Posts Tagged ‘gps rescue systems’
In last week’s post we talked about some of the failings of the current emergency rescue systems. This week we talk about what’s being done to remedy these problems.
The next generation of emergency location is DASS (Distress Alerting Satellite System) and local government agencies and NASA are working together to make it fully operational within the next couple of years. The biggest change involves switching from low-Earth orbit satellites to the medium-Earth orbit GPS satellites. With the ongoing work done by the U.S. Air Force to keep GPS constellation as the ‘gold standard’ in navigation this is a huge advantage over the current system.
Nine GPS satellites are already equipped with the new technology, with 12 more planned. Teams are in the middle of testing the new technology, as well as working with international agencies such as Galileo and GLONASS to extend the reach of DASS from North America to Europe and Russia.
Is the current emergency system too slow?
You probably don’t want to be reading this if you are on a sinking ship or lost in the woods but current emergency beacons can take up to an hour before search and rescue is alerted to your crisis and provided with your location details.
Hopefully your situation is not so life threatening that you can’t comfortably wait an hour before being rescued. However, there are times where minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Here are a few scenarios* where you want to be rescued in a hurry:
