Don't Get Lost In Times Of National Crisis
from the navigating-nowhere dept
Now that more and more people are coming to rely on GPS navigation systems (sometimes at their own peril), it sounds like people shouldn’t get to be too reliant on such systems during times of national crisis. The government is looking at how they can shut down the entire GPS system to prevent terrorists from using it, even if it will make your Hertz NeverLost quite lost. This isn’t all that surprising. It is a government system, after all, and they have tested jamming it in the past. However, it’s a worthwhile reminder for all those who are hoping to build increasingly complex systems based on GPS (especially within mobile phones) that the technology might not always be on.
Comments on “Don't Get Lost In Times Of National Crisis”
Couldn't they already do this?
I thought the GPS system could be set to send incorrect information in times of war, and you needed a special code to decode the signal and get the correct information (given only to the US army).
No Subject Given
Galileo will be along soon …..
Re: No Subject Given
and u dont think there is a (secret) agreement to allow the usa to request scheulded maintenaince or otherwise be unavalaible when it suits them. nato still exits… while i aplaud the eu for creating their own system, recent copyright & dmca type laws show their “comradeship” with the usa or perhaps its a lawyer / lobbyist / vague corruption thing…
Re: Re: No Subject Given
Oh, are the russians going to “maintenance window” GLONASS at US whim?
for the safety of our very way of life!
the internet will soon be shut down as well. terrorists could in fact use it to do harm. the govt did build it, so it is their perrogative.
bah.
No Subject Given
The article says it will require “extraordinary” circumstances. Since WAAS approaches were just approved, it is now legal for aircraft to make instrument approaches with only GPS and WAAS… so the circumstances will require grounding of aviation fleet in the affected area… we’ve only done that once: 9/11. There are still questions regarding whether or not we really needed to ground the entire US airspace. Given the previously unforseen mechanisim, the grounding is understandable. But next time? Which is worse?
Good that they are thinking these things through in advance. But really, “Hertz Neverlost” was the most impactful thing you could think of? If something happens that triggers this, automobile navigation is the least of our worries…
Re: No Subject Given
One reason that this WON’T happen is that the military now relies on civilian GPS’s, because there aren’t a lot of military-grade devices to go around, so soldiers bought their own.
Re: Re: No Subject Given
> One reason that this WON’T happen is that the military now relies on civilian GPS’s, because there aren’t a lot of military-grade devices to go
> around, so soldiers bought their own.
since when does bushco care about military grunts ??