On Thursday, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) published a document outlining current and completed research projects conducted for the U.S. military. Inside the document, which you can download by clicking here, was information on what could be the successor to GPS in the coming years.

If you read this blog at all, then you’re likely aware of how incredibly pervasive and useful GPS has become as well as the potential downfalls of GPS. All it takes is one GPS jammer, which can be purchased online, or the correct conditions to make the signals unusable so it’s no surprise that the government has been working on alternative technologies.  read more

German cycling accessory company Lezyne has made its first forays into the world of GPS this year with the announcement of a series of new GPS cycling computers, one of which is said to be the world’s smallest cycling computer. All three models in Lezyne’s GPS line are expected to be available in the United States  in May, although the smaller versions may be here as soon as next month. read more

Just in case you didn’t already have enough reasons to purchase one of Globalstar’s SPOT Satellite GPS devices for your outdoor personal safety, the company recently announced that it has celebrated its 1,000th initiated rescue in Canada this year. Launched in 2007, this company specalizes in helping outdoor enthusiasts stay safe while they do what they do, providing S.O.S. notifications and life-saving technology to everyone.

According to the press release, the company has initiated more than 3,500 rescues around the globe since its launch. Most of the Canadian rescues have been in the British Colombia area, with around 376 reported for that region. Other regions include Alberta with 115, Nunavut at 111 and Ontario and Quebec falling at just below 100 each. Most of the rescues were related to hiking/mountain sports, boating/water sports or motor vehicle incidents. read more

These WWII Loran receivers might soon be getting an upgrade for use as a GPS backup

I came across a very official-sounding notice yesterday that the United States government is looking for public comment about the possible revamping and reuse of the WWII Loran system as a backup for GPS and I wanted to share it with you. You might recall that last year the UK began this process as a failsafe should the worst occur to the satellite navigation technology everything seems to rely upon.

Of course, before you get your hopes up, this doesn’t mean that the government has quite given up on the idea of simply dismantling the Loran system, but rather that it has occurred to someone that only having one navigational aid is probably not the best idea. The eLoran (enhanced Long Range Navigation) system will be used as a complimentary and backup PNT system. read more

We’ve talked some about GPS jamming and the problems that it can cause several times in this blog. While it doesn’t directly effect that kind of things that most of you use GPS for, it is still something to be aware of, as jamming is undoubtedly the biggest threat to the safe use of GPS. And, unfortunately, jamming a GPS signal is not only easy, but can be incredibly destructive and dangerous as more and more systems rely on correct GPS signals and information in order to function.  read more

GPS Watches, be they for children or adults, are pretty much a dime a dozen. They’re all basically the same and provide pretty much the exact same functions usually at around the same price. And while AmbyGear does all the things you would expect from a kids GPS tracker/GPSwatch, it also has some other neat uses including games and some geocaching support. read more

GPS is a part of most people’s everyday life, whether they know it or not.  But, because these signals are ever present, I doubt most people really ever stop to think about where GPS comes from, or how it got started.

Today, I stumbled across this kind of neat infographic created by GPS tracking company TruVu, and wanted to share it with you. The infographic gives a timeline for the evolution of use of GPS technology. read more

A NASA research team in Pasadena, California has published results of a study of the ionosphere and how its irregularities can effect GPS and other communications in the far North. Working with the University of New Brunswick in Canada, NASA researchers are attempting to predict when and where ionosphere irregularities might occur in the future.

These ionospheric irregularities can greatly distort GPS signals, causing unreliable data. This is mostly a problem in the far North, but it is definitely an issue for pilots flying in the upper latitudes. This research also has plenty of implications for other sciences such as astronomy. read more

I tend to hesitate to write about crowdfunded Kickstarter projects because a lot of times, they don’t actually pull through. There are complications associated with crowdfunding and such, so the device must be something really interesting to for me to even bother with more than a brief writeup. Well, today, I read about a flashlight that wants to replace, well, everything… and I just had to share.

Meet Fogo, a “smart flashlight” that has probably as many sensors as your smartphone and does just as much. Here’s the list of features that are expected to be included according to the Kickstarter page: read more