GPS World

Author: GPS World Staff

  • Directions 2013: GLONASS Today and Tomorrow

    Fully Operational System Modernizes for the Multi-GNSS World

    Headshot: Vitaly Davydov and Sergey Revnivykh

    By Vitaly Davydov and Sergey Revnivykh

    Since December 2011, the GLONASS system has been fully operational, providing worldwide service with 100 percent global availability and acceptable accuracy for most users. The system is globally accepted by many users, and most leading manufacturers include GLONASS in their devices.

    This fact became a reality due to the successful completion in December 2011 of the Russian Federal Mission Oriented Program dedicated to GLONASS restoration, under the under permanent supervision and control of the President of the Russian Federation and Russian Government, Vladimir Putin.
    It may have seemed back in 2002 that very few  people outside the GLONASS team believed in the success of the Program, when the constellation was composed of six operational satellites with only a 3-year lifetime. But now the GLONASS constellation consists of 24 modernized operational Glonass-M satellites and in-orbit spares. Further, the new generation GLONASS-K satellite flight tests have begun.

    The GLONASS Program obtained significant support in May  2007 when the famous Decree of the President of the Russian Federation was issued. The President made commitments to sustain the GLONASS system and provide its open service free of charge and available for all users worldwide without any restrictions. At the same time, the President charged the Government to prepare and approve the new GLONASS Program for 2020. The new Federal Mission Oriented Program ,designated GLONASS maintenance, development and use for 2012–2020, was approved by the Government of the Russian Federation on March 3, 2012 with a dedicated article in the State Budget Law. That means that the President’s commitments are supported by real financial resources for the next decade, and the situation of the mid-1990s will never occur to GLONASS again.

    The new Program has three major tasks:

    • To keep GLONASS in full operational mode.
    • To significantly improve GLONASS performance and service quality.
    • To provide conditions for worldwide use.

    The tasks to make GLONASS an integral component of the global GNSS infrastructure, providing worldwide service for all users, are challenging. At the same time, the primary goal of GLONASS as a dual-use system is to serve national security interests.

    What the Future Brings

    GLONASS development in the near future is foreseen in a few key directions.

    Space Segment. Modernization of the GLONASS core, called the Space Complex, undertakes the development of new spacecraft with enhanced performance. This means more stable on-board clocks, new code-division multiple-access (CDMA) signals, and intersatellite link for orbit, clock update, and range measurements. The GLONASS-K satellite will be the new generation spacecraft, applying advanced technologies.

    The first-phase GLONASS-K satellite is already passing flight tests, transmitting new CDMA signal in L3 band in addition to the existing set of FDMA signals. The GLONASS-K of the second modernization phase will transmit the full set of new CDMA signals in L1, L2 and L3 bands.

    At the same time, all new GLONASS satellites will continue transmitting the existing set of frequency-division multiple-access (FDMA) signals, providing backward compatibility with existing user equipment. Implementation of the CDMA signals in L5 and in L1 (1575.42 MHz) bands is also in line with the Signal Modernization Concept. This task is undergoing study to optimize the power and mass budget of future satellites and to consider benefits for users. Finally, new CDMA signals will provide better accuracy, better protection to interference and better service for users.

    GLONASS modernization foresees extending the number of operational satellites in constellation available for users. Presently navigation message enables maximum 24 satellites for users. Activities in order to get more operation satellites available, assumes modernization of the existing FDMA almanac. New almanac of CDMA signals has no limitations.

    Ground Segment. Ground-control segment modernization will produce a monitoring-station network extension to provide global coverage, extension of the uplink-station network to provide more frequent updates of orbit and clock, and system clock modernization to make the system time scale more stable and better synchronized with UTC.

    The new geodesy reference PZ-90.11 is already coordinated with the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) at the centimeter level and shall be introduced soon.

    Augmentation. The System for Differential Correction and Monitoring (SDCM) space-based augmentation system is dedicated to improving navigation services, providing integrity data and better accuracy for users. As a first phase, the service area of SDCM is over the Russian territory. For SBAS signal re-transmission, the three GEO communication satellites of the Luch system are equipped with navigation transponders. The first Luch-5A is already in orbit. The other two are scheduled for launch. Eventually the SDCM system will provide a global navigation service, transmitting precise orbit and clock data to users and introducing precise-point positioning (PPP) technique.

