Tag: Arrow

Eos adds GEOID height support for Arrow GNSS receivers

Orthometric height support (survey-grade elevations) enables Arrow GNSS receivers to collect high-accuracy, survey-grade vertical data with any data-collection software.

Eos Positioning Systems Inc. has added support for GEOID height models within its Arrow Series GNSS receivers. Eos manufactures high-accuracy GNSS receivers for any app running on iOS/Android/Windows devices and using the Eos Arrow Series.

“You can use Arrow Series receivers with any data-collection software in the world, and benefit from accurate orthometric heights,” Eos CTO Jean-Yves Lauture said. “Our Arrow receivers will output accurate GNSS elevations no matter which data-collection software you use to capture it.”

Image: Eos Positioning

With support for GEOID models, Arrow receivers automatically output survey-grade elevations to all iOS and Android data collection software. Support will also soon be available for Windows devices.

The Arrow receivers now support the entire United States to provide survey-grade elevation in NAVD88 orthometric heights through the GEOID12B (US) model. The Arrow receivers also support the Canadian CGG2013a and HTv2.0 GEOID models for the CGVD2013 and CGVD28 vertical datums, respectively. Additional GEOID models for other countries are planned.

“Eos is intensely focused on supporting high-accuracy GIS, engineering, surveying and construction users by supporting the latest GEOID elevation models within our GNSS monitoring software,” Lauture said. “Our roadmap remains focused on high-accuracy BYOD users by supporting all iOS, Android and Windows users with this capability.”

The problem is that typical Bluetooth GNSS receivers usually provide inaccurate, built-in elevation models. This inaccuracy is reflected in the Mean Sea Level elevation output by those receivers. By outputting orthometric height, the Arrow now solves this problem and turns any smartphone or tablet into a 3D, survey-grade accurate data collection device, the company said.

Eos has designed this new feature so that users will easily be able to update to new GEOID models as they become available.

Field technicians in pipeline, construction, engineering, architecture, water and any other industry are finally able to enjoy GNSS location with survey-grade vertical accuracy on their iOS and Android devices, with the data-collection app of their choice and their Eos Arrow receivers.

January 16, 2019
Eos and CartoPac partner to turn mobile devices into high-accuracy GNSS tools

Eos Positioning Systems Inc. is partnering with enterprise mobile solutions provider CartoPac International to enable consumer smartphones and tablets to become professional-grade GNSS data collection and management devices for staking, inspections and more.

Eos manufactures the Arrow receivers for any smartphone or tablet. CartoPac develops enterprise utility software, including a mobile solution for asset management and data collection.

As utility and energy companies have begun to adapt smartphones as their primary data-collection devices, they have struggled to find integrated solutions that can tie the high-accuracy GNSS locations to their new and legacy assets. Their options were usually limited to onerous workflows of all-in-one handheld GPS devices or the hiring of specialized surveyors.

Eos and CartoPac partnered to integrate the Arrow Series with CartoPac‘s mobile software. This allows CartoPac users to bring submeter and centimeter location into their asset-management solution on either iOS, Windows or Windows Mobile devices.

One real-world example is the installation of an underground pipeline. A field user with CartoPac software and a high-accuracy Arrow receiver paired with an iPad was able to capture submeter asset data, scan the asset’s barcode, take photographs and populate the utility’s enterprise geodatabase in real time, the companies said.

With the right mobile solution, field crews can also be dispatched in no time to the same asset location to respond to emergencies or perform routine work orders and inspections.

“We saw our users struggling to get a good high-accuracy GPS solution within the iOS environment,” said Glenn Vlass, CartoPac co-founder and senior sales executive. “When you can say where an asset is spatially with such a degree of high confidence, that lowers your risk and improves your safety. Lower risk and improved safety are things every utility worker takes seriously.”

Eos and CartoPac plan to expand their deployment of high-accuracy mobile asset management to more utilities facing similar needs.

May 21, 2018
Kansas utility finds new workflow solutions
Water, Water, Where?

WaterOne found itself stuck in the past. The independent public utility knew that its workflow for collecting geospatial data was broken.

WaterOne serves a 272-square-mile area on the Kansas side of the Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area, which has a population of 420,000, 145,000 metered accounts and 2,685 miles of water pipes. The survey/geospatial staff consisted of three analysts, two editors, one programmer and one GPS collector. By 2016, less than 40 percent of the water features had been captured with GPS.

The staff was using legacy GNSS handhelds — operators had to return to the office every night and physically download their data.

Besides being time-consuming, the operators would become frustrated by the antiquated system. Sometimes the handhelds wouldn’t sync to the computer, or files for download would be hard to find. Also, the GNSS handhelds had a tiny screen, making it difficult for operators to see background data in the field. The handhelds’ limited computing power meant the entire water system couldn’t be loaded onto it.

WaterOne turned to a new workflow using Panasonic ToughPad tablet computers and Eos Positioning Systems’ Arrow 200 RTK GNSS receivers mounted on a range pole (see photo).

The Arrow 200 receiver connects to the Panasonic ToughPad via wireless Bluetooth link. The ToughPad has a Verizon SIM card for internet connectivity, used for two purposes:
- Connecting to the Missouri Department of Transportation RTK network to receive RTK corrections for centimeter accuracy;
- Connecting to the WaterOne ArcGIS server in real time from the field.
Whenever the field tech collects data, the data syncs up with ArcGIS server. This eliminates the task of having to physically download the data at the end of the day.

The new workflow also provides near real-time updates to WaterOne’s geospatial information system. This means that if five techs are in the field collecting data, they can each see the map updated in near real time.

The ToughPad tablets have a large, sunlight-readable 10-inch display. The large displays combined with the new data-collection software allows the field techs to view the entire GIS water system on the tablets. The field tech can now “see” all of the water system assets — pipes, valves, fittings, hydrants — around them. This significantly improves productivity over the legacy GNSS handhelds.

Street maps and aerial photos were loaded on the ToughPad to give the field techs a choice of background data to view.

The result? Compared to the 1,767 GPS points collected in 2016, the WaterOne team has collected 5,770 just in the first four months of 2017.
August 11, 2017
Eos Positioning launches Arrow Gold high-accuracy GNSS receiver

Eos Positioning Systems has announced its most advanced high-accuracy Bluetooth GNSS receiver, the Arrow Gold. The Arrow Gold is the first high-accuracy iOS, Android and Windows Bluetooth GNSS receiver to implement all four constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou), three frequencies (L1, L2, L5) and satellite-assisted RTK.

The Arrow Gold provides 1-cm real-time accuracy in more places, and on all iOS, Android, and Windows devices. The palm-sized Arrow Gold works with any data-collection app designed for iOS, Android or Windows, which means that apps like Esri Collector, Esri ArcPad, Survey123 and others work with Arrow Gold right out of the box.

The Arrow Gold introduces an innovative RTK feature for poor cellphone coverage areas — SafeRTK. The SafeRTK feature uses satellite corrections to fill in when the user’s RTK network connection is lost. Even in populated urban areas, wireless connectivity has dead spots. For traditional RTK receivers, this is a deal-breaker. For the Arrow Gold, SafeRTK takes over when wireless coverage fails, allowing users to continue working with centimeter accuracy for up to 20 minutes, free of charge.

Another pioneering feature of the Arrow Gold is 8-cm real-time accuracy anywhere in the world, at a revolutionary price point. On all iOS, Android and Windows devices, the Arrow Gold Basic delivers 8-cm real-time accuracy anywhere in the world using all four satellite constellations and the Atlas satellite correction service.

The Arrow Gold is built for tough environments. It is palm-sized, waterproof, dust-proof and weighs under one pound. It works in the rain, dust, dirt and in rugged environments. The user can mount the Arrow Gold on a range pole or slide it in a vest pocket. The Arrow Gold’s long-range, rock-solid Bluetooth radio stays connected to your mobile device up to 1,000 meters away, and it’s field-replaceable rechargeable battery pack lasts all day.

Owing to its support of all global satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) and all planned satellite signals, the Arrow Gold will provide cutting-edge, high accuracy for the next decade, providing a return on investment (ROI) that will serve its users for years to come, Eos Positioning said. It doesn’t matter if user decides to switch from iOS to Android to Windows during the same project or years from now, the Arrow Gold has universal Bluetooth compatibility that supports all mobile devices for the forseeable future.

The Arrow Gold is targeted at high-accuracy applications such as GIS, environmental, agriculture, electric/gas/water/telecom utilities, surveying, machine control, and federal/state/local government.

