Trimble officials say the three-year Coast Guard contract for up to 400 receivers and applicable equipment is for its Maritime Differential Global Positioning System Service modernization program.

The Maritime DGPS Service "provides navigation information for coastal areas, harbors and waterways in the continental U.S., the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, portions of Alaska, Hawaii, and a greater part of the Mississippi River Basin free-of-charge," the release said.

Trimble's NetRS reference station receiver, a GPS receiver designed for a range of precision and monitoring applications, will be utilized in the modernization program in an effort to provide accurate navigation correction messages broadcasted to vessels and police and emergency response vehicles among others.

"The Coast Guard Maritime DGPS Service, operated by Navigation Center, consists of two control centers and over 85 remote broadcast sites. The service broadcasts correction signals on marine radio beacon frequencies to improve the accuracy and integrity of GPS-derived positions," the release said.