Volume 30 No. 2 Spring 2020
ION IN SAN DIEGO 2020 ITM/PTTI: A Personal View Alan Cameron, Inside GNSS anuary’s International Technical JMeeting (ITM) has always been one of my favorites of the many techni- cal gatherings around the world. Yes, it’s billed as “a more intimate conference” but that’s not the reason why. Or maybe it is. I enjoy it because it’s accessible, navi- gable. I can get around easily, and when one hops from session to session every 23 TRACKING COVID-19 minutes, that’s a distinct benefit. I can have extended conversations with exhibi- tors in the adjacent hall. PNT in the Plague Year Above all, the technical content is high. ITM is one of my favorite hunting o one has launched a crowdsourced smartphone app to ensure social distancing grounds for papers that can be adapted N— whether 6, 9, or 24 feet — to thwart transmission of the novel coronavirus, into features for Inside GNSS magazine. although Bluetooth COVID-19 proximity apps have emerged amid the health crisis. For the past number of years it has been And plenty of other applications of positioning, navigation, and timing technolo- co-located with the Precise Time and gies have shown up during these days of heightened COVID-19 awareness. Indeed, we Time Interval Systems and Applications might at least temporarily substitute “tracking” for the “T” in PNT. Although GNSS Meeting (PTTI), which extends the and many other PNT technologies resident on mobile devices do not, by themselves, offerings. provide tracking capabilities, their physical cohabitation with mobile telephony or other This year, as reported online, “I strode communication links can make such capability relatively seamless. into the plenary session primed for a bar- Various articles in recent issues of the ION Newsletter have reported how PNT-aided rage of modernity, of out-in-front advanc- tracking is being used to aid political campaigns (Winter 2020), sell location-based es in precision PNT. The first thing I saw advertising (Winter 2019), ensure train safety (Winter 2018), and conduct criminal was a seven-foot-tall cesium beam tube, investigations (Summer 2018). However, none have manifested quite such benevolent an early atomic clock from the 1950s.” purpose as those designed to monitor the spread of COVID-19 cases and chart the For this and other plenary wonders, behavior of citizens in response to the current pandemic. including a summary of “Galileo System In March, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. government had reached out to Status and Challenges Ahead,” given by Facebook, Google, and other technology companies to see how federal agencies could Marco Falcone of the European Space use location data gleaned from Americans’ phones to address the novel coronavirus Agency, see https://insidegnss.com/ epidemic. This included tracking whether people are keeping at safe distances from time-is-relative-position-absolute. one another and complying with state and federal government orders or recommenda- continued on page 6 continued on page 4 The Institute of Navigation President’s Column . . . . . 2 Autonomous Snowplow Corporate Profile...... 21 8551 Rixlew Lane, Suite 360 ION Annual Awards . . . . . 8 Competition...... 14 Calendar...... 21 Manassas, Virginia 20109 ION Historian ...... 10 ION Technical Represent- ION News & Notes. . . . . 22 Defense Matters...... 12 ative Spotlight...... 16 PRESIDENT'S COLUMN | DR. Y. JADE MORTON COVID-19’s Impact
date shift into the fall will enable all who planned to attend the June event to do so as the Military Division renews their commitment to PNT resilience and sup- port to the warfighter. NAVIGATION Goes Digital-Only for a While e are navigating a new and the PLANS program committee to host Due to supply-chain interruptions Wchanging “normal” in our as many of the originally scheduled pre- involving paper and air freight and international community. I know all of sentations as possible in conjunction with to mitigate risks to its workers, our you reading this message in the recent ION GNSS+ 2020, September 21–25 in publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., has months have had major impacts to your St. Louis, Missouri. suspended all printing and distribution of personal and professional lives as we have IEEE/ION PLANS exhibitors will be paper journals until further notice. all found new ways to work, connect, invited to participate in the ION GNSS+ As a result, the Summer issue of NAVI- and collaborate in the face of the novel exhibit hall, and all the IEEE awards that GATION, Journal of the Institute of Navi- coronavirus. would have been announced at PLANS gation, will only be published in digital Rest assured that the ION has prepared will be presented in September. We look format. The issue will be downloadable our organization and its operations to forward to welcoming the synergistic from the Internet as usual through the continue to provide membership services combination of both communities this ION website and distributed worldwide with as little disruption as possible. We fall and getting our community back through the Wiley Online Library. are committed to advancing the art together after a long hiatus. Additional We will send an email in June letting and science of positioning, navigation, program details will be posted on the you know when the Summer issue and timing (PNT) to you — our ION website as they become available. has been completed and is available to members. The times have required some download. adjustments,HISTORICAL which IFLASHBACK will describe in ION’s JNC Rescheduled ION’s 50 Anniversary Celebration further detail. The Institute’s Joint Naviga- June 6, 1995, Antlers Doubletree Hotel tion Conference (JNC 2020), Colorado Springs, Colorado PLANS 2020 Cancelled, Technical originally scheduled for June Program Survives 1–4, 2020, in the greater Cin- As you are well aware by now, in the cinnati area, has been resched- interest of the health and welfare of our uled to September 8–11 in the members and the practicability of provid- same location. FOUO US-only ing high-quality services, the Institute sessions will be held Tuesday of Navigation (ION) decided to cancel through Thursday (September the IEEE/ION Position Location and 8–10) in the Northern Ken- Navigation Symposium (PLANS 2020), tucky Convention Center, which had been scheduled to take place Covington, Kentucky. The Air April 20–23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Force Institute of Technology at However, ION is committed to Wright Patterson Air Force Base ITM/PTTI attendees providing the opportunity to the many will host the SECRET US-only celebrate the ION members and anticipated PLANS session on Friday (September ION’s 75th participants to present their research 11) in Dayton, Ohio. anniversary. and receive feedback from their peers. Attendees can expect the ITM/PTTI 2020 a Success With this objective in mind, ION made same preconference tutorials, the same Despite the emergence of COVID-19 the decision to continue to produce and great program, and the same welcoming in Asia at the beginning of 2020, I am distribute the IEEE/ION PLANS 2020 exhibitors that have become JNC tradi- happy to report that ITM/PTTI 2020, proceedings and ensure their indexing tion. There is no change to “where,” only held January 21–24, was a great suc- in IEEE Xplorer. Additionally, the ION the “when” with the rescheduling from cess. Our new sunny San Diego location National Office is currently working with June to September. We hope that this
