GPS World

Author: GPS World Staff

  • Louisiana DOT goes mobile for levee inspections

    The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has deployed TerraGo Edge for the inspection of flood protection infrastructure including levees, dams and reservoirs.

    The DOTD’s Public Works and Water Resources Division inspects more than 1,100 miles of levees, four times every year.

    The legacy inspection system was a custom-built application developed by an engineering services firm, which used Trimble Yuma ruggedized tablets. Over time, the system became less reliable and database updates were cumbersome and problematic. To truly fix the system would have meant more custom development services and other expenses.

     

    Each of the six Yuma tablets, fully configured, ran around $6,000. The annual software maintenance was also expensive at around $18,000, which did nothing to improve the reliability of the system.

    “We really wanted a cloud-based system, so we wouldn’t need to maintain a database server on-site. And if we could deploy an Android solution, those tablets would only cost us about $200, so the hardware would be pennies on the dollar. We could break and replace a lot of Android tablets compared to a traditional, ruggedized GPS tablet at $6,000,” said Doug Taylor, Director of Levees, Dams and Reservoirs at the DOTD.

    After a series of successful field trials, DOTD knew it had found a mobile solution that met their requirements across the board for reliability, ease of use and customizability, all with a cloud-based database solution at a fraction of the cost.

    TerraGo Edge’s customizable forms mean the DOTD never has to pay a software services fee for modifying a hard-coded solution again. They can design their own forms, maps and workflows, flexibly changing them whenever needed to improve the speed and quality of inspections and maintenance.

    “Honestly, my favorite part about TerraGo Edge is that it’s just easy to use,” said Taylor. “It’s easy to use in the field and it’s easy to get information and reports out whenever we need them. The challenge is always how to figure out the right forms and inspection workflow. We have hundreds of codes and things change over time. With Edge, we can customize our forms and process today, and know we can adjust things in the future. ”

    To learn more about the Louisiana DOTD customer success story, download the case study.

  • Garmin unveils aviation portable navigator, the aera 660

    Garmin International Inc. has launched the aera 660, a new cost-effective, feature-rich, purpose-built aviation portable. The compact 5-inch capacitive touchscreen has a bright, sunlight readable display complete with rich, interactive maps and a built-in GPS/GLONASS receiver that can be viewed in portrait or landscape modes for optimum customization.

    The aera 660 encompasses features of the aera and GPSMAP aviation portable series, adding new Connext wireless capabilities, WireAware wire-strike avoidance technology and more. New cost-effective database options along with built-in Wi-Fi database updating capabilities allow customers to more easily access the most up-to-date data, including daily U.S. fuel prices.

    Bluetooth supports the display of ADS-B in traffic and weather from a variety of sources, including the GDL 39/GDL 39 3D, Flight Stream and the GTX 345 ADS-B transponder. Availability of the aera 660 is expected later this month at an anticipated street price of $899.

    “Pilots have been asking for a new, purpose-built, easy to use aviation portable from Garmin and we have answered with the most powerful, robust and capable handheld device of this size ever designed, the aera 660,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “For 25 years we have been the market leader in bringing innovative portable navigation devices to the cockpit that improve aviation safety and we have done that yet again with this terrific aera 660 — a premium portable product that conveniently fits on the yoke or in the palm of your hand.”

     

  • SBG Systems offers inertial sensors in subsea enclosures

     

    SBG Systems has released the Apogee-M and the Apogee-U, two inertial sensors, to complete the Apogee product line.

    The Apogee-M is a motion reference unit (MRU), and the Apogee-U is an inertial navigation system (INS). Both are made of titanium with a depth rating of 200 meters.

    Apogee Series is an accurate INS based on robust micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. One year after the successful release of Apogee surface sensors (IP68 enclosure), SBG Systems completes the product line with the two inertial sensors, which have titanium subsea enclosures (200-meter depth rating).

