Is China’s New GPS System Better Than Ours?
- Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:16pm by
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Originally posted on Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz.
China is now one step closer to becoming the top economic and military superpower in the world: its Beidou geo-positioning system is now fully armed and operational.
Here’s a NTDTV report:
Why is this important?
Accurately knowing where you are on planet Earth is one of the most powerful technologies any country can have.
Beidou cuts China’s dependency of the American GPS system completely. It means that they would be able to launch any attack and move their forces around the world without any US interference. Right now, the United States can deactivate their Global Positioning System so nobody can use it in certain areas. That includes enemy armies. After Beidou, however, this will be impossible.
How accurate is Beidou?
Civilian transports would be able to know where they are within a range of 10 meters. They would also be able to record speed with a 0.2 metres-per-second error margin and synchronize their clocks with an accuracy of 0.02 millionths of a second. This is way better than the United States’ GPS system, which has an accuracy of 20 meters (66 ft). Garmin claims that their receivers are accurate to within 15 meters on average, which is worse than the accuracy claimed by the Chinese.
Like GPS, however, Beidou has two modes: civilian and military. The Chinese military will have even more accuracy. They haven’t disclosed by how much.
The US military and other agencies use augmentation systems that provide higher accuracy. GPS.gov claims that “these enable real-time positioning to within a few centimeters, and post-mission measurements at the millimeter level.” Right now, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin are working on GPS III. It will greatly increase accuracy while giving a stronger signal, harder to jam and capable of penetrating areas in which the current GPS doesn’t work.
What does it cover?
Right now they have ten geo-positioning satellites in orbit covering China. By 2012 they will have 16 to cover most of Asia and, by 2020, they will cover the entire world with 35 satellites. That means that their navy, airplanes and land troops would know where they are in any part of the world without depending on the American GPS.
How can they use Beidou?
China will be able to move their civilian transport ships and airplanes all over the world without being dependent on any other country. Their military would also use this system to direct their ships, combat airplanes, drones and land forces in battle.
They would also be able to use Beidou to target any kind of weapons with great accuracy, including cruise missiles.
Who benefits from this?
Apart from the Chinese military, their economic system will have a big boost thanks to Beidou. According to the head of the project talking to China Daily, it “will create a market as big as 400 billion yuan ($61.54 billion) by the end of 2020.” The Chinese government is investing $25 billion on it.
Is it compatible with GPS?
According to Beidou, their system will be compatible with the American GPS, the Russian Glonass — which is also fully operative — and the European Galileo. [Beidou and China Daily via BBC, GPS.gov, Lockheed Martin]
Note: The video and photographs were added by The Blaze.
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Comments (67)
commonsenseguy
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:03pmwith G E selling and building pretty much every thing china has, they soon will have the ability to to take over every satellite and computer in the world,and all thanks to G E and our great government.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:13pmChina is more like a man, and America is more like a woman, which explains why China is going to screw the hell out of America.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:20pmI wouldn’t worry about GE for long eventually the Chinese will shoot them too and takeover GE.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:28pmI imagine that once Iran shuts down the Strait of Hormuz, that’s when the Chinese will start becoming militarily active to take advantage of fuel getting cut to the west.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:32pmIf for any other reason, the Chinese will engage the west to create Nationalism in China since there is a threat of Revolution in China.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 8:10pmYou may decline mircochip embeded under your skin, by way of cell phone and automobile tracking, you will be tracked and traced.
Report Post »Bum thrower
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 9:59pmtwo questions:
Is it better?
Is it cheaper?
Yes; Yes……..I’ll buy it……
No; Yes………no deal
Yes; No……….no deal
NO; No……….no no deal….
Report Post »The10thAmendment
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:01pmIn simplest, and most accurate terms……………….NO, they’re not even beyond third rate technology in comparison.
Report Post »2theADDLED
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 8:02pmI would disagree lots of other countries are more advanced in computer sciences and technology.