ION Newsletter 2 Spring 2020 The Purpose of the ION® Founded in 1945, The Institute of Navigation is the world’s premier non-profit hosted more than 300 participants, professional society advancing the art and science of positioning, navigation 20 exhibitors, and 140 technical and timing. presentations. . . . . 2020 Executive Committee . . . . I want to congratulate the technical President: Eastern Region Vice Satellite Division Chair: program committees for the Interna- Dr. Y. Jade Morton President: Dr. Chris Hegarty tional Technical Meeting (ITM) and Executive Vice President: Mr. Elliott Kaplan Military Division Chair: Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) Dr. Frank van Diggelen Western Region Vice Mr. John Langer Treasurer: President: Immediate Past President: Systems and Applications Meeting for Dr. Frank van Graas Mr. Steve Rounds Dr. John Raquet organizing successful programs. . . . . How to Reach the ION® . . . . ION Council Convenes Telephone: 703-366-2723 Web site: ion.org The ION® National Office The Institute of Navigation Council Facsimile: 703-366-2724 E-mail: [email protected] 8551 Rixlew Lane, Suite 360 Manassas, VA 20109 met prior to ITM/PTTI 2020. High- lights of the meeting included an out- . . . . The ION® National Office Staff . . . . line of the Institute’s plans over 2020 Executive Director: Program/Author Liaison/ Graphic Designer: to recognize the ION’s 75th anniversary Lisa Beaty Executive Assistant: Melanie Awbrey Miriam Lewis year. Director of Information Newsletter Editor: Technology: Meeting Planner: Glen Gibbons The Council also welcomed Dr. Rick Buongiovanni Megan Andrews Richard Langley as the newly appointed Director of Membership & Assistant Editor: editor of NAVIGATION, and thanked Marketing: Brianna Snow Kenneth P. Esthus Dr. Boris Pervan for his 14 years of service with a resounding round of ap- Opinions expressed in ION Newsletter articles and columns do not necessarily reflect plause. Council approved the 2019 An- an official policy of the ION or the views of any other individual ION member(s). nual Award winners as well as the 2020 ION Fellows (see pages 8-9 for more information). I extend my personal Council included the adoption of Standing Committee under Article congratulations to many well-deserving the GNSS Software Defined Radio VI, and the approval of a Conference individuals. Metadata Standard as a formal ION Code of Conduct as an Addendum to On a procedural level, other im- standard, ratification of ION’s bylaws the ION’s Code of Ethics. portant activities accomplished by the to add a Bylaws Committee as a Further, the Council reviewed the ION’s 2019 financial statements and approved the National Office Bud- get for the coming year. All of these documents are available for viewing at
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ITM/PTTI Program Committee: Dr. Marina Gerts- volf, PTTI Tutorials Chair; Dr. Jennifer Taylor, PTTI Program Chair; Dr. Michael Coleman, PTTI General Chair; Dr. Y. Jade Morton, ION President; Dr. Olivier Julien, ITM General Chair; and Dr. Okuary Osechas, ITM Program Chair.
Spring 2020 3 ION Newsletter TRACKING COVID-19 continued from page 1 tions to stay at home as a way to reduce contagion. “We’re exploring ways that aggregated anonymized location information could help in the fight against COVID-19,” Google spokesman Johnny Luu said in a statement. “One example could be helping health authorities determine the impact of social distancing, similar to the way we show popular restaurant times and traffic patterns in Google Maps.” Luu stressed that any such partnership would not involve sharing data about any identifiable individual’s location, movement, or contacts. A March 23 article in the Boston Globe reported that location-tracking apps on cellphones are being used in China, Tai- wan, South Korea, and Israel to slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting contact with infected people.
Technology versus ‘The Rona’ Two U.S. data companies, Reston, Virginia–based X-Mode and Tectonix headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, have collaborated on a project to use loca- tion data from the phones of people who visited Fort Lauderdale, Florida, beaches in March — including college students on spring break who made national news when they ignored warnings to practice social distancing in the face of the coro- movement alone can tell us a great An April 7 article in Traffic Technol- navirus pandemic. deal about how society has already ogy Today reported that two other New According to an April 4 CNN news transformed.” York City–based companies, StreetLight report, X-Mode and Tectonix posted The accompanying graphs show Data and Cuebiq, are offering access to a map of tracking data on Twitter that X-Mode’s location data tracking visits a vehicle-miles-travelled application — showed where people went after they had to grocery stores and movie theaters an- VMT Monitor — to help transportation visited Fort Lauderdale, spreading out notated with key news announcements planners track vehicle usage during the across the country and possibly carrying related to the COVID-19 outbreak. COVID-19 “shelter-in-place” programs. the coronavirus with them. Another article in the April 4–5 issue The New York Times took such analy- X-Mode also published an article on its of The Wall Street Journaldescribed how ses a step further in an April 4 article, website that described the coronavirus’s tracking mobile phones can reveal how again using Cuebiq data about cellphone effect on brick-and-mortar businesses. well Americans are complying with locations, illustrating the differences in “From restaurants to fitness centers, the social-distancing guidelines. A map movement by residents of the highest and sudden shift towards social isolation had accompanying the Journal article used lowest income neighborhoods in cities a devastating and unpredictable effect location data from a New York City around the country. The data reflected on the retail and service industries,” the firm, Unacast Inc., which collects loca- the fact that lower-income service work- article, written by Joseph Green, noted. tion information from about 25 million ers often do not have the choice to work “As we have done in the past, X-Mode mobile devices, to show declines in aver- from home or take paid leave. analyzed changes in foot traffic on our age travel distances between February 28 platform during this time. Changes in and March 28.
ION Newsletter 4 Spring 2020 POLITICALTRACKING CAMPAIGNS COVID-19
Privacy among the Apps vidual users with information on their Enforcing Compliance Of course, the issue of mass tracking of interaction with diagnosed COVID-19 Some COVID-19 tracking applica- mobile phones has raised concerns about carriers.” tions, however, don’t carry such an ele- user privacy, even during the global health Noting that “half of the world’s ment of individual privacy or voluntary emergency. The European Commis- population [carries] a device capable of compliance. According to ABC News, sion has called for a common European GPS tracking,” the white papers describe four Kentucky residents have been re- Union (EU) approach in using apps and Private Kit’s design as logging a mobile quired to wear court-ordered monitoring data to help tackle the coronavirus crisis device’s location once every five minutes. ankle bracelets after violating an agree- that increases the effectiveness of digital Many mobile devices add other forms ment with doctors to self-quarantine fol- interventions while ensuring respect for of PNT — such as radio signal strength, lowing diagnosis of COVID-19 infection citizen rights. The EU adopted a General wifi hotspot maps, signal angle, and or exposure to someone with positive test Data Protection Regulation in 2018 that time-difference of arrival techniques — to results. places citizens’ locations and movements augment the more precise GNSS. The Louisville Metro Department of on an equal basis with personal names as Private Kit can store up to 28 days of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) private data that should be protected and data in under 100 kilobytes of space. By asked the court to intervene and only gathered and used with the explicit comparing the movements of a phone require ankle-monitoring bracelets after permission of those citizens. with those from diagnosed carriers of in- the patients allegedly violated “Self- At the Massachusetts Institute of fectious disease, one can identify persons isolation/Self-quarantine and Controlled Technology Media Lab, Ramesh Raskar who have been in close proximity to the Movement” agreements. Patients and colleagues have developed an app diagnosed carrier. The location log gener- were seen walking down the street or called Private Kit. A white paper from the ated by Private Kit cannot be accessed shopping, or did not answer the phone Media Lab describes Private Kit as a “free, from outside the user’s device. Data trans- when a home check-in was made, ABC open-source and privacy-first, contact- fer occurs only if the user chooses to share News reported. tracing technology that provides indi- it with a researcher using a QR code.