    Accuracy. Apogee integrates the latest generation of MEMS sensors to reach a high degree of precision — 0.008 degrees in roll and pitch in real-time — while delivering a robust and accurate heading from the continuous fusion of GNSS and IMU data. Made of titanium, Apogee-M and Apogee-U are designed to mount close to the sonar head for hydrographic tasks from shallow to deep water.

    Heave computation. The Apogee provides a real-time heave accurate to 5 centimeters, which automatically detects the wave frequency and constantly adjusts to it. When wave frequency is erratic or in case of long period swell, the delayed heave feature can save the day by allowing survey in rough conditions. This algorithm allows a more extensive calculation, resulting in a heave accurate to 2 cm displayed in real-time with a short delay.

    Connects to survey-grade GNSS receivers. Apogee sensors can be paired with any type of survey-grade GNSS receiver or with the one offered by SBG Systems. The SplitBox GNSS integrates the latest tri-frequency GNSS receiver to offer several positioning features such as RTK, Marinestar, OmniSTAR, Veripos and TerraStar corrections.

     

    Configuration is acomplished throughout the intuitive, embedded web interface where all parameters can be quickly displayed and adjusted. The new 3D View helps the user check the mechanical installation, especially sensor and antennas position, alignments and lever arms. The user can then connect the Apogee to the main hydrographic software such as Hypack, QINSy or Teledyne PDS2000, thanks to available drivers.

    The MEMS technology is renowned for being highly robust and low-maintenance, while the subsea enclosure is made in titanium. SBG SYSTEMS continuously make its systems evolve with new firmware upgrades that are available during the whole life of the product without extra cost.

  • European Space Solutions to feature Galileo and EGNOS

    European Space Solutions 2016 is a five-day conference that will bring together business and policy makers with users and developers of space-based solutions. The conference will take place at the World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands, May 30 to June 3. Registration is free of charge, but mandatory.

    The event will explore how space makes a difference to the lives, and livelihoods, of people across Europe and around the globe. Space-based services and technologies are the future of efficient, effective and sustainable services that society needs, organizers said. The conference is presented under the auspices of the 2016 Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

    Participants will learn about new innovations that harness information from the European flagship space programs, Galileo and EGNOS (satellite navigation) and Copernicus (Earth observation), and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research program, for a wide range of applications, gather insights about current developments and discuss what is possible and needed in the future.

    The conference will be accompanied by a range of dedicated focus sessions and side events, opportunities and more.

    European Space Expo

    The conference also will run in conjunction with the European Space Expo, which comes to The Hague, The Netherlands, May 28 to June 5.

    The expo presents information on European space programs ranging from satellite navigation (Galileo and EGNOS) to Earth observation (Copernicus) in an engaging and entertaining way. Highlights include the OmniGlobe — an interactive hologram of the earth’s atmosphere, an impressive model of a Galileo satellite, and many more.

    More than 900,000 people have already visited the European Space Expo as it continues its tour of major European cities. The free exhibition highlights the many ways in which European Union space programs help Europeans “on the ground” every day.

    The aim of the expo is to show citizens how European space policy and space-based technologies benefit their everyday lives on Earth and the importance of space technologies to the European economy and job creation.

    EuropeanExpo
    Photo: GSA

    The European Commission, with the strong collaboration and support of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), launched the European Space Expo in 2012. The popular, interactive and free exhibition illustrates the many services and applications that come from the European flagship space programs.

    Free to the general public, record attendances have greeted the expo throughout its tour. 2016 is the fifth year of the highly successful road show, which has already visited cities from London to Larnaca and Rome to Riga. The expo was most recently in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Oct. 16-25, 2015.

    Follow the expo on Twitter at #euspaceexpo.

     

  • Water utility deploys iPad solution

    Like thousands of water utilities across the U.S., the City of Sebring, Fla., Utilities Department is tasked with providing a safe and reliable water supply, while managing all the dispersed assets of the water distribution and wastewater systems. This means regularly locating, mapping and inspecting assets to maintain service levels and operations.