Report Post »Some of the best software comes from foreign countries and some of the worst viruses originate
from countries you think don’t even have electricity. We send are technology to China to be built
on the cheap and what country is not going to figure out it’s uses and develop from it. Even are
armaments and ammunition are made in foreign countries. A lot of technology we have was born
from Hitler’s era from those that defected to the U.S. and we just refined it. So don’t fool yourself we are not superior in technologies any longer.
Chuck Stein
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 12:47amI remember a LtCdr chiding a class of Midshipmen in the 1970′s: “Don’t make Ivan dumb” — it is still a good concept. The opponent is neither 8 feet tall nor 4 feet tall — he is 6 feet tall. Don’t be terrified of him, but by all means, take him seriously.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:57pmAh what’s the big deal whether we have big Socialist American government or big Socialist Chinese government? I see no difference between the two.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:00pmI guess America should give God a reason to spare the American way of life that hasn’t been for the longest time.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:01pmThey kill babies there but we kill babies here. They experiment on people there but we experiment on people here…etc. etc.
Report Post »john law
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 1:11amif youdon’t know the difference between the two govenments, then you’re in for a culture shock; a very bad one. When you wake up from your sleep, and China is in charge, you can only have one child-with permission. You also will be forced to give your days off to do work for the government, probably weeding the potato patch, or whatever. There’s lots more restrictions and to set them down here would be a book.
Report Post »Get your head out of the sand. Quit making a target of yourself.
ThePostman
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:53pmAnother small step as our country falls to third-world status. Thank you to republicans (for compromising) and democrats (for existing). Neither party has our best interests at heart any longer.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:53pmHere’s what you do: fire a nuclear warhead into orbit to destroy their satellites.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 10:47pmthe EMP pulse from such an act would cause indiscriminate havoc.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:49pmLike I said, you better learn Chinese and start kissing Chinese butt. Of course once they physically takeover America, a large portion of Americans will get the firing squads.
Report Post »M 4 Colt
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 6:40pmEliasim,You can pucker up for the Chinese if you want to, but many here will fight and may very well die but they will die free men and women.
I for one have no intention to go to any “reeducation camps” i have lived all my life knowing freedom and am to old to live any other way.
So the outcome of any conflict with China will come down the the young people in this country, will they stand and fight for freedom or will they be slaves.
Based on what i have seen coming out of our schools and the left wing teaching they have gotten i am afraid the answer to that question is they will go along with the Chinese as long as they give them an I phone or an X Box to play with and our great Republic will be lost to history.
Report Post »knighttemplar999
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:39pmIs that system accurate enough to measure the true length of a man’s penis? My God Almighty, men we are truly doomed.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:47pmThat’s what we get for having Commies make all our crap for America for 40 years eh?
Report Post »netmail
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:59pmNo, but it knows where it’s been and automatically posts updates on your Facebook page. Sweet huh?
Report Post »SIXGUNWEST
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:38pm“Hmmmmm?”, “where did crazy Chinese guy get idea for GPS?” Hmmmm, I wonder.
Report Post »korbin
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:37pmOver there, in China they view made in America as the same as we do made in China. They don’t need us. They have had superior technology for years, just smarter than our Government and don’t flaunt it. Look at our drone program, it was top secret for a week. Now the dumbranians have one. Reverse engineering isn’t rocket science. The Chinese Government kills those that are politically correct, we promote to president.
Report Post »EchoHawk
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:22pmHey, Psst KORBIN, if you‘re reverse engineering a rocket then technically it’s rocket science. China doesn’t home school.
Report Post »Dabldo
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:03pmNo their GPS isn’t better. Yet. But it will be soon. Their coming up fast by stealing technology as fast as they can. Only limiting factor is their system can’t absorb and impliment as fast as the more flexible west is. But their still gaining speed. The USA as you knew it is going. Things will not be quite the same ever again. Not bad. But definitely not the same.