Spring 2020 5 ION Newsletter ITM-PTTI RECAP
PRECISE TIME AND TIME INTERVAL SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS MEETING
ITMINTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL MEETING PTTI
ITM-PTTI Recap continued from page 1 In adapting the concepts of integrity measurements combined with an inertial A Technical Telescope born in aviation to this realm, neither navigation system to overcome the deep On to the technical sessions. fault detection and exclusion (FDE) nor urban multipath environment. What follows is a mere sampling of weighting strategies prove totally satisfac- The authors successfully achieved sub- particular papers that I found interesting tory. The authors compare the position- meter level (about 20 centimeters RMS) for one reason or another. This is by no ing accuracy of a GNSS/IMU tightly accuracy in the most extreme urban means to discount the many other fine coupled system before and after weight- environment in Seoul, called Manhattan papers that I either saw or, regrettably, ing and FDE schemes. They succeed in in Korea. They also won the award for missed. both reducing horizontal error and in best email handle at the conference, with GNSS/IMU Tightly Coupled Scheme implementing a protection level that cor- magicromeo@ . . . with Weighting and FDE for Rail Applica- rectly bounds it. Improved Urban Navigation with Direct tions, by Xin Han and co-authors A Low-Cost High-Precision Vehicle Positioning and Specular Matching, by Autonomous vehicles on rails Navigation System for Urban Environment Kirsten Strandjord and co-authors don’t get the glitzy press that UAVs Using Time Differenced Carrier Phase Here’s one you’ll see, in 30 percent do, but they may prove every bit as Measurements, by Jungbeom Kim and different form, in Inside GNSS magazine vital if North America ever discovers Changdon Kee soon. It introduces an assisted-GPS direct what Europe already knows: Rail is This study developed a low-cost, positioning estimation (DPE) technique the most economical, efficient, and high-precision vehicle navigation system in conjunction with visibility- and environmentally friendly mode of for deep urban multipath environments specularity-matching techniques based transport for people and freight. using time-differenced carrier phase on 3D building information in an urban
ION Newsletter 6 Spring 2020 Thank You ITM/PTTI 2020 Exhibitors CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The Johannes Kepler Award ALBEDO TELECOM, Inc. Nominations Due: June 30 Brandywine Communications Presentation of the Johannes Kepler Cycle GmbH award takes place at the Satellite CAST Navigation Division’s Annual ION GNSS+ in Frequency Electronics, Inc. September. The purpose of the Kepler Award is to honor an individual for GuideTech sustained and significant contributions IFEN, Inc. to the development of satellite Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc. navigation. All members of the ION Labsat By Racelogic are eligible for nomination. A special Masterclock Inc. nominating committee determines the winner of the award, which is presented Microchip Technology Inc. only when deemed appropriate. NEL Frequency Controls, Inc. ION members are encouraged to Orolia Switzerland Inc. submit nominations for deserving Oscilloquartz SA individuals. For complete nomination Pendulum Instruments Inc. instructions/to submit a nomination, go to www.ion.org/awards, and click Spectradynamics Inc. on “Kepler” in the left-hand menu. Spirent Federal Systems Nominations must be received by Syntony GNSS June 30. TimeTech GmbH For a complete list of previous Vescent Photonics winners online, visit
environment. Use of signal visibility and under the presence of multiple corrupted specular reflection predictions within the measurements or data that do not follow DPE improve positioning, reducing RMS the assumed error models. position error in heavy multipath environ- Pseudorange Measurements with LTE ments from approximately 30 to 10 meters. Physical Channels, by Auryn P. Soderini and Design and Evaluation of Robust M- co-authors Dr. Peter Teunissen, 2019 Kepler Award Long-term evolution (LTE) cellular refer- Winner. For his influential and estimators for GNSS Positioning in Urban groundbreaking contributions to the Environments, by Omar Garcia Crespillo and ence signals and non-reference signals can algorithmic foundations of satellite also be used for navigation. This paper dis- navigation, and for sustained dedication to co-authors the global education of the next generation The authors leverage statistics, applying cusses the LTE physical channel properties of navigation engineers. Huber M-estimators to positioning and relevant for signal tracking and evaluates the comparing its performance with the classic expected tracking performance when using presented in a slightly different least-squares estimator. them in a stand-alone fashion. framework, one of relevance to The presentation emphasized the Resilient Timekeeping for Critical timekeepers. A veteran industry importance of suitable pseudorange error Infrastructure, by John Fischer expert discussed the current state models for the robust estimator process Not forgetting that ION ITM is co- and projected it into the next few by processing real GNSS data in open-sky located with the Precise Time and Time years, showing how to enhance and deep urban scenarios. Under a proper Interval (PTTI) meeting, I strayed into protection against spoofing for design, these estimators can offer a power- unfamiliar territory for this talk, which critical applications. ful option in challenging GNSS scenarios turned out to be very familiar material, but
Spring 2020 7 ION Newsletter Congratulations ION Annual Award Recipients
PER ENGE EARLY THOMAS L. THURLOW ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AWARD In recognition of In recognition outstanding contributions of outstanding made early in one’s career. contributions to the Dr. Ramsey science of navigation. Faragher Dr. Zaher (Zak) For outstanding M. Kassas innovations in For foundational work mobile positioning in the theory and and navigation, and practice of exploiting in particular for pioneering the revolutionary signals of opportunity for accurate and reliable SuperCorrelation technology. positioning, navigation and timing.
DISTINGUISHED PTTI NORMAN P. HAYS AWARD SERVICE AWARD In recognition To recognize outstanding of outstanding contributions related encouragement, to the management of inspiration and Precise Time and Time support contributing Interval systems. to the advancement of Pascal Rochat navigation. For advancing the James J. Miller state of the art in high For exemplary stability atomic clocks leadership in and for producing establishing the only space-based H-maser in the world, and sponsoring the National Space-Based operating on all Galileo satellites. Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board to serve the worldwide user community.