    Source: GPS world staff
    This City of Sebring storm drain runs down the center of a street. (Photo: TerraGo)

    When Sebring evaluated this approach, the city received a quote for geographic information system (GIS) software that was more than $30,000 and bids for surveying services that were as high as $300,000, which didn’t include the mobile tools to collect the data or integration with the existing CAD system.

    “We could see the traditional GIS and GPS approach was going to eat us alive cost-wise,” said Mark Kretz, water plant operations, Sebring Utilities.

    Sebring Utilities then researched mobile products to see if other organizations had field success using iPads and iPhones to do the work. Sebring still needed to achieve survey-grade accuracy — sub-meter, centimeter-level in some cases. This is impossible with an iPhone or iPad out of the box, which delivers 5 meters at best.

    Source: GPS world staff
    Installation of a storm drain in Sebring. (Photo: TerraGo)

    Some tasks, such as mapping an underground valve, need sub-foot or better accuracy. Other tasks, such as locating an aboveground valve, could be seen within 3 to 5 meters, so just the iPad would work.

    Source: GPS world staff
    Mark Kretz, Water Plant Operations, City of Sebring, conducts water asset inspections and maintenance. (Photo: City of Sebring)

    CAD integration. Sebring also needed to be able to utilize computer-aided design (CAD) diagrams on its mobile devices to identify and locate valves and other assets in the field. In the past, the utility relied on printed CAD drawings, a cumbersome and costly solution. Plus, with time of the essence when containing a leak, workers wanted on-demand access on their mobile devices.

    With the multitude of assets from fire hydrants to valves to sewers, the data collection and maintenance work varied greatly. Sebring needed a way to create custom forms and workflow processes, and be able to modify them over time or create new ones when needed.

    In the end, the city opted to deploy TerraGo Edge on iPads. With TerraGo Edge, Sebring was able to integrate with GPS receivers that pair to iPads or iPhones via Bluetooth because the product is fully integrated at the software level with Apple-certified GPS receivers. This enabled the city to cut costs, bring surveys in-house and improve response times for repairs. TerraGo Edge also delivers custom forms, CAD diagrams and survey-grade accuracy.

    “On a day-to-day basis, the biggest benefit is that we get the ease of use of an iPad, and didn’t have to buy and use proprietary GPS handhelds, which are more complex and vastly more expensive,” Kretz said.

    CAD on iPhone with TerraGo Edge. (Image: TerraGo)
    CAD on iPhone with TerraGo Edge. (Image: TerraGo)

    Edge benefits

    • Cost savings of 90 percent over traditional GIS and GPS systems
    • Improved efficiency and response times
    • Streamlined operations and in-source surveying
    • Use of iPads and iPhones
    • Real-time, survey-grade accuracy with RTK
    • Customizable smart forms

  • Topcon announces robotic-based system for concrete paving

    Topcon Positioning Group is offering a local positioning system (LPS) for concrete paving. The LPS Paving System is designed to provide a stringless paving solution in conditions when GNSS signals are blocked or unavailable.

    It uses multiple Topcon PS series robotic total stations — tracking two prisms mounted to the concrete paver — for steering and elevation control.

    “This robotic-based system does not encounter sensor outages from bridges and tight paving lanes, including sound walls and active traffic on a mainline project, which could be a problem using GPS,” said Brian Lingobardo, Topcon­ 3D road construction systems manager.

    The LPS system uses the new MC-i4 receiver with LongLink for local communications between the robots.

    “Multiple robots can be setup ahead of time for seamless transitions and without the need to stop to switch total stations. Often a contractor needs to minimize stoppage to achieve tight ride specifications on projects such as tollways,” Lingobardo said.

    “The robots provide very accurate data to the paver’s control system and in turn the results are very impressive,” said Lingobardo.

