New Delhi, June 19: The Indian Government has developed a desi Global Positioning System (GPS) called NavIC or Navigation with Indian Constellation, to counter the current navigation system of the West. India will now enter the club of select countries that possess a real-time positioning system of their own. The navigation system will help in terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, tracking vehicles, managing fleets and disaster, mapping and capturing geodetic data. Also Read - Navigation satellite launch fails after technical glitch: ISRO (Eds: Minor editing) By Vijay Karthik

Project NavIC, pursued ambitiously by the Modi government, is on the final stage of its launch. IT secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney said, “Request for Proposal (RFP) has been called to start the implementation of NavIC so that the platform can be rolled out and popularised.” The confirmation for the development work was granted by IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, signalling that the rollout of NavIC will take place soon. Also Read - ISRO Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1H Live News Updates: Satellite Launch Unsuccesful, Confirms ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar

NavIC helps smartphones and car navigation systems in real-time positioning. The smartphones currently sold in the country depend on foreign GPS systems. Sawhney said, “It will be good to have our own indigenous system.”He added, “Once we are officially there, the NavIC can be embedded on chips and other devices as well as on vehicle navigation systems.” Also Read - 29-hour countdown for launch of 'IRNSS-1H' begins

The independent regional navigation satellite system is designed to provide accurate timing services to Indian users as well as to those residing in the region extending up to 1,500 km from the Indian boundary. NavIC which has a position accuracy of 20-30 metre is considered more accurate than the American system. NavIC will provide standard positioning service to all users with a position accuracy of 5 metres.

Sawhney mentioned the active role of Indian Space Reseach Organisation (ISRO) in developing of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that works with the help of seven satellites. He added that the development does not seek to make revenues but is solely based on the strategic interest of the country.