Global positioning system specialist u-blox AG has introduced assisted GPS (A-GPS) technology called AssistNow that is designed to reduce a GPS receiver's time to first fix (TTFF) to seconds.

Karsten Tietz, u-blox’ vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said standard GPS operation requires that a minimum of four satellites transmit precise orbital position data to a GPS receiver but poor signal conditions can hinder or prevent the data from downloading.

AssistNow provides assistance data such as Ephemeris, Almanac, and accurate time and satellite status to boost acquisition performance, thus enabling instant positioning, even under difficult signal conditions. The service accesses positioning data from a global network of u-blox GPS receivers that collect data from satellites and send it to a dedicated AssistNow root server. The root server calculates the assistance data and transmits it to customer terminals or to a client's proxy server.

Applications for AssistNow A-GPS range from enhanced personal navigation services that can be consulted on the fly from a PDA or a mobile phone to multi-user/terminal management systems.

"GPS users increasingly require accurate positioning data in real time, either to pinpoint a location in an emergency situation or to manage their business assets more effectively," Tietz said. "Our AssistNow service addresses these needs by providing a GPS position immediately when you need it."

Customers who select the AssistNow Direct Service package need only have an Internet connection to gain direct access to the AssistNow root server. Customers can also operate their own proxy server, which will receive periodic data updates from the AssistNow root server. Additional information is available at www.u-blox.com/technology/assistnow/.