Civilian users of the U.S. Department of Defense-operated Global Positioning System will not be shut out of the planning and acquisition of the next generation of positioning and navigation technology, government officials say.
Civilian agencies that use the Global Positioning System for transportation, surveying and mapping, and agriculture will have more say in how the U.S. Department of Defense designs modifications to the satellite system.
The U.S. Department of Transportation supports ultra-wideband, an emerging technology for communications and positioning, but last week cautioned that more testing is needed to ensure that UWB poses no threat existing transportation safety technology.
Federal officials and representatives of a dozen state departments of transportation on Sunday proved there's momentum behind expanding a satellite positioning system that garners little support from Congress.
Tom Ratledge pushes a black button on the display of his small airplane's control panel and boots up a radar-like view of the west bank of the Kuskokwim River. Color graphics show the boundaries between land and water, as well as arrow-like images that represent other planes flying close by. Ratledge looks at the picture on his display, which represents the position of his own plane, to gauge his distance from other planes and from the ground.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's new strategic plan encourages DOT workers to be innovative and use technology to increase safety and efficiency as they develop new systems over the next five years.
Three contractors have been chosen to design a modernized system to fulfill the U.S. Coast Guard's oldest and most critical mission: search and rescue.
A computer system that can be operated using a glove - along with eye contact and speech recognition - may not be much of a fashion statement. But Rutgers University researchers believe that it's more natural for people to communicate electronically using such a system.
The changing environment of academic research has prompted the National Science Board to consider a study of the cyber infrastructure needed to ensure continuing U.S. leadership in science and engineering.
When NASA officials at opposite ends of the United States try to e-mail a document in time for a meeting with agency Administrator Daniel Goldin, there is no time to waste - and no leeway for outages.
Some aviation users and all nonaviation users were given access to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's satellite-based navigation signal as of Aug. 24, and key decisions about the future capabilities of the US$3 billion system are expected to be made by early September, government and industry officials say.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Aug. 17 awarded a 10-year, $450 million contract to BAE Systems Applied Technologies Inc. to support the FAA's efforts to modernize the air traffic control and management systems.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has tapped a vendor to develop a certification program for FAA information systems security workers.
Problems still exist in the development of displays for the International Space Station's primary command and control computers, NASA's Inspector General reported this month.
The National Science and Technology Council took the next step toward a multiagency initiative to make advances in nanotechnology by releasing a report and implementation plan Thursday for the National Nanotechnology Initiative.