The chip that spells doom for GPS

TUCKED AWAY among the more 'TV camera friendly' exhibits at a technology Open Day held by Siemens today was a tiny 4 mm by 4 mm chip which will help Europe pioneer its rival to America's GPS satellite location system.

The technology showcase was held at Roke Manor in Romsey, one of many R&D centres which feeds the fruits of its research back into the Siemens manufacturing empire. Much of the research done at Roke is aimed at established technologies such as 3G/UMTS. They've demonstrated 3G working on an airliner - connecting back to a terrestrial base station rather than a satellite, for example.

However, a team led by Keith Tomkinson has modified technology developed for DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) for use as Gallileo satellite receivers. Tomkinson says that Gallileo offers far more useful services than GPS. Its accuracy to within 4 metres will mean that aircraft will be able to fly direct 'great circle' routes across the globe rather than having to follow along corridors in order to stay in radar contact. Tomkinson is raring to go as all the Gallileo system now needs is the equivalent of a main contractor. His colleague, Zoran Dobrosavljevic, has developed a Gallileo satellite signal emulator so there's no need to wait for the first satellite to launch in 2004 before testing can start.

Plus the whole system should prove backward compatible with GPS. It'll make GPS look like Stone Age Technology. The INQ was pretty sure all this stuff shouldn't have leaked out yet so we snuck a blurred photo of the chips while their backs were turned. µ

L'INQS
www.roke.co.uk