    Performance Improvements. The GLONASS modernization plan foresees step-by-step performance improvement of all system components. By 2020, the GLONASS system in stand-alone mode will provide sub-meter accuracy for users with an open signal. Augmented by SBAS, the GLONASS system will provide user positioning accuracy at the decimeter level and better.

    In the coming Multi-GNSS world, the GLONASS system must be one of the key components to benefit all users with reliable and accurate navigation, positioning, and timing services. To reach that goal, the international cooperation between system providers with feedback from all group of users is a mandatory condition. All global and regional navigation satellite systems must be compatible and interoperable. The International Committee on GNSS, established according to UN recommendation, plays a significant role for international cooperation aimed at achieving synergy in the navigation environment.

    2013 is very important for GLONASS to demonstrate stability with improvement for all users around the world. All the necessary resources to achieve this are available, based on the long-term Federal Mission Oriented Program supported by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation.

    Vitaly Davydov is the deputy head of the Federal Space Agency, Coordinator of the Program for GLONASS Sustainment, Development, and Use.  He graduated from the Dzerzhinsky Military Academy and from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration with a Master‘s degree in Public and Municipal Administration. From 1997 to 2004 Vitaly Davydov supported the Russian Federation Security Council’s Office. Prior to that from 1975 to 1997 he occupied various positions in Russian Department of Defense’s Space Forces.

    Sergey Revnivykh is deputy director general of the Central Research Institute of Machine Building, leading institute of Federal Space Agency, Head of PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Time) Analysis and Information Center. He is a member of the management of the Federal GLONASS Program. He received his Ph.D. degree from the Moscow Aviation Institute.

  • Directions 2013: Plans Set in Motion for GPS

    GPS Directorate: Receivers Will Operate in Environments Impossible Today

    By Col. Bernie Gruber

    Headshot: Col. Bernie Gruber

    I believe the future of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and particularly GPS will only be limited by our ingenuity and imagination. In terms of economic benefit, GPS contributes $60 billion to our economy, and that’s no stretch considering the positive and real advantages GPS affords us every day through fuel savings, transportation optimization, banking transactions, recreational activities, and certainly the defense of our great nation.

    GPS consists of three segments — space, ground and user equipment — all contributing synchronistically to provide the world positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). Having joined the GPS program office (for the first time) in 1992, I was privileged to lead the very first Foreign Military Sales contracts and the development of the Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing module (SAASM) — both focused within the realm of user equipment. As program director of GPS reflecting back on the monumental change of the past 20 years, I am encouraged and look forward to seeing the fruition of the projects and plans we have already set in motion for the next 20. This is why:

    Space Segment. The launch and handover of the third GPS IIF satellite on October 4 proves once again our commitment to mission success. We have exceeded our published worldwide accuracy standard since 1993, and the NavStar GPS constellation remains robust with 31 satellites currently available.

    In regards to the satellite systems, next-generation Block IIF and III satellites are in various states of test, integration, or production in an effort to improve the average user range error (URE) from 0.9 meters, achieved and maintained for the last 3 years, to a root-mean-squared URE of 0.5 meters by 2016. Along with increased civil and military signals, I also envision digital waveform generation (that is, the ability to change on-orbit signals in space via software) as an integral part of our architecture.  Digital waveform generation coupled with an augmentation of the GPS III constellation for affordability and resiliency will pave our way to the future.

    Ground Segment. Along with a host of additional satellite capabilities and signals, we will correspondingly modernize our ground segment. Our Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX) is designed to command and control our modernized secondary civil signal L2C, safety-of-life signal L5, and the internationally compatible signal L1C. In fact, users such as John Deere and NavCom are already accessing the currently broadcast L1 C/A and L2C (with a default code) for dual-frequency ionospheric correction to improve upon accuracy. As the modernized signals become operational, users will see faster signal acquisition, enhanced reliability, and a greater operating range. The information assurance, expandability, and service-oriented architecture will afford users and operators with security and information they simply don’t have today.

    User Segment. All that said, I am thrilled to look at the future of user equipment. We need to take advantage of the use of civil GPS. Apple and Android have shown the way to interface with and use applications, displays, and packaging; Google Map overlays, smart phone apps, time-to-first-fix augmentations from cell towers, and multi-GNSS international coverage are already in use, with the growth of apps, users will only get smarter and more sophisticated in their GPS expectations.

