EU unveils more precise satnav system

[October 01, 2009]  BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union has unveiled an updated satellite navigation system that is up to five times more precise than the current GPS system.

EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani says the EGNOS system will allow for far more intricate applications ranging from pinpointing agricultural spraying to helping to guide blind people in their everyday lives. It would also improve applications in aviation and automatic road tolling.

Tajani said Thursday that EGNOS is not a replacement for the EU's troubled Galileo system, which is supposed to be operational by 2013.

[Associated Press]

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