GPS World

Author: Allison Kral

  • uAvionix developing transponder for space-based ADS-B surveillance

    uAvionix is developing and testing skyBeacon X, a wingtip mounted 1090MHz Mode S ADS-B OUT transponder designed to meet the update rate performance required when used in conjunction with the Aireon satellite-based global ADS-B air traffic surveillance system.

    According to the company, skyBeacon X is similar to the original skyBeacon in that it is an ED position light replacement with an integrated 1090MHz transponder, GPS position source, barometric altimeter, and LED position and anti-collision lights.

    In January 2019, NAV CANADA revealed that it will be implementing an ADS-B Performance Requirements mandate in three phases. Phase 1 includes Class A airspace and Class E airspace above FL600 by Jan 1, 2021. Phase 2 includes Class B airspace which in Canada extends from FL125 to FL180, and requires equipage by Jan 1, 2022. Phase 3, to be implemented no sooner than 2023, will require General Aviation (GA) aircraft to equip with transponders which employ antenna diversity — an antenna installed on both the bottom and the top of the aircraft — in order to achieve acceptable performance to provide Air Traffic Services.

    uAvionix plans for skyBeacon X to serve as a low-cost, diversity-compatible system for Canadian users to meet these requirements.

    “Many of our ANSP customers would like to provide air traffic control services at lower altitudes and to all types of aircraft in controlled airspace, including GA,” said Cyriel Kronenburg, Aireon’s Vice President of aviation services. “We are excited to participate in testing and validation with uAvionix to ensure skyBeacon X meets performance requirements to be used with the Aireon system. We believe these transponders offer an affordable, reliable solution for ADS-B OUT equipage that would help many of our international ANSP customers and regulators increase equipage rates for GA aircraft. This will also allow GA to leverage both the safety and operational benefits of a space-based surveillance system.”

    skyBeacon X is expected to be certified and available in 2021. According to the company, skyBeacon X will be uAvionix’s first global GA product operating on 1090MHz. While it will not be available in time for U.S. users to meet the deadline for the FAA’s mandate, it will be available and TSO certified for the Canadian projected mandate date of 2023, uAvionix added.

    The company also recently expanded into two new facilities: one in Leesburg, Virginia, and one in Columbia Falls, Montana.

  • Second SpaceDataHighway satellite successfully launches on Ariane 5

    The EDRS-C satellite, the second node of the SpaceDataHighway network — also known as the European Data Relay System (EDRS) — has successfully launched into geostationary orbit at 31 degrees East by an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. According to Airbus, after a test period, it will double transmission capacity of the system in order to serve two observation satellites simultaneously and provide redundant back-up for the SpaceDataHighway.

    This second satellite is joining EDRS-A, which transmits the images of Earth acquired by the Copernicus program’s four Sentinel observation satellites on a daily basis.

    According to Airbus, the SpaceDataHighway is the world’s first “optical fiber” network in the sky based on cutting-edge laser technology. A public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Airbus, it is a network of geostationary satellites permanently fixed over a network of ground stations that can transmit data at a rate of 1.8 Gbit/s.

    SpaceDataHighway satellites can connect to low-orbiting observation satellites at a distance up to 45000 km, intelligence UAVs or mission aircraft via laser, Airbus added. From its position in geostationary orbit, the SpaceDataHighway system relays data collected by observation satellites to Earth in near-real-time.

    “The SpaceDataHighway makes our data connections more secure, more stable, more reliable, with more bandwidth and in near real time,” said Evert Dudok, head of communications, intelligence and security at Airbus Defence and Space. “The launch of our second satellite is just the start, laser communication will be a revolution for many industries.”

    Full operations, including EDRS-C, are expected by the end of 2019, when its inter-satellite link and end-to-end service will be tested and commissioned with the Sentinel satellites. A third communication node is to be positioned over the Asia-Pacific region by around 2024.

    In addition, from 2021, the Pleiades Neo Earth observation satellites will begin to use the SpaceDataHighway, and by the end of 2019, the system will also provide a fully European broadband communication service to the Columbus module of the International Space Station, Airbus said.

