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Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Geospatial Solution Market Set for Significant Growth USD 2,061.3 Billion by 2035 with Expanding Applications Across Key Industries
The geospatial solution market is set for significant growth, driven by advancements in data analysis, mapping, and visualization technologies. These solutions, which integrate GIS, remote sensing, and GPS, are widely used across industries to enhance decision-making and resource management. Urban planning, infrastructure development, environmental monitoring, and precision agriculture are among the key sectors benefiting from geospatial solutions. Their ability to optimize land use, track climate changes, and improve operational efficiency is fueling their widespread adoption, making them an essential tool for modern industries. NEWARK, Del:, March 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global geospatial solution market is poised for significant expansion, with sales expected to reach approximately USD 545.7 billion in 2025 and projected to surpass USD 2,061.3 billion by 2035. The market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2% from 2025 to 2035, following revenue generation of USD 502.7 billion in 2024. Geospatial solutions encompass a wide range of tools, technologies, and systems designed to collect, manage, analyze, and visualize data linked to specific locations on the Earth's surface. These solutions integrate various components such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). They enable the effective study, measurement, and interpretation of complex datasets, transforming them into actionable insights for better decision-making across industries. Numerous sectors benefit from geospatial solutions. In urban planning and infrastructure development, these technologies facilitate precise mapping of land use, utilities, and transportation systems, ensuring optimal resource allocation at minimal costs. The environmental sector leverages geospatial solutions to monitor climate change, deforestation, and natural disasters, enabling swift response strategies to mitigate environmental damage. Additionally, the agriculture industry is increasingly adopting geospatial technologies for precision farming, helping to enhance crop yields, reduce resource wastage, and optimize agricultural practices. These advancements are key drivers fueling the expansion of the geospatial solutions market, demonstrating their growing importance across various industries. Get Ahead with Our Report: Request Sample Now: Which Growth Strategies are impacting the demand for Geospatial Solutions? The demand for imaging analytics is expected to show significant growth in the coming years. This attributes to various factors such as reduced insurance costs to promote the usage of GPS trackers, recent regulations to monitor the transportation of foods, and the development of GPS-enabled games. Integration of GPS and GIS technologies in transport, logistics, and retail industries drives the demand for geospatial solutions. Continuous monitoring results in more efficient use of fleet owners' vehicles by various means such as optimization of routes to reduce fuel costs. Speed monitoring results in less wear and tear and even misuse of vehicles can be avoided. Thus such factors are expected to propel the growth of the geospatial solution market. Global Geospatial Solution Market Growth Forecast (2025–2035) The market for geospatial solutions is expected to witness substantial growth as industries increasingly rely on location-based data for analytics and operational efficiency. Factors such as advancements in satellite imagery, artificial intelligence-driven geospatial analytics, and the expansion of cloud-based GIS platforms are accelerating adoption. Governments and businesses are leveraging these solutions to improve decision-making in urban planning, infrastructure development, and disaster management, thereby driving market expansion over the next decade. Role of Geospatial Technologies in Environmental Monitoring and Disaster Management Climate change and natural disasters pose significant challenges to global sustainability. Geospatial technologies enable real-time monitoring of environmental conditions, allowing authorities to detect changes in deforestation, pollution levels, and weather patterns. In disaster management, geospatial analytics help predict hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, providing early warnings and assisting emergency response teams in resource allocation and evacuation planning. By integrating AI and machine learning with geospatial data, predictive models are becoming more accurate, reducing disaster-related losses. Integration of GIS, GPS, and Remote Sensing in Precision Agriculture The agricultural sector is undergoing a digital transformation, with geospatial technologies improving productivity and sustainability. Farmers use GIS, GPS, and remote sensing to monitor soil health, predict crop yields, and optimize irrigation schedules. These solutions help reduce resource wastage, improve supply chain efficiency, and enhance food security. Drones equipped with geospatial imaging are also being used for real-time crop assessment and pest control, further boosting efficiency in precision farming. - says Mohit Srivastava, Principal Consultant at Future Market Insights (FMI). Government Initiatives Driving Geospatial Solutions for Smart City Projects Governments worldwide are heavily investing in smart city development, integrating geospatial technologies to improve urban living conditions. Smart city projects rely on GIS for real-time traffic monitoring, waste collection optimization, and