GPS World

Author: Jesse Khalil

  • Trimble company added to GeoCue network

    Trimble company added to GeoCue network

     

    Image: AllTerra
    Image: AllTerra

    AllTerra, a Trimble geospatial dealer, has joined the GeoCue distribution network. AllTerra will provide GeoCue’s full line of TrueView 3D imaging sensors, a UAV, lidar and photogrammetry solution. The technology enables fast, automated generation of true 3D colorized point clouds, oblique imagery and orthophotos from a single UAV flight.

    AllTerra is also authorized to sell LP360 lidar and photogrammetry 3D point cloud software. LP360, an advanced desktop lidar software package, simplifies extracting information and generating deliverables in a GIS environment.

    The company offers Trimble and Spectra Precision solutions in surveying, MGIS, marine, forensics, mobile mapping and infrastructure. Alltera also offers mobile/airborne lidar and photogrammetry solutions from GeoCue and Microdrones.

  • Quanta Micro INS named a finalist for AUVSI XCELLENCE awards

    Quanta Micro INS named a finalist for AUVSI XCELLENCE awards

    Image: SBG Systems
    Image: SBG Systems

    The Quanta Micro inertial navigation system (INS) has been named a finalist for the AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards — “Enabling Components & Peripherals.” The winners will be announced during an awards ceremony at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

    The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards honor innovators who demonstrate commitment to advancing technology, leading and promoting safe operations and developing programs that use unmanned systems to improve the human conditions.

    Quanta Micro is a GNSS-aided INS designed for space-constrained applications. Quanta Micro leverages a survey-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) for heading performance in single antenna applications, and temperature calibration from -40° C to +85° C. An optional secondary antenna enables fast heading initialization in low dynamic applications.

    “This year, XPONENTIAL is all about designing a shared plan for the future of autonomy,” Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI, said. “There’s no better place to announce the 2023 XCELLENCE award finalists.”

  • NV5 Geospatial maps North American shorelines and riverine environments

    NV5 Geospatial maps North American shorelines and riverine environments

     NV5 Geospatial has mapped more than 26 million acres of North America’s shoreline and riverine environments across more than 200 projects.

    The projects have spanned from the Nuyakuk River in Alaska, Lake Tahoe in California, the Rio Grande in Texas, the entire coasts of South and North Carolina, the Achigan River in Quebec, Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and the Florida Keys.

    In 2022, the company mapped and acquired topobathymetric lidar data for 14 projects including the Yellowstone River, Wyoming; Hells Canyon, Indiana; Revillagigedo Island, Alaska and Iles de la Madeleine in Quebec.

    NV5 Geospatial first mapped these environments in 2012 using high-resolution bathymetric lidar and natural color imagery. The company mapped 34,051 acres of shoreline along the Sandy River, located in northwestern Oregon, to study the ever-changing basin geomorphology.

    NV5 has also signed a two-year contract with the National Geodetic Survey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide topobathymetric lidar, 4-band imagery and mapping of 3,115 sq miles of the Maine shoreline.

    “For a decade we have been helping local, state, and federal government agencies as well as commercial and private entities gain the insights they need to solve some of their most challenging nearshore and riverine projects through our mapping technologies including topobathymetric lidar,” Kurt Allen, vice president of NV5 Geospatial, said. “Whether it be mapping the shoreline after a hurricane, updating the national shoreline, assisting water boards with flood planning, or hundreds of other possible use cases, we are constantly improving our technology and scalability to always be at the ready for our customers.”

  • CHC Navigation releases 3D Grade Control System

    CHC Navigation releases 3D Grade Control System

     

    Image: CHC Navigation
    Image: CHC Navigation

    CHC Navigation has released the TG63, a 3D Grade Control System designed for motor graders.

    With a tightly coupled dual-GNSS positioning system and inertial sensor, the TG63 provides reliable 3D positioning and heading to ensure accuracy of the grader blade within ±2 cm.

    The TG63 is designed to withstand the harsh environment of construction sites and supports multiple applications, including real-time kinematic networked transport of RTCM via internet protocol and ultra-high frequency base stations.

