Navigation Professionals' Public Policy Positions on GLONASS

George C. Chachis

Abstract:	This paper details the use of surveying methodologies to sample professional opinion on GLONASS (GLObal‘naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Systema) as a potential component of the various ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) proposals for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) with and without GPS (Global Positioning Systems). The survey method was used as there is no robust information or research available on the public policy positions on GLONASS held by U.S. navigation professionals. With the exception of highly specialized technical research papers, most GLONASS information focuses on how the economic problems of the Russian space program may or may not reduce the likelihood that the "the Russian GPS" will be implemented in future ICAO GNSS plans. Most information that a public policymaker or a GNSS product-marketing manager would need for decision-making is simply not available in the public domain. A random selection was made of 600 U.S. attendees to the Institute of Navigation’s 1999 GPS conference (ION GPS-99) mailing list to sample the views of key navigation professionals on the viability of GLONASS. Responders were broken out by key job categories and two natural groupings were identified for statistical analysis. The results of this study show a low-level of confidence in GLONASS navigational technology that suggests that ICAO GNSS policymakers may need to do opinion research of their own before proceeding with GNSS plans that include GLONASS.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2001) June 11 - 13, 2001 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	109 - 120
Cite this article:	Chachis, George C., "Navigation Professionals' Public Policy Positions on GLONASS," Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2001), Albuquerque, NM, June 2001, pp. 109-120.
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