    To that end, the Air Force is augmenting its pilots with digital maps and starting to integrate GPS with the digi-maps beginning with the C-130J. The Army is paving the way with an app store for military use and beginning to integrate GPS with its equipment, such as the use of a GPS integrated wind app for calibrating bullet trajectories.

    Security, authentication, integrity, and the ability to operate in almost any environment is vital to our warfighters. The Department of Defense is posturing to operate in an anti-access area denial (A2AD) environment. Make no mistake; the list of potential adversaries also includes a list of known attacks on GPS — along with use of GPS and other GNSS systems against us. For that purpose, the modernized GPS is working on better and improved items like key management, M-Code power and cryptography, and Blue Force Electronic Attack (BFEA). In this area too, I see the commercial market burgeoning with new ideas to protect the calculation of GPS PNT solutions.

    In the selective-availability anti-spoofing module, we introduced positive control and resiliency to the military GPS receivers. Now with M-Code we are taking it one step further. M-code will leverage the National Security Agency (NSA) Key Management Infrastructure and augment it with more tools to ensure only authorized users have access to M-Code. This provides greater protection from spoofing, ensures that keys are readily available to the United States and her Coalition partners, and that security cost drives for our user equipment are minimized.

    With more signal power, almost every aspect of GPS is better. While the 6–10 dB of additional power in GPS III will not in itself defeat known threats, more power complements anti-jam techniques as well as improves operation under foliage and in the presence of pervasive unintentional interference. We’re going to see receivers that operate in navwar environments that would be impossible today. Similarly, I see us having the flexibility to operate with other GNSS systems in benign environments, but the ability to also operate in hostile or contested environments.

    Blue Force Electronic Attack was always a principle driver for GPS modernization. It is embodied in the White House Directives and Title 10 U.S.C [Title 10 of the United States Code outlines the role of armed forces in the U.S. Code, a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States — Ed.] Today’s Block II systems do not have enough spectral separation for effective BFEA. As M-Code becomes readily available, along with the additional filtering available in military GPS user equipment (MGUE), we are providing Joint Task Force Commanders with options to deny GPS; options that they don’t have today.

    The future of GPS is bright indeed! From the originators of GPS to present day men and women who work tirelessly to deliver and operate it, we are all striving to improve and enhance this magnificent capability. The economic benefits of a system that, in reality, pays for itself guarantees the world’s desire to see improvements and growth in the overall GPS system. The Air Force is a proud steward of the GPS system, but it is our collective job to proliferate new ideas to use it and secure it.

    Colonel Bernie J. Gruber is director, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. He is responsible for a multiservice, multinational systems directorate which conducts development, acquisition, fielding and sustainment of all GPS space segment, satellite command and control (ground) and military user equipment. The $32 billion GPS program, with a $1 billion annual budget, maintains the largest satellite constellation and the largest avionics integration and installation program in the Department of Defense. He has served in key positions at Major Command, Air Staff, Joint Staff and Defense Agency levels. Prior to assuming his current position, Colonel Gruber was Chief, Space Superiority and Global Integrated Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division, Directorate of Programs, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C.

  • Leadership Awards 2012: Real-Time Kinematic in Your Palm

    Technology to Be Cheap and Pervasive by 2020

    Editor’s Note: This article reproduces the acceptance speeches given by the winners of GPS World’s 2012 Leadership Awards, at the Leadership Dinner in Nashville in September. The Leadership Dinner was sponsored by Lockheed Martin and Deimos Space.

    Remarks by Todd Humphreys, Radionavigation Laboratory (director), University of Texas at Austin (assistant professor), winner in the Signals category. He is the leader of several seminal studies on spoofing and jamming, and he testified this summer before Congress on the subject.

     

    It’s a genuine honor to receive this award. I’d like to thank Alan Cameron and all the contributors to GPS World. GPS World plays an essential role in building our GNSS community and keeping it together, providing GNSS news, instruction, and, indispensably, gossip!

    I’d also like to thank my students at the University of Texas Radionavigation Lab. Much of the credit for this award goes to them.

