Satellites are still ＂weaving webs＂ in the Beidou era, it will take time
People who live in big cities feel like they can’t walk if they go out without mobile phone navigation. What makes people even more intolerable is the blind guidance of stupid navigation. "I always quarrel with navigation, so angry that I can’t even drop my phone." Some netizens said.
"The navigation function can be accurate to within 1 meter, and it can clearly locate the specific lane…" Recently, a news of "Beidou Map APP is expected to be launched on May 1" quickly exploded Moments. The report pointed out that this is a basic location-based service tool based on Beidou satellite precision navigation services, which can provide mobile, real-time positioning and navigation as well as location-based clothing, food, housing, transportation and business information services for the majority of users.
In this regard, some netizens expressed extreme excitement, "Amazing, my Beidou". Others said, "Farewell, Americans’ GPS". However, some people expressed doubts, what is the relationship between the Beidou map APP and Beidou navigation? Beidou has entered people’s lives from "news" so quickly?
The Beidou system cannot produce electronic maps
"The Beidou Map APP is not directly related to the Beidou Satellite Navigation System (BDS) in nature. The Beidou Map APP is a mobile application end point software similar to Autonavi Maps and Baidu Maps. As for whether the map end point software displays the positioning results of GPS or the positioning results of BDS, it depends on the hardware configuration of the end point such as the mobile phone and the navigator." On April 13, Dr. Wang Yongquan, chairperson of the Shanghai Sinan Satellite Navigation Technology joint stock company, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily.
In this regard, Cao Chong, chief scientist of the China Satellite Navigation and Positioning Association, said that the Beidou system is indeed related to the navigation electronic map, because the use of the Beidou system positioning function to achieve navigation must be expressed in the form of a map. However, the formulation of the Beidou map is questionable. Because whether the Beidou system or the GPS system is used, the same map is used, and there is no Beidou map.
On the difference between the Beidou system and Baidu and Autonavi, Xu Ying, a researcher at the Institute of Optoelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a young scientist of the Beidou system, introduced that the Beidou system and GPS are both global satellite navigation and positioning systems, generally composed of satellites, ground stations and user end points, which mainly provide location information, especially three-dimensional information such as longitude, latitude and altitude. Baidu, Autonavi, etc. are map software, which mainly provide location-based value-added services, such as displaying location, planning routes, providing congestion conditions, etc. Its core is maps, which require many means when drawing, such as remote sensing satellites, map observation vehicles, drone observations, etc.
"The Beidou system is a navigation system. Baidu or Autonavi can use the positioning results of the Beidou system to output the location. The two are not on the same level at all. As for the Beidou map APP, it may just be called Beidou map, just like the Ursa Major map and the Ursa Minor map, and it has nothing to do with the Beidou satellite navigation system." Xu Ying said.
Seeing this news, the Beidou editor of the WeChat official account of China’s Beidou satellite navigation system couldn’t sit still. On April 10, the Beidou editor refuted rumors through the WeChat official account that the functions of the Beidou system are positioning, navigation, timing, and short messages. Electronic maps like Baidu and Autonavi only involve the positioning function of the Beidou system and its derivative location-based service function. As for the core map images in these electronic maps, which involve remote sensing satellites to obtain images and other technical means, it really has nothing to do with the Beidou system. "In other words, the Beidou system can only provide certain technical support for electronic maps, and if the Beidou system produces an electronic map, it is really impossible for the concubine to do it!" The Beidou editor "cried".
All major satellite navigation systems are compatible with each other
At present, there are four major satellite navigation systems in the world, GPS in the United States, GLONASS (GLONASS) in Russia, BDS (Beidou) in China and Galileo (Galileo) in the European Union. Experts say that if you have to say the difference between Beidou and GPS, it is that "Beidou is its own, GPS is American".
As a satellite navigation system independently developed by our country, Beidou Navigation has gone through 24 years since the project was established in 1994. In 2012, the Beidou-2 system successfully launched the 16th satellite. Two months later, the system was officially put into operation, and the service area covered the Asia-Pacific. At present, Beidou positioning has entered the third stage. A total of 31 satellites have been launched, and it is expected that 35 satellites will be launched around 2020 to meet the global user service mainly in Asia.
"From a technical point of view, the Beidou navigation system is very advanced. What GPS can do, the Beidou system can also do it; what GPS can’t do, the Beidou system can still do it." Wang Dacheng, head of the Smart City Engineering Department of the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said proudly.
However, even so, the Beidou editor also said in the WeChat official account of China’s Beidou satellite navigation system that the so-called "no GPS, only Beidou" in many coverage "does not exist". Now satellite navigation applications are basically multi-mode. That is to say, in order to give users a better experience, major satellite navigation systems are compatible and complementary to each other, so that users can enjoy uninterrupted positioning services. Beidou editor applauds everyone’s patriotism, but has to tell you the truth realistically.
Moreover, the Beidou system has been adhering to the concept of "China’s Beidou, the world’s Beidou" since the beginning of its construction. The Beidou system is an open and inclusive system, and is willing to work with satellite navigation systems around the world to benefit mankind and serve the world. At present, the Beidou system has been compatible and interoperable with GPS and GLONASS systems. Therefore, when you use related satellite navigation applications in the future, you should receive more system signals with higher accuracy.
