engleski

Satellite navigation as a component of national infrastructure

The impact of satellite navigation systems to economy and society maintains a steady and firm growth. Raising number of economic, social and national systems embed the American GPS and forthcoming European Galileo systems within their architecture. This growing importance of satellite navigation systems is driven by assumption of flawless, robust and reliable provision of free positioning service to the society in general. The emergence of satellite navigation systems has succeeded in full exploitation of natural inclination of mankind towards orientation and navigation. As any technological system made by humans, satellite navigation systems do not provide perfect performance. Various sources of errors and disruptions can cause malfunctioning and deteriorated performance, in spite of the fact that satellite navigation systems still provide un-beatable quality of service. Hidden danger of giving the unlimited confidence in satellite navigation systems' performance can fairly easily lead to disastrous consequences, considering the number of technological, economical and social systems relying more or less on satellite navigation systems. Here it is argued that satellite navigation systems' quality of service and performance should be continuously and closely monitored. It is in the nature of satellite navigation sources of disruptions, that some of them act locally or regionally, making them a responsibility of local society. Herewith it is argued that responsibility for continuous monitoring and assisting sustainability of satellite navigation performance in local area should be partly in hand of national governments. Thus, satellite navigation systems become a component of national infrastructure. Governments should help in sustaining the performance of satellite navigation systems and providing robust and reliable quality of service of satellite navigation systems, thus assisting in national economic growth and providing a framework for sustainable development.

satellite navigation system; national infrastructure

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