T. Ito, International Space University, Strasbourg Central Campus, 1 Rue
Jean- Dominique Cassini, Parc d'Innovation, 67400
lllkirch-Graffenstaden, France e-mail: ito@isu. isunet. edu M. J.
Rycroft, CAESAR Consultancy, 35 Millington Road, Cambridge CB3 9HW, UK
e-mail: Michael. J. Rycroft(R)ukgateway. net As Symposium Committee
Chair for the 2003 International Space University (ISU) Symposium, and
Editor of this Proceedings volume, respectively, we write this
introduction. The success of previous ISU symposia suggests that the ISU
has developed a unique and winning formula for a novel type of
symposium. The characteristics of ISU symposia are that they: - Adopt a
broad, and interdisciplinary, perspective - Address all aspects of the
subject, ranging from policy, business, organisational, and legal issues
to technical and scientific topics - Foster a constructive dialogue
among very different sectors of the space community, and - Allow ample
time for interactive discussions. The present Symposium is no exception.
It considers the very timely topic of space-based systems for global
positioning and navigation, ranging from the GPS system developed by the
US military to the Russian GLONASS system, and on to the future European
Galileo system. Other nations are planning regional augmentation
systems.