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As the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) industry grows in both commercial and industrial applications, so does the need for power efficient components used in providing position and timing information. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is fast becoming the technology of choice as significant performance improvements have been demonstrated in recent years (1. Turetzky et al, 1997, 3. Gehue et al. 1998). GPS related ITS applications can perform adequately in even the toughest of conditions such as dense foliage and urban canyons. The next identified hurdle in many ITS systems is a higher level of integration and power efficient operation. A low power version of the SiRFstarI (SiRFstarI/LX) chipset has been developed by SiRF Technology Inc. of Santa Clara, California to address the expectations of future ITS integrated systems.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) require reliable location information with emphasis being put on sensor level integration and low power consumption. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proposed as a potential technology to provide this information but has been hampered by poor performance (in urban environments) and power hungry board level solutions. Increased pressure on in-vehicle sensor power consumption has driven SiRF Technology Inc. to develop the SiRFstar1/LX GPS chip set (GSP1LX and GRF1LX). This improved chip set architecture enables lower power consumption without sacrificing tracking or navigation performance specifically in difficult urban canyons. Most GPS systems have been designed as stand-alone board level solutions that can be used in high-level system integration.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) require an in-vehicle infrastructure to provide adequate location information. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been proposed as a potential technology to provide this information but has been hampered by poor performance in urban environments. Most GPS systems have been designed as stand-alone solutions that can be used in high-level system integration. Recent advances in silicon, GPS chipset architecture and software technology have enabled new methods to increase the signal availability (through rapid signal acquisition), accuracy and use of GPS solutions in difficult satellite tracking environments (using 1 or 2 satellites for updates). These improved results can be further enhanced with system integration taking advantage of data from sensors already available in most vehicles.