energy distribution planning. Many municipalities use digital twins—virtual representations of cities powered by geospatial data—to simulate infrastructure changes before implementation. By leveraging these technologies, governments aim to enhance public services, reduce congestion, and create more livable urban environments. Impact of Geospatial Data Analytics on Transportation and Utility Management The transportation and utility sectors are utilizing geospatial analytics to improve efficiency and safety. Traffic management systems use real-time GPS data to optimize routes, reduce congestion, and enhance public transportation services. In the utilities sector, geospatial technologies help monitor power grids, detect infrastructure faults, and streamline maintenance operations. Companies managing water supply, electricity distribution, and telecommunications increasingly rely on spatial data analytics to enhance service reliability and reduce operational costs. Detailed Market Study: Full Report and Analysishttps:// Advancements in Geospatial Technologies for Climate Change Monitoring With global concerns over climate change intensifying, geospatial technologies are becoming essential for tracking environmental changes. Satellite-based monitoring systems can measure deforestation, rising sea levels, and greenhouse gas emissions with high accuracy. Governments and environmental agencies use GIS data to assess the impact of climate policies and design mitigation strategies. Additionally, geospatial AI-powered predictive models help forecast extreme weather events, enabling better disaster preparedness and climate resilience planning. Applications of Geospatial Solutions in Urban Planning and Infrastructure Development Geospatial solutions play a vital role in urban planning by providing accurate spatial data for mapping city layouts, infrastructure projects, and transportation networks. By using GIS and remote sensing, city planners can assess land usage patterns, manage traffic congestion, and optimize zoning regulations. Smart city initiatives increasingly depend on these technologies to develop efficient water supply systems, waste management strategies, and public transport systems, ensuring sustainable urban growth. Challenges in Implementing Geospatial Solutions in Developing Countries While geospatial technologies offer numerous benefits, their adoption in developing regions faces significant barriers. Limited access to high-resolution satellite data, inadequate infrastructure, and a shortage of trained professionals are key challenges. Additionally, the high cost of implementing geospatial solutions and integrating them with existing systems can be prohibitive. Addressing these challenges requires greater investment in geospatial education, policy support, and international collaboration to ensure technology transfer and capacity building in underdeveloped regions. Future Trends in Geospatial Solutions for Urban Development The future of geospatial solutions is being shaped by cutting-edge trends such as AI-powered geospatial analytics, real-time 3D mapping, and geospatial cloud computing. These innovations are enabling smarter decision-making in urban planning, infrastructure maintenance, and environmental conservation. The integration of blockchain with geospatial data is also gaining traction, enhancing data security and transparency in land ownership and property transactions. Furthermore, augmented reality (AR) applications using geospatial data are expected to revolutionize navigation, tourism, and real estate planning. Vertical Solution Industry Analysis Reportshttps:// Economic Benefits of Adopting Geospatial Technologies in Public Sector Projects Governments and public sector organizations are increasingly recognizing the economic advantages of geospatial technology adoption. By improving land-use planning, optimizing infrastructure development, and enhancing public service efficiency, geospatial solutions contribute to significant cost savings. For example, using GIS for road maintenance scheduling reduces repair costs and prevents infrastructure failures. Additionally, geospatial analytics in tax mapping and property valuation increases government revenue collection. The adoption of these technologies ensures better resource management, fostering economic growth and sustainable development. Key Players of Geospatial Solution Industry Apple Inc. Amazon Web Services, Inc. IBM Corporation Microsoft Corporation Alphabet (Google) SAP SE Trimble Inc. Pitney Bowes Inc TomTom International B.V. Maxar Technologies Harris Corporation Hexagon AB Here Technologies Telenav, Inc Esri Key Segments of Geospatial Solution Industry By Component: Geospatial hardware Geospatial software Geospatial services By Technology: GIS/spatial analytics Remote sensing GPS 3D scanning By Application: Surveying and mapping Geovisualization Planning and analysis Management Others By End-user: Defense and internal security Infrastructure Retail and logistics Agriculture BFSI Disaster management Citizen services Natural resources Telecommunications Urban development By Region: North America Latin America East Asia South Asia and Pacific Western Europe Eastern Europe Middle East & Africa (MEA) Have a Look at Related Research Reports of TechnologyThe construction tech market is projected to witness significant growth from 2025 to 2035, driven by technological advancements, increasing demand for automation, and the integration of AI and IoT in construction processes. The content service platform market worldwide is expected to grow in the forecast period of 2025 to 2035, owing to the rising demand of efficient content management, digital transformation, and demand of collaboration