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Why in the News?
The Indian government is pushing smartphone makers to enable support for its NavIC navigation system.
Key Points:
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS): NavIC
- IRNSS is officially called NAVIC which is an acronym for NAVigation with Indian Constellation.
- Developed by: ISRO
- It consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km (930 miles) from its boundaries.
- Applications:
- Terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation;
- Disaster management;
- Vehicle tracking and fleet management;
- Integration with mobile phones;
- Mapping and geodetic data capture;
- Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers;
- Visual and voice navigation for drivers.
- Purpose: It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.
- Services Provided:
- Standard Positioning Service is provided to all users.
- Restricted service is an encrypted service for authorised users.
- In 2020, International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognised IRNSS as a part of the World Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS) for operation in the Indian Ocean region.
Why is India promoting NavIC?
To remove dependence on foreign satellite systems for navigation service requirements, particularly for “strategic sectors”
- To encourage its ministries to use NavIC applications to promote local industry engaged in developing indigenous NavIC-based solutions.
NavIC vis-i-vis GPS
- Serviceable area: GPS caters to users across the globe and its satellites circle the earth twice a day, while NavIC is currently for use in India and adjacent areas.
Significance:
- India has joined the comity of nations who own their own satellite-based radio navigation system such as GPS of the USA, GLONASS of Russia, Galileo of Europe and BeiDou of China.