    Featured photo: Airbus

  • Raytheon to develop advanced laser systems for U.S. Air Force

    Raytheon to develop advanced laser systems for U.S. Air Force

    According to Raytheon, its HELWS uses energy to detect, identify, track and take down drones. (Photo: Raytheon)
    According to Raytheon, its HELWS uses energy to detect, identify, track and take down drones. (Photo: Raytheon)

    Raytheon Company will deploy two prototype high-energy laser weapon systems (HELWS) to troops overseas under a $24 million U.S. Air Force contract. The U.S. Air Force’s experimentation includes 12 months of in-field operation against unmanned aerial systems and operator training.

    Raytheon’s HELWS uses energy to detect, identify, track and take down drones. According to the company, the system can target a single drone with precision. The HELWS is paired with Raytheon’s Raytheon’s Multi-spectral Targeting System. Raytheon’s HELWS, which comes mounted on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle, uses invisible beams of light to defeat hostile unmanned aerial systems.

    “Every day, there’s another story about a rogue drone incident,” said Stefan Baur, vice president of Raytheon Electronic Warfare Systems. “These threats aren’t going away, and in many instances, shooting them with a high energy laser weapon system is the most effective and safest way to bring them down.”

    Raytheon, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is a technology and innovation company that specializes in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions.

  • L3Harris explains how ENVI is used for disaster response at Esri UC 2019

    At the Esri 2019 User Conference, L3Harris’ Zachary Norman discusses how the company’s ENVI® (Environment for Visualizing Images) image analysis software, combined with deep learning, help with disaster response. Norman covers two scenarios where the technology can be used: flooding and forest fires, including the California Camp Fire in November 2018.

  • Microsemi launches latest version of precise timing grandmaster

    Microsemi launches latest version of precise timing grandmaster

    Microsemi has released its TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0, the latest version of its TimeProvider 4100 precise timing grandmaster.

    The TimeProvider 4100 is a grandmaster complemented by extensive port fan-out for PTP, Network Time Protocol, sync and legacy building integrated timing supplies. According to the company, the TimeProvider 4100 offers multiple ports for current, legacy and future networks that can be connected to multiple base stations for 4G and 5G deployments.

    Microsemi launched its TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0, the latest version of its TimeProvider 4100 precise timing grandmaster. (Photo: Microsemi)
    Microsemi launched its TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0, the latest version of its TimeProvider 4100 precise timing grandmaster. (Photo: Microsemi)

    Version 2.0 of the TimeProvider 4100 includes a number of new features, including an optional expansion module with 10GE support for 1G/10G/100M fan-out, offering four SFP and four SFP+ ports; increased capacity to 790 PTP clients (up from 512 previously) at a full rate of 128 packets per second; a boundary clock that supports Class C and class D; support for Primary Reference Timing Clock Class B (ITU-T G.8272); and support for multiple operation modes.

    The unit can still behave as a fully functional grandmaster from an outputs standpoint and also has the capability to monitor various kinds of inputs, the company added. It also features a new operation mode for a high-performance boundary clock.

    According to Microsemi, TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0 adds support for PRTC-B in addition to PRTC-A. In addition, it adds support for monitoring presentation through Microsemi’s TimePictra 10 synchronization management system.

  • OGC calls for 3D IoT Platform for Smart Cities Pilot participation

    Photo: iStock.com/metamorworks
    Photo: iStock.com/metamorworks

    The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is inviting members and non-members to participate in its 3D IoT Platform for Smart Cities Pilot.

    The goal of the pilot, which is sponsored by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, is to advance the use of open standards for integrating environmental, building and internet of things (IoT) data in smart cities. It will focus on two scenarios: real-time monitoring of indoor occupancy and real-time monitoring of micro-dust air pollutants.

    According to OGC, participants in this pilot will connect their technology and expertise with real city needs while collaborating with other participants to advance open standards for smart cities. OGC hopes the outcomes of the pilot will help facilitate and standardize the access to environmental, building and IoT data in smart cities.

    This Initiative is being conducted under OGC’s Innovation Program, the research and development laboratory of OGC. Under OGC’s Innovation Program, sponsors and OGC members come together to address geospatial IT challenges.