enhancements tools in enterprises. The global Last Mile Delivery Software market is projected to grow significantly, from USD 15,146.8 Million in 2025 to USD 48,535.5 Million by 2035 an it is reflecting a strong CAGR of 10.6%. The market for combustion controls, equipment and systems is anticipated steady growth due to growing focus on energy-efficient industrial combustion systems, stringent environmental regulations and advancements in smart combustion technologies. The global Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) in Education market, driven by advancements in immersive learning technologies, growing adoption of digital learning solutions, and increasing investments in Ed Tech, is estimated to see significant growth from 2025 until 2035. By 2025 the asset integrity management market across the globe is expected to witness a meteoric rise to reach unprecedented heights by 2035. The smart education and learning market refers to the segment focused on the integration of digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and interactive learning tools in learning and educational spaces. The Global Demand Response market is projected to grow significantly, from USD 35,223.9 million in 2025 to USD 127,115.0 million by 2035 an it is reflecting a strong CAGR of 12.2%. The global Visitor Management System market is projected to grow significantly, from USD 1,858.9 million in 2025 to USD 6,984.7 million by 2035, and it is reflecting a strong CAGR of 11.7%. The global Hardware Asset Management Market is projected to grow significantly, from USD 33,500.4 Million in 2025 to USD 98,076.2 Million by 2035 an it is reflecting a strong CAGR of 11.9%. About Future Market Insights (FMI) Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, recipient of the Stevie Award, and a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) offers profound insights into the driving factors that are boosting demand in the market. FMI stands as the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, consulting, and events for the Packaging, Food and Beverage, Consumer Technology, Healthcare, Industrial, and Chemicals markets. With a vast team of 400 analysts worldwide, FMI provides global, regional, and local expertise on diverse domains and industry trends across more than 110 countries. Join us as we commemorate 10 years of delivering trusted market insights. Reflecting on a decade of achievements, we continue to lead with integrity, innovation, and expertise. Contact Us: Future Market Insights Corporate, 200 Continental Drive,Suite 401, Newark, Delaware - 19713, USAT: +1-347-918-3531For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Twitter| Blogs | YouTubeSign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
The 'Time Lords' racing to tackle the threat of GPS jamming
As a Ryanair flight from London approached Vilnius, Lithuania, on 17 January, its descent was suddenly aborted. Just minutes from touching down, the aircraft's essential Global Positioning System (GPS) suffered an unexplained interference, triggering an emergency diversion. The Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 had already descended to around 850ft (259m) when the disruption occurred. Instead of landing, the plane was forced to climb back into the sky and divert nearly 400km (250 miles) south to Warsaw, Poland. Lithuanian air authorities later confirmed the aircraft had been affected by "GPS signal interference". This was not an isolated incident. Over the last three months of 2024, more than 800 cases of GPS interference were recorded in Lithuanian airspace. Estonia and Finland have also raised concerns, accusing Russia of deploying technology to jam satellite navigation signals near Nato's eastern flank – though the country has denied that. Last March the then Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, was on a plane that had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory. The threat of GPS jamming extends beyond aviation. Without GPS, our lives would grind to a halt: in 2017, a government report stated that systematic GPS jamming could bring the UK's financial, electricity and communications systems to a standstill. To pinpoint our exact location, we need to know the exact time. GPS works by users receiving signals from multiple satellites. The length of time it takes each signal to reach a device is used to determine exactly where on Earth we are. Very large atomic clocks communicate directly with the satellites, allowing them to know the time to within 100 billionths of a second, and this precision timing is key to a variety of economic activities around the world, including communication systems, electrical power grids, and financial networks. The potential cost of losing GPS has been put at £1.4bn each day – no wonder GPS jamming is on the government's national risk register as one of the UK's greatest threats. With this in mind, a group of British scientists – dubbed the "Time Lords" – has been asked to come up with a solution. The plan is simple: to develop a more secure alternative to GPS by enabling the portable use of new atomic clocks, rather than relying on signals from satellites in space that can be jammed. But its execution is fiendishly difficult: to harness the power of the atom, develop a new type of clock, and even change the way we measure time itself – all within a few years. In recent months, the UK government has set up research initiatives to tackle the threat of GPS jamming. But turning prototypes into robust devices that could one day be incorporated into our phones is an enormous undertaking – and the need for the new technology is getting ever more urgent. The challenge can be compared to the invention of a portable clock for marine