capitol Hill and in the media during the highly visible LightSquared combat, fought in the glare of media attention heretofore unknown in industry circles.

    Members of the Alliance are drawn from a variety of fields and businesses reliant on GPS, as well as leading manufacturers of GPS equipment. The former group includes, aviation, agriculture, construction, transportation, first responders, and surveying and mapping, and consumer organizations representing users of GPS for boating and other outdoor activities, and in automobiles, smartphones, and tablets.

    Joining John Deere, Garmin, and Trimble — three lead drivers of the Coalition effort at the FCC — are NovAtel Inc. and Topcon Positioning Systems. All five were previously long-time members of the USGIC, and they appear as founding members of the alliance at www.gpsalliance.org.

    Affiliate members listed on the website include the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, National Association of Manufacturers, Association for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles International, and Boat Owners Association of the United States.

    The alliance plans to build on “the proud heritage and extensive expertise of the United States GPS Industry Council (USGIC), which was formed in 1991 to promote broader commercial applications of GPS and to expand global markets while assisting in safeguarding the technology’s military advantages. The council has a long history of highly effective advocacy on behalf of the GPS industry, as well as serving as a trusted source of objective information for policy makers, the media and the public both in the U.S. and around the world.” The alliance website gives a longer statement about the history and record of the USGIC, highlighting its role in international negotiations.

    Michael Swiek, executive director of the USGIC, has transitioned to become the executive director, executive branch and international, of the Innovation Alliance. In addition to working closely with leading offices of executive branch departments of the U.S. government, he will continue well-established dialogs with governmental, private sector and academic entities in areas critical to GPS and satellite navigation among key players in Europe, Japan, Russia, Korea, China, and elsewhere.

    Heather Hennessey, a principal of Innovative Federal Strategies LLC, a “comprehensive government relations firm,” has taken the position of executive director, legislative, at the alliance. Hennessey has seven years of service in the House of Representatives, including two years as chief of staff for Congressman Jack Kingston of Georgia.

    An active voice in alliance representations on Capitol Hill will presumably be that of Jim Kirkland, vice president and general counsel for Trimble. Kirkland was the most prominent spokesperson for the coalition during the LightSquared battle, which appears to be either over or nearly so. “The alliance is committed to ensuring constructive, robust dialog between GPS users, manufacturers and policy makers on critical policy issues affecting GPS,” Kirkland said, “a commitment Trimble is pleased to be a part of as the industry continues to innovate and modernize.”

    The alliance mission statement cites the importance of GPS to global economy and infrastructure; vows to aid further GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship; and to protect, promote and enhance the use of GPS.

    The GPS Innovation Alliance officially launched on February 13 with a reception on Capitol Hill, a traditional lobbying tactic that previous efforts had perhaps not envisioned.  The organization has also hired a public relations firm, Prism Public Affairs, and commissioned a logo.

  • Galileo Lives to Fly Another Day; Budget Passed

    European Union leaders approved a scaled-down budget in early February, with none of the cuts to the Galileo program that had been widely feared. The project, conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA) under close supervision of the European Commission (EC),  will draw on funding of 6.3 billion euros (about $8.5 billion) from 2014 to 2020. The satellite navigation program held onto its requested revised budget of 6.3 billion euros, even as telecommunications research and broadband deployment projects, including another ESA pet project, the somewhat related Copernicus Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), underwent severe cuts. Galileo has already spent more than 3 billion euros ($4 billion), three times its original budget, to launch four of an envisioned 30-satellite constellation.

    The EU deliberative system requires unanimous approval of budget decisions, so what smaller countries seek for their farmers or fishermen carries practically equal weight to the desire of industrial/aerospace giants like Germany, closely followed by France and the United Kingdom. Negotiation is a delicate matter indeed, and reached an impasse in November 2012; resolution came only after a 24-hour marathon session of talks. The total budget represents the first decrease in the European Union’s history; austerity is the watchword in  a region beset with an ongoing bevy of international debt crises and serious recession in many of the smaller EU countries.

