Commercialization Opportunities
The Earth Sciences Sector is seeking expressions of interest regarding the following intellectual property:
GPS-C: A “real-time” Global Positioning System (GPS) correction service
Notice of commercial opportunity
The Commercial Opportunity
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering a commercial licence for the distribution of Global Positioning System correction information. This wide-area GPS data correction service, called GPS-C, has been developed by the Geodetic Survey Division of NRCan over the last decade. GPS-C provides a competitive advantage by improving GPS positioning in the field to the one metre and better level of accuracy (from the standard 9 metre GPS specification) and provides virtually complete North American coverage. Moreover, GPS-C already has an established community of users of GPS-C data through an existing L-band broadcast service called the Canada-wide Differential GPS Service (since 2003).
The Technology
Using a North American network of ground reference stations, GPS-C generates precise satellite orbits and clocks, and ionospheric model information for a wide area differential GPS correction. It uses accepted international standards for data correction, and the continuous development of the correction software will soon yield position accuracies in the range of 10-20 cm or better. NRCan is committed to continued operation and improvement of the systems which generate GPS-C information.
Commercial Potential
The global civilian market for wide-area corrected GPS data is estimated to be in the area of $1 billion. This technology has commercial applications in any industry that requires instantaneous and continuous accurate spatial positioning including:
| Agriculture | Security and Tracking | Mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Oil and Gas | Submarine Telecommunications | Forestry |
| Civil Engineering | Inshore and Coastal Applications | Environment |
| Mineral Exploration | Mining |
The potential also exists for using GPS-C corrected data for time synchronizing applications.
Options for distributing GPS-C data include:
- Acquire, under a separate licence, the right to operate and improve an existing Canadian-based distribution service called Canada-Wide Differential GPS Service, or CDGPS (currently operated by the Canadian Council on Geomatics).
- Develop and operate a new space-based broadcast service to distribute GPS-C data.
- Develop and operate an Internet Protocol-based service that uses wireless infrastructure.
- Combinations of the above or other solutions in keeping with this offering.
Interested? Your Next Steps
- A detailed technical information package is available.
- Interested companies are encouraged to request a Applicant Information Package for their use in preparing and submitting a commercial proposal for GPS-C. The Applicant Information Package may be requested using the contact information provided below.
Contact
Information Management and Client Services
Geodetic Survey Division
Natural Resources Canada
615 Booth St Ottawa ON
K1A 0E9
Telephone: 613-995-4410
Fax: 613-995-3215