CAPTAIN P.V.H. TYCHO BRAHE AWARD WEEMS AWARD To recognize out- For continuing standing contributions contributions to the to the science of space art and science of navigation, guidance and navigation. control. Dr. Joseph J. Dr. André Rushanan Hauschild For sustained For outstanding and contributions to sustained contributions the design of GPS, in the field of including M-Code, the L1C signal, and the GNSS-based navigation, timing and attitude promotion of assurance concepts for all GPS determination of space vehicles. users.
ION Newsletter 8 Spring 2020 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD For extraordinary service to The Institute of Navigation. Dr. Suneel I. Sheikh In recognition of his visionary leadership in promoting positioning, navigation and timing education through the establishment, promotion and administration of the ION Satellite Division’s Autonomous Snowplow ION's 2020 Fellows Competition. The Fellows designation recognizes the distinguished contribution of ION members to the advancement of the technology, DR. SAMUEL M. BURKA AWARD management, practice, and teaching of the art and science of To recognize outstanding navigation, and/or for lifetime contributions to the Institute. achievement in the preparation of a paper contributing to the Dr. Yang Gao advancement of the art and science For significant contribution to the development, of positioning, navigation and dissemination and commercialization of high-precision timing. GNSS technologies, and for significant educational and Dr. Jordan D. Larson, training impact on navigation engineers and professionals. Dr. Demoz Gebre- Dr. Todd E. Humphreys Egziabher and Dr. For significant and fundamental contributions to PNT Jason H. Rife security and precise GNSS positioning for the mass market, and for dedication to GNSS education and outreach. For their paper “Gaussian-Pareto Overbounding of DGNSS Pseudoranges from CORS” Dr. José Ángel Ávila Rodríguez published in the Spring 2019 issue of NAVIGATION, Journal For pioneering contributions to the design of the Galileo of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 139-150. signal plan and leadership in the modernization of Galileo.
® January 25–28, 2021 Hyatt Regency Mission Bay INSTITUTE OF NAVIGATION San Diego, CA
INTERNATIONAL PRECISE TIME AND TECHNICAL TIME INTERVAL MEETING SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS TM2021 PTTI MEETING I One Registration Fee, Two Technical Events and a Commercial Exhibit Save the ion.org Date!
Spring 2020 9 ION Newsletter
ITM-PTTI2021-HalfPage.indd 1 1/7/2020 4:57:55 PM FROMFROM THETHE IONION HISTORIAN,HISTORIAN, MARVINMARVIN MAYMAY The Institute of Navigation 75 Years Later Marvin B. May he year 2020 marks the 75th Generation” who had freshly contributed ence that Americans enjoy today, writing, Tanniversary of the founding of the to and experienced the effects of “They have given the succeeding genera- Institute of Navigation. The first meeting navigation under the most demanding tions the opportunity to accumulate great of the ION took place on June 25, circumstances of a worldwide struggle. economic wealth, political muscle, and 1945, on the Los Angeles campus of the Tom Brokaw, a television news anchor, the freedom from foreign oppression to University of California. journalist, and author of the book make whatever choices they like.” The new professional society set forth entitled The Greatest Generation, con- Despite these achievements, however, this ambitious purpose: “to advance the tends that the World War II participants’ Brokaw believes that the Greatest science, art and standards of navigation.” perseverance through difficult times was Generation remains remarkably humble The ION organizers envisioned the a testament to their extraordinary char- about what they’ve done. He concludes, following specific ways of accomplishing acter. Brokaw asserts that these men and “It is a generation that, by and large, their goal: women, born and raised in a tumultu- made no demands of homage from 1. Publication of a journal ous era marked by war and economic those who followed and prospered 2. Holding of meetings depression, developed values of “personal economically, politically, and culturally 3. Establishment of a center for responsibility, duty, honor and faith.” because of its sacrifices.” navigation research These characteristics helped them to 4. Coordination of educational defeat the fascist powers — Germany, Modern Navigation Takes Flight efforts of universities, government, Italy, and Japan — and, after these Advances in air navigation were at the and industry victories, to restore the American forefront of the ION founders’ initiatives. 5. Encouragement of the formation economy while helping rebuild the Two of the major air navigation of uniform terminology, German and Japanese economies, make technologies stemming from World War standards, and computational advances in science, and implement II were radar and the hyperbolic radio practices. visionary programs such as Medicare. navigation systems Gee (developed by the The founders of the ION were men According to Brokaw, “at every stage United Kingdom) and LORAN (U.S.- and women who clearly recognized of their lives they were part of historic designed). Indeed, most of the articles the critical role that navigation played challenges and achievements of a in the first volume of the ION journal during World War II, a conflict that magnitude the world had never before focused on radar or LORAN. marked the triumph of the Allied witnessed.” These technologies arose as a matter forces over the Axis powers. They were Brokaw credits the Greatest Genera- of survival for the Allies. The situation in predominantly members of the “Greatest tion with much of the freedom and afflu- Europe in the early 1940s was grave as the German Nazi juggernaut rolled through Poland, Belgium, and France. With most of the other countries in some state of neutrality or capitulation, England stood as the last barrier to Hitler’s goal of European, and perhaps world, conquest. The aerial “Battle of Britain” began on July 10, 1940. Massive waves of German aircraft, primarily Heinkel and Junker bombers accompanied by myriad squad- rons of Messerschmitt fighters, began bombing British coastal installations in Gee Airborne preparation for a cross–English Channel Equipment invasion. J. M. Briscoe, Wikimedia “The Fuhrer has ordered me to crush Commons
ION Newsletter 10 Spring 2020 THE ION HISTORIAN
ION LOGOS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS This is the geometry of a basic Evolution of a hyperbolic navigation system, which Brand is based on The first Institute of the difference Navigation logo ap- in timing peared in 1948, three between the years after the orga- reception of nization’s founding. A two signals, 16-point compass rose without reference to was chosen to represent an organization a common founded on advancing the art and sci- clock. ence of navigation. Cosmia Nubula, In 1960, the In- Wikimedia Commons stitute adopted a more global-look- Britain with my Luftwaffe,” German air night and in bad weather. For example, ing ION logo with minister Herman Goering told his gener- the Gee system arose from the need both latitude and als. “By means of hard blows I plan to for Allied bombers to navigate over the longitude lines to reflect the far reaches of navigation and the interconnected- have this enemy . . . down on his knees in European continent with an accuracy of a ness of the world. the nearest future.” few miles, in any weather, and be guided By 1963, ION had Against forbidding odds, the Royal back to their bases with an accuracy