    Galileo supporters within the European Commission, the EU’s policy-making arm, continued to maintain that Galileo will “open a whole new world” for business to develop applications, as Antonio Tajani, EC vice president stated recently. The program drew strong support, for once, from powerful backers in the EU administrative capital, Brussels, and among industrial and political interests in key member states: France, Germany, and for an exception Britain, often a proponent of deep cuts.

    Negotiators helped Galileo’s chances by placing it in a research group labeled “Competitiveness for Growth and Jobs.” This category actually rose in budget allocation by nearly 40 percent over the last seven-year allotment.

    The allocation should cover operational costs for EGNOS and Galileo, the completion of the initial Galileo constellation of 14, and early procurement stages of a full, or second-generation orbiting set of 30.

    The program still faces an extremely unlikely date for the establishment of early services by the end of 2014. “Then, the market, as well as the governments of the Member States, will start increasing their interest and promoting further investments,” the ever-optimistic Tajani maintained.

    The budget must still secure approval by the European Parliament. Its president, Martin Schulz of Germany has stated, “The further we step away from the Commission’s proposed figures, the more likely the proposal will be rejected. More and more tasks, and less and less money — the inevitable result is budget deficits. The Parliament will not go along with this.”

    Parliament’s decision is forecast for the summer months. Parliament’s budget power consists of a direct yes-or-no vote to accept or reject the budget. The body cannot make modifications, and if rejecting would simply send it back to the EU ministers to begin all over again.  The picture is further complicated somewhat by the 20-nation make-up of ESA, whereas the European Union and its executive commission have 27 national members.

  • Build Your Own GPS IIF Satellite — with LEGOs

    Build Your Own GPS IIF Satellite — with LEGOs

    So, you thought GPS satellites were only built by government contractors with millions of dollars? Think again.

    A California company that specializes in LEGO kits of space vehicles is offering a GPS IIF satellite kit. The kit, which sells for $45, includes 142 LEGO Bricks, instructions, and a display stand. Once constructed, the model measures 21 1/4-inches from the tip of one solar array to the other, is 2 3/4-inches wide, and 4 1/4 inches tall.

    OK, it’s not space worthy. Or the right size. And it doesn’t produce any signals. But the wings rotate!

    The company, Space Satellite Models, also offers LEGO models of other Department of Defense and NASA satellites.

  • Smartphone vs. Tablet vs. Desktop? It No Longer Matters

    Janice Partyka
    Janice Partyka

    The biggest mobile show, the Mobile World Congress, starts next week in Barcelona, Spain. It comes at an interesting time. Attendees will find it no longer makes sense to think about which device, or screen, is of primary importance to users. Google reports findings that 90 percent of users move sequentially between several screens (TV, phone, desktop computer and tablet) to accomplish tasks.

    Google, wanting to more fully exploit ad opportunities on all devices, has revamped AdWords to require that all ad campaigns include mobile. The GPS-based fitness watch market looks like it is on a steep curve upward, and feasible smartphone GPS watches are available. Rumor says Facebook is going to start tracking users’ locations at all times to be able to cull more ad revenue from individual’s preferences and geo life.

    Analytics firm Flurry tracked mobile app usage during the Super Bowl and found that overall app usage declined by less than 5 percent during the Super Bowl, compared to same time period on the prior Sunday. A large amount of consumers’ attention was spent in apps, even as they sat in front of their TVs on the biggest football day of the year. Surprisingly, app usage did not greatly differ between commercials and game play. Mobile app usage peaked during the game’s power outage and declined during Beyonce’s apparently riveting half-time show.

    Google Requires Mobile Advertising. Citing concerns that the shift from desktop to smartphones and tablets is damaging its bottom line, Google is revamping its AdWords advertising platform to integrate ad campaigns across all device screens. In fact, Google indicated that it will require all advertisers to pay for mobile ads even if they only wish to reach consumers on desktops. The revamp will allow customers to use contextual factors like location, time of day and device type to control integrated campaigns.

    Google provides an example of how a user’s location and device type could change the advertising message. “For example, a pizza restaurant probably wants to show one ad to someone searching for ‘pizza’ at 1 p.m. on their PC at work (perhaps a link to an online order form or menu), and a different ad to someone searching for ‘pizza’ at 8 p.m. on a smartphone a half-mile from the restaurant (perhaps a click-to-call phone number and restaurant locator),” reads Google’s blog.

