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Drones<\/h3>\n
2017 could well become the year in which unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) become comprehensively regulated by national and international bodies. With a proliferation of private and commercial devices being seen around the world, and with a broad range of industries investigating the benefits of UAVs for them, the need for regulation has never been greater.<\/p>\n
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Enough has been written about the dangers to people, to infrastructure, and even to commercial airliners for it not to need re-emphasizing. To address these dangers regulatory bodies are already convening to both classify UAVs and put in place clear guidelines visible to everyone. The standardizing of altitude restrictions and geofencing will lead to a further legal dependency on positioning sensors \u2013 primarily GNSS \u2013 and could result in regulation of testing: an advantage to those already prepared.<\/p>\n
Personal Devices<\/h3>\n
As the use of GNSS receivers in personal devices increases, the size of the devices in question decreases. This is, obviously, not always the case \u2013 indeed, many mobile phone product lines are getting bigger with each iteration \u2013 but miniaturization is a key topic for 2017. New miniaturized multi-GNSS receivers, drawing less power than ever before whilst generating a high degree of accuracy, are changing what\u2019s possible in a device.<\/p>\n
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However, it\u2019s not as simple as having space for a receiver, integrating the receiver, and having a reliable GNSS-enabled device. Just because it fits does not mean it will work! Enabling GNSS in your device opens a myriad of new opportunities, but a robust testing plan can be the real driver for success.<\/p>\n
Timing<\/h3>\n
There\u2019s a growing awareness of GNSS vulnerabilities and the impact on networks reliant on GNSS time. In 2016 we saw how a time error, caused by a software error, could knock out a nationwide radio network (for more information see this BBC article<\/a><\/span>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It seems probable that, at some stage, standards bodies will include testing procedures into GNSS requirements for critical networks. The likelihood of a satellite failure increases as more existing satellites \u2013 particularly in the GPS constellation \u2013 move beyond their original designated lifespan, meaning protecting yourself against such an event is already an important consideration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n