of a adopted a new Air Force struggled to drape a ragged fraction of a mile. logo with a visual protective curtain of Spitfire and British scientists invented Gee in appearance that better identified Hurricane fighter planes over the British 1940, a system based on measuring the the organization. Isles. Aided by the new technology of time delay between two radio signals A circular design radar deployed in a system of towers to produce a position fix. Ranges up to was chosen with called Chain Home, radar gave advance 450 miles at 15,000 feet with accuracy the full name of the organization added warning of German bombing runs. on the order of a few hundred meters around the circumference that framed a more detailed graphic. Whereas the Luftwaffe had to hunt all enabled Allied aircraft to penetrate deep Recognizing the need to visually rep- over to find the RAF fighters, the latter, into Germany. Gee came into full use by resent navigation on land, at sea, and enabled by Chain Home’s detection, were the British Bomber Command in March in the air, an anchor was added to a able to converge and defeat the German 1942. With an advanced spectrum of celestial background layered against a bombers. frequencies aimed at defeating German 16-point compass rose and a bald eagle with its wings stretched wide and clutch- The British Fighter Command attempts at jamming, Gee worked ing the anchor. A bald eagle is often managed to keep the Germans at bay marvelously on D-Day, prompting a few used to symbolize courage, wisdom, and through July. Goering, frustrated by the acerbic engineers to suggest calling the strength. inability of his bombers to penetrate world’s then-largest invasion, G-Day. In 2008, the existing the British air defense, shifted his target Based on a few facts about the British logo was modernized to to RAF airfields in August 1940 and Gee system, scientists at the MIT more clearly define the image of the bald eagle then to the terror bombing of London Radiation Laboratory and the Bell and its intricate feather in September of that year. Londoners Laboratories developed a longer range, groups. soon named this phase of the battle but less accurate system principally In 2017, a new logo was “The Blitz.” By May 1941, the Germans for naval applications, appropriately adopted, reflecting a design in keeping had largely withdrawn from the Battle named LORAN (short for Long Range with the growing trend of less compli- cated and more visually striking designs of Britain and started preparing for the Navigation). The first five operational suitable to newer media platforms. attack on the Eastern Front. LORAN transmitters were put into This logo incorporates the deliberately service in June of 1943 and operated Pulsed Radar, Gee, and LORAN clean, modern, and bold acronym that from sites on the coast of Nova supports the organization’s strength and Subsequent advances in radio Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, and its vision for the future. navigation during World War II derived Greenland. largely from the development of radar By the end of the war, 70 LORAN ® pulse techniques. These transformed radar transmitters had been installed in sites as from predominantly a defensive tool to a INSTITUTE OF NAVIGATION primary navigational system for flying at continued on page 13
Spring 2020 11 ION Newsletter Defense Matters Lessons to Be Learned "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 1
s a retired Coast Guard officer, I adhere to the diseases,” he said in a speech titled “Pandemic Acredo of Semper Paratus — “Always Ready.” Preparedness in the Next Administration” and Writing this article in early April in my northern delivered at Georgetown University Medical Center. Virginia home with more than 40 states in our nation “No matter what, history has told us definitively issuing some level of stay-at-home order, the question that [outbreaks] will happen,” Dr. Fauci said. “It is a that must be asked is, “Were We Ready?” perpetual challenge. It is not going to go away. The In asking this question it is not my intention to thing we’re extraordinarily confident about is that try and pin blame on any particular area of our na- we are going to see this in the next few years.” tion’s leadership for the current situation, but rather In the footnoted article Dr. Fauci ticked off a to focus on the theme of this piece — Lessons to be list of measures needed to prepare for such a crisis, Learned. including creating and strengthening global health Clearly lessons have emerged with the novel surveillance systems, as well as public health and coronavirus pandemic from which we can learn health care infrastructure; practicing transparency to better prepare our nation for when the single- and honest communication with the public; thread reliance on a space-based PNT system is coordinating and collaborating on both basic and compromised. clinical research, and developing universal platform Although I have not done an exhaustive search of technologies to better facilitate the development of the Internet, it doesn’t require a great deal of effort vaccines. to find examples of organizations focused on the protection of public health that have for some time Lessons for the PNT Community been trumpeting the need to ensure plans were in So, without belaboring what was or was not done place to confront a pandemic such as the one we are for protecting Americans’ health in the current experiencing now with COVID-19. pandemic, what are some of the lessons from this One example comes from a 2017 statement current issue that we may want to consider as they attributed to Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who has served can be applied to the PNT community? six U.S. presidents as the director of the National One that should come to mind immediately is the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and has need to have a plan in place — that can be applied emerged as a central figure on the evening news. locally, regionally, and nationally — for a disruption “There is no question that there will be a challenge to of our single-thread PNT dependency. Do we have the coming administration in the arena of infectious such a plan?
Doug Taggart President Overlook Systems Technologies, Inc.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ION Newsletter 12 Spring 2020 DEFENSE MATTERS
emergency. In the case of ION Historian continued from page 11 a GPS backup, there is no remote as Assam, India, and Kunming, question that we understand China, with the network providing navi- the fragility of the service gation coverage over 30 percent of the and our overdependence on Earth’s surface. Some 75,000 LORAN a PNT technology woven receivers were in operation, and millions through key elements of of LORAN charts had been distributed our critical infrastructure, by the termination of WW II hostilities. i.e., communications, the Since the first article in Volume 1, Wikimedia Commons national power grid, financial Number 1, the ION’s quarterly journal With history as a guide for making networks, and so forth. NAVIGATION has published more than plans, there is a paradoxical statement Fortunately, one of the foundational 70 articles on the LORAN system as it about planning attributed to General components of responding to the evolved over the following 60 years. That Dwight Eisenhower that states, “In coronavirus pandemic — the stay-at- first issue of NAVIGATION, published in preparing for battle I have always found home order — was not complicated by 1946 and available on the ION website that plans are useless, but planning is loss of the Internet or electrical power.
