DOT 31-02
Tuesday,
March 26, 2002
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.:
(202) 366-5571
New
Radionavigation Plan Focuses on GPS As Primary Means of Navigation
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld today announced the release of the
2001 Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP), which continues to strengthen the US commitment to the Global Positioning
System (GPS) and its modernization as a primary means of navigation in support
of the U.S. transportation infrastructure.
“GPS offers us the capability to improve our quality of life through
application across almost every mode of transportation,” said
Secretary Mineta. “However, the
transition to GPS from current systems and the determination of what part of the
current radionavigation infrastructure to retain is a complex matter involving
government, industry and users. We
are seeking a sensible transition to satellite-based navigation services as our
primary means of navigation, while recognizing the need to maintain backup
navigation aids where required.”
The 2001 FRP includes revised schedules for phasing down most land-based radionavigation systems to allow more time to transition to GPS. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will continue the policy stated in the 1999 FRP to operate Loran-C in the short term while the administration continues to evaluate the long-term need for the system. DOT soon will be completing studies on Loran-C that will help make a decision on the system in 2002.
Beginning with this edition, federal radionavigation information previously contained in a single document will be published in two separate documents, the Federal Radionavigation Plan and a companion document entitled Federal Radionavigation Systems (FRS). The FRP includes the introduction, policies, operating plans, system selection considerations, and research and development sections, and will allow more efficient and responsive updates of policy and planning information. Sections relating to government roles and responsibilities, user requirements, and systems descriptions have been moved to the companion FRS and will be updated as necessary.
The
FRP, a joint product of the Departments of Transportation and Defense, is
mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1998, which
also requires that the plan be revised and updated at least every two years.
Secretary
Mineta commended DoD’s continuing cooperation in producing this policy and
planning document.
Free copies of the 2001 FRP/FRS are available on CD
ROM from the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Kendall Square,
Cambridge, MA 02142. The telephone
number there is (617) 494-2908. The
2001 FRP is also on the Internet World Wide Web at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/frp2001.
###