    In addition, GradeNav software, operating on a 10.1 in industrial display, supports standard AutoCAD DXF design files to manage multiple grading operations, including surfaces, slopes, TINs and road features.

  • Leica lidar sensor improves deep water surveying

    Leica lidar sensor improves deep water surveying

     

    Image: Hexagon
    Image: Hexagon

    Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, has launched the Leica HawkEye-5, a new high-performance airborne bathymetric lidar solution for deep water surveying.

    Leica’s HawkEye-5 increases survey efficiency by up to 25% compared to previous generations. The technology expands the capabilities of the Leica Chiroptera-5 bathymetric lidar system, enhancing the productivity of applications such as nautical charting, environmental monitoring, and maritime surveillance in deep waters.

    The technology is designed to fit the Leica PAV100 gyro-stabilized mount, which isolates the sensor from unwanted aircraft movements — resulting in consistent data density and more efficient area coverage.

    The HawkEye-5 combined with the Chiroptera-5 features three lidar sensors, one four-band camera, and a QC camera to collect data from the seabed to land.

    The Lidar Survey Studio software suite provides full waveform analysis, automatic data classification and advanced turbid water enhancement to support multiple applications.

  • Septentrio launches agnostic corrections program

    Septentrio launches agnostic corrections program

     

    Image: Septentrio
    Image: Septentrio

    Septentrio, a leader in high-precision GNSS positioning solutions, has launched the Agnostic Corrections Partner Program.

    The program facilitates the use of Septentrio receivers with high-accuracy services that provide varying levels of accuracy, coverage and delivery methods. This also allows users to select the service that suits specific applications and business models.

    The Agnostic Correction Partner Program, which includes Polaris from Point One, Skylark from Swift Navigation, and PointPerfect from u-blox, provides documentation for the use of Septentrio receivers with these high-accuracy services.

    Agnostic GNSS corrections refer to correction services that are not specific to a particular GNSS receiver or device. It provides correction data that can be used by any receiver that can process the correction signal. Agnostic corrections are useful in situations where multiple types of GNSS receivers are being used, such as in a large-scale surveying project or in a fleet of vehicles that use different types of navigation systems.

  • Utah UAV company aids defense industry

    Utah UAV company aids defense industry

    Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, toured Teal Drones headquarters in Salt Lake City, to learn about Teal’s operations, the company’s impact on the national aerospace and defense industries and opportunities and challenges facing Utah’s local defense industry. The visit was organized by the newly created Utah Aerospace and Defense Association (UADA).

    “Teal is deepening its relationship with UADA to help accelerate the rebuilding of America’s defense industrial base, specifically for UAVs,” George Matus, Teal Drone founder and CEO said.

    Teal is certified as “Blue UAS,” authorizing the company to provide equipment to the U.S. military. Teal is also one of three UAV manufacturers invited to participate in the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2, designed to deliver a portable small uncrewed aerial system that can be used by army platoons for surveillance, reconnaissance duties and improving situational awareness.

    UADA was established in 2022 to address challenges associated with innovation, entrepreneurship, workforce development and supply chains for companies in the aerospace and defense industries.

    “For far too long, we have ceded the building of UAVs to China and other places,” the governor said. “We are bringing that back and Utah is at the center of that.”

  • SingularXYZ launches development kit

    SingularXYZ launches development kit

     

    Image: SingularXYZ
    Image: SingularXYZ

    SingularXYZ, a manufacturer of GNSS technology, has launched its DK100 development kit. This multi-functional kit has selectable single-antenna and dual-antenna modules, full constellation tracking and centimeter-level positioning.

    The DK100 development kit is a ready-to-use kit designed to simplify integration efforts and increase compatibility with a variety of applications. The kit reserves standard adapter board interfaces to connect different GNSS modules and radio modules for a variety of needs.

    The development kit features a 4G module, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet modules as well as status indicators on a single PCBA.

    The DK100 development kit comes with its own web page for configuration. With Ethernet and Wi-Fi access, users can monitor device status and configure working mode and data transmission settings on the page.