Spring 2020 13 ION Newsletter DUNWOODY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY HOSTS 10th Annual Autonomous Snowplow Competition
en teams from seven institutions Tcompeted in the 10th Annual Autonomous Snowplow Competition (ASC) held January 16–18, 2020, in Minneapolis, with the University of Plowing Minnesota-Twin Cities’s “Snow Squirrel” begins. taking home the top honors. Snow Squirrel’s competitors included sponsored by the ION’s Satellite Division “driveway,” respectively. entries from Case Western Reserve and corporate contributors. This year Teams had a total of 20 minutes University, Dunwoody College of Dunwoody College of Technology hosted for each run, including setup of any Technology, Lake Area Technical and sponsored the ASC operations. necessary supporting navigation aids. Institute, North Dakota State University, Dunwoody, based in Minneapolis, The goal was to plow as much snow out University of Michigan-Dearborn, and has competed in the ASC since the of the snowfield as possible. Teams were Université Laval. competition’s inception in 2010. penalized for not moving snow into the The purpose of the Autonomous Transitioning the competition to designated plowed-snow zones or if their Snowplow Competition is to challenge Dunwoody College of Technology will snowplow vehicle did not autonomously university and college students to ensure longevity of the program through return to the garage. design, build, and operate a fully continued institutional and faculty Two stationary objects, simulating posts autonomous snowplow to remove snow support. Dunwoody’s familiarity with or trees, were positioned in each field with from a designated path. This enterprise ASC provided a very smooth transition one being located inside the plowable encourages participants to employ for the college to take on this leadership snow path and the other outside of the state-of-the-art navigation and control role. snow path. The plows had to navigate technologies that can enable their around the stationary objects. If the object machines to rapidly, accurately, and safely The 2020 Challenges moved or was touched by the plow, the clear a path of snow. Competing teams described their team incurred a penalty. robot design and autonomous technology As in past years, obstacle avoidance New Leadership, Sponsor in student poster presentations and proved to be a particular challenge. A few Previously, the Institute of Navigation’s participated in two separate “plowing teams were able to avoid the obstacle, North Star Section (ION), led by Section competitions.” These consisted of clearing but most of them received a deduction Chair Suneel Sheikh and North Star single and double I-shaped snowfields in points as their plow moved or tipped members, hosted the event in full, largely representative of a “sidewalk” and a the object. The double-I field especially challenged teams due to its large size, which required more complicated plowing strategies to place the plowed snow into the specified zones. The larger field meant the machines had to move extra weight due to the increased volume of snow. Most teams continue to use state- of-the-art navigation systems, such as LIDAR, optical navigation systems, inertial instruments, magnetic sensors, ultrawide-band radio reflectors, visual Volunteers ready odometry, and GNSS. Many sensor costs "I-course" for have continued to decrease since the competition. expensive high-grade sensors were used
ION Newsletter 14 Spring 2020 APNT & GNSS VULNERABILITY
Members of the 2020 ASC win- ning team, Snow Squirrel, from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, looking on at the moment their vehicle won the competition. Competition judges (pictured in white vests) included both former Honeywell employ- ees and team sponsors. in the early years of the competition. Vehicle and navigation designs have progressed towards a more 2020 ASC Competitors marketable approach, which someday will likely result in a commercial autonomous snowplow University/Affiliation Snowplow Vehicle Name product. Case Western Reserve University OTTO Winners and Awards Case Western Reserve University Milou Competition awards included cash prizes and certificates for all teams. Each of the winning Dunwoody College of Technology Snow Devils 10102 teams also received Snow Globes, which have Dunwoody College of Technology Wendigo 2020 become a coveted tradition of the competition. Dunwoody College of Technology Wechuge 2020 In addition to the University of Minnesota’s first-place finish, three teams from Dunwoody Lake Area Technical Institute Frozone College of Technology took the second, third, and North Dakota State University Frosty the Snow Plow fourth places. Université Laval VAUL The Dr. Nattu Golden Smile Award, named after the late University of Michigan-Dearborn University of Michigan, Dearborn Yeti X advisor who was an avid supporter of and partici- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Snow Squirrel pant in the ASC, went to one of the new entries, Université Laval, for its enthusiasm throughout Western Reserve University. televised in-studio interview. Further, the event and selfless support of other compet- Numerous spectators stopped by video and interview clips were features ing teams. The Golden Shovel award for the best the ASC to check out the action. on the nightly news programs of many Student Poster Presentation was earned by Case The ASC event was featured on a local television stations on the day of the event. To learn more about the competi- tion and view videos, press coverage, photos, and information about the 2020 competition, please visit
Spring 2020 15 ION Newsletter ION TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE SPOTLIGHT Dr . Jihye Park the 2012 International Technical Meeting (ITM), which was my very first in-person participation. I’ve been a member ever since.
2. What is your favorite aspect of being a member of ION? My favorite part of being an ION member is attending the ION meetings, which are my favorite conferences, since I can stay current on various PNT research and can remain connected to the community by meeting people in my field.
3. What type of GNSS Dr. Jihye Park attending the ION GNSS+ work do you do cur- 2019 volunteer luncheon in Miami, Florida. rently, or have you done in the past? I focus mostly on remote sensing using This column features one of ION’s local instructors whose studio is now GNSS radio signals. In the past, I was Technical Representatives each quarter closed. Alas, while the yoga instruction actively working on ionospheric monitor- to highlight the depth and breadth of was excellent, it was hard to recreate the ing for detecting the signatures of various their work, research, and interests. 90-degree Fahrenheit studio at home. geophysical events, including natural haz- During their two-year terms, the ION’s Travel, another one of Jihye’s favorite ard and man-made events. Another one Technical Representatives guide and activities, will also be on pause for some of my research topics was to analyze the advise The Institute of Navigation and time. A native of South Korea, she has the positioning, navigation, and timing tropospheric response to severe weather traveled widely for personal, educational, (PNT) community. — Interview and events. Recently, my research team is and professional endeavors. Here’s to write-up by Dr. Kyle Wesson working on GNSS-reflectometry (GNSS- both yoga and travel being back to R) to measure variations in water level normal soon. r. Jihye Park is an assistant professor using multi-constellation GNSS. In the meantime, please read on to of geomatics at Oregon State D learn more about Jihye’s involvement University (OSU). We spoke on the first 4. What do you consider some of the with ION. day of OSU’s spring quarter, which was most important current research, also the first day of online courses that education, policy, or technical topics the university established in response to 1. How did you first get involved with in GNSS for the next year? COVID-19. ION? I have seen that GNSS-R is rapidly Jihye had spent the previous week My advisor, Dr. Dorota Grejner- growing recently. The algorithms are — spring break for the students — Brzezinska, a former ION president, becoming ever more mature, and I have converting her classes into an online encouraged her students to check the seen a lot of publications in the past format and wrapping up a current recent GNSS papers from the ION’s few years. As climate change is a hot research project with a colleague. Jihye website and conference proceedings. issue, I am interested in expanding the was ready for this new experience During my Ph.D. work, I researched possibilities of GNSS-R. It has many and had already tested the waters by the state of the art in GNSS, submitted potential uses for monitoring climate participating in an online yoga class from my abstract, and gave a presentation at change such as observing sea level change
