Image: RNT Foundation
What’s new: The Department of Transportation recently posted its PNT Strategic Plan. The document is dated December 2024, but it was only posted on the 17th of January.
Why it’s important: The document lets everyone know how and what the department is thinking about PNT.
What else to know: While it is worthwhile reviewing, keep in mind:
- It was published by the last administration and the new folks may want to do things differently. That said, we have seen several PNT documents published at the end of administrations, the other party taking control of the White House, and things staying pretty much the same.
- The plan continues DOT (and the U.S. government) in the mode of admiring the problem and encouraging others to do things. This is the role career folks at OMB have dictated for decades.
DOT POSITIONING, NAVIGATION & TIMING (PNT) STRATEGIC PLAN
PURPOSE OF THE DOT PNT STRATEGIC PLAN
The purpose of the DOT PNT Strategic Plan is to establish a path to advance, protect, and coordinate services for civil PNT uses with Federal Departments and Agencies, interface with industry stakeholders and users, and collaborate with international partners. This strategic plan is designed to offer a longer term vision, albeit one that also supports near-term goals and objectives. By developing and publishing this DOT PNT Strategic Plan (hereinafter referred to as “the PNT Plan”), DOT is working to fulfill the following goals:
- Advance and evolve PNT services, data integrity, and resiliency to meet the needs of current and future civil applications..
- This goal includes promoting the responsible use of PNT services in civil and commercial sectors at the Federal, State, and local levels, including the utilization of multiple and diverse CPNT technologies or approaches for national critical functions.
- Emphasize that U.S.-based PNT use cases have worldwide geographical breadth and regularly cross borders—e.g., transportation, commerce, security, finance, scientific applications and innovations, and others; and emphasize the importance of addressing challenges facing the technologies and systems that deliver PNT services with a focus on strengthening resiliency, robustness, efficiency, and cybersecurity.
- Underscore the importance of PNT and ensure alignment with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 DOT Strategic Plan,2 as well as the goals and objectives in the DOT’s Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) Strategic Plan;3 while also coordinating alignment of PNT priorities across Federal Civil Departments and Agencies.
- Offer the broader stakeholder community and future Administrations a better understanding of DOT’s Civil PNT Leadership role and the challenges facing PNT.
- Act as a guide for the future of what is required to ensure resilient and cybersecure PNT for national critical infrastructure, as well as coordination among government agencies and with private sector and academic partners.
