OREANDA-NEWS. June 02, 2010. The 4th International Satellite Navigation Forum opened in Moscow's Expocenter.
The main goal of the project is to inform a wide audience in Russia and abroad about satellite navigation innovations. The participants are given detailed information on cellular network positioning services and technologies, on various industrial applications and subscriber equipment developed by leading Russian and foreign companies and on the experience of the top Russian companies. The Forum puts special emphasis on the Russian GLONASS navigation system and various aspects of its use in Russia.

The 2010 International Satellite Navigation Forum program targets end users of satellite navigation and covers all aspects of its successful commercial application.

Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov made presentation “About State Policy in Application of Navigation Technologies in Russian Economy”.

“My presentation is rather boring”, Perminov began his speech. “But, on the other hand it is of high importance, since it shows influence of the state policy on evolution and application of navigation technologies in Russian economy. GLONASS system is of high importance among the other significant innovative projects. GLONASS development and evolution in the framework of the Global Navigation System Federal Special Program is one of prioritized goals in modernization of Russian economy

How did it start? First, in a regular way, it was a resolution by the President of the Russian Federation. This was Order № 638 of May 17, 2007, which defined provision of the GLONASS signal to users, arrangement of GLONASS support and maintenance, as well as evolution prospective up to 2020.

The state policy for global navigation systems is built on the basic principles aimed at maintaining economical evolution of the state, developing conditions for wide-range GLONASS application of GLONASS not only in Russia, but abroad as well.

According to program review, the main objectives are being accomplished (status of June 1, 2010). Orbital constellation is one of the major elements of the program. It’s core shall comprise 24 spacecraft. As for today, there are 23 spacecraft in orbit, 21 of them maintaining nominal operations, with 2 providing redundancy. The current GLONASS constellation supports coverage on the Russian territory and in the Northern regions. Positioning accuracy is about 6 m.  

Total deployment of the orbital constellation is expected in 2010. Taking into account upgrades of the ground control premises, the accuracy shall reach up to  5,5m in 2010, and up to 2,8 m in 2011.

In 2010, we plan to start flight tests of the Glonass-K spacecraft, with improved precision and operational parameters, comparable with the other similar systems. Actually, there is only one similar system in the world- GPS. 

There is another important way in the program, which is development and organization of the navigators’ serial production.

33 samples of common-use and 38 special-purpose navigators are under production now. Roscosmos company has initiated production of GLONASS/GPS mass-use navigators.

Production of chip-sets, GLONASS receivers and devices, modules for navigators are the main directions of development on the market of navigation technologies. 

However modern user devices are not enough for effective application of the GLONASS system. Introduction of navigation technologies for the benefits of social and economical evolution of Russia is one of the high-priority objectives here.

Russian Ministry of Transport has equipped 20% of airplanes, 30% of ships, 63% of road vehicles with GLONASS/GPS (status of June 1, 2010).

According to the experts’ estimation, the major economical effect of GLONASS application is achieved in the road transport. In line with our program, navigation devices shall be installed on 100% of road vehicles in the ministries and authorities of the Russian Federation by 2011.

Today, 59 regions of the Russian Federation carry out pilot projects which apply navigation technologies in different economical branches (dispatcher, transport monitoring, high-precise positioning systems). 

Automobile bridge equipped with status monitoring navigation devices and sensors is operational in Krasnoyarsk since 2008.  We offered similar approach for the bridge in Volgograd, due to complications with its maintenance. I believe that such outfitting shall be implemented for all hydrotechnical facilities and bridges in our country for safety monitoring.

Typical equipment is being used to monitor large sporting complexes since 2009. A pilot project of this type is in process in Odintsovo.

Our operator initiates introduction of navigation technologies in Sochi. Transport monitoring center is functioning here, and more than 600 transport vehicles are equipped with navigation devices.

Following resolution № 549 of the Russian Government, Federal Network operator has been established. It is to maintain united technological control in the sphere of navigation, to provide navigation and data services for state and other needs, and- the main thing- to support innovative evolution of the mass market for navigation and data services. These objectives are being accomplished by the operator in timely manner.

Several large-scale projects are being carried out by the GLONASS operator. Among them, there are development of transport and logistics system for the 2014-th Olympics in Sochi, control of the militia’s mobile squads, monitoring systems for the teams of Russian EMERCOM, etc. 

In parallel, introduction of navigation technologies is achieved through digital navigation maps. The importance of this effort was confirmed by the Chairman of Russian Government Vladimir Putin who made relevant orders in April 2010. We have developed the set of actions together with other Ministeries  and authorities, in order to make the necessary digital maps available by 2011.

We pay much attention to international cooperation. Roscosmos sees wide prospective for widening GLONASS application on the global level.

The most actual branches of international cooperation are presented by compatibility and replaceability support for navigation satellite systems and their functional auxiliary equipment, e.g. with US GPS, EU’s Galileo, and future Chinese Baidow. Then, there comes joint development of GLONASS’GPS devices,  and accommodation of the Russian navigation monitoring stations at the territories of foreign countries. 

The first Russian-US satellite navigation joint venture Rusnavgeoset can serve as a good example of such cooperation. The idea to establish it belongs to Russian Space Systems company. 

The goal of this venture is to support commercialization of GLONASS, to promote application of navigation technologies in the Russian market, to modify technological infrastructure of the state.

GLONASS evolution up to 2020 is to be defined in a new version of the program.

The new program is aimed at mass introduction of national navigation technologies, guaranteed provision of any navigational service for any user, enhancement of GLONASS parameters, etc.

Accomplishment of the goals set up in the new program will provide the opportunity to maintain the service for the wide range of users through enlarging GLONASS capabilities. This will also contribute into modernization of the national economy.

To conclude, it is worth saying that the President and the Government of the Russian Federation pay significant attention to accelerated development and evolution of the GLONASS system, to maintain its competitiveness, effective introduction of the navigation technologies, enhancements of international cooperation.

I wish the attendees of the Forum to have fruitful and successful work here. Our Forum shall become a locomotive for GLONASS evolution with the help of the decisions to be made on the international level in order to achieve the goals I described above”.