Will FAA’s “NextGen” Lead to Friendlier Skies?
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is planning a hotly debated $15-22 billion overhaul of its aging, radar-powered air-traffic-control (ATC) network with a new system called NextGen. Relying on GPS and advanced avionics, NextGen will replace World War II technology which requires ATC staff to keep separation between planes – up to 5,000 per hour – of at least 1,000 feet vertically and 3-5 miles horizontally. But with increasingly crowded skies, concern over air traffic safety and flight delays is rapidly mounting. The new system’s satellite-based network, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), will allow enabled planes to see not only their own precise locations but that of other aircraft – increasing ATC capacity and reducing congestion. In August, the agency awarded ITT a $207 million initial contract to develop and deploy the ADS-B infrastructure, which will be rolled out in stages beginning in 2008. While ADS-B is currently being used successfully by UPS to track planes at its massive Louisville, Kentucky, USA, hub, the FAA is facing negative reaction to its plan. Issues under debate include airport and runway capacity, the public’s response to more air traffic over residential areas, and responsibility for funding the ATC modernization. Congress is scheduled to pass a bill dealing with FAA funding next month. Read more
Call for Papers: 2008 IEEE International Conference on RFID
The IEEE International Conference on RFID (IEEE RFID), scheduled for 16-17 April 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, is one of the leading international technical conferences. IEEE RFID will bring together leading researchers, developers, integrators, and visionaries to discuss and expand their knowledge of technologies, systems, networks, algorithms, and applications that support the development and adoption of RF-based wireless communications and identification systems. Papers presenting new research, innovations, and implementations related to the theory and practice of RFID systems, sensor technologies, and related information system support are requested. All submissions should describe original work not previously published or currently under review for publication in another conference or journal and must be submitted by 19 December 2007. Learn more
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New Software Expected to Improve Military Radio Communication
Spectrum Signal Processing has announced the development of new technology that will make radio communication on the battlefield easier and more reliable. Military radios face the unique challenge of processing broadband communications from satellite links, in addition to the slower, unit-to-unit messages transmitted on the battlefield. The new signal processing software, known as “waveform physical layer software”, will play a key role in both terrestrial and satellite transceivers. The waveform physical layer software, Spectrum’s version of software-defined radio, is expected to dominate radio design in the coming years. Read more
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New Mobile Technologies Take Nokia Phones into the Future
Nokia recently demonstrated new technologies and discussed advanced research at its Research Center in Oulu, Finland. Highlights included Mosh, a one-to-many distribution platform where developers can publish mobile applications and content for global users, and WidSets, a mobile Internet service where more than 3 million users currently share content and publish their own widgets using Web 2.0 tools. Advanced visual capabilities on mobile devices include “point and find” technology that uses a phone’s built-in camera to give people information related to their location, and “shoot to translate” technology that takes written characters captured with a camera on a multimedia device and translates them into another language. Nokia also reported on the growing popularity of its Beta Labs website, where users can help shape the future development of mobile technologies. Read more
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Cisco to Acquire WiMax Firm to Reach Emerging Markets
Cisco has announced plans for a US $330-million purchase of Mobile WiMax company Navini Networks in a move to address rapidly growing markets for broadband wireless services. Navini’s WiMax hardware uses “beamforming” technology with Multi-Input, Multi-Output antennas designed to improve the performance and range for WiMax services and lower the deployment and operational costs for service providers. Extending its WiFi and WiFi-Mesh portfolio, Cisco expects the acquisition to help enhance its IP Next Generation technology in pursuit of the company’s “Connected Life” vision, enabling service providers to deliver any service to any device over any network. Cisco also said WiMax products are important to its Country Transformation and Digital Inclusion initiatives to drive broadband penetration in emerging countries. Read more
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Why “How” Matters Just As Much As “What”
Soft skills may make all the difference in how marketable you are – especially when others can equal or improve upon your performance, according to an interview in Business Week Online with Dov Seidman, author of How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything...in Business (and in Life). "I've come to believe that how individuals and companies think, behave, and govern themselves can set them apart, facilitate stronger relationships, and enable greater successes," says Seidman when talking about creating a successful business culture. Seidman also contends that mantras like "By any means necessary" and "Just do it" have no place in the modern workplace because "they encourage behaviors that, when discovered, threaten the very success they hope to achieve." Read more
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IEEE Transactions on Robotics is Top-Rated Robotics Journal in Re-Issued 2006 Journal Citation Reports
IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) is the top ranking journal in the robotics category in the 2006 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) with an impact factor of 1.763, the highest in this category. The impact factor is a calculated figure indicating the average number of times articles published in the previous two years are cited in the current year.
