GPS World

Author: Allison Kral

  • Datumate offers updated imagery software

    Datumate offers updated imagery software

    Datumate's DatuSurvey 5.5 software offers 2D vectorized measurements and 3D point clouds models. (Screenshot: Datumate)
    Datumate’s DatuSurvey 5.5 software offers 2D vectorized measurements and 3D point clouds models. (Screenshot: Datumate)

    Datumate, a photogrammetry solution and 3D mapping software developer, has released its updated DatuSurvey 5.5 software, which offers 2D vectorized measurements and 3D point cloud models.

    According to the company, with the updated software, users can now process thousands of images locally in an accelerated mode while maintaining survey-grade accuracy and professional engineering results. Organizations can also deploy Datumate’s solutions on single or multiple computers and take advantage of the accelerated and user-friendly processing of the project field data.

    In addition, DatuSurvey 5.5 can process large amounts of drone imaging data locally and quickly. The software can also achieve survey-grade accuracy and geo-reference the model quickly and easily, the company added. Finally, it can plan and execute consecutive drone missions on unmapped and frequently changing areas.

    According to Datumate, its team improved the geo-referencing workflow of the software when using ground control points. Users can now quickly and easily mark ground control points using zoomed-in image projections.

    The company also added the ability to import coordinates to DatuFly Professional in addition to on-site or on-map mission planning. This will enable an efficient and accurate drone mission execution on specific and designated areas without depending on satellite and map source views, Datumate said.

  • Registration for INC2018 open until Nov. 15

    Registration for INC2018 open until Nov. 15

    Registration for the International Navigation Conference 2018 (INC2018), taking place Nov. 12-15 at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel in Bristol, England, will be open until Nov. 15.

    The conference, sponsored by the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN), is a premier forum for the presentation of research and advances in navigation. The theme of INC2018 is Navigation Challenges and Societal Benefits.”

    According to RIN, INC2018 will offer a unique format of multiple keynotes throughout the three days. The sessions and themes will address key navigation topics, including cognition in navigation; human factors in navigation systems; connected autonomous vehicles; innovations in accuracy and indoor navigation, innovations in resilient positioning, navigation and timing; mapping, imaging and augmented reality; and progress in quantum.

    This year’s INC will also feature a one-day symposium covering topics related to cognitive navigation. According to RIN, cognitive navigation is distinguished from other kinds of navigation methods/technology by the dependence on some type of representation of the to-be-navigated space. The goal of the symposium is to bring academics and industry experts together to facilitate the development of our understanding of and design for cognitive navigators, so that buildings and technology can work in a seamless way with human psychology.

    Photo: stocker1970/Shutterstock.com

  • Caliper releases country package for Maptitude mapping software

    The 2018 DACH Country Package for Maptitude includes 4th quarter 2017 map content for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. (Photo: Caliper)
    The 2018 DACH Country Package for Maptitude includes 4th quarter 2017 map content for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. (Photo: Caliper)

    Caliper has lunched a 2018 DACH Country Package for its Maptitude mapping software. According to the company, Maptitude country packages bring the power and flexibility of its Maptitude product suite to a global audience and enable its customers to make geolocation-based decisions internationally.

    The 2018 DACH Country Package includes fourth quarter 2017 map content for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The updated map includes refreshed streets and landmarks, as well as updated travel times and improved address matching.

    According to the company, users can seamlessly switch between the countries purchased, and doing so will refresh the Maptitude interface with country-specific tools, such as those for territory and sales mapping, finding, pin mapping, routing, displaying demographics and Create-a-Map Wizard.

    Caliper develops geographic information systems software, and its Maptitude software is designed to be a cost-effective, professional mapping software product. Maptitude also enables organizations to leverage their location-based data to improve decision making and planning, while minimizing expenditure through competitively priced solutions, the company added.

  • Airbus digital elevation model available for streaming

    Airbus Defense and Space’s edited WorldDEM database, along with the WorldDEM4Ortho dataset, are now available for streaming. WorldDEM is a single-source digital elevation model.

    According to the company, access to the WorldDEM and WorldDEM4Ortho of the entire Earth’s landmass facilitates a wide range of applications, such as line-of-sight analysis, hydrological modeling, satellite imagery orthorectification and more.

    The WorldDEM dataset corresponds to a hydro-enforced digital surface model with water surfaces of lakes and reservoirs set to a single elevation. Rivers and canals are flattened with monotonic flow, oceans are set to zero and coastal infrastructure features are removed.