navigation by John Harrison in the 18th Century, which solved the so-called longitude problem, allowing a new era of trade and a golden age of exploration. Three hundred years on, researchers are once again racing to perfect a new clock to solve the GPS problem – and the impact could be at least as transformative. "History shows that each time we have an improvement in the ability to measure time, new applications follow to make things possible that people didn't dream of before," says Dr Helen Margolis, head scientist (time and frequency) of the UK's timing laboratories at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in south-west London. In 1967, the world's timekeepers, an intergovernmental body called the General Conference on Weights and Measures, agreed to define time using atomic clocks, rather than by the Earth's rotation. The switch transformed our world just as radically as Harrison's clock, laying the foundation for GPS and similar space-based systems. These provided precise timekeeping from atomic clocks on satellites, which allowed rapid and huge volumes of communications, computation, and transactions to be carried out everywhere in the world near instantaneously, as well as more precise navigation. The search for a new portable alternative to GPS involves a field called quantum technologies, finding ways to manipulate atoms. Much of the buzz around the subject in recent years has been about the development of powerful quantum computers which, the narrative goes, will make our fastest supercomputers seem like abacuses by comparison. But a quieter revolution to improve navigation and measurement of time has flown under the radar, and it is in this field that quantum technology is set to make its earliest impact, according to Prof Douglas Paul of the UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position Navigation and Timing (QEPNT), which was set up last December by the government to develop these new devices. "We are expecting to see some sort of navigation system within two to five years in the marketplace," he says. "So, some of these technologies are already quite advanced." Prof Paul and his quantum scientists are working with Dr Margolis and her fellow researchers at NPL, who have been given the "Time Lords" nickname by other horologists. In 1955, the NPL invented the first atomic clock of the sort that is used today, based on the frequency of radiation from an atom of the element caesium. GPS and other satellite navigation systems reset their own clocks by touching base with these more accurate clocks on the ground. For the alternative to GPS, the scientists will need a new type of atomic clock that can eventually be miniaturised and robust enough to work in everyday situations, rather than the carefully controlled conditions inside a lab. The NPL researchers are perfecting a so-called optical clock to achieve this, which is 100 times more accurate than the most accurate caesium clocks used today. It looks as if it might be part of Dr Who's Tardis and is stimulated with laser light rather than microwaves. When optical clocks take over from caesium ones as the timepieces that determine Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), the way the passage of time is defined will also have to change, according to Dr Margolis. "The international community has drawn up a road map for the redefinition of the second," she tells BBC News. The NPL's immediate hope is to have a national network by 2030, connecting four atomic clocks across the UK that businesses can plug into for secure accurate timekeeping and for developing new innovative applications that harness ultra-fast time. Eventually, critical systems in the UK in finance, telecommunications, energy, utilities and national security could switch over – though that would take longer. "To convert everything is at least a decade away, and probably significantly longer," says Prof Paul. Yet the stakes are high, and the alternative this new technology offers is significant. "The US Department of Defence might decide to stop supporting GPS, it could be taken out in a conflict or by an accident," he says. "There is no guarantee GPS … will always be available. With all the jamming and spoofing [where a criminal gives a false signal with an incorrect time and location], you cannot always guarantee you have an assured signal, so if you cannot get or trust the information then people will stop using it." While this type of research is taking place around the world, it's being led by the UK. When an aircraft with the technology on board carried out a test flight in May 2024, the then science minister Andrew Griffith described it as "further proof of the UK as one of the world leaders on quantum". According to the government, it was the first test of this type of technology in the UK on an aircraft in flight, and "the first such flight worldwide that has been publicly acknowledged". By carrying a group of atoms cooled to -273C on the plane itself, rather than relying on an external signal, the technology can't be interfered with by jamming. But the problem is that the equipment is still too large to be used routinely on planes. Henry White, part of the team from BAE Systems that worked on the test flight, told BBC News that he thought the first application could be aboard ships, "where there's a bit more space". Quantum clocks, gyroscopes and accelerometers are large, bulky and incredibly expensive, with an accurate quantum clock costing around £100,000. Yet military research is allowing the creation of smaller, better and cheaper systems. GPS jamming is causing problems for the British military in conflict zones such as Ukraine. One of the main challenges faced by scientists at the