Satellite Locator

SCIENTISTS DEVELOPING SATELLITE LOCATOR FOR AVALANCHE VICTIMS

In the near future, locating avalanche victims may be easier and more precise, according to an article in Science Daily. Victims buried by an avalanche only have a chance of survival if they can be quickly and precisely located under the snow.



The main difficulty at present lies in narrowing the search down to the last few meters where the victims are buried. A new, automatic positioning system will be based on Europe's future satellite navigation system Galileo. The project will be implemented by a consortium of regional companies, institutes and universities, and will be sponsored by the German Aerospace Center DLR with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology BMWi.



In order to develop the system, the researchers will use the Galileo Test and Development Environment GATE in Berchtesgaden, where transmitting antennas on six mountaintops simulate Galileo's signals. These signals - and later the real ones - are to be combined with currently available satellite navigation systems such as America's GPS, and will also be offset against error estimation and correction signals. A light, easy-to-use hand set will show search parties the located position and lead them to it, the article says.