When the JCR was originally published in June, T-RO appeared to have slipped to third place in this category. After the data was analyzed by Editor-in-Chief Alessandro De Luca, it was determined that a number of 2006 citations were missing. The JCR publisher, Thomson Scientific, confirmed the error and corrected it in the recently re-issued version of the 2006 JCR. JCR includes data for nearly 6,200 highly cited titles in a wide variety of disciplines.
The IEEE Transactions on Robotics has ranked number one in the Robotics category for several years and specifically for the five year period 2002 - 2006.
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Software Defined Radio Forum to Vote on Key Documents
The Software Defined Radio (SDR) Forum, the non-profit industry association supporting the advancement of reconfigurable wireless technology, will vote for the approval of four important initiatives at its annual conference and product exposition early this month in Denver, Colorado, USA. The ballot initiatives include a derivation of cognitive radio applications for public safety to help first responders communicate more effectively; a document on cognitive radio definitions developed in collaboration with the IEEE P1900.1 group to provide a single set of definitions supported by both organizations; and a smart antenna application programming interface (API) specification that addresses a key need in the SDR community. The forth initiative outlines recommendations to NASA for its Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) on the continued evolution toward an open standard, rather than one unique to NASA. Read more
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Register Now for Consumer Communications & Networking Conference
The IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC 2008), sponsored by IEEE Communications Society, will bring together researchers, developers, and practitioners from academia and industry working in all areas of consumer communications and networking. The conference is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 10-12 January 2008. CCNC 2008 will present the latest developments and technical solutions in the areas of home networking, consumer networking, enabling technologies (such as middleware), and novel applications and services. The conference will include a peer-reviewed program of tutorials and technical, business application, and demonstration sessions. Keynote speakers include Dr. Henry Tirri, Research Fellow and Head of System Centers for Nokia, and Dr. Hosoo Lee, Executive VP/Director of Software Laboratories in Corporate Technology Operations for Samsung Electronics. Early registration discounts are in effect until 7 December 2007. Learn more
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ITU Radiocommunication Assembly Meets on Future of Mobile Telecommunications
Convening in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radiocommunication Assembly approved new developments for its 3G standards. These include the deployment of a range of voice, data, and multimedia services to both stationary and mobile devices – setting the stage for mobile Internet in both urban and rural markets. The Assembly also moved to include WiMax-derived technology in the (International Mobile Standard) IMT-2000 set of standards, and formally recognized technology derived from IEEE 802.16 by incorporating it as the sixth terrestrial IMT-2000 radio interface. The new technologies are expected to facilitate the delivery of broadband wireless services at lower costs and include multiple wireless broadband Internet services such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Read more
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Broadband Service Much Needed by Rural Small Business Owners
Operating in areas beyond the reach of DSL and cable broadband service, rural small business owners say that broadband access is critical to their success. In a survey conducted by Hughes Network Systems, LLC, nearly 100% of 600 business owners and managers said they use the Internet for business purposes regularly. Formerly dependent on slow, unreliable dial-up connections, they are now able to use satellite broadband to handle primary needs of customer communications, research, and order processing, along with operating company websites, downloading files, and managing inventory. The growing use of satellite broadband by rural small businesses is also confirmed by a Public Technology, Inc. white paper. Read more
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