    The futurist Ray Kurzweil spoke at a conference I attended back in 2001. Maybe some of you have heard of Ray. He’s regarded variously as a prophet, or a crackpot. He’s taking hundreds of vitamins every day to keep himself alive until the singularity arrives, at which point he’ll download himself onto a robot and live forever, or at least he’ll have his head cryogenically frozen so that he can be downloaded and live forever later on.

    In that 2001 talk, Ray made some bold predictions. One, in particular, I remember well. “Within the decade,” Ray assured us, “we’ll all be wearing special contact lenses that give us a permanant Internet feed directly to our eyeballs.”

    Nonsense, I thought, and indeed it was nonsense. Here we are in 2012 and no such contact lenses exist, nevermind their being in widespread use.

    I resolved back then that if I were ever called on to peer into the future and tell what I see, as Alan has asked me to do tonight, I’d be more modest about it.

    So tonight I’m going to make a modest prediction, and only one of them. I predict that by the GPS World dinner in 2020, carrier-phase differential GNSS, or, if you prefer an adjective for what should be a noun, Real-Time Kinematic, will be cheap and pervasive. We’ll have it on our cell phones and our tablets. There will be app families devoted to decimeter- and centimeter-level accuracy. The consequences will be fantastic. And this will be enormously disruptive to the current precision navigation industry. This will be the commoditization of centimeter-level GNSS.

    Now you may very well object to this prediction. You might point out that integer ambiguities will be difficult to resolve in the face of the near-field effects around and poor placement of the GNSS antenna in handheld units. You might also argue that the increased power requirements of carrier-phase techniques will be a dealbreaker for mobile devices. That’s all fine. I agree that those are hard problems. My students and I are looking into them, trying to overcome them.

    But please don’t make as one of your objections the one that I’ve heard so many times: “Why would anyone ever want centimeter-accurate positioning in their cell phone?” Because I’ll object that your objection lacks imagination.

    To see one example of what could be done with commoditized centimeter-accurate GNSS, I invite you all to a presentation by my students Daniel Shepard, Ken Pesyna, and Jahshan Bhatti tomorrow in the F5 Session (Millimeter-accurate Augmented Reality Enabled by Carrier-Phase Differential GPS). They’ll show off a crude box that we’ve built, through which, if you peer, you can see a sandcastle that’s not really there. And you can walk around the sandcastle and see it from all sides with centimeter accuracy.

    Imagine when this technology is in our tablets! Or, better yet, when it’s in our glasses — or, I suppose, our contact lenses. Not that I’m making any predictions about contact lenses.

    [Ed. For a short video demonstration of the RTK-enabled augmented reality box built by Todd Humphreys’ students, visit this site.]

  • Retired GIOVE-A Helps SSTL Demo High-Altitude GPS Fix

    An experimental GPS receiver, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), has successfully achieved a GPS position fix at 23,300 kilometers altitude – the first position fix above the GPS constellation on a civilian satellite. The SGR-GEO receiver is collecting data that could help SSTL to develop a receiver to navigate spacecraft in geostationary orbit (GEO) or even in deep space.

    GPS is routinely used on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to provide the orbital position and offer a source of time to the satellite. Spacecraft in orbits higher than the 20,000 km of the GPS constellation, however, can only receive a few of the signals that “spill over” from the far side of the Earth, meaning that the signals are much weaker and a position fix cannot always be secured.

    With the support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the ARTES 4 program, SSTL included the SGR-GEO receiver on the GIOVE-A satellite to prove that a receiver could achieve a position fix from a higher orbit. The SGR-GEO is adapted from SSTL’s SGR range of receivers and incorporates a high-gain antenna and a precise oven-controlled clock. It will demonstrate special algorithms to allow reception of weak signals and an orbit estimator intended to allow a near continuous position fix throughout orbit.

    “The results from the SGR-GEO receiver are really encouraging,” said Martin Unwin, principal GNSS engineer at SSTL. “We’re getting higher signal strengths than anticipated and also acquiring side lobes from the GPS transmit antennas, which improves the availability of the usable signals for navigation. With the success of the SGR-GEO receiver, GPS, in combination with Galileo and GLONASS, could soon be helping navigate spacecraft much further away from Earth.”