    Will Apple Take Control of Your Wrist? Rumors continue that Apple will release a GPS-based fitness watch in 2013. Whether Apple enters the market or not, the GPS fitness market is huge and growing. The GPS fitness watch market is set to reach $1.07 billion in 2013, predicts ABI Research. Cellular connected GPS fitness watches like the I’m Watch may further speed this market. “There have already been unfounded rumors around Apple in 2013, so let’s wait and see. If an Apple watch did feature integrated GPS, it would no doubt significantly boost shipment forecasts in 2013,” asserts Dominique Bonte of ABI. Some start-ups in the GPS watch category have joined the action including Leikr, Pebble, Basis and others.

    Facebook Is Watching. Is it possible that the relationship between Facebook and Google can get even more tense? According to a Bloomberg article, Facebook is developing a smartphone application that will track the location of its users. The app is said to be scheduled for release by mid-March, and would run on handsets in the background even when the Facebook app or the phone isn’t open or in use. The location data would help Facebook capture more advertising revenue as ads can be more targeted with information about a user’s location and habits. The project is said to be headed by an ex-Googler and talent from Glancee and Gowalla, both of whom were purchased by Google.

    Privacy concerns with Facebook location tracking will undoubtedly be raised. Currently, Facebook records the GPS coordinates of users when they post status updates or photos from their phones, or check into a venue. Tracking users 24/7 is another thing. Facebook’s current location-sharing policy seems to cover them carte blanche. It allows the use of data “to serve you ads that might be more relevant,” and “to tell you and your friends about people or events nearby, or offer deals to you that you might be interested in.”

    Blackberry10-T_150x94Will Windows and BlackBerry Smartphones Succeed? Will there be a crack, even a tiny one, in the duopoly of iOS and Android? The biggest worry for Microsoft and BlackBerry is if initial sales of their smartphones are too small to excite developer interest. Without abundant applications, consumers won’t continue to buy these phones. ABI Research is predicting that the demand will be strong enough, and is forecasting a BlackBerry installed base of 20 million and Windows smartphone base of 45 million by year-end.

    Open Geospatial Consortium Location Standards for Next-Generation LBS.  The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is having a free session and reception at the Mobile World Congress for mobile developers, location data providers, network operators and LBS service users. Attendees will learn the latest in open standards development. The event is being held on February 27, 2013 in Barcelona. Register for free.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Spectracom Simulator Compatible with China’s Beidou System

    Spectracom has announced its upgrade capability to China’s global navigation satellite system, Beidou. The Spectracom GSG Series 5 and Series 6 GNSS signal simulators, released in 2012, are designed to be field upgradeable to simulate current and future GNSS constellations. GSG simulators are capable of outputting the frequencies, modulations and data formats of anticipated GNSS systems. The January release of the Beidou ICD specification has confirmed that Spectracom GPS/GNSS simulators will be able to emulate these satellite signals with a simple field-upgradeable firmware update.

    “In anticipation of the deployment of these new, major GNSS systems, Spectracom ensures that every GSG simulator that leaves the factory is tested for compliance with all the signal frequency and modulation specifications as defined in their ICDs. Customers who have purchased our Series 5 or 6 simulators since June 2012 have this upgrade capability,” Spectracom CTO John Fischer said.

    Spectracom_GSG-62_W
    Spectracom GSG-6 series simulator. Photo: Spectrum

    The Series 5 single frequency simulator is fully capable of the all the signals in the L1 (GPS and GLONASS) / E1 (Galileo) / B1 (Beidou) band, including all the GLONASS FDMA satellites.

    The Series 6 multi-frequency simulator is fully capable of all four bands of all the systems: L1 / E1 / B1; L2 / L2C; L5 /E5 /B2; and E6 / B3.

    Fischer added, “As the need for new signals arise, firmware upgrades will be available. This ensures our customer’s investment is protected. Galileo signals will be available this year and Beidou will be available next year.”

  • Path Social Networking App Settles FTC Charges on Privacy Infringement

    The operator of the Path social networking app has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived users by collecting personal information from their mobile device address books without their knowledge and consent. The settlement requires Path, Inc. to establish a comprehensive privacy program and to obtain independent privacy assessments every other year for the next 20 years. The company also will pay $800,000 to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent.