    WorldDEM4Ortho, which is based no the global WorldDEM dataset, is tailored to orthorectification of high and very high- resolution optical and radar satellite data. According to Airbus, it enables corrections of all distortions induced by the topographical variations of the Earth’s surface and the satellite orientation when acquiring the image.

    Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus responsible for defence and aerospace products and services.

  • Teledyne helps build new generation of atomic clocks

    Teledyne helps build new generation of atomic clocks

    Teledyne e2vAs a member of the European Quantum Technologies Flagship, Teledyne e2v will collaborate with a team of science and industry experts on the iqClock project to commercialize high-precision atomic clocks. This is one of the first of 20 projects being funded by the European Commission.

    According to Teledyne e2v, clocks are a critical component of modern society, especially in scientific and engineering applications where precision time measurement is vital. Teledyne e2v’s role in this project is to build the atomics package including the vacuum and control system. Teledyne e2v’s Quantum Group, which is comprised of more than 30 scientists and engineers, will be taking on the project.

    The iqClock consortium is made up of both academic and industrial partners who share the same goal of bringing optical clocks closer to the market. Teledyne e2v’s partners include Chronos and British Telecom in the United Kingdom, Toptica in Germany, NKT Photonics in Denmark and Acktar in Israel. Its academic partners include the University of Amsterdam, University of Birmingham, Nicholas Copernicus University Torun, University of Copenhagen, TU Wien (Vienna) and Innsbruck University.

    “Optical atomic clocks are the most precise time-telling tools known to man,” said Ole Kock, technical authority for Quantum Technologies at Teledyne e2v. “The challenge is their size and complexity that restricts them to laboratory use. Now, by using superradient laser technology we can help bring optical atomic clocks into the everyday world.”

    According to Teledyne e2v, project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 820404.

  • DJI launches Mavic 2 Enterprise portable drone

    DJI has unveiled its Mavic 2 Enterprise, a portable drone designed to improve everyday work for businesses, governments, educators and other professionals.

    According to the company, the Mavic 2 Enterprise features an ultra-compact and foldable design with an array of advanced controls and accessories that extend users’ capabilities during critical operations like firefighting, emergency response, law enforcement and infrastructure inspections.

    The drone carries a high-resolution, 12-megapixel camera that’s stabilized by a three-axis gimbal for smooth and stable videos and images. The camera also features a two-time optical and three-time digital zoom capability, the company said.

    The Mavic 2 Enterprise can be used for inspections and other everyday tasks. (Photos: DJI)
    The Mavic 2 Enterprise can be used for inspections and other everyday tasks. (Photos: DJI)

    The Mavic 2 Enterprise comes equipped with a number of accessories, including the M2E Spotlight, M2E Speaker and M2E Beacon. The M2E Spotlight, which has a brightness of 2,400 lumens, is ideal for search-and-rescue operations, as well as inspection applications, the company said. The M2E Speaker allows pilots to play up to 10 custom voice recordings on demand. Finally, the M2E Beacon features a bright flashing strobe that’s visible up to three miles away, DJI added.

    According to DJI, the drone also includes a GPS timestamping feature that encodes the time, date, and location of every recorded image, aiding in pilot accountability and ensuring that data captured by the drone can be trusted and used in situations from reviewing critical infrastructure inspections to potential legal proceedings.

    It also comes equipped with DJI’s AirSense technology to help improve pilots’ situational awareness and enhance airspace safety. According to DJI, AirSense uses an integrated receiver to automatically alert drone pilots of ADS-B signals from nearby airplanes and helicopters, providing real-time positioning alerts through the DJI Pilot mobile app.

    Finally, the Mavic 2 Enterprise features DJI’s latest video and data transmission system, Ocusync 2.0, which helps provide a more stable connection between the drone and its remote controller.

    “With the Mavic 2 Enterprise, DJI has created a drone that makes powerful technology accessible to every enterprise and revolutionizes how they do their work,” said DJI President Roger Luo. “DJI’s hardware and software set the standard for aerial innovation around the globe, and Mavic 2 Enterprise is the most compact, powerful, reliable and safe tool to help professionals integrate drones into their operations.”

  • Eos supports sustainable water initiative in Haiti

    Eos Positioning Systems has donated an Arrow Gold GNSS receiver to Haiti Outreach, a 21-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Haiti become a developed country.

    Haiti Outreach collaborates with individual Haitian communities to create and maintain access to potable water through community outreach, well digging and distribution-network development.