     

  • ISS Reshetnev to build 11 new GLONASS-K satellites

    ISS Reshetnev has signed a contract with Russian space agency Roscosmos to build 11 new GLONASS satellites, according to the Roscosmos website. ISS Reshetnev is Russia’s leading spacecraft developer and manufacturer.

    ISS Reshetnev will build nine GLONASS-K1 satellites and two GLONASS-K2 satellites. The GLONASS-K1 satellites will be transition satellites between the existing GLONASS-M satellites and the future GLONASS-K2 satellites.

    GLONASS-K2 satellites will begin flight tests in 2018, with mass production of GLONASS-K2 satellites to begin in the 2019–2020 time frame.

    The GLONASS-K1 satellites are expected to have a 10-year lifetime. The first of the new batch of GLONASS-K1 satellites will be launched in 2018.

    Flight tests of the two GLONASS-K1 satellites now in orbit have been completed.

    — written with assistance from Richard Langley, “Innovation” editor.

  • DJI launches new Phantom 4 with intelligent camera

    Unmanned aerial vehicle maker DJI has launched the Phantom 4, a quadcopter drone that uses highly advanced computer vision and sensing technology to make professional aerial imaging easier.

    The Phantom 4 expands on previous generations of DJI’s Phantom line by adding on-board intelligence that make piloting and shooting great shots easier through features such as its Obstacle Sensing System, ActiveTrack and TapFly functionality.

     

    “With the Phantom 4, we are entering an era where even beginners can fly with confidence,” said DJI CEO Frank Wang. “People have dreamed about one day having a drone collaborate creatively with them. That day has arrived.”

    The Phantom 4’s Obstacle Sensing System features two forward-facing optical sensors that scan for obstacles and automatically direct the aircraft around impediments when possible, reducing risk of collision, while ensuring flight direction remains constant.

    If the system determines the craft cannot go around the obstacle, it will slow to a stop and hover until the user redirects it. Obstacle avoidance also engages if the user triggers the drone’s “Return to Home” function to reduce the risk of collision when automatically flying back to its take off point.

    With ActiveTrack, the Phantom 4 allows users running the DJI Go app on iOS and Android devices to follow and keep the camera centered on the subject as it moves by tapping the subject on their smartphone or tablet. Perfectly framed shots of moving joggers or cyclists, for example, only require activating the ActiveTrack mode in the app.

    The Phantom 4 understands three-dimensional images and uses machine learning to keep the object in the shot, even when the subject changes its shape or turns while moving. Users have full control over camera movement while in ActiveTrack mode — and can move the camera around the object while it is in motion as the Phantom 4 keeps the subject framed in the center of the shot autonomously. A “pause” button on the Phantom 4’s remote controller allows the user to halt an autonomous flight at any time, leaving the drone to hover.

    By using the TapFly function in the DJI Go app, users can double-tap a destination for their Phantom 4 on the screen, and the Phantom 4 calculates an optimal flight route to reach the destination, while avoiding any obstructions in its path. Tap another spot and the Phantom 4 will smoothly transition towards that destination making even the beginner pilot look like a seasoned professional.

    The Phantom 4’s camera, an aerial-optimized 4K imaging device, has undergone an upgrade that includes improved optics for better corner sharpness and reduced chromatic aberration. The Phantom 4 also has DJI’s signature Lightbridge video transmission system onboard, allowing users to see what their camera sees in HD and in real-time on their smart devices at a distance up to five kilometers (3.1 miles).

    The Phantom 4’s form factor, the classic quadcopter, has been redesigned and redefined to emphasize elegance and smoother, more aerodynamic lines. Its frame incorporates a lightweight composite core to provide enhanced stability and more agile flight. The core features a redesigned gimbal that provides more stability and vibration dampening, and has been repositioned for a better center of gravity and to reduce the risk of propellers getting in the shot.

    Refinements to motor efficiency, power management and a new intelligent battery have extended the Phantom 4’s flight time to 28 minutes, which means more time in the air to capture professional photos and video.

