What is GLONASS?

Lazada Philippines

We often see GLONASS listed on the specifications of most mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, but it’s arguably one of the useful features that some of us often take for granted or know little about. So we pay tribute to this unsung feature and give you guys a brief overview of what it is and what it does.

GLONASS, Russia’s gift to the world

GLONASS, acronym for “Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema” or “Global Navigation Satellite System” was first developed in the city of Zheleznogorsk back in the 1976, in an effort to replace clunky satellite-based radio navigation system (Tskilon) at that time.

GLONASS-K
GLONASS-K Satellite (Image Source)

Six years later, the first three GLONASS satellites took flight aboard the Proton rocket, though only one of the three is functional. This was followed by numerous satellite-laden rocket launches in the succeeding years, and by April of 1991, the Soviet Union had successfully put up 43 GLONASS-related satellites in space, including five test satellites.

In the same year, the USSR ceased to exist, leaving the GLONASS project in the hands of the Russian Federation which further developed the system in the years that followed.

GLONASS as we know today

Since 2007, the Russian government have been promoting the use of GLONASS on automotive and consumers electronic devices such as mobile phones and navigation devices for cars.

ZTE 945
The ZTE V945 was the world’s first smartphone that supports both GPS and GLONASS.

But it’s only in 2011 that GLONASS’ really rose to fame, during which time both processor and smartphone manufacturers have begun adopting the technology and integrating it on their own products. Soon other companies followed suit.

How it works

In a nutshell, GLONASS is another set of satellites, 24 to be exact, on top of GPS sats that further improves accuracy and reliability of navigation devices. In most cases, GPS satellites suffice in providing near-accurate results for your map apps and navigation accessories on your car.

GLONASS

But in order to get an accurate result out of a GPS-enabled device, it needs to a have clear line-of-sight to at least four (4) satellites out of the 27 sats out in space. If there are fewer obstructions like tall buildings, identifying your current location or giving you an accurate direction to where you’re headed is just a walk in the park for your GPS device.

However, in highly urbanized areas, some devices struggle to meet the required 4 satellites, resulting to poor navigation results and inaccuracy. Thus, having extra 24 satellites, the GLONASS, speeds up the process of pinpointing a specific location, as well as improving the accuracy of location-based applications.

Final words

I personally think that GLONASS is one of the most underrated feature of consumer electronic devices. I’m not sure why, but it’s one of those non-glamorous features that you can’t really brag about, yet it’s probably one of the most helpful feature on your smartphone or tablet, especially for those who often use location-based on a daily basis.

In the end, I don’t think that this article, or any related content for that matter, will make anyone develop an appreciation for GLONASS and its significant contribution to the way we navigate in this day and age. But at least now we have insights on what it is, and not just an acronym or jargon we sometimes see on a device’s specs sheet.

The post What is GLONASS? appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

What is GLONASS?

Lazada Philippines

We often see GLONASS listed on the specifications of most mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, but it’s arguably one of the useful features that some of us often take for granted or know little about. So we pay tribute to this unsung feature and give you guys a brief overview of what it is and what it does.

GLONASS, Russia’s gift to the world

GLONASS, acronym for “Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema” or “Global Navigation Satellite System” was first developed in the city of Zheleznogorsk back in the 1976, in an effort to replace clunky satellite-based radio navigation system (Tskilon) at that time.

GLONASS-K
GLONASS-K Satellite (Image Source)

Six years later, the first three GLONASS satellites took flight aboard the Proton rocket, though only one of the three is functional. This was followed by numerous satellite-laden rocket launches in the succeeding years, and by April of 1991, the Soviet Union had successfully put up 43 GLONASS-related satellites in space, including five test satellites.

In the same year, the USSR ceased to exist, leaving the GLONASS project in the hands of the Russian Federation which further developed the system in the years that followed.

GLONASS as we know today

Since 2007, the Russian government have been promoting the use of GLONASS on automotive and consumers electronic devices such as mobile phones and navigation devices for cars.

ZTE 945
The ZTE V945 was the world’s first smartphone that supports both GPS and GLONASS.

But it’s only in 2011 that GLONASS’ really rose to fame, during which time both processor and smartphone manufacturers have begun adopting the technology and integrating it on their own products. Soon other companies followed suit.

How it works

In a nutshell, GLONASS is another set of satellites, 24 to be exact, on top of GPS sats that further improves accuracy and reliability of navigation devices. In most cases, GPS satellites suffice in providing near-accurate results for your map apps and navigation accessories on your car.

GLONASS

But in order to get an accurate result out of a GPS-enabled device, it needs to a have clear line-of-sight to at least four (4) satellites out of the 27 sats out in space. If there are fewer obstructions like tall buildings, identifying your current location or giving you an accurate direction to where you’re headed is just a walk in the park for your GPS device.