    The Arrow Gold GNSS receiver helps Haiti Outreach build and improve potable water distribution networks by providing accurate subfoot elevations required for hydraulic modeling simulations, the company said. It uses Atlas satellite-based corrections to provide real-time decimeter (three to five centimeters) location throughout the country.

    “Water is life, and making this basic necessity available to every person is at the foundation of Haiti Outreach’s work,” said Eos Positioning Systems CTO Jean-Yves Lauture. “I believe strongly in Haiti Outreach’s long-term vision to empower Haitian communities through development, education and cooperation.”

    Haiti Outreach first began in 1997, with a mission to bring clean water to more people in Haiti and encourage them to take on the responsibility of maintenance and sustainability. In 2005, the organization shifted its focus toward greater community outreach and support, developing a program much more effective at producing the desired long-term outcome. Its community-led initiatives are heavily planned and prioritized, thanks to comprehensive field data collection and advanced geospatial analysis, Eos said.

    “In most of these communities, there has only ever been a short-term vision, because the need has always been urgent,” Lauture said. “Haiti Outreach is changing that mentality. They are providing a development plan for now and the future. This is a slow process but is already proving successful. It is a true privilege to be able to support such noble efforts.”

  • TCarta delivers satellite-derived mangrove health assessment to Abu Dhabi

    TCarta, a global provider of geospatial products and services, was commissioned by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) to carry out a landmark mangrove health assessment covering the entire Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The assessment contained mangrove condition information derived from high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery.

    According to TCarta, the report showed 80 percent of the Emirate’s mangrove forests were healthy. The project also enabled EAD to designate conservation areas for immediate protection.

    For the assessment, TCarta obtained high-resolution multispectral imagery acquired by the DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 and -3 satellites during from December through March. Computer algorithms were applied to the Coastal Blue, Visible Green, Visible Red and Near Infrared bands to differentiate mangroves from other vegetation across the Emirate.

    The company then derived several vegetation indices from the spectral bands to rate the health of the mangrove forests, divided into small grids. From there, TCarta analysts obtained coarse-resolution Landsat imagery from 1987, 2001 and 2017 to chart mangrove coverage over three decades. According to TCarta, the combination of WorldView and Landsat data analysis clearly showed where mangrove loss had occurred over time. This data allowed the company to generate its disturbance index, which correlated health to external factors, such as urban development.

    “The satellite-derived vegetation analysis process we developed for this project can be applied to large-area crop and forestry health mapping anywhere in the world,” said Chris Burnett, project manager at TCarta. “As part of the assessment, we created a disturbance index showing precisely where the most mangrove stress is occurring. EAD will use this to determine — and potentially mitigate — the external factors causing the mangrove conditions to decline.”

    The company’s research proved that urban development near Abu Dhabi City was one of the primary threats to the Emirate’s mangrove forests. According to TCarta, EAD will use the report for remediation efforts, including the selection of more favorable areas to plant new mangroves to balance those that have already been lost.

  • Rohde & Schwarz updates Navigation & Guidance Solutions Learning Center

    Rohde & Schwarz updates Navigation & Guidance Solutions Learning Center

    Rohde & Schwarz's Navigation and Guidance Solutions Learning Center offers brochures, articles, technical documents, videos and posters. (Image: Rohde & Schwarz)
    Rohde & Schwarz’s Navigation and Guidance Solutions Learning Center offers brochures, articles, technical documents, videos and posters. (Image: Rohde & Schwarz)

    Rohde & Schwarz has updated its Navigation and Guidance Solutions Learning Center with several features, including application notes, white papers, training videos and products for aerospace and defense applications.

    Rohde & Schwarz provides accurate, flexible, high-performance test solutions to cover every need — from design, development, calibration and production to operational maintenance for ground based systems and advanced hybrid constellation simulations for GNSS systems, the company said.

    The navigation learning center now includes the latest Rohde & Schwarz solutions for GNSS testing and avionics testing. It highlights the latest company products, including aeronautical radio navigation measurement solutions, vector signal generators and GNSS signal simulators. It also provides users with brochures, articles, technical documents, videos and posters.

    The navigation center is organized under three main categories: radar and electronic warfare test, satellite communication systems, and navigation and guidance.

  • Boundless partners with United Nations on UN Open GIS Initiative

    BoundlessLogo: UN Open GIS Initiative is partnering with the United Nations (UN) to support the UN Open GIS Initiative, which aids UN operations around the world with open source geospatial software and services.

    According to Boundless, using its technology, the UN can leverage a hybrid architecture approach and maintain interoperability with existing software systems to maximize the value of its open technology and open data in global peacekeeping and other UN operations.