Wang Yongquan said that the navigation precision claimed by the Beidou Map APP only means that the map itself may be more fine and accurate, not just using BDS and saying goodbye to GPS. In the future, various navigation end points or professional equipment can use the signals of multiple satellite navigation systems at the same time, realize multi-system joint positioning or navigation, and provide users with more accurate and reliable positioning results. Compared with the GPS system, BDS also has a message service function. The user end point of the Beidou system has a two-way message communication function. Users can transmit 40-60 Chinese characters of message information at a time. This function can provide certain communication services in some special environments.
Empowering urban management to bring convenience to life
In fact, Beidou has been widely used in the field of industry and national defense, such as: precision surveying and mapping, power timing, intelligent driving test, precision agriculture, and new drones and smart cars. The centimeter-level high-precision positioning end point based on the Beidou satellite navigation system is playing an irreplaceable important "role". The short message service of the Beidou system can send its location to the outside world when the base station is damaged and there is no signal. This won precious time for the golden rescue in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
"In the next three years, more end points such as mobile phones, bicycles, and wearable devices will use Beidou high-precision positioning services, empowering city management and bringing convenience to people’s lives." Industry insiders predict.
In the opinion of Peng Ling, a researcher at the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beidou satellites need to be widely used, and the cost is still relatively high, and the performance stability needs to be further improved. Some industry insiders say that taking the chip as an example, due to manufacturing process problems, if the GPS chip is 10 yuan, the Beidou chip is 30 yuan. Enterprises need to control costs. If they want to mass-produce Beidou chips, how many companies are willing to spend more than 20 yuan?
Then there is the downstream user end. Although many Android brand mobile phones, especially domestic mobile phones, such as OPPO, vivo, Huawei, and Xiaomi, have been able to support the Beidou navigation system in recent years, Apple mobile phones, which account for a large share of the smartphone market, still do not support it. This may lead to embarrassing situations such as domestic mobile phones that cannot be used abroad where the Beidou navigation system is not yet covered, or Apple mobile phones are not suitable.
In this regard, Wang Yongquan seems more optimistic, "Take the public navigation as an example, most of the mobile phones and car navigation devices we use now support the joint behavior of GPS and BDS at the same time, but users can’t feel it, and many people will not care which satellite system is used for navigation." Wang Yongquan said, "By 2020, with the completion of the global network of BDS, BDS will be fully compatible with GPS, GLONASS and Galileo systems, and it will definitely be more widely used around the world."
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The civilian function of Beidou navigation system
Personal location-based service: When entering an unfamiliar place, you can use a mobile phone or in-car satellite navigation device equipped with a Beidou satellite navigation receiver chip to find the route to take.
Meteorological applications: The development of meteorological applications of Beidou navigation satellites can promote China’s weather analysis and numerical weather forecasting, climate change monitoring and prediction, and can also improve the level of space weather early warning operations, enhancing China’s ability to prevent and mitigate disasters.
Road traffic management: Satellite navigation will help reduce traffic congestion and improve road traffic management. By installing satellite navigation receivers and data transmitters on vehicles, the vehicle’s location information can be automatically forwarded to the central station in a few seconds. This location information can be used for road traffic management.
Railway intelligent transportation: Satellite navigation will promote the upgrading and transformation of traditional transportation methods. For example, in the field of railway transportation, by installing satellite navigation end point equipment, train travel intervals can be greatly shortened, transportation costs can be reduced, and transportation efficiency can be effectively improved. Beidou satellite navigation system will provide high-reliability and high-precision positioning, speed measurement, and timing services, promote the modernization of railway transportation, and realize the transformation of traditional dispatching to intelligent transportation management.
Maritime and water transportation: Most of the ships traveling in the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes are equipped with satellite navigation end point equipment, making sea and water transportation more efficient and safe. The Beidou satellite navigation system will provide navigation, positioning and safety protection for ships sailing on the water under any weather conditions. At the same time, the unique short message communication function of the Beidou satellite navigation system will support the development of various new services.
Air transportation: Using the advantages of satellite navigation accurate positioning and speed measurement, the instantaneous position of the aircraft can be determined in real time, effectively reducing the safe distance between aircraft, and even in foggy weather conditions, automatic blind landing can be realized, greatly improving flight safety and airport operation efficiency. By effectively combining the Beidou satellite navigation system with other systems, it will provide more security for air transportation.
Emergency rescue: Satellite navigation has been widely used in search and rescue in deserts, mountainous areas, oceans and other sparsely populated areas. In the event of major disasters such as earthquakes and floods, the key to successful rescue lies in timely understanding of the disaster situation and quickly reaching the rescue site. In addition to navigation and positioning, the Beidou satellite navigation system also has the function of short message communication. Through satellite navigation end point equipment, it can timely report the location and disaster situation, effectively shorten the rescue and search time, improve the timeliness of rescue and disaster relief, and greatly reduce the loss of people’s lives and property.
(The picture in this article comes from the official website of Beidou Satellite Navigation System)