    The experimental GPS receiver onboard GIOVE-A has been inactive for six years while the satellite has been used for its primary purpose of transmitting prototype Galileo signals. GIOVE-A’s retirement in June 2012 has allowed the commissioning of the experiment and is now providing valuable data to SSTL and ESA in support of the future use of spaceborne GNSS receivers at GEO altitudes. Engineers at SSTL will continue operations, testing out, tuning and improving the receiver software onboard GIOVE-A to achieve the best possible performance.

  • GPS World overview of InterGEO in Germany

  • Nokia To Acquire earthmine 3-D Imaging Company

    earthmine, Inc., announced today that it is has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Nokia. earthmine, based in Berkeley, California, is a privately owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution — from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software.

    The earthmine team is expected to join the Nokia location and commerce business, and Berkeley will become a key site for the development of 3D reality capture technology. “We are very excited to be joining Nokia, a company with a huge presence and vision in mapping,” said John Ristevski, co-CEO of earthmine Inc. “We could not hope for a better place to fulfill and accelerate our mission of indexing the world in 3D.”

    The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2012. The terms of the transaction are confidential.

    earthmine, Inc., provides 3D street-level imagery, delivering an end-to-end solution including 3D mobile mapping systems, automated data-processing pipelines, cloud-based hosting services and server software, desktop software, client-side developer tools, and direct integration with GIS software. earthmine technology is being used in local search, mobile, mapping, GIS, safety, and security markets in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, France, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Saudi Arabia, as well as other countries around the world.

  • GPS Tracking Devices Approved for Use on Cargo Airlines

    GTX Corp, which makes customizable, patented two-way GPS solutions, has announced the approval of a custom designed GPS tracking device for use on the cargo airlines AirNet and Cargolux. The custom configured device will be made available as an add-on service to customers of MNX, a provider of expedited transportation and logistics services, to provide a new level of visibility and control for high value and mission critical shipments.

    “We have been working diligently with AirNet and Cargolux to gain the necessary approvals to bring this one-of-a-kind offering to market. We are very pleased to see this day finally come to fruition,” said Patrick Bertagna, GTX Corp cChairman and CEO. “Over the next few weeks we will work closely with the MNX team to formulate a domestic and international deployment strategy to introduce this offering to MNX customers around the world.”

    Designed for customers that ship high value, time or temperature sensitive materials, the technology is well-suited for customers in the life sciences industry. The GPS solution will bring extra security to sensitive shipments, including the transportation of items such as organs, blood, tissue, medications, clinical trial samples and medical devices.

    “The GTX Corp tracking platform gives us the ability to better identify and resolve any unforeseen challenges throughout the entire transport and gives our customers added confidence and peace of mind that their shipment is secure at every step,” said Scott Cannon, MNX CEO. “By providing our clients with real-time tracking of their shipments, MNX will offer an unmatched layer of service, security, temperature integrity and reliability.”

    The GPS device transmits the latitude and longitude, speed, bearing, altitude and temperature of the plane or vehicle carrying the shipment. The device and GTX platform also provide an easy-to-use customer interface with live shipment tracking and geo-fencing capabilities, allowing customers to know exactly when their mission critical shipments depart and arrive in key destinations. The GTX device is small and light weight (comparable to the size of a standard garage door opener), making it easy to insert in even the smallest packages.

    “We realize the capability to track valuable shipments with such detail is especially important to the life sciences industry, especially as this industry continues to expand so rapidly,” said Bertagna.

    AirNet, a leading domestic specialty cargo airline specializing in life sciences transportation, and Cargolux, one of the leading scheduled all-cargo airlines, were among the first airlines to conduct a thorough testing process to certify the GTX device, while MNX and GTX continue collaborating to expand the use of the offering to other partner airlines.

  • Leica Releases Locata-Enabled Satellite+Terrestrial Mining System

    Locata Corporation announced today that its integration partner, Leica Geosystems Mining, has begun to sell — and ship to their global mining customers — a Locata-powered positioning systems that it calls “the world’s first.”

    The Leica Jps (the Jigsaw Positioning System powered by Locata) integrates GNSS and Locata’s ground-based GPS-like networks. The result is a seamless and a completely new “GPS everywhere” experience for Leica’s customers, the company said. This new capability is now in use at Newmont’s Boddington Gold Mine, northwest of Boddington, Western Australia. The mine has published an independent article describing the LocataNet and Jps systems deployed for the mine’s drill rig fleet. It reported that drill rig up-time and efficiency have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels since the Jps system was commissioned.