    The settlement with Path is part of the FTC’s ongoing effort to make sure companies live up to the privacy promises they make to consumers, and that kids’ personal information isn’t collected or shared online without their parents’ consent.

    “Over the years the FTC has been vigilant in responding to a long list of threats to consumer privacy, whether it is mortgage applications thrown into open trash dumpsters, kids information culled by music fan websites, or unencrypted credit card information left vulnerable to hackers,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “This settlement with Path shows that no matter what new technologies emerge, the agency will continue to safeguard the privacy of Americans.”

    Path operates a social networking service that allows users to keep journals about moments in their life and to share that journal with a network of up to 150 friends. Through the Path app, users can upload, store, and share photos, written thoughts, the user’s location, and the names of songs to which the user is listening.

    In its complaint, the FTC charged that the user interface in Path’s iOS app was misleading and provided consumers no meaningful choice regarding the collection of their personal information. In version 2.0 of its app for iOS, Path offered an “Add Friends” feature to help users add new connections to their networks. The feature provided users with three options: “Find friends from your contacts;” “Find friends from Facebook;” or “Invite friends to join Path by email or SMS.” However, Path automatically collected and stored personal information from the user’s mobile device address book even if the user had not selected the “Find friends from your contacts” option. For each contact in the user’s mobile device address book, Path automatically collected and stored any available first and last names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook and Twitter usernames, and dates of birth.

    The FTC also alleged that Path’s privacy policy deceived consumers by claiming that it automatically collected only certain user information such as IP address, operating system, browser type, address of referring site, and site activity information. In fact, version 2.0 of the Path app for iOS automatically collected and stored personal information from the user’s mobile device address book when the user first launched version 2.0 of the app and each time the user signed back into the account.

    The agency also charged that Path, which collects birth date information during user registration, violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule by collecting personal information from approximately 3,000 children under the age of 13 without first getting parents’ consent. Through its apps for both iOS and Android, as well as its website, Path enabled children to create personal journals and upload, store and share photos, written thoughts, their precise location, and the names of songs to which the child was listening. Path version 2.0 also collected personal information from a child’s address book, including full names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and other information, where available.

    The COPPA Rule requires that operators of online sites or services directed to children, or operators that have actual knowledge of child users on their sites or services, notify parents and obtain their consent before they collect, use, or disclose personal information from children under 13. Operators covered by the Rule also have to post a privacy policy that is clear, understandable, and complete.

    The FTC charged that Path violated the COPPA Rule by:

    • not spelling out its collection, use and disclosure policy for children’s personal information;
    • not providing parents with direct notice of its collection, use and disclosure policy for children’s personal information; and
    • not obtaining verifiable parental consent before collecting children’s personal information.

    In addition to the $800,000 civil penalty, Path is prohibited from making any misrepresentations about the extent to which it maintains the privacy and confidentiality of consumers’ personal information. The proposed settlement also requires Path to delete information collected from children under age 13 and bars future violations of COPPA. Path has already deleted the address book information that it collected during the time period its deceptive practices were in place.

    The FTC has also introduced Mobile App Developers: Start with Security, a business guide that encourages developers to aim for reasonable data security, evaluate the app ecosystem before development, and includes tips such as making someone responsible for data security and taking stock of the data collected and maintained.

    The commission vote to authorize the staff to refer the complaint to the Department of Justice and to approve the proposed consent decree was 5-0. The DOJ filed the complaint on behalf of the Commission in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on January 31, 2013.  The proposed consent decree will be filed with the same U.S. District Court today and is subject to court approval.

  • Danaher Acquires Fleet Tracking Company Navman Wireless

    Navman Wireless, a provider of fleet and asset management technology, announced its acquisition by Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 250 science and technology company. Navman Wireless’ technology currently monitors more than 175,000 vehicles and assets owned by over 14,000 organizations worldwide.

    The OnlineAVL2 system, delivered under the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, enables fleet and asset managers to track all vehicle and asset locations in real time as well as control fuel, labor and vehicle/asset operating costs.

