The European Space Solutions Conference, recently held in London by the initiative of the European Commission, was witness to very important steps for
European GNSS downstream industry, it was claimed in a statement from Galileo Services at the end of January.

The EC Vice-President, Antonio Tajani, and the GSA Executive Director, Carlo des Dorides acknowledge the necessity of EU public funds to support EU GNSS application R&D and to ensure benefits from the growing GNSS application market for Europe.

The UK should plan now to mitigate the effects of a rare but potentially serious
solar superstorm, according to a report published on 7th February by the Royal
Academy of Engineering. Although the UK is better prepared than many
countries, there are areas where the nation needs to improve its resilience.

The Academy’s report, Extreme space weather: impacts on engineered systems
and infrastructure, was drawn up with the help of experts from many different
disciplines. It is the UK’s first in-depth assessment of the potential impacts of
solar superstorms.

After an exhaustive examination of the JAL lithium-ion battery, which comprised eight individual cells, investigators determined that the majority of evidence from the flight data recorder and both thermal and mechanical damage pointed to an initiating event in a single cell. That cell showed multiple signs of short circuiting, leading to a thermal runaway condition, which then cascaded to other cells.

The major update of the World VTS Guide website is now complete and went live in time for the VTS Symposium. During the symposium, held in Istanbul last September, a paper was presented to the audience of 335 professional VTS attendees on the new website and an Exhibition Stand was also available to demonstrate the new system and answer any questions. It was very helpful to meet many of our users to explain our philosophy and show them how the new content management system works.

The General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA) of the United Kingdom and Ireland have commenced preparations for replacement and upgrading of the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) equipment for their waters. This upgrading will allow differential corrections to be transmitted for future GNSS and additional signals
from existing GNSS. There will be no changes to the broadcast parameters (frequency, range and so forth). This was advised in a Notice to Mariners issued in mid-January.

The Seventh Meeting of the International Committee on GNSS (ICG) was held in Beijing, China from 5 to 9 November 2012. The meeting was hosted by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. IAIN was represented by Elisabeth Fischer (OVN). The 7th ICG meeting had around 190 participants, ranging from government representations to intergovernmental and nongovernmental organisations.

The Seventh Meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite
Systems (ICG) was held in Beijing, China from 4 to 9 November 2012, to continue
reviewing and discussing developments in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and to allow ICG members, associate members, and observers to address recent developments in their organizations and associations with regard to GNSS services and applications.

The General Lighthouse Authorities of the UK and Ireland (GLA) have announced that ships in the Port of Dover, its approaches and part of the Dover Strait can now use eLoran radio navigation technology as a backup to satnav systems like GPS and Galileo. The ground based eLoran system provides alternative position and timing signals for improved navigational safety. The Dover area, the world’s busiest shipping lane, is the first in the world to achieve this initial operational capability (IOC) for shipping companies operating both passenger and
cargo services.