ION Newsletter 16 Spring 2020 PNT EXECUTIVE ORDER While Some Wanted More, and soil moisture. Although people in PNT understand It Was a Big Boost for the “Doers.” the importance of GNSS, most public users think of GNSS as a magic tool that Dana Goward saw this delay as the administration try- provides position information at the push Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation ing to create the appearance of action and of a button. I would like to see more pub- concern without really doing anything. n February 12, the White House lic outreach and engagement to cultivate “It’s a classic ploy,” one observed. “You released its “Executive Order young leaders for next-generation GNSS. O can always claim the need for more study on Strengthening National Resilience and push things into the future, perhaps through Responsible Use of Positioning, onto the next administration.” Navigation, and Timing Services.” Others on Capitol Hill saw the execu- Overall, it was a very positive step, tive order as a slap to Congress for its “As climate is a hot helping to raise awareness about PNT’s involvement in directing PNT actions importance within the government and issue, I am interested over the last several years. among the population as a whole. “We mandated a needs study in 2017. in expanding the When it came to specific members In 2018 we funded a technology dem- of the PNT community, though, possibilities of GNSS-R.” onstration and passed a law requiring a what people saw, as you might expect, national resilient timing system by the depended upon where they sat. end of 2020. And now the EO comes Not surprisingly, press releases by the along requiring that the study and demos White House and the federal depart- And, as more fully operational multi- be redone, and ignores the mandate for ments of homeland security, transporta- constellation GNSS become available, the a terrestrial timing system,” complained tion, and commerce hailed the executive integrity and reliability of the new data one senior staffer. “It’s a pretty clear snub order as a major step forward in making products will remain very important, and of the work Congress has done on the the nation more resilient. We understand I look forward to getting more informa- issue.” that an interagency group had labored for tion about this in the next few years. The executive order’s focus on 18 months or so to produce the docu- “responsible use” also caused some ment. Any time you can get such a varied comment. 5. What areas of ION have you been group to agree on something and have One former government engineer involved in, and what areas do you the president sign on, it is a significant remarked, “For 20-odd years government hope to see grow in the future? achievement and will alter the way people policy has been to encourage as much I have been serving as a member of the think and act going forward. use of GPS within the U.S. and abroad ION GNSS+ Satellite Division’s Pub- Outside of official pronouncements, as possible. . . . Now, instead of ensuring lication Committee. I have also served though, reactions tended to fall into three other options are available, they say ‘Be as a track chair and session chair, and, general groups: skeptics, observers, and careful. If something goes wrong, it’s your of course, I am currently serving as an doers. elected technical representative on the fault!’” ION Council. I am happy with my role The Skeptics “That’s a little like the medical and involvement with ION and willing Most of these folks have been clamor- community for years encouraging and to be more active in other areas. ing for action on PNT resilience for quite directing patients to take opioids for some time. They are especially eager for pain. Then, when opioid use becomes a 6. If you were not in your current field, decisive policies and resilient systems to national epidemic, saying patients should what would you want to do for a be in place as soon as possible. have been more careful. . . . If there is a living? All agreed the executive order was a major problem with GPS services, I guess It’s a difficult question. I had so many step forward, possibly an important one. the administration can now say, ‘We told dreams as a child, such as a medical But most were disappointed it did not go you to be more careful.’” doctor, singer, attorney, reporter, even an further. The Observers interior designer. I probably would pick A few also questioned the motivation This group tended to be aware of PNT one of them. Ironically, in my youth, I behind some of its provisions. issues, but not involved on a day-to-day never imagined becoming an engineer, Disappointment that the executive basis. Their general reaction was that the scientist, researcher, or professor — all of order delayed most actions by a year or executive order was a positive and the which I am now! more pending further study was the most common reaction. Some on Capitol Hill continued on page 19
Spring 2020 17 ION Newsletter HEALTHY CONSTELLATION ALLOWS ‘STRATEGIC PAUSE’ Air Force Delays GPS Satellite Launch Due to COVID-19 Situation he United States Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems up to eight times improved anti-jamming capability than its TCenter (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, has predecessor, according to the Air Force. decided to reschedule the launch of GPS III Space Vehicle Num- The current constellation is healthy with 31 satellites on ber 3 (GPS SVN III-3) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to orbit, allowing the team to take this strategic pause without minimize the potential of COVID-19 exposure to the launch crew gaps in coverage or capability. and early-orbit operators. “The GPS system supports vital U.S. and allied opera- The current GPS constellation is healthy, allowing for a strategic tions worldwide, unabated. As the COVID-19 pandemic is a pause to ensure the health and safety of Air Force personnel with- threat to national security, likewise, rescheduling the launch out operational impact. is in the interest of national security,” said Gen. Thomp- Originally scheduled for late April 2020, the launch is now pro- son. “We have to get it right the first time, and protect- jected for no-earlier than June 30, pending a re-evaluation in May. ing our people is just as important as cost, schedule, and “We do not make this decision lightly," said Lt. Gen. John performance.” F. Thompson, SMC commander and program executive officer SMC still plans to complete the next three GPS launches for space. “However, given [that] our GPS constellation remains in 2020. The team is making the necessary preparations to strong, we have the opportunity to make a deliberate decision to protect the health of personnel to allow a swift return to the maintain our mission assurance posture, without introducing ad- mission. ditional health risk to personnel or mission risk to the launch.” “Some of the steps include procedural and facility modi- fications at the GPS III Launch and Checkout Capability The New Generation (LCC) operations center and reducing the on-site crew size The Lockheed Martin–built GPS III-3 is the third modernized to provide adequate physical distancing, per CDC [Centers GPS III satellite that will enter into the operational GPS mission. for Disease Control and Protection] guidelines,” said Col. The GPS III generation will bring three times better accuracy and Edward Byrne, chief of Medium Earth Orbit Space Systems
ION Newsletter 18 Spring 2020 GNSS PROGRAM UPDATES
Division. “Once these efforts are com- PNT Executive Order continued from page 17 huge boost. pleted, and the crews have rehearsed most recent step in a growing national “It doesn’t get much better than having and are deemed proficient and ready to conversation on PNT resilience. the president say what you are doing is execute under these modified condi- The focus on alerting users was appro- important,” said one government em- tions, we fully intend to return to our priate, in the view of many, as changing ployee. “After years of not knowing what I launch cadence for deploying GPS III user behavior is the quickest way to make do, people have come up to me and asked satellites.” systems more resilient and the nation about my work. The increase in visibility GPS III SV03 will be launched into safer. is great. And when you talk about PNT, operational orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 The consensus seemed to be that people pay attention.” rocket. GPS III SV03 will be the second the order achieved as much as it could. As much as we might like to join the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Without a major GPS disruption or a skeptics that complain that the order could mission to be launched on a SpaceX very senior political champion within the have and should have done more, it didn’t. Falcon 9 rocket and the first NSSL mis- administration, the overt, decisive action And since many of “the doers” in govern- sion where a Launch Service Provider is many wanted to see was just not possible. ment were likely involved in drafting the recovering a booster. The interagency group that devel- order, we can be assured that “more” just The SMC’s Production Corps is the oped and negotiated the order was to be wasn’t in the cards. United States Space Force’s acquisition congratulated for achieving perhaps more The most important thing is that the office for producing and delivering GPS than might have been expected. executive order has been a great boost for satellites, ground systems, and military The Doers the most important people in the equation user equipment. The Production Corps’ These folks are the ones in the trenches, — those who are doing the hard work to program management techniques and both in government and the civil sector. make things better and the nation safer. close teaming with Lockheed Martin They do the day-to-day work of creat- What more could we ask for? Space are enabling the production and ing PNT policy and systems to keep the Dana A. Goward is retired from the federal delivery of GPS III’s new civil and warf- nation safe. Senior Executive Service and is president of the ighting capabilities by 2023. For the doers, the executive order was a Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.