    Access the call for participation here. Responses are due Sept. 2.

  • Terra Drone Europe completes aerial 3D survey, 3D model for Shell oil rig platform

    Terra Drone Europe completes aerial 3D survey, 3D model for Shell oil rig platform

    Terra Drone Europe, a group company of Terra Drone Corporation, has completed an aerial 3D survey and produced a 3D model of an offshore oil rig platform in the North Sea for Shell.

    According to Terra Drone Europe, the platform complex that was surveyed was positioned several years ago when GNSS survey techniques were neither very advanced nor common. Several coordinates were known and as-build drawings were available, but Shell wanted to know the position of each and every element on the platform to facilitate accurate drill rig positioning.

    Terra Drone Europe completed an aerial 3D survey and produced a 3D model of an offshore oil rig platform in the North Sea for Shell. (Photo: Terra Drone)
    Terra Drone Europe completed an aerial 3D survey and produced a 3D model of an offshore oil rig platform in the North Sea for Shell. (Photo: Terra Drone)

    Thus, the company recruited Terra Drone Europe to capture the as-is conditions through a high-precision oil rig platform survey. According to Terra Drone, the survey was divided into two parts: one part dedicated to creating a 3D point cloud and the second to accurately check the position of the platform using GNSS readings.

    Two GNSS receivers were installed at several different locations on each platform and used to log in the raw data which was later processed. When this data was combined with the 3D point cloud created by Terra Drone Europe, the coordinates of each asset on the platform structure were determined.

    Terra Drone Corporation recently established new branches focusing on the oil and gas sector in Argentina, Angola, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates. The company also formed a new branch to provide advanced nondestructive testing and inspection services to the oil and gas industry.

  • A straightforward explanation of oblique

    How are oblique views derived from aerial imagery?

    Typically, a camera takes a field of view of 120 degrees (+/– 60 degrees either side of centerline). The nadir is straight down +/– 5 degrees either side, but everything beyond is considered oblique imagery.

    Overlapping imagery is required to ensure clean images and to reduce the angle of obliquity. Too much of an oblique angle causes parallax, which distorts the image, so it is usual for imagery to overlap by 70% each pass, meaning that 30% either side of center is used, but everything except for a small path considered nadir is double imaged.

    However, in the case of stereographic imagery, which is required for building a 3D mesh, the overlap has to cover the centerline of the last flight path, so the flights must be much closer together.

    Oblique imagery allows 3D meshes to be created, which is a huge benefit to geospatial analysis. It allows the actual terrain to be measured not in a straight line, but in an actual topographic line that includes elevation changes for point-to-point distance.

    Additionally, straight lines work when everything looks flat, but in reality straight lines are rare, and point-to-point measurements often have to take advantage of the existing terrain, avoiding steep terrain and aiming to stay on the highest ground to avoid marshy areas.

    Oblique imagery also allows for mensuration, which is the measurement of the vertical based on the trigonometry of the sensor’s position and height compared to the target’s angle. More than one oblique image of the same target area allows for stereographic imagery for building the 3D meshes and seeing in 3D. Without the magic of oblique imagery, GIS would be a 2D science.

  • Esri explains how mapping technology is used for marine safety

    Esri’s Jesse Smith discusses how the U.S. Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol is using Esri’s ArcGIS Enterprise platform to improve marine safety at the 2019 Esri User Conference in San Diego. Currently, the organization is using the platform to map, observe and track icebergs.

  • Jackson Labs introduces Micro-Transcoder, PNT-5500 reference receiver

    At the Institute of Navigation’s 2019 Joint Navigation Conference, Jackson Labs Technologies Founder and President Gregor Said Jackson discusses two of the company’s newest products: the Micro-Transcoder GPS RF modulator/simulator and PNT-5500 reference receiver.

  • Jane Goodall Institute releases StoryMap highlighting chimp habitat conservation

    Jane Goodall Institute releases StoryMap highlighting chimp habitat conservation

    In collaboration with Esri and Blue Raster, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) released a StoryMap that highlights Jane Goodall’s research, her Tacare approach and chimpanzee habitat conservation.