    Locata-enabled nonstop positioning brings benefits to machine automation in mining because Locata fills in the many gaps in GPS signal availability experienced in an open-cut mine, Leica said. The Leica Jps ensures a reliable and transparent experience for users with demanding machine guidance applications because it uses all available signals, satellite-based or Locata, without interruption.

    “The Locata-based Jps is therefore the world’s first system which can justly be considered as ‘a backup for GPS’,” reads a Leica Geosystems statement. “Real-world operational performance, which is being reported by Jps customers, can only be described as ‘spectacular’.”

    “Since deploying the Locata-powered Jps at Newmont Boddington Gold, there has been an increase in operational machine guidance availability of almost 23 percent – from 75 percent up to 98 percent,” said Brendon Lilly, product manager, Leica Geosystems Mining. “Newmont Boddington Gold is so happy with the results that they have turned off their GPS-only solutions altogether, and now rely solely (and successfully) on Jps alone. They have already installed Jps on 11 drills and intend to equip their entire high-precision fleet.”

    “The ROI we offer our clients through the Jigsaw Positioning System is extraordinary. Market trends indicate CAPEX is in decline, so the parameters mines use to justify expenditure have become far more demanding,” said Stefana Vella, global marketing manager, Leica Geosystems Mining. “The unprecedented production levels and machine control uptime that result directly from using the Locata-powered Jps very quickly justifies the purchase of the system. Furthermore, it aids the justification of expenditure on the high-precision machine guidance systems themselves, for, when operated with the Jps, the ROI increases exponentially. Even in today’s market, it isn’t a difficult decision to make.”

    Many mines around the world use machine guidance systems for drills, shovels, excavators, dozers, graders and more to execute the site plan work in real-time. This tight automation dramatically improves efficiency and productivity. At the core of these machine guidance systems are GPS-style receivers that provide vital positioning information, using the satellite signals to calculate a 3D position.

    Unfortunately, in most open-pit environments satellite signals become obstructed, which slows or temporarily halts production. As pits become deeper the problems become worse, drastically reducing the number of satellites the receiver can “see” to achieve GPS-style positioning. In the past, mines and other machine automation users had no choice other than to resort to much less efficient alternatives, such as manual surveying. Reduced satellite visibility therefore negated the considerable investment and operational efficiencies gained from modern machine guidance systems. The key to virtually eliminate these issues is Locata’s new “GPS-backup or replacement” capability, Leica Geosystems said.

    Locata’s Locatalite device is a ground-based transmitter that generates a GPS-like signal. LocataLites deployed around the pit rim can ensure almost 100 percent positioning coverage. Locata signals “fill-in” the GPS holes with a signal that is processed by the Jps in exactly the same way that GPS signals are. Locata is the only technology in the world that can do this. By backing up their GPS-based systems, mines have an always-on positioning network that works if satellite signals are unavailable in the pit due to physical or man-made obstructions. Jps LocataLites can be permanently positioned on site or moved at will, ensuring a mine’s Jps Locata network can be set up where and when needed.

    “We all rely on electricity from public sources, but in areas where outages occur companies invest in backup generators,” said Nunzio Gambale, CEO and co-founder of Locata. “It’s exactly the same scenario for mining companies, where they are dependent on GPS. Locata gives you a GPS backup ‘generator’ – a world-first capability which is clearly a game-changer for the whole industry. Before Locata became available mines simply had to suffer through a slow-down when GPS-based systems became flaky. Leica Geosystems had the vision early on to recognize the enormous benefits provided by our technology advancements. They threw their corporate weight behind intensive product development, carefully integrating Locata technology into their world-first Jigsaw mining solutions. It’s a marriage made in heaven, and Jps customers will be the ones who really reap the rewards of Leica’s outstanding first-mover effort. There won’t be any ‘GPS doesn’t work here’ excuses in the future.”

    John Carr, senior technical specialist at Newmont Boddington Gold Mine, puts it this way: “Look, it’s really this simple. If Locata had not invented the technology to help fix the GPS issues in a deep pit scenario I may as well have gone back home, started breeding pit ponies and sharpened up the picks and shovels… Open Cut Mines, just like everyone else that depends heavily on satellite navigation, are already hitting the wall at the outer limits of GPS technology. With Locata, we’ve virtually eliminated everyday GNSS signal challenges. And now we also have our own backup in place in case of a more significant or longer-term failure.”

