Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) are one emerging type of networks that will enable a broad range of applications such as public safety, traffic management, traveler information support and entertainment. Whether wireless access may be asynchronous or synchronous (respectively as in the upcoming IEEE 8021.lip standard or in some alternative emerging solutions), a synchronization among nodes is required. Moreover, the information on position is needed to let vehicular services work and to correctly forward the messages. As a result, timing and positioning are a strong prerequisite of VANETs. Also the diffusion of enhanced GNSS Navigators paves the way to the integration between GNSS receivers and VANET transceivers.

This position paper presents an analysis on potential benefits coming from a tightcoupling between the two: the dissertation is meant to show to what extent Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) services could benefit from the proposed architecture.

Special features of a technology for half-scale development of the mathematical software support (MSS) of strapdown inertial satellite navigation systems (SISNS) are considered. The implementation of such a technology relies on modern re- cording equipment and permits one to optimize the MSS from the actual signals and on a set of the algorithms under study. A description for the SINS-500 system based on fiber-optic gyros is given as the object of half-scale development. The results of half-scale tests of the SINS-500 system are presented, which corroborate the fact that it is possible and expedient to apply the proposed technology to the creation of different-purpose SISNS which can be made to order.

The new and modernized GNSS navigation systems will provide various navigation services and signals for civil user. The system operators work on basic interoperability agreements which simplify multi system navigation receiver architecture and reduce its cost. The most current GNSS signals of GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO can be processed by the one or several classical E-L correlators with a look up table PRN generator of length 10 230 chips.

The influence of outer space conditions on the navigation-processing algorithms has been analyzed. The main problems that need to be solved by researchers in developing procedures for digital signal processing in onboard satellite navigation equipment have been described. It has been shown that navigation accuracy depends on the quality of the models for satellite motion and the onboard clock. It has been proposed that the stochastic “random walk” model based on the Kalman filter should be used for clock modeling. It has been demonstrated that this model is much more efficient than the classical polynomial model for GEO satellite navigation. Together with the precise satellite dynamic model, it allows three-dimensional accuracy on the order of 30 m, even in the case when a standard temperature-compensated crystal oscillator is used.

The paper is devoted to the current design and use of various schemes of gyroscopic inclinometers (GI) performing the continuous survey of wellbores. This research is mostly conditioned by the first Russian-made strapdown small-sized GI UGI 42-03 appearing in the Russian oil and gas market, and the desire to provide a correct and clear description of the system operating principles. Comparative analysis of characteristics of continuous GI, both known and under development, is presented. Now that directional drilling is progressing rapidly and various kinds of wellbores appear in increasing numbers, continuous GI are a unique aid for monitoring the position of arbitrarily-oriented wellbores, and it is an absolute reason to further perfect and introduce these systems. The paper estimates the current state of continuous GI development and reveals the trends and factors influencing their state in future using the detailed analysis of all data available. The outlined regularities may serve as background for designing new types of these systems.