    The UN Open GIS Initiative aims to identify and develop open source geospatial software and services that meet the requirements of UN operations, taking full advantage of the expertise of mission partners including member states, technology contributing countries, international organizations, academia, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

    The scope of the initiative covers software development for the entire lifecycle of geospatial information at the enterprise level, from data collection, management and sharing to geospatial analysis and web and mobile applications. The initiative also focuses on the technology’s sustainability and eventual transfer from the UN to other potential user groups and developing countries.

    “Boundless is honored to be a critical part of the UN Open GIS Initiative, and proud to see the real-world impact our open source software and technology is supporting for UN peacekeeping operations around the world,” said Anthony Calamito, chief geospatial officer at Boundless. “The ability to use Boundless in a hybrid architecture enables the organization to share freely with other UN operational partners and nations and interoperate with existing technologies already in use. It enables rapid innovation and prevents single vendor lock-in.”

    The UN deployed Boundless’ technology after nearly two years of planning and development and a successful demonstration in a simulated UN field operational environment. In addition to providing technological support for the UN Open GIS Initiative, Boundless is also a sponsor of the OSGeo UN Committee Educational Challenge, a program focused on developing open geospatial educational material for the initiative.

  • Blue Marble Geographics adds NEXTMap as an online service

    Blue Marble GeographicsLogo: Blue Marble Geographics added NEXTMap worldwide elevation data — which includes Intermap’s newest generation of NEXTMap One — as an online streaming service within Global Mapper.

    According to Blue Marble, NEXTMap One, developed by Intermap Technologies, offers both digital terrain model (DTM) and digital surface model (DSM) datasets at one-meter resolution for detailed analysis. With an active NEXTMap subscription, Global Mapper users can quickly and easily render these 3D datasets for an area of interest and make sure of the software’s extensive terrain and 3D analysis capabilities for contour generation, viewshed analysis, volume calculation and more, the company added.

    The addition of NEXTMap elevation data as an online service complements Blue Marble’s 3D functionality. By offering immediate, on-demand access to the latest DSM and DTM datasets, geospatial professionals throughout the world can now efficiently conduct high-quality terrain analysis procedures without the need for locally collected data, Blue Marble said.

    NEXTMap elevation data is available to Global Mapper users as a global dataset at one- to 10-meter spatial resolution. The DSM version contains both natural and man-made features, and the DTM is a clean bare earth model.

    “Global Mapper users throughout the world often ask us about the availability of high-quality elevation data for their location and the inclusion of NEXTMap meets their needs perfectly,” said Patrick Cunningham, president at Blue Marble. “This data effectively expands the reach of Global Mapper by providing the opportunity for more and more uses to utilize the software’s 3D analysis functionality.”

  • Hexagon to showcase reality capture hardware, integrated software at Intergeo 2018

    Hexagon to showcase reality capture hardware, integrated software at Intergeo 2018

    Logo: HexagonHexagon AB will showcase its portfolio of reality capture hardware and integrated software at Intergeo 2018, hall 12.1, booth D.023.

    According to the company, it will also offer hands-on demonstrations for reality capture devices, airborne sensors and UAVs, measurement technology, cloud computing, artificial intelligence applications and more.

    “Intergeo is a premiere event for showcasing Hexagon’s vision of enabling smart digital realities that ultimately create autonomous connected ecosystems for digital transformation,” said Ola Rollén, president and CEO of Hexagon. “The increasing role of autonomous technology is vital to enabling unaided decisions that draw and act on information from multiple sources simultaneously and become smarter over time. This is our focus and we are once again honored to share our ACE ideas and progress around smart cities, BIM, Geospatial 4.0 and other highly relevant topics to be discussed at the event.”

    A number of Hexagon executives also will be speaking during the show, including Mladen Stojic, president of Hexagon’s Geospatial Division, who will be discuss the potential of 5D location intelligence; Maximilian Weber, senior vice president of Hexagon’s Safety and Infrastructure Division, who will discuss the potential of “the Internet of People” within a smart city; Juergen Mayer, laser scanning business director for Hexagon’s Geosystems Division, who will present the latest development in edge computing technology; Michael Dorman, global director at Multivista (part of Hexagon), who will look at how today’s construction leaders are reducing design, construction, marketing and operating expenses throughout a project’s lifecycle with digital solutions; Valentin Fuchs, UAV product manager, and Anne Pitkaenen, UAV marketing manager for Hexagon’s Geosystems Division, who will provide insights into the latest developments of the Leica Aibot.