  • BeiDou-2/Compass G3 Satellite Moved

    News courtesy of CANSPACE listerv.

    The BeiDou-2/Compass geostationary satellite, G3, was moved between about November 7 and 22 from an orbital longitude of  84 degrees east to 110.5 degrees east.

    The 110.5 degree east longitude slot had been previously used by BeiDou 1C, one of the demonstration or BeiDou-1 satellites, which was initially shifted to about 85 degrees east between about June 2 and July 7, 2012. BeiDou 1C has drifted slightly since and is currently at 84 degrees east.

    According to orbital data supplied by the U.S. Joint Space Operations Center, once BeiDou 1C was shifted to about 85 degrees east longitude, station keeping seems to have been no longer applied. This may imply that the satellite is no longer in use but this has not yet been confirmed.

     

  • Logistics, GIS and Disaster Response, Post-Sandy

    An exercise in planning for months proves timely in light of Hurricane Sandy

    By Art Kalinski

    I was going to write about the increasing presence of social media at GEOINT 2012, but I’ll cover that next month since Hurricane Sandy made an exercise I attended last week more significant in its timeliness.

    The Disaster Response Integrative Logistics Exercise was a joint effort of the Institute for Defense & Business and Lockheed Martin. Heading up the effort was retired U.S. Ambassador David Litt of the IDB and Corey Cook of Lockheed Martin. The almost week-long event was held at the Lockheed Martin Lighthouse located in Suffolk, Virginia, near Norfolk. The 65,000-square-foot high-technology facility is designed for experimentation and prototyping using analysis, modeling and simulation. It’s a reconfigurable command and control operations laboratory that permits participants to test and analyze concepts in a gaming environment.

    The stated purpose of the disaster response exercise was: “Given the nature, frequency, location and severity of disasters, inter-organizational collaboration – to include the private sector – is becoming increasingly critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of logistics in disaster responses.”  The exercise involved more than a 100 participants from the private sector, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and military services. Lou Kratz, Vice president and managing director, Logistics and Sustainment, Corporate Engineering & Technology for Lockheed Martin, stated that “Today’s crisis response efforts generally struggle with effective logistics collaboration among the multiple public and private stakeholders engaged. With our 21st-century logistics capabilities and global resources available from the public sector and private organizations, together we can develop solutions that will help our communities and businesses recover more quickly and effectively after a crisis.”

    And collaborate we did! The list of participants was quite extensive and quite diverse. To give you a sense of the attendees, here is a partial list of organizations represented:

    • commercial companies included DHL, Maersk, Florida Power and Light, Fluor, Home Depot, Walmart
    • federal government agencies included FEMA, DHS, GSA, HHS, USAID, State Department
    • military organizations included NAVSUP, NORTHCOM, USACE, USAF, USMC, USN, SOUTHCOM, National Defense University, USCG, NORTHCOM
    • NGOs included United Nations agencies, the Red Cross, Operation Blessing, Catholic Relief Services and many more.

    Conference attendance was significantly impacted by Hurricane Sandy, which also highlighted its timeliness.  FEMA, USAID, USACE, and the Red Cross, who were confirmed attendees and were instrumental in the development of the DRIL exercise, were deployed to Hurricane Sandy just hours before the start of the event. Fortunately, attendance to the DRIL by multiple organizations and substitute personnel was still robust, allowing for a highly successful exercise.

    Some of the exercise objectives included defining and understanding different agency logistics capabilities, leadership structures, institutional and regulatory obstacles, differences in cultures, missions and operating procedures while developing metrics to evaluate performance in disaster response efforts. To accomplish the objectives, all the participants were organized into four integrated teams that were then separated at times into functional teams and then reassembled with representatives speaking for each team to the entire group of attendees.

    Since this was the first exercise of its type, it was a learning experience for all involved and focused on the basics of personnel interactions and group consensus.  Each participant had access to his or her own computer, common computer resources and pre-developed exercise parameters. There were many artificial assumptions presented to the teams, and the team members made even more assumptions and guesses as they worked through the individual scenarios. Most of the exercise consisted of reviewing the effects of Category 5 hurricanes hitting the Dominican Republic, South Florida and Virginia, so there was a domestic as well as international impact. We participated in our groups, listening to individual team members with specialized knowledge and experience, then prioritized the delivery of needed resources and services. As the exercises ramped up, there were many animated discussions in which basics such as water, food, shelter, medical, electric power and transportation infrastructure were prioritized and justification documented.

