GPS World

Tag: Gustavo Lopez

  • XPONENTIAL 2023: First day recap

    XPONENTIAL 2023: First day recap

    Attendees crowded the show floor during AUVSI XPONENTIAL day one.
    Attendees crowded the show floor during the first day of AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023.

    AUVSI XPONENTIAL is underway in Denver, Colorado, at the Colorado Convention Center. After the first day of touring the XPO Hall of more than 600 exhibits and attending educational sessions lead by industry leaders and speakers, GPS World staff noticed a key theme: mitigating GNSS jamming and spoofing by advancing technology for UAVs.  

    Educational Sessions

    Photo:
    Franck Boynton, Vice President of NavTachGPS, highlighted Tallysman ‘s HC871SXF during his “Real World GPS/GNSS Protection from Start to Finish,” presentation.

    “Real World GPS/GNSS Protection from Start to Finish,” was presented by Franck Boynton, Vice President of NavTechGPS. He discussed why anti-jam equipment is needed and how to mitigate jamming. Boynton mentioned several anti-jam products, such as NovAtel’s OEM series product line, Septentrio’s AIM+, Tallysman’s HC871SXF and more.

    Additionally, GPS World contributing writer, Dana Goward, received a mention for his article regarding the GPS jamming incident on Jan 21, 2022, at Denver International Airport, which can be found here. Boynton also suggested checking out the RNT Foundation, which is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation that helps protect critical infrastructure by promoting resilient navigation and timing, of which Goward is the president and director.

    “The Importance of GNSS Security in UAV Applications,” featured a panel of speakers that included (from left to right) Captain Joe Burns, CEO of the Airo Group and member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, Jeff Horne, vice president of security at Skydio Abigail Smith, executive director of UAS security at the FAA, Gustavo Lopez, market access manager at Septentrio, and moderated by Michael Glutting, sales manager at Septentrio.
    “The Importance of GNSS Security in UAV Applications,” featured a panel of speakers that included (from left to right) Captain Joe Burns, CEO of the Airo Group and member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, Jeff Horne, vice president of security at Skydio Abigail Smith, executive director of UAS security at the FAA, Gustavo Lopez, market access manager at Septentrio, and moderated by Michael Glutting, sales manager at Septentrio.

    “The Importance of GNSS Security in UAV Applications,” featured a panel of speakers that included Abigail Smith, executive director of UAS security at the FAA, Captain Joe Burns, CEO of the Airo Group and member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, Gustavo Lopez, market access manager at Septentrio, Jeff Horne, vice president of security at Skydio, and moderated by Michael Glutting, sales manager at Septentrio. During the panel discussion, the speakers explained types of GPS interference, including jamming and spoofing, and the risk they pose to UAVs. The latest methods for strengthening both GNSS receivers and control units to design secure and robust UAVs was also discussed.

    Day-of highlights

    Maddie Saines, managing editor, and Jesse Khalil, digital media specialist, had the opportunity to stop by several booths in the XPO Hall on the first day of XPONENTIAL. A few highlights from the day included speaking with Ahmet Salih Erdem, deputy general manager at Tualcom, getting an in-depth look at SBG Systems’ Quanta Mirco and Ekinox Micro with Yoann Plenet, head of product management, and getting a first-hand look into the newest products from Tallysman Wireless — such as SSL889XF — from Ken MacLeod, product manager for Tallysman.

    SBG System's Qunata Mirco and Ekinox Micro.
    SBG System’s Quanta Mirco and Ekinox Micro.
    Ken MacLeod, product manager for Tallysman, showcasing the SSL889XF.
    Ken MacLeod, product manager for Tallysman, showcasing the AJ977XF.
    Tualcom's booth at XPONENTIAL 2023 showcased new products such as ANTY, its GPS Anti-Jammer.
    Tualcom’s booth at XPONENTIAL 2023 showcased new products such as ANTY, its GPS anti-jamming device.
  • Wingtra drones with Septentrio inside help prevent avalanches

    Wingtra drones with Septentrio inside help prevent avalanches

    Image: Septentrio
    Image: Septentrio

    Avalanches can be a danger for skiers as well as for the resort towns that welcome them. For protection, towns erect steel fences to act as barriers along the ski slopes. But before these snow barriers can be built, steep rock faces and cliffs need to be surveyed.

    Darnuzer Ingenieure AG, a Swiss-based surveying and mapping company, uses a drone with a built-in high-performance GPS receiver to survey these harsh areas in hours.

    “Drones have made mapping workflows faster, safer and more efficient,” said Septentrio’s senior market access manager Gustavo Lopez. “GNSS technology has led to the evolution of post-processing kinematic (PPK) methods, which help make the photogrammetry process efficient and accurate.”

    Every year, thousands of tourists visit Davos in the Swiss Alps. To protect the town and the skiers, avalanche barriers were built along the steep slopes. To plan the work along the uneven rock face, a detailed 3D reconstruction of the area was needed, but getting to the survey site would be a rock-climbing feat.

