Robust Surface Navigation could be an alternative to GPS

The Global Positioning System, shorted as GPS, has a major impact in the developed country, being used by many persons, starting from military personnel and ending with the common citizen. Unfortunately, being the only such system operational at the time speaking, the world depends on it. The event of something happening to the system could really cause chaos. That’s why the United States are trying to develop some alternative technologies which should be unable to fulfill the GPS’s tasks in case the last one is unusable.

Like we know, several communities are trying to develop their own positioning systems, in order to get away from the GPS tutelage, obtaining independence. The Galileo is one of them, developed bye the European Union, that is planned to go online in 2011-2012. The Galileo will not have global coverage, being only local, covering Europe. And even though it will bring some enhancements to the GPS it won’t be able to replace it. Some alternative systems are developed by Russia, on the ruins of the old GLONASS remaining from the Soviet Union period, and China, with the Beidou project, that is operational at a local scale and is planned to go global in the future.

OK, all these systems are based on satellites, but a satellite’s signal is limited somehow. It can be electronically jammed and can’t pass beyond solid obstacles, like big buildings or bunkers. That’s why the US Minister of Defence has given the green light for the RSN (Robust Surface Navigation) project, developed by the joint forces of some major companies under the lead of the giant Boeing. With this system USA will get an enhanced replacement for the GPS, cause nowadays they depend on it. Their entire Defense Strategy, with the anti ballistic Curtain and intelligent weapons is based on the GPS, and if something were to happen to the system, the US territory could be in great danger.

But what is this RSN? The purpose of the project is simple: to ensure the same functions as the GPS, and some enhancements if possible, in order to be used when and where the GPS technology is unusable. But the implementation is a little bizarre, cause the technology utilizes the electromagnetic waves emitted by satellites and the major communication networks, like the radio, TV and mobile telecommunication towers.

The only navigation system with global coverage, the GPS, could be replaced with the new RSN project somewhere in the future

The project is demanding and innovative, but is backed up by some big "brains". Companies like ROSUM, NAVSYS and Shared Spectrum are part of the group developing the RSN. Bart Ferell, the project’s manager, from Boeing, declared that "Leveraging the technical expertise and capabilities of this exceptionally strong team will help ensure the development of a very robust integrated system for surface navigation". These names should tell you something if you’re into technology, but if not, keep reading.

NAVSYS is involved in GPS hardware and software engineering, promoting GPS usage in a wide variety of military and commercial domains. Shared Spectrum has been developing some innovative radio technologies, already used in military applications, especially around the defence communications area of expertize. ROSUM is promoting the mixtures between the GPS, mobile and television technologies. It was the first company to use the GPS in order to improve the TV signal quality in difficult conditions and also the first to be able to locate a mobile phone terminal position using the TV waves.

Impressing no? That’s why I’m confident the joint forces of these companies won’t let us down, and come out with a great new territorial navigation system. The first phase of the program will take more then an year, and after it we will be able to know for sure if the Robust Surface Navigation project is doable or not. But, one way or another, they’ll succeed. Nothing is impossible, it’s just a matter of time after all… 

Source: Gizmag