For Space Technology (ST) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to advance further, precise location and timing information are absolutely necessary. This information is not only applied in everyday life, such as finding unobstructed paths to reach destinations, but is also utilized in various industries, defense, and science sectors through satellite navigation systems that use satellites to obtain accurate location and timing information. After the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States began its full-scale operation in 1995, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology, represented by GPS, started to develop competitively among developed countries. GNSS is applied in numerous fields including information and communication, satellites, defense, maritime, aviation, geodetic surveying, and time synchronization, and is particularly a basic infrastructure that countries must provide for smart cars, drones, and unmanned vehicles. Although GNSS services provided for free by foreign countries can be used, many countries are developing their own next-generation GNSS systems to avoid dependence on information, including Russia’s GLONASS, the European Union’s Galileo, China’s BDS, Japan’s QZSS, and India’s IRNSS, which are either operational or in preparation. As part of national infrastructure construction, South Korea is also preparing plans for the activation of GNSS, with active progress being made in national development and utilization plans centered on the Korean Positioning System (KPS). In Korea, the GNSS Technology Council (GTC), a corporation representing domestic experts, was established in 1994 to promote academic information exchange and research activities on GNSS technology, and has made efforts in domestic and international GNSS technology exchange and dissemination through workshops until 2011 for 18 years. Furthermore, to inject more vitality into the GNSS field and expand its activities and influence, The Korean GNSS Society (KGS) was newly launched in December 2011.

With the technological advancements of 2016 and the diversified demands for location and timing information provision, the Institute of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (IPNT) expanded its field of activity to include not only satellite navigation but also Alternative Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT), inertial navigation, time synchronization, image navigation, and various applications such as unmanned vehicles and drones, and changed its name to The Institute of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (IPNT).

The Institute of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing aims to lead technology and research and development needed in the PNT field by the nation, society, and industrial sites, elevate South Korea’s level of PNT technology to world-class standards, contribute to the promotion of academic scholarship and the advancement of industrial technology domestically, and expand professional knowledge among its members.