    Darnuzer Ingenieure used the WingtraOne fixed-winged drone, which features a top-quality camera and a Septentrio high-performance GNSS receiver. A single surveyor took the drone to the rocky Parsenn slope during the summer season, capturing ground images — without snow — that were needed for the 3D model.

    WingtraOne PPK enabled high-precision mapping without the need for ground control points. During the flight, each image was accurately time-stamped and raw GNSS data from the Septentrio AsteRx-m2 receiver was carefully logged.

    Even in this mountainous region, where peaks obstruct the sky, the receiver delivered continuous positioning. The GNSS data was processed by the GeoTagZ software library, which used corrections from a nearby base station to generate real-time kinematic (RTK) centimeter-level positioning.

    The GeoTagZ software library incorporated Septentrio’s core GNSS algorithms to assure the best positioning performance. Accurate positioning was then synchronized with the images in the next step of the post-processing workflow.

    It only took Wingtra a few days to integrate the GeoTagZ library into its WingtraHub software package. Integration of GeoTagZ into WingtraHub simplifies mapping jobs for customers like Darnuzer Ingenieure.

    “The beauty of this solution is that the drone benefits from the receiver’s high-quality raw measurements without the need for a real-time corrections link for accuracy,” Lopez said. “The quality of the measurements comes from the technology built into Septentrio’s receivers, which is designed to be resilient to radio frequency interference and multipath. In post-processing, the GeoTagZ software enables the most accurate positioning, thanks to its high-performance RTK engine.”

  • Septentrio showcases AsteRx-i S UAS, Mosaic at Intergeo 2019

    Septentrio’s Gustavo Lopez gives GPS World an overview of the company’s AsteRx-i S UAS GNSS/INS receiver for drones and Mosaic GNSS receiver module at Intergeo 2019, which took place Sept. 17-19 in Stuttgart, Germany.

    Read more about the AsteRx-i S UAS, which was recently released, here.

  • Septentrio presents AsteRx SB GNSS receiver at Xponential 2018

    Septentrio’s Gustavo Lopez offers a rundown on the company’s AsteRx SB ruggedized multi-frequency GNSS receiver at Xponential 2018 in Denver. According to the company, the AsteRx SB can operate in RTK rover or base station mode and, with an on-board 16GB memory, it can log data for offline post-processed PPK.

  • Septentrio debuts smart antenna at Intergeo 2017

    Septentrio’s debuted its Altus NR3 at Intergeo 2017, which took place Sept. 26-28 in Berlin, Germany. According to the company, the Altus NR3 combines easy-to-use, multi-frequency, quad-constellation RTK with an unrivalled communications toolset.

    Key features of the antenna include a light and portable GNSS receiver; quad-constellation, multi-frequency RTK positioning; and an anti-jamming and monitoring system. The Altus NR3 also features all-in-one base and rover operation.

    “This is a true RTK system that makes the use of all the signals to have the best performance that Septentrio is recognized for,” said Gustavo Lopez, product manager at Septentrio. “We also bring something that is quite unique in terms of technology, which is interference mitigation.”

    According to the company, the Altus NR3 can suppress the widest variety of interferers from simple continuous narrow-band signals to the more complex wide band and pulsed transmitters, as well as lnmarsat and Iridium satellite transmissions.

    The Altus NR3 also features an open interface, so it can be used for a variety of use cases and applications, Lopez added.

    Watch the video to learn more about the Altus NR3’s features.

  • UAV manufacturer senseFly joins April 20 webinar panel

    UAV manufacturer senseFly joins April 20 webinar panel

    A speaker from UAV manufacturer senseFly will appear on the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing ease of use for the user in business applications. The Switzerland-based company specializes in professional-grade UAVs for survey, mapping, precision agriculture and asset inspection. The company recently became the first drone operator to be granted anytime Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) authorization in Switzerland.

    ebee copy 2
    Photo: senseFly

    The webinar will cover a broad range of issues concerning sensor integration aboard a flying platform, and in particular their use for commercial purposes. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.

    The senseFly speaker (name to be announced soon) will join a panel that consists of:
    Gustavo Lopez, Product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications, Septentrio; Jan Leyssens
, Managing Director, Sales & Business Development, Airobot; and Zak Kassas, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside.

    Further speaker details:

    Lopez: Septentrio is an leader in bringing high end GNSS technology when accuracy and reliability matters. Gustavo Lopez is Product manager for UAS applications at Septentrio. Since joining the company, he has held a number of R&D and product management roles. Gustavo holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Monterrey’s Technology Institute and an MBA from United Business Institute

    Leyssens: Airobot specializes in meeting safety demands for UAVs by providing intelligent safety components, specifically designed for drones, and in facilitating end-users’ success in completing their missions. Leyssens has Masters’ degrees in avionics, electrical engineering and business administration.

    Kassas will present the research material from his cover story in the April issue of GPS World: “LTE Steers UAV — No GPS? No Problem! Signals of Opportunity Work in Challenged Environments.” Long-term evolution cellular can be exploited for accurate and resilient autonomous vehicle navigation in the absence of clear GNSS signals. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that GPS-like performance can be achieved in the absence of GPS signals when cellular pseudoranges aid an inertial navigation system.