We shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque…
...but we didn't have an SBQuantum magnetometer and geomagnetic map with us.
When you’re trying to navigate somewhere with a map or some kind of visual imagery, the first thing you need to do is to orient it. You need to find landmarks around you, find them on the map/image, and then make sure that magnetic north on your compass matches magnetic north on the map/image. This means that it helps to have a current map/image so that the landmarks on paper are not long gone and the landmarks around you aren’t absent on paper.
Enter SBQuantum
We’re reading more and more these days about the use of quantum sensors for navigation in GPS-denied/spoofed environments, and I’d like to compare them here to compasses. Even if you have a quantum magnetometer handy, you need a map of the Earth’s ever-changing local magnetic profile to go with it. Currently, that map is probably updated roughly every 4 years. So, if you read that SBQuantum recently launched a diamond quantum magnetometer into space, the purpose of that is to help the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency as part of the MagQuest Challenge to update the map as frequently as annually.
It’s Offline
Part of the reason why quantum-assured navigation can’t be jammed or spoofed is that the map, like most printed maps/images you’ve seen, is not provided in real-time. GPS signals have to be provided in real-time, which is why they’re vulnerable. But as long as you can get a recent copy of the local map, you can use your handy dandy local magnetometer with that map to navigate from point A to point Q (obviously).
Technically, the map is updated in real-time. If you’ve used Google Earth, think about how the Earth’s surface is divided up into lots of squares. The squares are being updated in real-time, but you have to wait a while for the square(s) you’re interested in to be updated. The same principle applies here, except that monitoring will be continuous. Nevertheless, you still have to wait for your proverbial neck of the woods, featured image pun intended, to be updated.
Conclusion
The launch is just a test, and SBQuantum’s magnetometer has been put into space to determine if it’s actually going to be useful. This is a 7-year program, and The Quantum Dragon has his fingers, toes, and eyes crossed for good luck.
Disclaimer
No dragons were harmed in the creation of the featured image.
