U Calgary gets funding from BlackBerry’s RIM for GPS

Ontario-based technology giant Research in Motion (TSX:RIM) is putting up more than $300,000 to allow a team from the University of Calgary to explore how to improve the performance of wireless global positioning systems.

The team, from the university’s Schulich School of Engineering, will investigate ways to enhance the performance of GPS systems in environments where it’s tough to get satellite signals, including inside buildings.

Gerard Lachapelle, the university’s Canada research chair in wireless location, says wireless technology is becoming more widespread and such navigational features will become more common in the future.

The three-year $1.3 million project will also be cost-shared by the federal and Alberta governments.

Research In Motion is the technology firm behind the popular BlackBerry wireless device.

- The Canadian Press