    DJI crafted the Phantom 4 with reliability in mind, including redundant inertial measurement units (IMUs) and dual compasses onboard. It uses new push-and-lock propellers that are faster to install and more secure in flight.

    In addition to intelligence and ease-of-use, the Phantom 4 is built for fun, DJI said. Its new “Sport Mode” for advanced flyers gives a taste of what drone racing feels like. In “Sport Mode,” the Phantom 4 can fly 20 meters per second (45 miles per hour) and ascends and descends more rapidly than in other modes. The craft’s acceleration and top speed in “Sport Mode” also mean it can reach locations for shots faster and capture shots users couldn’t get before.

    “Though the Phantom 4 is easy to use, let’s not forget it is a high-performance aircraft powered by unparalleled DJI technology,” said Senior Product Manager Paul Pan.

    The Phantom 4’s U.S. retail price is $1,399.

  • Synergizing smartphones’ onboard GPS capability with KML files

    By Jay Satalich, P.L.S., GISP

    At Caltrans District 7 in Los Angeles, we use the onboard GPS capability of smartphones to navigate in real time to the locations of proposed aerial targets and National Geodetic Survey (NGS) control stations.

    Keyhole markup language (KML) files are created in the office using desktop GIS, then downloaded to smartphones for use in the field. We create KML files specifically for use by our surveyors during every aerial mapping project within Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

    FIGURE 1. Highway Interchange displayed on a smartphone using Google Earth App for Android, (ground targets in blue, flight information for pilots in red and green). Airborne GPS positioning aids in controlling aerial photography as the pilot navigates from exposure to exposure. A flight management system automatically triggers the camera or sensor once it reaches the exposure station in the air.
    FIGURE 1. Highway Interchange displayed on a smartphone using Google Earth App for Android, (ground targets in blue, flight information for pilots in red and green). Airborne GPS positioning aids in controlling aerial photography as the pilot navigates from exposure to exposure. A flight management system automatically triggers the camera or sensor once it reaches the exposure station in the air.

    KML is an extensive markup language (XML) notation for expressing geographic annotation and visualization within Internet-based, two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was developed for use with Google Earth — originally named Keyhole Earth Viewer.

    The aerial target layer also shows the proposed locations of stereo model limits on the smartphone. A stereo model is the overlapping portion of two adjacent aerial images. Each typically has a 60 percent overlap with its adjacent image, so it can be viewed and mapped in stereo. The ground control is combined with the airborne GPS to provide the orientation of the individual exposures, and it establishes the coordinate space of that imagery for any subsequent products.

    Having the stereo model limits as a data layer becomes a handy piece of information in the event an aerial target must be relocated because of unfavorable field conditions. The heads-up capabilities of GPS aboard the smartphones and KML files can also show the easiest path to reach either target location or control stations. The NGS control station layer hyperlinks to the NGS website, so the field surveyor always has the recovery note available in an electronic format.

    The field surveyors are also given hardcopy maps of the target locations and control stations, but those are now only used as a backup to the KML files loaded onto the smartphones.

    FIGURE 2. Phone Screen with station description from NGS database (above).
    FIGURE 2. Phone Screen with station description from NGS database (above).
    FIGURE 3. The user arrives here via a hyperlink from another screen (FIGURE 2).
    FIGURE 3. The user arrives here via a hyperlink from another screen (FIGURE 2).

    We have found that leveraging the onboard GPS capability of smartphones with GIS-based data layers in the field has increased production. Using smartphones provides the surveyors with information more concisely and clearly. This information enables surveyors to make better decisions in the field.

    One example is identifying inaccessible areas. If the field surveyor sees that an aerial target can be moved to a different location that provides easier access, it can save time and guesswork.

    This information is also valuable in rugged areas because the field surveyor may need to identify the location of hiking trails or while surveying in the desert, or identify the location of aerial targets in areas that are either lightly inhabited or have few landmarks. The project surveyor can tailor datasets specifically to project needed by the field surveyors.

