We have known for a while that India is working on its satellite-based positioning system called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS.) This will be a competitor to the US-operated GPS system which is the most prominent navigation system around the world. ISRO has launched PSLV-C27, which carries in itself the IRNSS-1D, which is the fourth satellite in the constellation of seven satellites which will make up for India’s own operating system.

Today’s launch was previously supposed to be held March 9th, but it was postponed due to technical issues in one of the sub-systems. IRNSS-1D has a mission [...]

The Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has been in use from many years now. Different sections of the society like military, civil, and commercial sector make use of GPS to track down accurate location and time information. However, the satellite navigation system has its own limitations and gets obstructed by weak signals. To rise above the vicious circle, DARPA, the agency of U.S. Department of Defense, is working on an alternative of GPS.

The advanced research wing of US Military is building up a cutting edge location technology that will offer real-time navigation-tracking inspite of blind spots and jammers. [...]

The Global Positioning System or GPS has made our life extremely convenient. If you have access to a GPS device, you are never going to get lost on this planet. The GPS system is currently in control of the United States government. Now the Indian government’s plan to have its own navigation system is underway and got its 3rd satellite today.

ISRO successfully launched the PSLV-C26 rocket that sent the third satellite in the Indian System. The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 1.32 am and injected the satellite into the orbit about 20 minutes later.

While the top-end models of the Tata Vista hatchback and Manza sedan are shipped with an infotainment system featuring integrated satellite navigation (sat-nav), Tata Motors has now entered into an association with which the sat-nav device will be offered as a standard feature in the Vista D90 ZX+ with maps from MapmyIndia.

Tata Motors is known as a vehicle manufacturer with a deep understanding of customer needs; the car models reflect this philosophy. Similarly, at MapmyIndia we take into account customer feedback and incorporate it into our product offerings. We are extremely happy to have partnered with Tata Motors to bring a superior GPS ‘navitainment’ experience to Tata [...]

Google Indoor maps was launched in the US last year mapping all the insides of malls, hotels, etc. But now Google has started to expand the reach of indoor maps, extending to more than 40 indoor venues in the UK including a mix of museums, stations, malls and airports in the main mostly in London. With building owners being able to upload their own maps, however, this should / could expand quickly. Hit the Google Lat-Lon blog for more info.

[Google Lat-Lon]

Wow, Sammy has just announced a new Tablet at MWC 2012, and its a large size Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an S-Pen equipped version of the similar Galaxy Tab announced earlier. The Tablet will run on TouchWiz customized version of Android Ice Cream Sandwich and has a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM. Unfortunately you cannot use the phone features  on the Note 10.1, but it does have a sim card slot capable of  HSPA+.  Standard WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 are also in the mix, with the cameras from the original Tab, 3-megapixel rear and 2 Mp front. The Tab also has the newer higher res display – 1280 x 800px WXGA.

City’s autorickshaws may finally get fitted with GPS from March. DIMTS, the agency in-charge of the project, has been asked by the transport department to empanel vendors who will supply the GPS devices to three-wheeled scooter rickshaws (TSRs).  The process should take about a month after which the Govt will be in tune to install the devices. Meanwhile, the authorities are working on a comprehensive auto-rickshaw policy for the addition of 45,000 new autos as part of a court directive.  These new rickshaws will all be pre fitted with gps enabled meters for accurate tracking and billing.   We will have to issue a notice giving details of the specifications vendors need to meet. [...]

If you have updated to the latest version of Google Maps on Android, you will now notice that Maps is now updating indoor locations on its maps app. Google Maps 6.0, which is a free update for phones loaded with Android 2.1 and up, will bring you intimate details of many shopping centres and airports in the US and Japan. The app is also sensitive to which floor you’re on, so if you go up an escalator in the shopping centre, the list of stores will update. 

Now this is seriously useful utilization of your portable handheld device.

[Google Blog]

 

 

Waze. The new social navigation app which provides you with real-time traffic updates as well as turn-by-turn navigation. The app is really fun to use and comes with a host of features. Since the maps are crowd-sourced, they’re always up to date and accurate in areas where google maps fail. The social aspect of the app comes from its ability to create local traffic groups, which help all drivers in the group by providing traffic updates, accident reports, speed trap data etc.