IMA NEWS - Dec. 2001

Motto: We challenge risk boldly, deduce conclusion rapidly, create new business chance and contribute to revitalization of Japanese economy.

IMA (Institute of Mathematical Analysis) news is delivered every month. 

My company's fundamental strategy on GPS

The tasks of my company at present are (1) Method for accurate measurement of crust movement at sea bottom, (2) GPS (Global Positioning System), (3) First 100m (usually called last one mile) problem in communication. This time, the author would like to explain GPS.

The keywords for our R&D on GPS are "high precision, high sensitivity and underground GPS". The aim of "high precision" is the positioning with the precision of 10cm everywhere on earth. There may be many applications. One example is the precise positioning of a buoy on sea surface and an observation vessel.

It appears that there exists no relation between "high sensitivity" and "underground GPS". However, there is a close relationship between them. The big premise of GPS is that one can receive GPS signals from GPS satellites. So, one can't receive the GPS Signals quite often. For an example, urban canyons are not favorable places for GPS. In urban canyons or in not so big buildings, GPS signals are weak but exist. For these places, a high sensitivity receiver may be a solution. On the other hand, in big buildings, underground and underwater, GPS signals can't attain. A solution in these cases is to make GPS signal sources like pseudollites. For realization of seamless positioning based on GPS technology, "high precision" and "underground GPS" are two wheels.

Four months have elapsed since the institute was established. With regard to R&D on GPS, a surprisingly big result has been obtained as a result of our efforts in corporation with Mr. T. Sugiyama. President of Teruya, Pegasusnet and TS photon.

The individual results are reported in turn. First, on "underground GPS", the possibility of positioning with the precision of centimeter order has been obtained. The schedule of the experiment was really hard. There were only two months, since the experiment was begun in the middle of October. Under "the threat and cry" by Mr. Sugiyama that the sponsor would not pay unless we did succeed, we were obliged to work very hard, and this lead to the success.

Now, we are writing the report. We are going to tackle R&D toward the realization. After a long time, I have done my best in an experiment. In some stage of the experiment, I was in a complete despair. However, the job was really enjoyable as a whole. Now, the author is grateful sincerely to those who gave him the chance and supported him.

Jobs in November

(1) Experiment on Underground GPS
(2) Demonstration of a high sensitivity GPS receiver to a carrier
(3) Negotiation on a high precision GPS
(4) Presentation of two papers at the Society of Naval Architects of Japan
        http://www.snaj.or.jp/index-e.html
(5) A paper to ION NTM 2002 was accepted
        http://www.ion.org/meetings/ntm2002abstractlist.html

Schedule in and after December

(1) Experiment on Underground GPS and making of a report
(2) Proposal for embodiment of a high sensitivity GPS receiver
(3) Proposal for development of a high precision GPS receiver
(4) Proposal for modulation/Demodulation Experiment
(5) Presentation of a paper on an underground GPS at ION2002 NTM  (Jan., San Diego)
        http://www.ion.org/meetings/ntm2002abstractlist.html
(6) Presentation of a paper on GPS Acoustics at UT2002 (April, Tokyo)
        http://underwater.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ut02/Welcome.html
(7) Presentation a paper on a new method in wave tank experiments at OMAE Symposium (June, Oslo)
        http://www.asmeconferences.org/omae02/Author/NewAbstract.cfm
(8) Application of papers for the Society of Naval Architects of Japan
        http://www.snaj.or.jp/index-e.html

Essay: Small responsibility and big responsibility

When WTC collapsed attacked by terrorists, I was staying at Salt Lake to attend a symposium held there. As you know, flight cancellations came out one after another and there remained a big confusion; even after the complete air traffic stop was cleared. And the passengers were required to confirm their flight. This gives me a very interesting experience on the difference of way of thinking between the United States and Japan.

When I called for my flight confirmation, I was surprised since a voice recognition machine responded me. First, a voice synthesizer began the conversation between us. It is not a difficult problem to understand this. Next, it asked me where I am flying. I replied "Kansai". Then the machine repeated me as "Chicago?" This makes me very uneasy. Collecting myself, I answered again "Kansai". The machine repeated me this time "Frankfurt?" I tried several times without success.

I couldn't help asking a native speaker to confirm my flight. She seemed to have this kind of experience quite often and said that the machine couldn't accept English spoken by non-native speakers. English spoken even by British, South African and Australian might not be accepted sometimes. However, 

Americans still adopt the machine without hesitation. This kind of situation can't be imaginable in Japan. Makers and operators are required full responsibility for the machine in Japan. Whereabouts of the responsibility of this kind is very explicit in Japanese society.

However, in big problems, they become very vague in Japanese society. Many people press personal seals to decide a thing. Nobody knows who owns what responsibility. Furthermore, it is not so difficult to escape responsibility quibbling over trivialities. Hence, it does not become clear who is responsible for the dangerous blood product and mad cow disease after all.

In western societies, especially in American society, the responsibility for these big problems seems to be more explicit than in Japanese society. Is it an author's misunderstanding?