206
GPS privatization in 3...
Lemme guess, Starlink will magically be suggested.
Yeah. It's grift. They want a privatized solution.
Or GLONASS
Pretty much every GPS-capable device made in the last decade uses all systems available: GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), and Galileo (EU).
For those who are unfamiliar with it:
GLONASS (ГЛОНАСС, IPA: [ɡɫɐˈnas]; Russian: Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, romanized: Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, lit. 'Global Navigation Satellite System') is a Russian satellite navigation system operating as part of a radionavigation-satellite service.
We're too dependent on a technology that we spent tens of billions of dollars researching and perfecting over decades of research!
Possibly the dumbest statement I've heard this week.
It's not as dumb as you make it out. The issue isn't that GPS is really, really good at what it does; it's that it's also incredibly vulnerable to disruption and spoofing. And due to the particulars of how GPS works, we can't entirely fix that. We can do some things to ameliorate it, but a lot of those aren't suitable for smaller things that use GPS today.
The other thing is that GPS largely replaced a tremendous number of other navigation aides and techniques, including other radio-navigation systems like LORAN-C.
It's also just a generally bad idea to be too dependent on a single system. If GPS reception fails for one reason or another, it would be good idea to have a backup.
Nah the idea is sound. As someone else said, GPS is incredibly fragile. Also very terrestrial...it doesn't work once you leave the atmosphere.
This will probably be another SpaceX grift, but there are alternative technologies that are more resilient to attack. From military/defense perspective (the original reason for GPS), that's pretty important.
GPS is incredibly fragile.
No, not really. The GPS signal isn't designed to penetrate concrete, no. But that doesn't make it fragile.
Also very terrestrial…it doesn’t work once you leave the atmosphere.
Considering it was never meant to...that's really not that goddamn weird. It's a global positioning satellite system. So clearly for it to work you have to be on the fuckin' globe...
Having functional GPS in a tunnel would be very nice...as someone who drives through Boston and fucking hates tunnels.
But that's not what I meant by fragile. I meant it can be disrupted/jammed fairly trivially.
Having functional GPS in a tunnel would be very nice
In a tunnel
a tunnel
tunnel
I fear for the world. You afraid that you're gonna make a wrong turn? Inside of a tunnel? A fuckin' tunnel my guy?
You have clearly never driven on 93 through Boston where the person you replied to said they are from (aka the Big Dig). It is basically an entire highway that is underneath the city. There are many on and off ramps, lanes suddenly become exit only, complex multi-lane exits that branch...it's intimidating. As somebody that has lived in the Boston area for 15 years now, I still mess things up.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)
it doesn't work once you leave the atmosphere.
Fun fact: just this past week an experiment on a lunar lander confirmed that GPS signals can be detected from the surface of the moon. I don't know if those signals can give any kind of location precision, but it is an interesting finding.
They're already are multiple alternatives to GPS. GPS is the American navigation system, but there's also GNSS which is mostly used in Europe and Scandinavia. There are other systems for other parts of the world, even the North and South pole now.
Everyone just uses GPS universally though.
there's also GNSS which is mostly used in Europe and Scandinavia
GNSS is the generic term that covers all satellite navigation systems (GPS included).
Galileo is the EU/ESA system you're thinking of.
GLONASS (Russian) and BeiDou (Chinese) are the other two major constellations with global coverage. The only other full system I know of is NavIC, which is Indian and has only regional coverage.
Most devices actually connect to all of them. I've just checked my phone, and it's connected to all of GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou. People just say "GPS" because it's catchier than "GNSS".
I kinda like the British word "satnav".
Is constellation the actual term for a set of satellites now?
Isn't GPS a US project?
We can’t rely on the Global(ist) Positioning System!
Why not just stop being reliant on cars... you know... put down more rail.... use.. trains...
In comes starlink to the rescue. But in typical Musk fashion it won't doesn't do what's advertised and cost a shit ton more
It's literally him convincing someone to sell their house that they own outright to rent from him because it's somehow much better (for him of course). It's so fucking stupid.
Remember that time he claimed Teslas windows were shatterproof and indestructable. Then he throws a baseball and the window instantly shatters?
load more comments
(4 replies)
Reject modernity, return to sextant.
Dont need a sextant if you dont leave your house
What if we built a system of beacon transmitters that sent out pulses and then used recievers that would compare arrival times of those pulses to make a measurement, thus establishing positional location?
We could call it the Long Range something or other. I’m open to suggestions. Need a catchy name!
How do we call these assholes and tell them to get their heads out of Muskovitch's ass?
Wonder if they want to track all phones with a different system.
Don't need GPS to track phones. You triangulate the receivers.
Too often, the vertical location (Z-axis) information that 911 call centers receive is not easily usable
So...use the barometer in tandem with GPS? This is shit I can easily track from my personal Homassistant server.
Also, you know how to make GPS more reliable, secure, and redundant? You launch more GPS satellites.
Also, you know how to make GPS more reliable, secure, and redundant? You launch more GPS satellites.
But where will we find room for more Starlink satellites if we do that? Elon said he needs another contract, and when the boss says jump...!
/s
Lmao what a fucking dipshit
Sounds like this guy couldn't find his own ass with two hands, a compass and a GPS receiver.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Whatever happened to radio ranging?
That shit was super coolio.
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2025
206 points (100.0% liked)
Technology
64937 readers
3590 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS