Ghana Lands Commission, through its Survey and Mapping Division (SMD), in collaboration with the Licensed Surveyors Association of Ghana (LiSAG) and GMX Systems Ghana Limited, has launched a nationwide observation exercise for Ghana’s GNSS Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) Network.
This initiative is a major milestone in modernizing the country’s geospatial infrastructure and improving land administration.
The exercise aims to integrate more than 60 newly established CORS stations into the national geodetic framework, consolidating Ghana’s Grid Coordinate System. The partners plan to expand the network to 100 stations before the end of the year.
With a modern CORS network, surveyors and spatial data users will have 24/7 access to high-precision data, improved efficiency and cost savings, while aligning Ghana with international geospatial standards.
It will improve accuracy for land records, agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, and revenue generation for the Lands Commission. The observation will be rolled out in three phases — Southern, Middle, and Northern zones — to ensure systematic coverage and data management.
Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division successfully deployed an advanced utility geographic enterprise asset management (EAM) system for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). The smart EAM, featuring Hexagon’s G/Technology, will allow ECG to plan, manage and efficiently operate its distribution network to meet the growing needs of 4.5 million customers.
The enterprise system from Hexagon unifies data from a variety of geographic information systems (GIS), enabling bi-directional data flow with other systems based on the Common Information Model (CIM) standard. The system enhances ECG’s ability to geographically reference and manage assets with integrated tools for data surveying, capture and maintenance and network planning and calculation.
Mobile capabilities enable efficient inspections and maintenance, while a web portal assists employees with locating assets, reviewing the network and more. Migrating to Hexagon’s system will increase process efficiency and reduce asset-management costs by harmonizing systems, validating existing data and capturing missing data.
“The utility GIS is the critical component that fuels innovation in the utility,” said Keli Gadzekpo, board chairman of ECG. “This project is the foundation and the first step to modernizing ECG operations. It is the platform for digitization of electrical network assets, a prerequisite for bringing efficiency in the wire business.”
Photo: Hexagon
Part of ECG’s Modernizing Utility Operations Activity, the project was commissioned by Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Ghana, on behalf of the Government of Ghana’s Millennium Challenge Account Entity Program and funded by the U.S. government.
“We are exceedingly grateful to Hexagon for working tirelessly to deliver this innovative product,” said Julius K. Kpekpena, Ag CEO and COO, Millennium Development Authority. “The technology sets Ghana’s biggest electric distribution utility on the path to modernizing its operations. The GIS is the foundation for modern tools to help ECG plan its networks, reduce losses, collect revenues and serve customers more efficiently.”
The project included procurement and installation of system software, server hardware, mobile field units and services for data migration by Hexagon, field validation of assets by PDSA Ghana (part of Hexagon), and production of aerial imagery by ILV Wagner using Hexagon’s Leica Geosystems surveying and airborne imaging technologies.
“Reliable electricity requires accurate data and tools to plan, design and manage networks, which can also reduce overall maintenance costs,” said Maximillian Weber, senior vice president, Global Utilities & Communications, Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division. “We are proud to support Electricity Company of Ghana in delivering quality service to its customers.”
“Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World magazine, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.
Screenshot: PATS Indoor Drone Solutions video
Seeking out (tiny) aerial threats
Palm-sized drones are eliminating greenhouse pests in the Netherlands, reports the Associated Press. The drones seek out and destroy moths that produce crop-eating caterpillars. Tech startup PATS Indoor Drone Solutions uses drones as greenhouse sentinels. Cameras scan the airspace, and then steer the drones to fly into moths, destroying them in midair. The drone control system can distinguish between good and bad insects. The system is the brainchild of former students from the Delft University of Technology.
Photo: Skydio
Coming soon to a police department near you
Drone-maker Skydio claims to be shipping the most advanced artificial intelligence-powered drone ever built, reports Forbes. The Skydio X2 is scheduled to launch later this year. The quadcopter reportedly can latch onto targets and follow them, dodging all sorts of obstacles and capturing everything on high-quality video. It can fly in tight, tactical situations, such as inside buildings or through a forest. Skydio claims its software can even predict a target’s next move, whether pedestrian or vehicle. American-made, the Skydio is popular with police departments and is often used for defense.
The Loyal Wingman in its first test flight. (Photo: U.S. Air Force 88th Air Wing Public Affairs)
Fighter jets to get a sidekick
A military drone that will accompany fighter jets into combat flew its maiden voyage at the end of February. The Loyal Wingman, designed by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), uses artificial intelligence to target enemies. The Loyal Wingman is about the same size as the F-35 jet it will fly alongside. It has a range of 3,700 kilometers. The plane was flown from the ground control station at the Woomera Range Complex in the outback. The RAAF plans to buy three of the drones.
Photo: Zipline
COVID-19 vaccinations air-dropped in Ghana
Ghana has launched a nationwide program that uses Zipline drones to deliver coronavirus vaccines to rural communities. Deliveries began March 2 under the COVAX program of the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims to provide poorer countries with enough doses to cover 20% of their populations. Zipline has been delivering medical supplies (blood, personal protective equipment, vaccines) since 2016 using its patented, autonomous drones.
Workshop participants from Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya assemble a Mindstorm robot to trial autonomous navigation.
By Patricia Doherty
Last year I helped coordinate a three-week workshop for 50 scientists from 15 African countries, introducing the basics of GPS for applications with socioeconomic benefits and scientific exploration. Held in Trieste, Italy, the workshop was quite successful, producing new initiatives on the African continent. We repeat the workshop next month, April 6–24, again in Trieste.
Since the 2009 training, regional GNSS workshops have taken place in Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and Ethiopia. We have initiated scientific collaborations with universities in Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Egypt, and Uganda, deploying GPS receivers at each institution, with the understanding that the data will ultimately be shared within Africa and the world.
This effort is a way to share with Africa and Africans the wealth that GNSS has brought to the developed world.
Africa’s 2006 Science and Technology Plan of Action states Africa’s commitment to develop and use science and technology for socio-economic transformation and full integration into the world economy. The leading problems that continue to cripple much of Africa include hunger, extreme poverty, erosion of natural resources, and natural disasters. GNSS can help address these problems and ultimately meet the plan’s goals. Specifically, GNSS applications can increase food security, manage natural resources, provide efficient emergency location services, improve surveying and mapping, and provide greater precision and safety in land, water, and air navigation systems. GNSS also has applications in scientific study including space weather, geophysics, geography, geology, ecology, and biology.
Workshop participants included professors and graduate students from Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. The more than 25 lecturers came from the United States, Europe, and Africa.
The workshop integrated formal lectures with hands-on practice in GNSS architecture, signal structure, hardware design, state-of-the-art applications, and scientific exploration. An on-site computer laboratory enabled participants to perform positioning calculations; use mapping and surveying software; plan a precision farming procedure; and analyze atmospheric and ionospheric data — all from GPS measurements. In addition, participants built Lego Mindstorm robots to demonstrate autonomous navigation.
One of the benefits of this program was that scientists and engineers from the United States had opportunities to discuss common interests with African scientists and engineers. Many research programs utilize GPS ground- and space-based measurements. Unfortunately, studies over the African region have not been possible due to the lack of dependable long-term measurements. This workshop opened the door to establishing a base of measurements for joint studies with our African colleagues.
Many lecturers remarked that this was the most enriching teaching experience of their careers. The African participants said that they learned a great deal and were very appreciative of the opportunity to participate in this program.
Workshop sponsors include Boston College’s Institute for Scientific Research (where I work), the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste (where my colleague and workshop co-director Sandro Radicella is head of the Radiopropagation Laboratory), Institute of Navigation, Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force Research Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, National Science Foundation, Trimble, and NovAtel.
To learn more about the workshop, participate, or contribute, please contact Patricia.Doherty @ bc.edu
