science

OpenSky

OpenSky is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OpenSky rather than just read about it. In short: OpenSky is a registered trademark of Harris Corporation and is the trade name for a wireless communication system, invented by M/A-COM Inc., that is now a division of Harris RF Communications. OpenSky technology applies voice over IP transport to radio communications applications in a unique architecture.

Key takeaways

OpenSky belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenSky to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenSky from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OpenSky is a registered trademark of Harris Corporation and is the trade name for a wireless communication system, invented by M/A-COM Inc., that is now a division of Harris RF Communications. OpenSky technology applies voice over IP transport to radio communications applications in a unique architecture. In the mid-1990s FedEx invited proposals for a data and voice network to the vehicular level. As the world's largest shipper, FedEx was a key opportunity, and major market players presented their existing product offerings over some time. M/A-COM presented their concept, and won the business. They delivered a standards-based infrastructure that attempted to leverage open systems to the largest degree possible, while adapting specific input/output to meet the customer's exact requirements. OpenSky received the direct attention of Tyco Electronics when they acquired it along with AMP Inc. Tyco Electronics funded the company to acquire the EDACS radio system team and product line. The OpenSky system has since been sold into a number of important footprints, including the entire State of Pennsylvania, and the State of New York. On January 15, 2009, the State of New York terminated its contract with M/A-COM due to ongoing and unresolved deficiencies with the OpenSky system. On February 13, 2009, Tyco Electronics filed a complaint against the New York State Office for Technology (NY-OFT), in the New York State Court of Claims, disputing the claims made by the OFT. In the complaint, Tyco Electronics disputed many of the NY-OFT's public criticisms of both the company and the system, maintaining that SWN (which included OpenSky) ‘worked as contracted.’ The complaint also claimed the state hindered the company's ability to build the system in a timely manner, defamed the company by stating that its technology did not work, and that the state inappropriately drew $50 million from the standby letter of credit the company established for the project. On May 29, 2009, Harris Corporation purchased Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems, including its OpenSky and other wireless communication technologies, from Tyco Electronics for US$675 million. As of the end of 2014, it was announced that, due to ongoing problems faced by the State Police and other users, the Pennsylvania Statewide Radio Network will be replaced by a Project 25 Phase II system. It will be VHF/UHF/800 multi-band and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2021.

References

External links M/A-COM Wireless Systems Archived 2013-02-10 at the Wayback Machine Pennsylvania Statewide Radio Network New York Statewide Wireless Network (SWN) and Interoperability Program Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenSky

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenSky claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenSky before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenSky ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenSky

In research: OpenSky appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenSky in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenSky is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Trunked radio systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenSky outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OpenSky in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenSky means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenSky out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenSky in simple terms?

Why does OpenSky matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenSky?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenSky.