Javad Ashjaee   |   CEO and President   |   Javad GNSS

High Precision at a New Level

Javad Ashjaee (JA), chief executive officer and president of JAVAD GNSS, spoke with us from his Moscow office on February 5. The previous day, JAVAD GNSS unveiled a line of GNSS products, including its TRIUMPH chip, OEM boards, TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-4X cluster-RTK GNSS receivers, six antenna types, and software applications (see The Business section of this issue).

Alan Cameron (AC): You have launched yet another company and now you have a new product line. What overall opportunity are you addressing? How has the landscape changed since your last new product line?

JA: My enthusiasm and goals are the same. I want to put state-of-the-art technology in the hands of users and provide them with the best support to benefit from every bit of our innovations. The changes in the landscapes give me more incentives and motivations. These changes are:

• We are facing new generations of satellites and signals which beg for more innovations.
• The users are more educated and better understand technical details and specifications. They pay more attention to technology and issues that affect products’ performance, and marketing gimmicks do not distract them much.
• I have learned some hard lessons, including the one that I should not rely on cooperation of others whose short-term financial priorities or personal objectives hinder progress towards technical innovations; and
• This time around I do have sufficient resources to carry this all by myself.

AC: When you say resources . . .

JA: First there are human resources; we have the best technical team in the world. They have created seven generations of GNSS receivers. Many of them have more than 30 years of direct GNSS experience.

Next there are financial resources: We are well funded, with a healthy operation and a good cash reserve. We have purchased the building that we operate in, and have an abundance of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, and so on.

And then, the distribution resources: During the past 30 years we have created networks of friends worldwide who can help us to distribute and support our products and customers. In all these categories we are much stronger than before and we will strive to get better. I also would like to point out that all previous projects and operations which I was involved with are operating very successfully today. Those include Trimble, Ashtech/Magellan, and JPS/Topcon/JNS.

AC: JAVAD GNSS is focused primarily on survey, construction, and machine control?

JA: Yes, we are focusing on the professional and precision applications. I’m not ruling out that some day we may get into the consumer area, especially if we find interesting technical challenges, but for now we are not looking at the consumer market. For the survey, construction, and professional precision applications we have developed different types of hardware and a complete suite of software for many applications. We have improved the GNSS technology to the point that we do not need to augment it with laser or optical instruments in some precision applications like machine control. We also put a lot of emphasis on support and helping customers with this new technology.

AC: You have a unique vantage point, based in Russia, with a solid operation in the United States, and actvity in Europe. Give us your view of these three GNSSes under development and modernization. Particularly GLONASS, first.

JA: GLONASS is progressing very rapidly. Russia is committed to completing the system and now is focusing a lot on marketing activities, too. There was a period of time when financial limitations and other priorities slowed down the development of GLONASS. That has now changed dramatically. We are somewhat involved in discussions regarding new signal structures of GLONASS, which also have the support of the U.S. government. It is helpful that the U.S. government supports the GLONASS program by offering advice and interoperability considerations with GPS. I was involved in facilitating some of the meetings in both formal and social levels and observed first-hand the U.S. support and encouragement for GPS/GLONASS interoperability.

AC: GLONASS can launch three satellites at once, it has strong financial resources now, but the design life of its satellites is fairly short, so constellation numbers could decrease as well as increase rapidly. How do you factor in that longevity or robustness?

JA: You are correct. GLONASS satellite technology has always been a little behind GPS. At the time when GPS satellites’ lifetime was seven years, GLONASS’ was three or four. Now GPS has improved to 11 years or so, and GLONASS is at the seven-year level. As GPS survived and progressed with that seven-year lifetime, I think GLONASS will do so as well. GLONASS is also investing heavily in electronic improvements.

AC: In the past, you have expressed some, perhaps, controversial views about Galileo (see September 2006 GPS World, “Is Galileo Real — Or Not?”). What is your view now of its viability?

JA: First, let us not say controversial views, but say instead more realistic views! If you remember in the Galileo interview which I had with you two years ago, and in my 2007 presentation in Munich, I was never negative about the future of Galileo. We first developed a 72-channel chip to include Galileo. When they changed the Galileo signal structure and that chip became useless, I mentioned it a few times. My main criticism of the Galileo program always was about reliance of the program on public-private partnership (PPP). After two years of delay, now my views and criticisms have proved to be correct, and the Galileo program has changed its direction.

In new Galileo program statements, I see sentences that have similarities to our interview of two years ago. And, as you see now, we are supporting Galileo further and more than any other company. We have developed a new 216-channel chip capable of tracking all Galileo signals (even if they change it again!) and we have designed products using that chip. We are offering free Galileo for one year, to enable our customers to practice with Galileo. We will extend the one-year free program as long as necessary until there are enough Galileo satellites available for people to see the benefits of Galileo, and then decide to purchase if they want to.

We are also sending a message to the Galileo authorities that the user community is ready. We have explained our motives and objectives on our website, www.javad.com. Please note that we have carried out all this support with our own internal funding and not a penny of support from Galileo authorities or any other organization. Galileo will be a success — and we are supporting it with actions and not only with words.

AC: GPS is modernizing, with a next-generation contract soon and new signals going forward. What opportunities do new signals present, and how are you planning for them?

JA: The history of GPS is full of success stories. It’s one of the rare systems whose performance exceeded the design criteria — on the day it became operational! Let me also interject that this is what good program management can achieve, and add that Galileo needs a Brad Parkinson. I am sure there are thousands of them in Europe but they should be given the authority and the free hand which Brad enjoyed.

GPS, as is, still performs beyond expectations. Of course, all improvements are welcomed. L2C will help us to access L2 directly and comfortably! And adding a third frequency helps precision applications and as a backup in case one signal is jammed. New signals are stronger and increase availability and reliability.

Technology is addictive. Once you have seen high-definition TV, you cannot watch the Super Bowl on your good old TV any more. By the way, I watched the last Super Bowl live 2:30 a.m. in Moscow with Russian language commentary. It sounded much different!

Anyway; GPS is very good today and it is going to get a lot better and, with our TRIUMPH 216-channel chip, we are ready to receive and enjoy every bit of the innovations that may pour down on us from GPS or any other satellite system.

AC: What about the Chinese system? If you have three systems operational, the fourth system to market may be left out in the cold. If Compass gets there before Galileo, what opinion do you have?

JA: We are following the Compass development very closely and we tracked their signals on December of 2007. What you say is true; the more systems that exist, the less commercial value any new system will have. But so far no system has been launched for only commercial considerations. Once we have three systems operational, the fourth system will have more military objectives rather than commercial ones. But I have serious doubts that Compass could come close to the performance capabilities that have been specified for Galileo. Certain technologies (including atomic clocks) do not exist in China, and the Compass program is at the mercy of the United States or Europe as to what it will be allowed to have.

The military value and objective of GNSS is always there and in most cases (if not all, and Compass is no exception) is the primary objective. As I said in my previous interview, no military powerhouse can exist without having its own satellite navigation system, and we civilian users are the fortunate beneficiaries of this unfortunate fact.