government's Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) is making the sensitive technology work not just in the real world, which in the Navy's case is often in very choppy seas, but also in the harshest of environments; the battlefield, according to a lead researcher at the DSTL, who has to remain anonymous for security reasons. "We are harnessing atoms," she points out. "You have vibrations, you have pressure changes, you have temperature changes, and you have environments which have all of these different variables going on while you are trying to manipulate the properties of light. So, it's precision that is needed". The ultimate aim for some of those working on this new technology is for each of us to have the equivalent of our own personal GPS system incorporated into our phones. This would comprise a miniaturised optical clock as well as a tiny gyroscope, so we know which direction we are going in, and a device called an accelerometer, which will tell us how fast we are going. QEPNT has been set up by the government to shrink the devices on to a chip, making them robust enough for everyday life and affordable for everyone. That process isn't going to happen soon, though. "This is many decades away from happening for all critical national infrastructure across the UK," says Prof Paul. Quantum clock researchers are facing exactly the same problems experienced by John Harrison when he was developing his portable marine clock in the 18th Century. Mr Harrison had to build a clock whose timekeeping was not affected by changes in temperature, pressure or humidity, and was able to function in a constantly moving ship – his greatest difficulty was to make it small. Generation K: The disturbing rise of ketamine abuse among young people Three years on, Ukraine's extinction nightmare has returned Race policies or Israel - what's really driving Trump's fury with South Africa? But it turned out that his difficulty was also the path to his solution. The smaller he made his clocks, the more robust he found they were at sea. "Harrison found that it was it easier to isolate them from all those external influences," says another DSTL scientist. "As was the case 300 years ago, as we make these systems smaller, it will become easier to control the environment around them and isolate them from the effects of vibration, temperature, pressure, and humidity." Prominent 18th-Century scientists, including Sir Isaac Newton, thought that navigation with marine clocks was impossible. But eventually Mr Harrison, a simple clockmaker and carpenter, proved his more illustrious colleagues wrong. Bringing prototype optical clocks first into the battlefield and then eventually into everyday life is just as challenging. Will the scientists working on the problem be able to find solutions fast enough? One day we might have them in our pockets, but the more urgent aim is to get them in a state where we can safely fly, as incidents of GPS jamming on planes and critical computer systems increase. The Time Lords and quantum scientists hope to continue the humble clockmaker's legacy – transforming the measurement of time, and protecting the UK's critical systems from GPS attack. Top image credit: Getty Images BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
The 'Time Lords' racing to tackle the threat of GPS jamming
As a Ryanair flight from London approached Vilnius, Lithuania, on 17 January, its descent was suddenly aborted. Just minutes from touching down, the aircraft's essential Global Positioning System (GPS) suffered an unexplained interference, triggering an emergency diversion. The Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 had already descended to around 850ft (259m) when the disruption occurred. Instead of landing, the plane was forced to climb back into the sky and divert nearly 400km (250 miles) south to Warsaw, Poland. Lithuanian air authorities later confirmed the aircraft had been affected by "GPS signal interference". This was not an isolated incident. Over the last three months of 2024, more than 800 cases of GPS interference were recorded in Lithuanian airspace. Estonia and Finland have also raised concerns, accusing Russia of deploying technology to jam satellite navigation signals near Nato's eastern flank – though the country has denied that. Last March the then Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, was on a plane that had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory. The threat of GPS jamming extends beyond aviation. Without GPS, our lives would grind to a halt: in 2017, a government report stated that systematic GPS jamming could bring the UK's financial, electricity and communications systems to a standstill. To pinpoint our exact location, we need to know the exact time. GPS works by users receiving signals from multiple satellites. The length of time it takes each signal to reach a device is used to determine exactly where on Earth we are. Very large atomic clocks communicate directly with the satellites, allowing them to know the time to within 100 billionths of a second, and this precision timing is key to a variety of economic activities around the world, including communication systems, electrical power grids, and financial networks. The potential cost of losing GPS has been put at £1.4bn each day – no wonder GPS jamming is on the government's national risk register as one of the UK's greatest threats. With this in mind, a group of British scientists – dubbed the "Time Lords" – has been asked to come up with a solution. The plan is simple: to develop a more secure alternative to GPS by enabling the portable use of new atomic clocks, rather than relying on signals from satellites in space that can be jammed. But its execution is fiendishly