October 11, 2016
Eos offers sub-meter and RTK for Esri’s Collector 10.4 for iOS

Eos Positioning Systems has announced that its Arrow series of GNSS receivers is compatible with Esri’s Collector for ArcGIS running on iPads and iPhones. The Arrow receivers have been tested and certified as high-accuracy GNSS receivers compatible with Collector 10.4.0 for iOS.

The full range of Arrow GNSS receivers from sub-meter to decimeter to centimeter RTK accuracy all work flawlessly with Collector for ArcGIS running on all iPhones and iPads running iOS 8.x or later, according to the company. GNSS metadata — including estimated accuracy, correction status, correction age and number of satellites used — is displayed in real-time in Collector, so the user can monitor data quality in the field.

“We worked closely with Esri during their development of Collector to ensure the best high-accuracy GNSS user experience with the Arrow GNSS series receivers, and I think we’ve achieved that,” said Eos CTO Jean-Yves Lauture. “Whether it’s our Arrow Lite, Arrow 100 or Arrow 200 receiver, they all work smoothly with Collector for iOS for sub-meter, sub-foot, decimeter and centimeter accuracy.”

Eos Tools Pro.

As a companion software to Collector, Eos offers a free iOS app called Eos Tools Pro that allows the user to connect to an RTK network and to set alarms for estimated accuracy, HDOP, correction age and others. If a threshold is exceeded (such as estimated accuracy greater than 10 centimeters), an alarm sounds on the iPhone or iPad to alert the user.

“We have tested Arrow receivers and confirmed that Collector for ArcGIS (iOS) is completely compatible with the Arrow GNSS series receivers,” said Esri Product Manager Jeff Shaner. “The tight integration between Collector and Arrow GNSS receivers really enhances the high-accuracy user experience, and during our recent beta program, customers like Le-Ax Water District have shared their success using Collector and the Arrow receivers.”

Collector for ArcGIS (iOS) is a geographic information systems (GIS) data collection program that runs on iPhone and iPads. It records data directly, in real time to ArcGIS Online, Portal for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Server at sub-meter, decimeter and centimeter accuracies when using the Arrow GNSS receivers. No post-processing or other specialty software is required.

Collector 10.4.0 can be configured to automatically transform between horizontal datums on-the-fly, so no matter which datum the user’s GNSS data is referenced to, it can be configured to be compatible with the user’s geodatabase, and Esri provides scripts for transforming between vertical datums when back in the office.

Eos GNSS Tools and Arrow receivers are targeted at high-accuracy applications such as GIS; environmental monitoring; agriculture; electric, gas, water utilities; surveying; machine control; and federal, state and local government.

July 26, 2016
Eos Positioning announces RTK NTRIP app for Android

Google Maps is tightly integrated with the app to display the user’s location anywhere in the world, and detailed satellite information includes a skyplot tracking each visible satellite.

Eos Positioning Systems has introduced a comprehensive RTK NTRIP app for Android that works with its Arrow line of RTK GNSS receivers. An Arrow GNSS receiver combined with the NTRIP app turns an Android smartphone or tablet into a powerful data collector capable of recording 1-centimeter accurate GIS data in real-time.

“We designed Eos Tools Pro for the RTK user,” said Chief Technology Officer Jean-Yves Lauture. ”It is, by far, the most comprehensive NTRIP app for Android on the market today, turning smartphones and inexpensive Android tablets into powerful high-precision GNSS data collection devices.“

The app, named Eos Tools Pro, has user-configurable audible and visual alarms to alert the user of high PDOP, lost RTK correction, unacceptable correction age and several other important metrics. It supports all current and future constellations — GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou.

The Arrow 200 by Eos Positioning Systems.

To eliminate any confusion as to which GPS/GNSS device the user’s app is using, Eos Tools Pro features a dropdown menu so the user may select any receiver the Android device has been paired with.

“The Eos Tools Pro app enables Android devices running Esri’s Collector app on Android smartphones and tablets to collect data as accurate as 1cm when connected to an Arrow GNSS receiver,” said Esri Product Manager Jeff Shaner. “It’s a big leap forward to enable Collector to serve the high-precision GNSS user.”

Google Maps is tightly integrated with the app to display the user’s location anywhere in the world. Detailed satellite information such as a skyplot that plots each visible satellite, whether it’s being used or not, and signal strength bar graphs from each constellation are also displayed. Finally, a Terminal screen displays the NMEA data flowing and allows the user to send commands to the receiver.

