ISRO organises user meet of Global Navigation Satellite System

BANGALORE: A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) User Meet was organised jointly by ISRO and Airports Authority of India at ISRO Satellite Centre, here today. Dr T K Alex, Member, Space Commission and Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) inaugurated the meet. E K Bharat Bhushan, Director General, DGCA, was also present. Two technical sessions and a panel discussion were held during the meet. An overview of GAGAN and IRNSS navigation projects was presented by A S Ganeshan, Project Director, Navigation systems. Experts in satellite based navigation presented their experiences and expertise on utilising the navigation signals for precise positioning and civil aviation and several other services, an ISRO release said. Various leading Indian industries showcased their products in an impressive exhibition organised as a part of the meet. A panel discussion with the theme ‘’Opportunities and Challenges in utilising navigation signals over Indian region’ was chaired S K Shiva Kumar, Associate Director, and ISAC with members from academia, industry and ISRO. Navigation has become an integral part of human activity. The space based navigation system has emerged as a forerunner in providing the position, velocity and timing services. ISRO has identifi ed Satellite Navigation as an important thrust area by planning GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) and the upcoming IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System). ISRO and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are implementing the GAGAN project as Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) for the Indian Airspace and Safety of Life applications. The GAGAN Signal-In-Space is now available for civilian users since December 15, 2011. Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) system being developed by ISRO is a regional navigation satellite system providing navigation services over the Indian region that will provide the user a position accuracy that is better than 20meters on a 24/7 allweather basis. Over 250 delegates from government, industry, and academia participated in the meet. The objective of this user meet is to provide a thrust in the development of GNSS based applications and user receivers utilising GAGAN and IRNSS navigation signals in India, the release said. The user meet aims to link industry, users and service providers enabling them to share information to promote navigation and positioning satellite systems for transportation, disaster management, environment and agriculture. The meet provides an opportunity to the industry on the infi nite possibilities of using navigation signals and its spin-offs. The media was however not invited for the meet.