    The StoryMap highlights how many remaining chimpanzee habitats are outside of protected areas, and how that habitat is in the care of local people and decision-makers. It also walks through JGI’s Tacare community-centered conservation approach which employs GIS and other tools to empower local communities in the pursuit of local conservation.

    The StoryMap features a map showing where chimpanzees live in Tanzania. (Photo: Esri, HERE, GARMIN, USGS | Esri © OpenStreetMap contributors, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS | Lilian Pintea, the Jane Goodall Institute and TANAPA)
    The StoryMap features a map depicting where chimpanzees live in Tanzania. (Photo: Esri, HERE, GARMIN, USGS | Esri © OpenStreetMap contributors, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS | Lilian Pintea, the Jane Goodall Institute and TANAPA)

    The StoryMap explains the start of Jane Goodall’s career and how she discovered that chimpanzees make and use tools, which led to the discovery that chimpanzees share 98.6% of human DNA. It also covers the importance of conserving chimpanzees and their habitats, specifically noting their habitats in Tanzania. Finally, it explains how Tanzanians are using mobile technology, paired with the Esri Survey-123 app, to turn land-use plans into reality.

    The StorMap also offers an overview of JGI’s Tacare community-centered conservation approach, which emphasizes four steps: engage, listen, understand and act.

    Check out the map here.

    Earlier this year, the Jane Goodall Institute also partnered with Esri to develop a set of tools that will help communities map and manage the ecosystems around them, aided by GIS software.

  • NASA program aids with disaster relief efforts

    NASA program aids with disaster relief efforts

    Satellite imagery and mapping have proven to be critical technologies when it comes to disaster relief efforts.

    The NASA Earth Science Disasters Program has harnessed these technologies to help communities and governments recover from natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and more.

    “[The goal of the program is to] try to prevent natural disasters or limit their impact and also help people recover from them more quickly,” Jeremy Kirkendall, senior GIS administrator for the NASA Disasters Program, told GPS World in an exclusive interview at the 2019 Esri User Conference in San Diego. “We provide the products free to anyone to use, and data is only available if there is a good satellite pass.”

    When a natural disaster strikes, researchers at the NASA Disasters Program will take satellite imagery of the affected location and create a map to show what the area looks like from an aerial perspective. Authorities who request this information can then compare the disaster map with maps of what the area looked like before the disaster took place.

    “We do take requests from agencies or governments for disasters if they need help if data is available,” Kirkendall said. “We’ll create the products that show where the earthquake damage happened, where the fire burned or where the flooding is, and then users take that — combined with their local information — to determine what needs to be checked.”

    For example, the NASA Disasters Program was able to map out the magnitude 6.4 July 4 Southern California earthquake.

    “The earthquake that happened on July 4 caused a lot of deformation to the ground, so we mapped out that surface deformation and shared that information with other emergency managers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Guard and U.S. Navy,” Kirkendall said. “You can look at things like roads, utilities, underground pipes for natural gas or geothermal wells, or fiberoptic cables. Then when you provide the product to these end users, they can overlay it with utility and infrastructure information to identify what’s the most at risk and what needs to be investigated.”

    Sometimes, when a natural disaster occurs over a longer period of time, data is mapped throughout the duration of the occurrence, as well. This can help with search-and-rescue missions, infrastructure repairs and post-disaster analysis.

    “We will create products during responses that can last a long time, like for Hurricane Florence or the flooding that recently happened in the Midwest,” Kirkendall said. “We’ll keep turning out flood products day after day when there’s good satellite passes that show that information.”

    Kirkendall added that the National Guard has used the live data, along with 911 calls, to find individuals trapped in flooded houses. The data also serves as a tool for post-disaster analysis to understand where damage occurred, ways to fix it and how to prevent it from happening again.

    “The program itself is gearing toward a resiliency effort, where we can provide these products when communities says, ‘We get flooded here all the time, over and over,’” Kirkendall said. “That’s where we need to be prepared to fix something. We need to do something to prevent that.”