difficult: to harness the power of the atom, develop a new type of clock, and even change the way we measure time itself – all within a few years. In recent months, the UK government has set up research initiatives to tackle the threat of GPS jamming. But turning prototypes into robust devices that could one day be incorporated into our phones is an enormous undertaking – and the need for the new technology is getting ever more urgent. The challenge can be compared to the invention of a portable clock for marine navigation by John Harrison in the 18th Century, which solved the so-called longitude problem, allowing a new era of trade and a golden age of exploration. Three hundred years on, researchers are once again racing to perfect a new clock to solve the GPS problem – and the impact could be at least as transformative. "History shows that each time we have an improvement in the ability to measure time, new applications follow to make things possible that people didn't dream of before," says Dr Helen Margolis, head scientist (time and frequency) of the UK's timing laboratories at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in south-west London. In 1967, the world's timekeepers, an intergovernmental body called the General Conference on Weights and Measures, agreed to define time using atomic clocks, rather than by the Earth's rotation. The switch transformed our world just as radically as Harrison's clock, laying the foundation for GPS and similar space-based systems. These provided precise timekeeping from atomic clocks on satellites, which allowed rapid and huge volumes of communications, computation, and transactions to be carried out everywhere in the world near instantaneously, as well as more precise navigation. The search for a new portable alternative to GPS involves a field called quantum technologies, finding ways to manipulate atoms. Much of the buzz around the subject in recent years has been about the development of powerful quantum computers which, the narrative goes, will make our fastest supercomputers seem like abacuses by comparison. But a quieter revolution to improve navigation and measurement of time has flown under the radar, and it is in this field that quantum technology is set to make its earliest impact, according to Prof Douglas Paul of the UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position Navigation and Timing (QEPNT), which was set up last December by the government to develop these new devices. "We are expecting to see some sort of navigation system within two to five years in the marketplace," he says. "So, some of these technologies are already quite advanced." Prof Paul and his quantum scientists are working with Dr Margolis and her fellow researchers at NPL, who have been given the "Time Lords" nickname by other horologists. In 1955, the NPL invented the first atomic clock of the sort that is used today, based on the frequency of radiation from an atom of the element caesium. GPS and other satellite navigation systems reset their own clocks by touching base with these more accurate clocks on the ground. For the alternative to GPS, the scientists will need a new type of atomic clock that can eventually be miniaturised and robust enough to work in everyday situations, rather than the carefully controlled conditions inside a lab. The NPL researchers are perfecting a so-called optical clock to achieve this, which is 100 times more accurate than the most accurate caesium clocks used today. It looks as if it might be part of Dr Who's Tardis and is stimulated with laser light rather than microwaves. When optical clocks take over from caesium ones as the timepieces that determine Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), the way the passage of time is defined will also have to change, according to Dr Margolis. "The international community has drawn up a road map for the redefinition of the second," she tells BBC News. The NPL's immediate hope is to have a national network by 2030, connecting four atomic clocks across the UK that businesses can plug into for secure accurate timekeeping and for developing new innovative applications that harness ultra-fast time. Eventually, critical systems in the UK in finance, telecommunications, energy, utilities and national security could switch over – though that would take longer. "To convert everything is at least a decade away, and probably significantly longer," says Prof Paul. Yet the stakes are high, and the alternative this new technology offers is significant. "The US Department of Defence might decide to stop supporting GPS, it could be taken out in a conflict or by an accident," he says. "There is no guarantee GPS … will always be available. With all the jamming and spoofing [where a criminal gives a false signal with an incorrect time and location], you cannot always guarantee you have an assured signal, so if you cannot get or trust the information then people will stop using it." While this type of research is taking place around the world, it's being led by the UK. When an aircraft with the technology on board carried out a test flight in May 2024, the then science minister Andrew Griffith described it as "further proof of the UK as one of the world leaders on quantum". According to the government, it was the first test of this type of technology in the UK on an aircraft in flight, and "the first such flight worldwide that has been publicly acknowledged". By carrying a group of atoms cooled to -273C on the plane itself, rather than relying on an external signal, the technology can't be interfered with by jamming. But the problem is that the equipment is still too large to be used routinely on planes. Henry White, part of the team from BAE Systems that