    The centimeter-level DK100 kit can be integrated in a range of horizontal and vertical applications, such as construction using CORS networks, precision agriculture, construction machinery, smart navigation, monitoring, robotics, unmanned systems and more.

    The new DK100 development kits are available now.

  • SimActive software enhances utility mapping

    SimActive software enhances utility mapping

    Image: SimActive
    Image: SimActive

    Sharper Shape has used SimActive software’s distributed processing capabilities to complete utility corridor base maps in Montreal, Canada. In 2022, more than eight million images were collected in SimActive’s Correlator3D software to generate orthomosaics and colorized point clouds.

    Correlator3D, hosted on an Amazon cloud environment, enabled quick processing of thousands of images per day over a network of virtual machines. The resulting map products covered more than 34,000 miles of utility corridor and were imported into Sharper Shape’s artificial intelligence (AI) tools to extract infrastructure information.

    “The quantity of data that we capture to feed our AI tools for utility infrastructure deliverables is incredible and comes from various geographical locations at the same time,” said Petri Rauhakallio, vice president of business development at Sharper Shape. “Correlator3D allows our teams to easily import and process massive amounts of imagery for use in our digital twin production.”

     

  • Adtran and Satelles partner on GNSS timing alternative

    Adtran and Satelles partner on GNSS timing alternative

    Image: Business Wire
    Image: Business Wire

    Adtran and Satelles, a provider of secure time and location technology using low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, have partnered to offer operators of critical infrastructure a timing network device with satellite, time and location (STL) technology. The partnership aims to provide an alternative to GNSS by integrating STL technology from Satelles into Adtran’s Oscilloquartz network synchronization products.

    Through its partnership with Satelles, Adtran’s Oscilloquartz division will incorporate STL into its end-to-end timing toolkit. The companies will also integrate STL into its grandmaster clocks to develop miniature M.2 form factor STL receiver modules for third-party product integration.

    With the ability to deliver precise position, navigation and timing (PNT) service in GNSS-denied applications, STL is suitable for mobile operators, power utility companies, government, scientific research and more. STL technology also offers accurate, secure and augmented Iridium LEO-based PNT services for indoor applications and as backup for GNSS outdoors.

  • Inertial Labs launches Kernel-210/220

    Inertial Labs launches Kernel-210/220

    Inertial Labs has released its third generation of MEMS sensor-based inertial measurement units (IMU), MEMS KERNEL-210 and KERNEL-220.

    The KERNEL-210 and KERNEL-220 are compact, self-contained, strapdown, tactical-grade IMUs that measure linear accelerations and angular rates using their aligned and calibrated three-axis MEMS accelerometers and three-axis MEMS gyroscopes.

    Angular rates and accelerations are determined with low noise and good repeatability for both motionless and dynamic applications.

    The KERNEL-220 model utilizes accelerometers with ±40g and ±90g measurement ranges. The IMU is fully calibrated, temperature compensated and mathematically aligned to an orthogonal coordinate system. The KERNEL-220 contains gyroscopes with a bias in-run stability of less than 1 deg/hr and accelerometers with an in-run stability bias of 0.005 mg.

    Image: Inertial Labs
    Image: Inertial Labs
  • Mil-Spec GPS/GNSS antennas available for portable and mobile applications

    Mil-Spec GPS/GNSS antennas available for portable and mobile applications

     

    Image: Fairview Microwave
    Image: Fairview Microwave

    Fairview Microwave has introduced a new series of mil-spec GPS/GNSS antennas for mobile and small form factor applications.

    The MIL-STD-810G GPS/GNSS antennas include multi-standard GPS L1, Galileo E1 and GLONASS options and are designed for environmental performance according to the MIL-STD-810G standard.

    The antennas are available in passive and active versions and provide coverage from 1,597 MHz to 1,607 MHz. The MIL-STD-810G GPS/GNSS antennas feature linear polarization for cross-polarized isolation, nominal gain options of -3 dBic and 10 dBic, and SMA mounts.

    The mil-spec GPS/GNSS antennas are IP67-rated.

    Fairview’s mil-spec GPS/GNSS antennas are available now.