SKorea To Be On Alert Weekend For Satellite Glitch

Updated 4:36 AM ET August 18, 1999

The Ministry of Information and Communication said the government would watch for incidents in connection with a date change in Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers August 21-22.

GPS, designed to record time for 1,024 weeks, is due to roll over its calendar, or return to zero at 23:59:47 GMT on August 21.

Originally developed for the military, GPS is also used by airlines, ships and businesses and has also become popular with recreational boaters, hikers and fishermen.

If a GPS system is not compliant with rollover standards, the satellite receiver could process satellite data incorrectly and display the wrong time or position.

"We don't expect any big problems to occur during the rollover," said an information ministry official. "But older GPS receivers could give wrong information to users, which could lead to an accident."

He said Korea's major airlines and shipping companies will not be in danger as they have long prepared for it.

Korean Air said nine of its passenger carriers that have GPS receivers passed simulation tests, which showed no problem at all.

Asiana Airlines, which has four GPS receiver-topped planes, said the rollover will not affect its normal service as it is not the primary means of navigation.

"There will be no cancellation of normal services over the weekend," said an Asiana spokesman. "The GPS rollover will be a problem for shipping lines, which are heavily dependent on the system."

Hanjin Shipping Co (00700.KS) said its fleet of 44 ocean-going ships will be banned from using the GPS system during the rollover period and instead try to use conventional methods like radar and eyesight.

The Korea Shipowners' Association, which represents the nation's 36 companies with ocean-going vessels, said it is not ringing alarm bells too loudly for its members.

"We are not overly concerned about the GPS rollover issue. With some precautions, things will be as usual as before," said Joh Bongiee, manager of the association's marine affairs team.

If an accident does occur, however, it is not likely to be covered by insurance. "Much the same as the Y2K problem, insurance firms won't offer to cover GPS receiver failures," said Joh.

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-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), August 18, 1999

Answers

Link, por favor?

Thanks,
Scott Johnson
Editor, y2ktoday

-- Scott Johnson (scojo@yahoo.com), August 18, 1999.

Here's the link:

Link

Ray

-- Ray (ray@tottacc.com), August 18, 1999.