    Once the aerial targets have been placed and the NGS control stations recovered, the field surveyors then position the aerial targets and control stations using carrier-phase GNSS. This gives us the centimeter-level accuracy needed to control the aerial photography during our mapping projects.

  • Egg drone hatched

    Poweregg-open-WPowervision Robot Inc., a robotics and industrial drone maker, has launched drone shaped like an egg that can be folded up and stored in a backpack.

    Although PowerEgg was developed for the mainstream consumer market, it includes advanced technologies such as a 360-degree panoramic 4K HD camera on a 3-axis gimbal, real-time long-range video transmission and advanced “optical flow” sensors for indoor navigation.

    Poweregg-in-bag-WPowervision CEO Wally Zheng called the design a “work of art.” “We think the oval shape is not only clean and pure but also has the structural and functional benefits.”

    The Powervision team spent more than 18 months to create the PowerEgg. The structural design includes larger propellers that required advancements to transform from the compact egg shape to the larger flight mode. On the software side, Powervision concentrated on making the drone easier to fly, because the average consumer drone has a 10-hour learning curve.

    Since its inception in 2010, Powervision has focused on commercial UAV-related products and services including smart drones, data visualization and forecasting.

    PowerEgg will be available early in the second quarter of this year.

  • Two Galileo satellites scheduled for May launch

    News from the European Space Agency

    Another pair of Galileo navigation satellites is scheduled for launch by Soyuz rocket in May, ahead of a quartet on an Ariane 5 in the autumn, bringing the Galileo system a step closer to operational use.

    The European Commission asked ESA to look into the feasibility of a Soyuz launch in the first half of the year to speed up the deployment of the constellation and to increase its robustness for delivering initial services.
    One satellite is in storage at ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands, having completed all its testing to clear it for flight, with another due to join it very soon.

    The satellite platforms are built by OHB in Bremen, Germany, with their navigation payloads coming from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in the UK, using a steady stream of high-technology equipment sourced from all across Europe.

    Once through testing, the satellites are flown to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, to be launched two at a time on Soyuz rockets.

    Source: GPS World Staff
    Cutaway view of the Soyuz rocket fairing carrying a pair of Galileo satellites, seen atop the Fregat upper stage that flies them most of the way to their intended medium-altitude orbit. (ESA illustration)

    A total of 12 satellites has been deployed into orbit during the last four years — six in the last year alone.

    The Galileo production line has attained a steady rhythm, as has the environmental testing, so six satellites are available for launch this year, more than were initially planned.

    In the second half of the year, four satellites will be launched together for the very first time, on a customized “Ariane 5 ES Galileo.”

    In development since 2012, it is based on the Ariane 5 ES (Evolution Storable), previously used to place ESA’s 20-tonne ATV vehicle into low orbit for resupplying the International Space Station.

    This new variant will carry a lighter payload — four fueled 738 kg Galileo satellites plus their supporting dispenser — but will take it up to the much higher altitude around 23 222 km.

    The target orbit is actually 300 km below the Galileo constellation’s final working altitude. This leaves Ariane’s upper stage in a stable ‘graveyard orbit’, while the four satellites maneuver themselves up to their operating position.

    Following this first Ariane 5 flight, there should be 18 Galileo satellites in orbit.

  • State of global GNSS market available in 2016 report

    The Global GNSS Consumption 2016 Market Research Report, an in-depth study on the current state of the GNSS market, is now available, according to deepresearchreports.com.

    The report provides a basic overview of the GNSS industry, including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.

    The report states the global GNSS market size and the segment markets by regions, types, applications and companies.

    The GNSS market analysis is provided for major regions, including the U.S., Europe, China and Japan. For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.

    The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. GNSS industry development trends and marketing channels also are analyzed. The feasibility of new investment projects and overall research conclusions also are discussed.

    The report also provides major statistics on the state of the industry.