However, in highly urbanized areas, some devices struggle to meet the required 4 satellites, resulting to poor navigation results and inaccuracy. Thus, having extra 24 satellites, the GLONASS, speeds up the process of pinpointing a specific location, as well as improving the accuracy of location-based applications.

Final words

I personally think that GLONASS is one of the most underrated feature of consumer electronic devices. I’m not sure why, but it’s one of those non-glamorous features that you can’t really brag about, yet it’s probably one of the most helpful feature on your smartphone or tablet, especially for those who often use location-based on a daily basis.

In the end, I don’t think that this article, or any related content for that matter, will make anyone develop an appreciation for GLONASS and its significant contribution to the way we navigate in this day and age. But at least now we have insights on what it is, and not just an acronym or jargon we sometimes see on a device’s specs sheet.

The post What is GLONASS? appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

#TBT: Iter Avto, the first in-car navigation device

Long before humans thought of putting satellites in space and use them for GPS tracking, there’s this device called the Iter Avto which aid drivers to navigate their way around the block.

Invented in the 1930’s, the Iter Avto comes with a set of paper maps that were rolled inside its fairly large body. It is then connected to the car’s speedometer which basically dictates the pace in which the Iter Avto scrolls the maps to show the approximate location of the driver.

Unfortunately, despite of its bulky frame, the Iter Avto can only accommodate a certain number of maps. This means that when a driver needs to veer away from the road that’s currently being display, he/she needs to swap the map with the appropriate one and determine where they are on the map in order to proceed.

Apart from what was mentioned above, little is known about the origins of the Iter Avto, who invented it and which cars were equipped with it. This is probably because the device didn’t really take off because cars, in general, were still too costly for most people back then.

The post #TBT: Iter Avto, the first in-car navigation device appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Waze app: how to use your phone to outsmart Cebu traffic

“IN 200 meters,” the Waze app on the phone said, “turn right.”

We were headed to Marco Polo Plaza Cebu and were near the Banilad flyover on our way to the IT Park when Waze, the driving application I was running on my phone, gave the direction to turn right.

Waze had determined, by going through its database of roads in Cebu and reports of traffic conditions sent in by users, that the quickest route for us was to go to that neighborhood behind Gaisano Country Mall, pass through Camp Lapu-Lapu and a small side road and emerge on our way up to the hotel.

But I’ve never passed that neighborhood behind Gaisano Country Mall for years and didn’t know whether we could find our way out of it or even whether we could get in Camp Lapu-Lapu, which is a military facility.

Waze app GPS navigation

Although the Waze app had brought us quickly to where we were, 200 meters before Gaisano Country Mall, I had a mind to ignore the device and follow the route I’d normally take, which is to go straight Gov. M. Cuenco Ave. and then turn right to Jose Maria del Mar St. to enter IT Park.

Waze app uses GPS, traffic reports from users

EASY TO USE. The Waze mobile app is easy to use to navigate streets and submit traffic and road incident reports.

But I decided to follow Waze’s advice, I’m testing it for a column piece anyway, I told myself. Corner by corner, the app navigated us, via voice cues, through the neighborhood near Camp Lapu-Lapu, right through the camp itself and out near JY Square.

And, as Waze had done so for weeks that I’ve been using it, we cut travel time by several minutes.

Waze, for the unfamiliar, is an application that you install into your Android or iOS device to help you navigate traffic. It uses GPS or global positioning system to track where you are, where you want to go and how you can go there fast.

It does this by getting route and driving data from the devices of its users and receiving reports from them. Users can report traffic jams and their severity, accidents, hazards and even police.

The system was founded in Israel and became very popular all over the world that Google bought it for $1.03 billion. The traffic reports are now starting to be integrated in Google Maps.

Easy to use

If you drive, Waze is an app that you should install. It’s for free. But for it to work, you need to turn on our phone’s GPS or location service and have a working mobile data connection.

Waze app GPS route

FASTEST ROUTE. Waze gives you suggested routes to where you are headed and offers the fastest way to get there, taking into account traffic conditions.

Using it is very straightforward. To go somewhere, you just choose navigate and search for the location of the place you are headed to. To simplify regular commute, it allows you to save locations you frequent like work, home etc. Reporting traffic situations is also easy, provided you have good mobile Internet connection.

The Waze app, being free and easy to deploy, is a great solution to dealing with traffic in an area like Cebu. Closed circuit cameras, which the City is deploying albeit not only for traffic but also to monitor crime, can only do so much and aren’t as useful on the phone.

It would help our situation if more people would use apps like Waze and if government can help improve the system by populating it with field reports from enforcers.

The City already has a traffic reporting system via a system built on Android phones deployed on select taxicabs. By running the Waze app in them and encouraging drivers to send reports, other commuters will be able to take advantage of that rich traffic data.

The post Waze app: how to use your phone to outsmart Cebu traffic appeared first on Leon Kilat : The Tech Experiments.