Eos Tools Pro and Arrow receivers are targeted at high-accuracy applications like GIS; environmental; agriculture; electric, gas, water utilities; surveying; machine control; and federal, state, and local government.

January 21, 2016
Eos Positioning announces RTK NTRIP app for Android

Eos Positioning Systems has introduced a comprehensive RTK NTRIP app for Android that works with its Arrow line of RTK GNSS receivers. An Arrow GNSS receiver combined with the NTRIP app turns an Android smartphone or tablet into a powerful data collector capable of recording 1-centimeter accurate GIS data in real-time.

“We designed Eos Tools Pro for the RTK user,” said Chief Technology Officer Jean-Yves Lauture. “It is, by far, the most comprehensive NTRIP app for Android on the market today, turning smartphones and inexpensive Android tablets into powerful high-precision GNSS data collection devices.“

The app, named Eos Tools Pro, has user-configurable audible and visual alarms to alert the user of high PDOP, lost RTK correction, unacceptable correction age and several other important metrics. It supports all current and future constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou).

To eliminate any confusion as to which GPS/GNSS device the user’s app is using, Eos Tools Pro features a dropdown menu so the user may select any receiver the Android device has been paired with.

“The Eos Tools Pro app enables Android devices running Esri’s Collector app on Android smartphones and tablets to collect data as accurate as 1cm when connected to an Arrow GNSS receiver,” said Esri Product Manager Jeff Shaner. “It’s a big leap forward to enable Collector to serve the high-precision GNSS user.”

Google Maps is tightly integrated with the app to display the user’s location anywhere in the world. Detailed satellite information such as a skyplot that plots each visible satellite, whether it’s being used or not, and signal strength bar graphs from each constellation are also displayed. Finally, a Terminal screen displays the NMEA data flowing and allows the user to send commands to the receiver.

Eos Tools Pro and Arrow receivers are targeted at high-accuracy applications like GIS; environmental; agriculture; electric, gas, water utilities; surveying; machine control; and federal, state, and local government.

January 21, 2016
Calgary Company Switches from GPS Handhelds to TerraGo

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in Interior, Alaska.

Enmapp, a pipeline services company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has replaced its proprietary GPS handhelds with TerraGo Edge and Eos Arrow receivers. TerraGo Edge is a mobile GPS data collection platform that integrates with the Eos Arrow series of GNSS receivers to bring advanced sub-meter and centimeter real-time accuracy to any smartphone or tablet.

Enmapp provides data collection services to energy companies for pipeline construction and maintenance. Before TerraGo Edge, Enmapp relied on all-in-one GPS handheld devices, but became convinced the cost, features and performance were increasingly out of line with the mobile revolution fueled by Apple and Android solutions. After an extensive evaluation, Enmapp selected TerraGo Edge and Eos Arrow 100 receiver for a field trial so they could compare their performance against the GPS handhelds.

Eos Positioning’s Arrow 200 Bluetooth receiver now supports Hemisphere’s Atlas correction service,

After downloading the app on the crew’s iPads and pairing the Eos Arrow 100 via Bluetooth, they were up and running within minutes. “The results were astounding,” reads a TerraGo press release. “Not only did the Eos GPS receiver meet the GPS handheld’s accuracy requirements, in some cases it was much better. The efficiency of the crews was far superior with the native iPad features of TerraGo Edge, versus the old-style stylus and PDA screens of the legacy equipment. The labor costs were also reduced because they were able to use real-time GPS from the Eos Arrow 100 and reduce post-processing. Enmapp declared TerraGo Edge and Eos the clear winner, and have now deployed TerraGo Edge on all field personnel iPads, along with a Bluetooth-connected, sub-meter GPS receiver, the Eos Arrow 100.”

“The hardware savings are enormous with the new GPS kit at less than $10,000 compared to the old kit which was over $70,000. But the ongoing reduction of project labor costs is even more valuable over time,” said Lance Fugate, program manager at Enmapp. “The cost reductions and efficiency improvements are a game-changer for us. As our industry continues to look for innovation from its service providers, TerraGo Edge enables us to deliver more efficiently. We can pass these savings directly to our customers with each and every future project.”

The TerraGo Edge is available for either iOS or Android.

Below is an exclusive interview with John Timar about TerraGo Edge from the GEOINT 2015 conference.