Report Post »Rogue9
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:30pmWe have a saying in our house, “I’m sure it worked in China.”
I highly doubt their GPS is better, but their government propoganda is efficient.
Report Post »kingssman
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:27pmNo surprise considering china makes 80% of the consumer GPS devices along with anything else electronic manufactured over there. The chinese have no need to innovate technology, they are already producing what we give them. Soon they will become the #1 supplier of our economic goods as we further surrender our sovereignty and manufacturing independence to them. If WW3 were to happen and there’s a Chinese embargo, the cost of every american good will go up 1000%
Report Post »EchoHawk
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:27pmI work for a company here in the U.S. that employs Chinese GPS/GPSR. What you have here is American capitalist doing whatever they can to put money in their capitalist pockets. I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut. Let me know when they implant your sim card.
Report Post »ZAP
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:26pmChina says ,with their new system they will be able to locate illegal aliens and welfare cheats
Report Post »netmail
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:52pmWhen China sells us their unit (that we originally made), they will disable that function for all government orders because they know we’ll never, ever use the handy dandy ‘Locate Ilegals’ function.
Report Post »babylonvi
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 7:54pmObama: “why would we want to do that?”.
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:26pmIs this what Iran has?
Report Post »Publius Novus
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:22pmGood thing we have that little mini space shuttle that can knock theirs all out :-)
Report Post »PROV1X
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:10pmChina is now one step closer to becoming the top economic and military superpower in the world: its Beidou geo-positioning system is now fully armed and operational. hmmm, how many operational aircraft carriers do they have?
Report Post »dumbgrunt33
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 2:27pmUh , one….and soon will have many more….it was on the blaze about 2 weeks ago…..
Report Post »g00gle-expert
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:10pmYou can thank Bill Clinton for giving them a super computer. What an outstanding tratior..errr…ughh…leader…
Report Post »Aerocog
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:54pmBetter pick up the pace if the Chinese are beating us.
Report Post »mils
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:03pmWe allow China to steal our technology….they build from there and surpass us.
Report Post »We we allow them to steal from us.
NOBAMA201258
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 6:42pmThink of all the money and time Chinese spies and American traitors have saved China in R and D
Report Post »Teufel Hunden
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:54pmIn the words of the famous prophet: Chuck U Farley
Report Post »Slowman101
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:49pmMaybe Obama can use it to find his brain!
Report Post »elosogrande
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:47pmTo be more precise, given away by Bill Clinton and the worst President of the 20th century – Jimma Carter.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:39pmUnderstand this much with a advanced GPS system…if they can place a unit hyper accurate to less than a .2meter radius, they can employ precision strike weapons like we use in warfare. Precision Guided Munitions – bombs, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles capable of homing in on naval units from extreme ranges with deadly accuracy…all thanks to Obama.
Report Post »netmail
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:48pmAnd a HUGE shout out to Bill Clinton too!!
Report Post »netmail
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:38pmMany Asian cultures are pros at taking someone else’s ideas and vastly improving upon them, so I’d say yes, theirs is probably better. We’ll never know just how much they know about anything. Rest assured though, they know most everything about us. Not comforting one little bit.
Report Post »TennesseeConservative
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:36pmJudging by the absolute crap, we get from China, which is almost everything. There Satellite will fall from the sky in 2 weeks.People will be turning into buildings and off mountains. Their ships will all run aground.The chemicals from the Satellite will spread cancer world wide. But our politicians will all rave about their pure genius and praise them for it.
Report Post »Made in China = JUNK
netmail
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:41pmI have a feeling they are selective about who gets the most “junk”.
Report Post »goobert
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:59pmHave to agree with Netmail while mosts politicians blame the Chinese for currency manipulation and slave labor China is on track to unseat us as a world super power the way we spend money.
Report Post »skippy6
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 5:25pmAll technology given away by our government…..
Report Post »