May 2007 (vol. 8, no. 5), art. no. 0704-o5007
1541-4922 © 2007 IEEE
Published by the IEEE Computer Society
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Greg Goth
The Global Positioning System has long occupied a central role for imagery applications, such as those
used in agriculture and defense to characterize terrain features. And GPS navigation applications are
critical, of course, in aviation. However, a general market for the GPS has emerged only recently in
personal navigation devices. Remember how cool that first GPS receiver was on the dashboard of a
rental car?
The infrastructure for satellite-assisted navigation is poised to grow rapidly within the next four or five
years, and the electronics industry is preparing to offer new receivers and services for mass markets,
with special emphasis on mobile phones. Electronics Canada, a research and publishing firm,
estimates that global value of GPS products will grow to more than US$30 billion in 2008, up from $13
billion in 2003 (http://www.electronics.ca/reports/rfid/gps.html), and Gartner Group analysts predict
that almost 40 percent of handsets will support GPS by the end of 2010
(http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?ref=g_blog&id=498745).
“I think there’s a bit of a revolution going on, to be honest with you,” says John Pottle, marketing
director for Spirent, a UK-based manufacturer of electronics testing equipment used by GPS and
handset manufacturers. “We’re heading from a world where people are aware of this technology to
one where people are really using it in their day-to-day life. At Spirent, we believe GNSS [global
navigation satellite system] will become the fifth utility and a key part of all our lives, just like
electricity or telephone are today.”
Third-generation GPS
Another UK-based company, single-chip wireless device designer CSR, recently invested heavily in the
GPS market, purchasing two GPS startups: Swedish firm Nordnav and UK-based Cambridge
Positioning Systems. Stuart Strickland, manager of CSR’s GPS business unit, says the satellite
navigation market is about to enter its third generation, one marked by mass acceptance, with its
concomitant high user expectations and low user expertise.
“The early-generation receivers were used by eccentric niche markets, like hikers and boaters, or
special-purpose users very aware of the limitations of the technology,” Strickland says. “These people
were willing to point their units at the sky and wait 15 minutes for a signal. Engineering for low power
consumption was important, but expectations were low.”
Personal navigation devices represented a breakthrough, Strickland says. Even though the underlying
technology was essentially the same as in earlier applications, the power requirements weren’t
constrained because the PNDs ran on the alternator in a car or boat. “Consumer expectation was
higher," Strickland explains, “so there was a lot of effort in improving the user interface.” The
advances will show up in third-generation systems, he says. “Instead of just taking your device hiking
or driving, we’re shifting to a market where people can take this with them everywhere.”
Competition for GPS?
Today, the GPS is the only functional satellite navigational system. Launched and operated by the US
government, the GPS became fully operational in 1995. It now consists of 30 satellites, although the
IEEE Distributed Systems Online (vol. 8, no. 5), art. no. 0704-o5007 1