worked on the test flight, told BBC News that he thought the first application could be aboard ships, "where there's a bit more space". Quantum clocks, gyroscopes and accelerometers are large, bulky and incredibly expensive, with an accurate quantum clock costing around £100,000. Yet military research is allowing the creation of smaller, better and cheaper systems. GPS jamming is causing problems for the British military in conflict zones such as Ukraine. One of the main challenges faced by scientists at the government's Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) is making the sensitive technology work not just in the real world, which in the Navy's case is often in very choppy seas, but also in the harshest of environments; the battlefield, according to a lead researcher at the DSTL, who has to remain anonymous for security reasons. "We are harnessing atoms," she points out. "You have vibrations, you have pressure changes, you have temperature changes, and you have environments which have all of these different variables going on while you are trying to manipulate the properties of light. So, it's precision that is needed". The ultimate aim for some of those working on this new technology is for each of us to have the equivalent of our own personal GPS system incorporated into our phones. This would comprise a miniaturised optical clock as well as a tiny gyroscope, so we know which direction we are going in, and a device called an accelerometer, which will tell us how fast we are going. QEPNT has been set up by the government to shrink the devices on to a chip, making them robust enough for everyday life and affordable for everyone. That process isn't going to happen soon, though. "This is many decades away from happening for all critical national infrastructure across the UK," says Prof Paul. Quantum clock researchers are facing exactly the same problems experienced by John Harrison when he was developing his portable marine clock in the 18th Century. Mr Harrison had to build a clock whose timekeeping was not affected by changes in temperature, pressure or humidity, and was able to function in a constantly moving ship – his greatest difficulty was to make it small. Generation K: The disturbing rise of ketamine abuse among young people Three years on, Ukraine's extinction nightmare has returned Race policies or Israel - what's really driving Trump's fury with South Africa? But it turned out that his difficulty was also the path to his solution. The smaller he made his clocks, the more robust he found they were at sea. "Harrison found that it was it easier to isolate them from all those external influences," says another DSTL scientist. "As was the case 300 years ago, as we make these systems smaller, it will become easier to control the environment around them and isolate them from the effects of vibration, temperature, pressure, and humidity." Prominent 18th-Century scientists, including Sir Isaac Newton, thought that navigation with marine clocks was impossible. But eventually Mr Harrison, a simple clockmaker and carpenter, proved his more illustrious colleagues wrong. Bringing prototype optical clocks first into the battlefield and then eventually into everyday life is just as challenging. Will the scientists working on the problem be able to find solutions fast enough? One day we might have them in our pockets, but the more urgent aim is to get them in a state where we can safely fly, as incidents of GPS jamming on planes and critical computer systems increase. The Time Lords and quantum scientists hope to continue the humble clockmaker's legacy – transforming the measurement of time, and protecting the UK's critical systems from GPS attack. Top image credit: Getty Images BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Verizon Frontline delivering 5G connectivity to New York State Police cruisers
ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Frontline today announced it will provide 5G connectivity across the New York State Police's fleet of vehicles through the activation of more than 1,800 lines of service. The applications and capabilities enabled by the high-speed, low latency and massive capacity provided by mobile broadband will help the troopers of the New York State Police more safely and efficiently perform their duties while deployed across the state. Mobile broadband in New York State Police cruisers will provide 5G connectivity and speed to: Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) and associated law enforcement applications Global Positioning System (GPS) applications Radios Wireless Printers/Scanners License Plate Readers Mobile and Fixed Camera Systems Sensors These are just some examples of how the New York State Police will leverage mobile broadband in their 'connected cruisers' to help improve operational efficiency as they work to achieve their mission of 'ensuring the safety of the state's roadways, preventing and investigating crime, preparing for and responding to emergencies and disasters and providing support to other law enforcement agencies.' Connecting their cruiser fleet with 5G speed and reliability is just one of the many ways in which the New York State Police are demonstrating their continued commitment to innovation and modernization in effectively solving and preventing crime. Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over more than three decades of partnership with public safety agencies on the front lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.8 billion in 2024. Verizon's world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit or find a retail location at VERIZON'S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit Media contact: Eric in to access your portfolio