    Navman Wireless reports it has had five successive years of revenue and installed base growth during which the company entered new vertical sectors including local services, transportation, construction, cold chain, mining, and oil and gas, and opened new geographic markets including Mexico, Italy, China and Taiwan.

    “Danaher has the resources, global footprint and commitment to support the continued growth of the Navman Wireless platform and business, along with a strong track record of building brands within its highly diversified portfolio,” said TJ Chung of Navman Wireless. “All of these factors will help us continue to enhance our technology platform, expand into new vertical and geographic markets, and bring the benefits of fleet and asset management to vehicles and assets around the world that are not yet taking advantage of the technology.”

    Navman Wireless is Danaher’s first acquisition in the fleet/asset management space, joining Danaher’s portfolio spanning test and measurement, life sciences and diagnostics, dental, environmental and industrial technologies. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

  • National Geographic Maps Now Off-Line, Yet Still GPS Interactive

    National Geographic Maps has joined with Avenza Systems to offer a new channel to access its map content. The alliance enhances Avenza’s digital map database by adding more than 500 maps from National Geographic and furthers National Geographic Maps’ established reach with mobile consumers.

    The Avenza PDF Maps app takes advantage of geospatial technology and allows users to view, acquire and interact with maps on their mobile devices, including iPhone and iPad, without needing a mobile data connection or being accessed international roaming charges. PDF Maps offers an in-app store to facilitate the transaction and delivery of the maps, consolidating, in a digital format, consumers’ access to hundreds of maps from multiple publishers.

    “In the last decade, advances in technology have shifted how consumers receive and use information, and we have responded by making our rich map content available on a variety of platforms,” said Charles Regan of National Geographic Maps. “Avenza’s PDF Maps app provides a unique way for consumers to access our content with an easy-to-use in-app map store and a set of robust features that will enhance the map user’s experience.”

    Hundreds of maps from National Geographic Maps’ extensive library are now available in Avenza’s PDF Maps system, including travel and destination titles covering five continents, historical and thematic maps, and educational and reference titles. The app provides constant access to geographic information and points of interest, with additional interactive tools such as measuring, place marking and location tagging. PDF Maps operates without the risk of lost reception, due to cell tower proximity, and does not rely on an Internet connection.

  • Avenza Offers NatGeo Maps Off-Line, Yet Still GPS Interactive

    National Geographic Maps has joined with Avenza Systems to offer a new channel to access its map content. The alliance enhances Avenza’s digital map database by adding more than 500 maps from National Geographic and furthers National Geographic Maps’ established reach with mobile consumers.

    The Avenza PDF Maps app takes advantage of geospatial technology and allows users to view, acquire and interact with maps on their mobile devices, including iPhone and iPad, without needing a mobile data connection or being accessed international roaming charges. PDF Maps offers an in-app store to facilitate the transaction and delivery of the maps, consolidating, in a digital format, consumers’ access to hundreds of maps from multiple publishers.

    “In the last decade, advances in technology have shifted how consumers receive and use information, and we have responded by making our rich map content available on a variety of platforms,” said Charles Regan of National Geographic Maps. “Avenza’s PDF Maps app provides a unique way for consumers to access our content with an easy-to-use in-app map store and a set of robust features that will enhance the map user’s experience.”

    Hundreds of maps from National Geographic Maps’ extensive library are now available in Avenza’s PDF Maps system, including travel and destination titles covering five continents, historical and thematic maps, and educational and reference titles. The app provides constant access to geographic information and points of interest, with additional interactive tools such as measuring, place marking and location tagging. PDF Maps operates without the risk of lost reception, due to cell tower proximity, and does not rely on an Internet connection.

  • ESA’s Navigation Lab Helps Set Global Time

    The European Space Agency (ESA) is helping to set the world’s time. Ultra-accurate atomic clocks of ESA’s Navigation Laboratory, which will be used to assess performance of the Galileo satnav system, have joined the global effort setting Coordinated Universal Time down to a billionth of a second.

    The replacement for Greenwich Mean Time, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the timing used for Internet, banking, and aviation standards, and other international timescales, maintained by the Paris-based Bureau International de Poids et Mesures (BIPM).

