GPS of the Future: Why the French Should Let Us Use Their Satellites

GPS is on the verge of a turbo performance upgrade.  Those cranky Frenchmen are in the process of deploying 30 new satellites  by 2008. Galileo (leave it to the French to name their system after an Italian) will locate you anywhere on the planet, even indoors, marking you in increments of an astounding 3 feet.  Your current GPS unit, serviced by U.S. Air Force satellites, marks you at around 15 feet. Our satellite system won’t be upgraded until 2013.

The government’s priority is servicing our military, not you and me.  In fact, the Air Force can and will block us out in a potential national emergency.  While Galileo will operate in a national emergency, it won’t be free. You must pay to find yourself in this new global community’s smaller circle.

Can you believe that we may have to depend on the French to find our way through the deer woods or float wilderness streams?  I think it would be grand if they just gave us free GPS in the next decade. After all, we’ve given them free sky maps and my father did help liberate them from Germany almost 60 years ago.  It’s the least they can do.

Comments

[Duane]

So the French system wll be accurate to within 3 feet, while our own system is earmarked at 15. Well I don't know about the rest of you, but "Accurate to within 15 feet" gives me a 30' radius circle of error around any waypoint. I hope my woodsman skills are adequate enough to find what I'm looking for within that 30' circle. Come on now, our grandfathers had no such gadgets and navigated the wilderness just fine. In all seriousness, is this level of accuracy really that necessary? Open your eyes and stop relying on a technological crutch in the woods.

Besides, wasn't the original reason for the US military's 15' damper to keep potential terrorists from using our own GPS net as a navigational system for pinpoint munitions?

Thank you
Duane M Choquette

[samiam]

Yes, 30 ft is good enough, but 6 feet is better ! But I go further: let's incorporate technology to give us sub-centimeter accuracy, which is currently available with the existing US satellite system. That would be cool. No guessing or looking at all within that 30 ft circle. Necessary ? No, not really. Fun, convenient, and super accurate ? Yes. Why not ?

[randy]

I agree, if you get within a 30ft radius and can't find what your looking for, go back home and put away your camo......