Deere & Company, a leading provider of advanced products and services, has declared that a proposal, which is being considered by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is interfering with the usage of Global Positioning System (GPS) in construction and agriculture equipment.
The Save Our GPS, a Coalition of which Deere is a member, has released a study wherein it was reported that if the proposal gains approval from the FCC there is a chance of a negative impact on the US economy to the tune of $96 billion. According to the FCC, the GPS industry should be a part of a working group, which would scrutinize and evaluate the proposal for likely interference to current GPS systems.
Barry Schaffter, who is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Deere, revealed that the usage of GPS technology is very essential to thousands of people who work for their living by using construction and agricultural equipment. He stated that it was not acceptable to allow interference to such industries when there was no practical solution in sight to eliminate the problem of interference. Deere’s main objections were on behalf of construction and agricultural equipment customers who depend on GPS devices, which deliver enhanced productivity, reduced overall costs and decreased environmental impact on their operations.
Schaffter revealed that the strong position enjoyed by the US farmers in the global agriculture economy could be significantly eroded if the GPS signals get degraded. The negative impact estimated for the US farmers range from $14 to $30 billion on an annual basis. Construction contractors also know about the importance of the GPS technology. Continued use of a precise GPS System is imperative for these industries.
According to Schaffter, John Deere is definitely agreeable to the additional broadband services for rural USA, which would be the one of the upshots of the proposal put forth to the FCC but not at the cost of interfering with the existing GPS use. Farmers could greatly improve the usage of seed, fuel and fertilizer with the help of the GPS technology. They could also collect data, which would help to increase the yield of crops. In large agricultural areas, if GPS signals are interfered then food costs would increase considerably. In the field of construction, GPS technologies play a significant role in lowering fuel costs, maintaining equipment and managing big construction projects such as highways, buildings and shopping centers.
Source: http://www.deere.com