Jean-Yves Lauture of Eos Positioning discusses the Arrow 200 GNSS receiver at the Esri User Conference.

September 8, 2015
Arrow 200 GNSS Receiver Supports Atlas H-10 Correction Service

Eos Positioning’s Arrow 200 Bluetooth receiver now supports Hemisphere’s Atlas correction service,

The Arrow 200 Bluetooth GNSS receiver by Eos Positioning Systems now supports the new Atlas H10 GNSS correction service. Using the H10 service, the Arrow 200 GNSS receiver is able to achieve 8-cm accuracy, in real-time, virtually anywhere in the world, the company said. The H10 corrections are delivered by geostationary satellite or via Internet connection.

The Hemisphere GNSS Atlas correction service, announced in June, is a real-time correction service that meets or exceeds existing correction services. It has three service levels, with H10 having the highest accuracy.

“Eos is proud to introduce the first GNSS receiver that supports the H10 service,” said Chief Technology Officer Jean-Yves Lauture. “It will allow our customers in every country in the world to have access to sub-decimeter real-time accuracy on all mobile platforms, including iOS, Android and Windows devices.”

The H10 correction service and the Arrow 200 support all active constellations including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS, giving the user ultra-fast convergence time to real-time decimeter accuracy, Eos Positioning said.

The Arrow 200 employs long-range (1 km) universal Bluetooth connectivity so the user can interface to any brand of smartphone or tablet, whether it’s iOS, Android or Windows-based. The Arrow 200 has been optimized to run all day on battery power. The battery pack is field-replaceable and rechargeable separately. All Arrow receivers have been designed to meet IP-67 specifications for immersion in water and are completely dust-proof so they will survive in the harshest environments.

The Arrow 200 GNSS receiver with Atlas H-10 service is targeted at high-accuracy applications like GIS, environmental, agriculture, electric/gas/water utilities, surveying, machine control, and federal, state and local government.

August 5, 2015
Eos Positioning Launches Arrow High-Accuracy GNSS Receiver

Photo: Eos Positioning Systems

Eos Positioning Systems has introduced a new line of high-accuracy GNSS receivers for smartphones and tablet computers, including both sub-meter and RTK performance for all mobile platforms: iOS, Android, and Windows.

Eos’s entry-level product, the Arrow Lite, is Bluetooth compatible with all mobile devices.

The Arrow 100 is Eos’s advanced real-time, sub-meter GNSS receiver that utilizes both GPS and GLONASS, and is expandable to Galileo, Beidou and QZSS. It offers superior tracking under tree canopy, around buildings and in rugged terrain, the company said. In addition to supporting SBAS in North/Central America, Europe, Northern Africa, Japan, India and Russia, the Arrow 100 also supports OmniSTAR’s worldwide, real-time sub-meter service.

The most advanced Arrow receiver is the Arrow 200, a dual-frequency, multi-constellation RTK GNSS receiver capable of 1-cm accuracy in real time. The Arrow 200 is an iOS-compatible RTK and OmniSTAR receiver that works with all models of iPads and iPhones via wireless Bluetooth connection. An iOS NTRIP app that allows the user to log into any available RTK network. The Arrow 200 will provide quality RTK performance for years to come because it supports current and future satellite constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS, the company said. It also supports OmniSTAR’s G2, XP and HP real-time worldwide decimeter services.

“After spending more than 12 years designing high-accuracy Bluetooth GNSS receivers, I believe Eos has set the new standard for high- accuracy GNSS receivers that work across all mobile platforms, no matter if it’s iOS, Android or Windows,” said Chief Technology Officer Jean-Yves Lauture.

All Arrow receivers employ long-range (1-km) universal Bluetooth connectivity so the user can interface to any brand of smartphone or tablet, whether it’s iOS, Android, or Windows-based. A variable-power Bluetooth implementation allows the Arrow receivers to communicate up to one kilometer from the mobile device.

Arrow receivers have been optimized to run all day on battery power. The battery pack is field-replaceable and rechargeable separately. It contains smart charging logic so expensive battery chargers are not needed.

All Arrow receivers have been designed to meet IP-67 specifications for immersion in water and are completely dust-proof so they will survive in the harshest environments.

The Arrow receiver product line is targeted at high-accuracy applications like GIS, environmental, agriculture, electric/gas/water utilities, surveying, machine control, and federal/state/local government.

December 18, 2014