    Participating measurement institutes and observatories around the globe use collections of atomic clocks to estimate a current value for UTC. These clock data are fed through to the BIPM to be carefully weighted and averaged to derive a combined global value. The complexity of this effort is such that it takes around six weeks to arrive at a definitive final figure, ESA said.

    Atomic clocks at ESTEC's Navigation Laboratory. Once Galileo services start, ESA’s Navigation Lab will play an important role independently validating Galileo timing performance. Its atomic clocks, offering precise timings for ESA missions and experiments, are also contributing to the global setting of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the replacement for GMT.
    Atomic clocks at ESTEC’s Navigation Laboratory. Once Galileo services start, ESA’s Navigation Lab will play an important role independently validating Galileo timing performance. Its atomic clocks, offering precise timings for ESA missions and experiments, are also contributing to the global setting of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the replacement for GMT.

    ESTEC Director Franco Ongaro has signed an agreement with BIPM to mark the international recognition of the ESA timescale and the addition of ESA’s atomic clock data to the UTC calculations. “This is an independent timing capability that ESA’s Navigation Laboratory — based in ESTEC in the Netherlands — built up to support validation of Galileo timing performances, and before it the experimental Galileo GIOVE satellites,” explained Pierre Waller of ESA’s RF Payload Systems division.

    “But it makes sense to apply it more widely, and this BIPM recognition reflects the quality of our data. Our UTC estimate — formally known as UTC (ESTEC) — is also available for projects within ESA: there are many space applications beyond just navigation, such as precision technical experiments or synchronization of telecommunications and deep-space ground stations.

    “Incidentally, it is important to note that our contribution to UTC does not replace the existing input from the Netherlands’ own national timing metrology institute, Van Swinden Laboratories (VSL) in Delft. Instead we are adding to it, for enhanced global accuracy overall.”

    Galileo, like all other satellite navigation systems, is based on the highly precise measurement of time. A receiver on the ground pinpoints its position by calculating how long signals from satellites in orbit take to reach it.

    Matching the receiver and satellite clocks then multiplying the time taken by the speed of light gives the range between the user and the satellite. This allows the receiver to fix its longitude, latitude and time when in contact with four or more satellites. Atomic clocks on each satellite keep time to a matter of nanoseconds — billionths of a second — synchronized by a worldwide ground network.

  • Broadcom Launches GNSS Chip with Geofence Capabilities

    Broadcom Corporation has introduced the BCM47521, a GNSS chip with architecture that enables geofence capabilities while preserving battery life. According to Broadcom, the new chip opens the door to always-on location-aware applications such as social networking, place-based mobile commerce and local merchant advertising.

    Broadcom will showcase its GNSS innovations at the upcoming Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, February 25-28.

    A geographical region of interest (“geofence”) is being used by many new and innovative location-aware applications. The geofence feature enables the application to receive a notification when a user enters or exits a virtual perimeter. However, the implementation of this feature in traditional architectures is not viable, as the applications processor needs to run constantly, causing rapid drain to the device’s battery. Broadcom’s new BCM47521 overcomes this issue, making it possible to continuously monitor geofence areas while consuming 60x less battery power.

    “The astounding growth of mobile devices is driving new opportunities for inventive applications that deliver valuable location-aware information,” said Scott Pomerantz, Broadcom vice president and general manager, GPS. “With the BCM47521’s low-power geofence mode, Broadcom is driving the next wave of system power consumption innovation that will allow OEMs to incorporate features that differentiate their mobile offerings and make location-aware, always-on applications a reality.”

    The BCM47521 chip also provides multi-constellation support by simultaneously collecting data from GPS, GLONASS, QZSS and SBAS, and using the best received signals, resulting in faster searches and more accurate real-time navigation, Broadcom said. Broadcom’s multi-constellation technology, coupled with advanced signal processing, provides faster positioning performance for improved user experience, especially in challenging urban environments where buildings and obstructions can dramatically impact accuracy and time-to-first-fix.

    A key feature is the 60x better system power efficiency versus a host-based architecture. An advanced host-offload mode monitors geofences in the background and only activates the applications processor when there is a trigger event, and smart algorithms adapt in real-time as the user gets closer to a geofence boundary.