Good article from O'Reilly Radar. It's worth reading it all, but here's the nut:
One of the advantages of military UAVs is that they're often designed to operate in "GPS denied" environments, by using dead reckoning, image processing and other navigation techniques. Indoor work with SLAM, which doesn't use GPS, is useful in developing alternatives, too.The core issue is that GPS technology has been built into many crucial infrastructure applications, from transportation systems to power grids, and in many cases there is no fallback option should the GPS signals suddenly become unavailable. GPS has many advantages, but it is not particularly secure or robust in terms of interference, due to its relatively weak signal strength. GPS hasn't failed in any major way yet, but concerns are growing with recent reports of strong solar storms that have the potential to disrupt GPS satellites, and a troubling, growing black market of GPS-jamming devices.
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From Wiki..."The Galaxy 15 satellite ceased responding to control commands between April 5, 2010, when solar activity damaged the spacecraft’s communication package, and December 23, 2010, when its battery drained and the Baseband Equipment command unit reset."
@Duanne
Exactly! People dislike change (new things) but change is the one constant in life... Go figure.
Back to GPS.... there are several plans by others to compete with GPS but.... The Europeans keep failing to fund theirs, China has plans to complete a global system by 2020, a very ambitious schedule which is likely not to be met.
The title of the article is "Are we too reliant on GPS" and we can ask the same question about other modern marvels, computers, antibiotics, autos, cell phones and so on.
Welcome to the modern world with all it's marvels and associated problems. I love it.
@Dano, Real Manufacturing as a percentage of the U.S. Economy has Been as follows:
53% 1965 -- Let's go to the moon, drive some awesome vettes, try some new toys in Vietnam
39% 1988 -- Bass Group buys ailing American Savings and Loan with $2Billion in Federal funding,
detroit gives a Plymouth Reliant, Space Shuttle flights resume following Discovery incident
25% 1975 -- Vietnam ends, 6.9 billion dollar bailout to New York City, Microsoft is founded
9% 2004 -- Last Oldsmobile rolls off the assembly line, Ubuntu is released
Most people that are in debt might consider getting a second job to stay afloat,
the track record listed here indicates to me the country has quit its full time job,
went with a minimal part-time job, and began sponging off its friends.
"The cause of the failure was human error that happened days before the blackout, when maintenance personnel incorrectly set a protective relay..."
Couldn't easily find one to support your point - but it is possible that such an event might occur, though I don't think I've ever heard of it actually happening
"Buy American what Daddy?"
Philip Dick v2.0? OMG we got too depressed. It should be forbidden.
I agree with Jack...the tipping point is coming..
The USA economy as we've know it since 1970 is smoke and mirrors..40 years to go from a
creditor to a debtor nation..soon our interest payments on our debt will exceed any possibility
of repayment..even if we are all taxed at a 100% rate, and that is when it will happen, the Dollar
will be demoted from its premier trading status. The dollar will be viewed as overvalued and
dollar investments will begin to be sold off. A disastrous freefall in the dollars value will ensue, followed
by a seige economy placing severe restrictions on imports (finally) as no other government will be
willing or able to prop up the dollar. Hyper-inflation will be the new way of life with a perpetual
economic depression that will last decades.
....in the not too distant depression future...some boys are at a nearby landfill rummaging for materials they
can trade for food vouchers. One of them brings home his take in a box and scatters them
across his garage floor and picks up the metal sign he was proud to find..carrying it into the house,
he approached his father and said, 'look what I found Dad! Pretty cool isn't it'. The father said,
'looks like its' seen better days son, let's clean it up so we can take a better look at it.'
Upon washing it, the lettering became clearer,...the son read it aloud...."Buy American"...and he
paused with a quizzical look on his face, then asked, Buy American what Daddy?
The father knew the answer, he struggled for words in an attempt to put it in relative context,
but there would be too much needing to be explained. He knew he was an accomplice in this tragedy,
as was everyone, he thought to himself as looked at his son...What future have we left him?
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