Magellan, originators of the first GPS handheld, announced its first shipment of upgraded GPS receivers offering accuracy of better than three meters. Selected Magellan handhelds now feature wide area augmentation system (WAAS) technology that improves positioning accuracy. Factory-installed WAAS capabilities are available in the MAP 330M and the MAP 330, which is also contained in the MAP 330x bundled package. At no additional cost, customers who previously purchased these products can upgrade their receivers to obtain this improved level of accuracy by downloading free software at Magellan's Web site.
WAAS, developed by the US government, calculates errors in the GPS signal and then transmits correction messages to WAAS-capable GPS receivers. Upgraded Magellan receivers provide higher accuracy, not only from WAAS signals, but also when receiving correction signals from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), which covers Europe. Additionally, projected specifications from the forthcoming multifunctional transport satellite-based augmentation system (MSAS) for Asia suggest that upgraded Magellan receivers will work with this system as well. As a result, Magellan customers will gain better than three-meter positioning accuracy throughout much of the world.
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