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ION Newsletter www.ion.org20 Spring 2020 ® September 21-25, 2020 Exhibit Hall: September 23 and 24 Calendar of Upcoming Events St. Louis Union Station Hotel Corporate MAY 2020 JANUARY 2021 St. Louis, Missouri 23-26: Chinese Satellite Navigation 25-28: ION International Technical Meeting Conference (CSNC), Chengdu, China (ITM) & ION Precise Time and Time Profile Contact: Chinese Satellite Navigation Office Interval (PTTI) Meeting 2021, Hyatt Leonardo S.p.A. Web: www.beidou.org/enindex.htmlCANCELLED Regency Mission Bay, San Diego, www.leonardocompany.com California Contact: ION SEPTEMBER 2020 Web: ion.org 8-11: ION Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) 2020, Northern Kentucky APRIL 2021 Convention Center, Greater Cincinnati, 19-22: ION Pacific PNT Meeting (PNT) With our consolidated indus- Ohio and AFIT, WPAFB, Dayton, Ohio 2021, Hilton Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, trial capabilities, together Contact: ION RESCHEDULED Oahu, Hawaii with our outstanding human Web: ion.org FROM JUNE capital and constant atten- Contact: ION tion to innovation, Leonardo 21-25: ION GNSS+ 2020, St. Louis Union Web: ion.org is one of the top ten players Station Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri in the world in Aerospace, IEEE/ION PLANS 2020 technical JUNE 2021 Defence and Security sector, program to be hosted in parallel at ION 1-4: ION Joint Navigation Conference with revenues of 12.24 billion GNSS+, St. Louis Union Station Hotel, (JNC) 2021, Northern Kentucky euros. St. Louis, Missouri Convention Center, Greater Cincinnati, REGISTER NOW! Air, land, sea, space and cy- Contact: ION Ohio and AFIT, WPAFB, Dayton, Ohio rd berspace: wherever defence Web: ion.org Contact: ION The 33 International Technical and security are needed, our Web: ion.org Meeting2020 of the Satellite Division of customers find in Leon- ardo effective solutions for the Institute of Navigation their requirements in each of these areas through a U.S. DoT Announces Grant complete and integrated of- fer in strategic sectors such Competition for University as helicopters, aeronautics, unmanned systems, defence Transportation Research Centers and security electronics, defence systems, satellite s part of its University 3. Implications of Accessible systems and services. ATransportation Centers (UTC) Automated Vehicles and Mobility program, the U.S. Department of Services for People with Disabilities Leonardo designs, manufac- tures and integrates Position, Transportation (DoT) is seeking 4. Strategic Implications of Changing Navigation and Timing (PNT) applications from institutions of higher Public Transportation Travel Trends. equipment for installation education for four new Tier 1 UTCs, Only U.S. nonprofit institutions of on avionic, naval and land with total awards of $4.925 million. higher education are eligible to apply military platforms and has “Our University Transportation or to be members of a proposed UTC developed a significant ex- Centers are not only the seeds of our consortium. Nonprofit institutions of perience and expertise in the Galileo technologies. Leon- future transportation system, they serve higher education may include qualifying ardo participates in several as living labs, bringing research to reality. two-year institutions. European funded projects for Four new UTCs will address a variety of These Tier 1 UTCs will support the definition and develop- important 21st century transportation research needs that DoT has identified ment of the future Navigation topics,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary under two of the FAST Act research technologies. Diana Furchtgott-Roth. priorities (49 U.S.C. § 6503(c)(1)): Through the Notice of Funding “Promoting Safety” and “Improving Opportunity, DoT intends to fund one Mobility of People and Goods.” For more information on corpo- UTC in each of the following specific This Notice of Funding Opportunity rate membership in the Institute of Navigation, please contact topic areas: (NOFO) is available now at
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ION Releases GNSS SDR Metadata Standard The formal standards document is free and available for down- he Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Software load from the ION website at
ION Historian Marvin B. May receives an ION Library dedication plaque from Pennsylvania State University’s Navigation Research and Development Center. Pictured: Lisa Stewart, Marvin May, and Michael LoQuasto.
ION Newsletter 22 Spring 2020 ION NEWSION NEWS AND AND NOTES NOTES
Navigation Community Loses Well-Known Members George Don Mitchell, Walter F. Lowenstein, former one of the early Blanchard, former ION president, died organizers of the past president of February 21, 2020. Precise Time and the Royal Institute During his tenure Time Interval of Navigation, and as ION president (PTTI) Systems regular contributor (1994–95), a period and Applications to the early years of of major change Meeting, passed the Satellite Divi- and rapid expansion in the organization, away March 5, 2020, sion’s ION GPS meeting, passed away Lowenstein governed with grace and at the age of 84. March 8, 2020, at the age of 89. discretion. He was ION president Mitchell developed, encouraged, and Blanchard was deeply involved in the during the Institute’s 50th anniversary coordinated the interaction between the formation of the Transit Navy satellite celebration and supervised the PTTI user community and the timing navigation system in the United States, Institute’s 50-year celebratory activities. hardware developers and manufacturers which he introduced to the European Lowenstein was a mechanical engineering through his contributions to the Precise marine market. He later became an in- graduate of the City College of New York Time and Time Interval meeting. dependent consultant and was involved and New York University. He served as a Over the years, he worked for or in the first use of differential GPS in the Navy civilian engineer for 42 years. From represented, some of the PTTI Skyfix system, using Inmarsat satellites. 1983–1996, he was the GPS Division community’s most prominent vendors, Blanchard was an RIN Fellow and Head at the Naval Air Development including Austron, TrueTime, Datum, RIN president (1993-96) and is a past Center, Warminster, Pennsylvania, where Symmetricom, Microsemi, Spectracom, recipient of the ION’s Thurlow Award among his many other duties, he founded and Geil Marketing. (1994). the GPS Central Engineering Activity.
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