Tokyo, June 14, 2017 ---Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Development Bank of Japan, DENSO Corporation, Japan Radio Co., Ltd., and Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. today announced that they will establish a new company named Global Positioning Augmentation Service Corporation (GPAS) on June 15, 2017 in the form of a joint investment.
Recently, high-precision positioning information is increasingly used in fields such as agriculture, construction, and disaster prevention. Demand for such information is expanding worldwide for both land-based and maritime applications. In Japan, Michibiki No.2 (Quasi-Zenith Satellite) was successfully launched on June 1, 2017 and is expected to generate diverse services using high-precision positioning information.
Within a few years, GPAS aims to commercialize a service for centimeter-level precision global satellite positioning through verification testing utilizing a high-precision orbit and clock analysis tool. Seeking the cooperation of relevant authorities and businesses, GPAS will work to establish a fundamental technology that supports the global deployment of autonomous vehicles and agricultural/construction machinery, in addition to maritime and meteorological observation applications.
As the nature of this project contributes to strengthening corporate competitiveness through cross-industry collaboration, Development Bank of Japan is investing in GPAS under a special financing program for supporting the competitiveness of growing companies and industries.
Overview of GPAS
| Company name | Global Positioning Augmentation Service Corporation |
|---|---|
| Foundation | June 15, 2017 |
| Headquarters | 8-17-5, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
| Business | Verification for commercialization of centimeter-level high-precision satellite positioning service, etc. |
| Investors | Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Development Bank of Japan, DENSO Corporation, Japan Radio Co., Ltd., and Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. |
| Representative | Hideshi Kozawa |
About Hitachi Zosen Corporation
Established as a shipbuilder in Osaka in 1881, Hitachi Zosen draws on engineering technology plus innovative welding and fabrication processes cultivated through its founding business-Zosen is Japanese for shipbuilding-to conduct global operations in the fields of Environment/Green Energy, Social Infrastructure, and Disaster Prevention.
- In Environment/Green Energy, Hitachi Zosen contributes to a sustainable society with its mainstay Energy-from-Waste plants, boasting a track record of more than 840 deliveries mainly in Europe and Asia. With onshore and offshore wind farms, it is equipped to provide comprehensive solutions ranging from engineering, procurement, and construction to operation.
- In Social Infrastructure and Disaster Prevention, the company supports efforts to enrich people's lives with desalination plants, resolving the problem of water shortage with a world-class delivery record of 90 facilities primarily in the Middle East. In Japan, it serves as an EPC contractor for water purification, sewage treatment, and night soil treatment plants.
- Incorporating information and communications technology into its advanced manufacturing technology, Hitachi Zosen also offers products and services such as high-quality reactors for oil refineries, casks and canisters for safe transport and storage of spent nuclear fuel, shield tunneling machines, and GPS ocean wave meters for the early detection of tsunami.