    I made several observations to myself as the exercises progressed. First, there are definite cultural differences between federal, military, NGO and commercial agencies. Not bad differences, just different. Second, individual personalities can steer the group dynamics and outcomes. And third, situational awareness is critical to effective disaster response. Geospatial technology was not part of this first exercise, but would clearly have been valuable to provide a common operational picture. That level of complexity would not have been practical for this initial exercise, but it does lead me to the “Solutions” room next to the main exercise area.

    In a space adjacent to the main exercise room was a “Solutions” room that showcased potentially helpful technologies. The room was open to exercise participants toward the tail end of the week. It consisted of a diverse assortment of commercial and government solutions that addressed some of the issues  the teams struggled with during the week. Examples include a new computer-based system developed by the Navy Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) that is similar to the commercial Kayak flight search system. The Transportation Exploitation Tool (TET) was explained to me by Greg Butler, division director, NAVSUP GLS Transportation, who initiated the effort. He explained that all too often resources are wasted flying parts or personnel on dedicated aircraft that are duplicate trips of other aircraft or ships with available space traveling to the same location. The new geospatial network scheduling system optimizes transportation resources across all branches of service and already saved the Navy $23M on a $750k investment.

    Lockheed Martin displayed several technologies, including communications and data management technologies. One of the most interesting was its Hybrid Aircraft that was initially developed for military use. However, its ability to transport equipment and supplies efficiently to undeveloped sites while providing a persistent platform for communications and to collect and download imagery makes it a valuable asset for emergency response activities.  To learn more, view the following video.

    A representative from NATO explained the NATO Civil-Military Fusion Center, including a map library and custom services. Several exhibitors demonstrated the use of social media, which can be a very valuable and timely source of information to build situational awareness during emergencies. A company I work with, Soft Power Solutions, integrates GIS resources such as Google, USGS, ortho and oblique imagery married to geographically placed social media to build situational awareness that is quite robust. It was especially dramatic that during demonstrations, a 7.2 earthquake was reported off the coast of Guatemala.  One could easily see the growing number of tweets that almost immediately confirmed the earthquake and level of damage. Here is a ShakeMap generated by USGS within minutes of the earthquake showing the level of impact on the Guatemalan coast (shown in yellow).

    One of the exercise objectives was to develop metrics that would evaluate performance in disaster response efforts. There were many metrics developed that one would expect – roads open, electricity restored, utilities restored, etc. However, the one informal metric that was developed through personal experience of Florida emergency responders was the “Waffle House” metric. Waffle House is a ubiquitous restaurant chain with locations throughout the southeast. The Florida responders observed that driving from one county’s Waffle House to another open Waffle House was a good indicator that the location was in OK shape.  Since a Waffle House needs minimal staffing and utilities compared to larger restaurants, it was a good indicator as to how bad conditions were in the location. Perhaps someone will develop a “Waffle House Open” type GIS layer as a metric to “okayness.”  Sounds like a good thesis for a GIS graduate student.

    Everyone who participated was enthusiastic about conducting another similar exercise. Planning is already underway to make that happen. I, for one, feel that this kind of exercise can have a significant positive impact on future disasters because it builds face-to-face relationships that are so valuable during actual events. I’m going to do what I can to help with a geospatial aspect in future exercises.

  • The Business — December 2012

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  • Magellan Introduces Five-Inch RoadMate RV GPS Navigator

    Magellan today announced its first 5-inch RV GPS model, the Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB GPS, designed for RVs with smaller dashboard spaces. Magellan will display its new RoadMate RV5365T-LMB at the RVIA Show (Booth H) this week in Louisville, Kentucky.

    The ideal travel companion for drivers of Class B and Class C RVs and those who tow other recreational vehicles such as fifth-wheel trailers or boats, the Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB helps when planning trips and promotes safety while on-the-road, the company said.

    When preparing for their trips, the Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB makes it easier for RV drivers to set up profile data about their vehicle’s dimensions, vehicle type, hazmat materials, as well as navigational preference so they can customize the best routes.

    The Good Sam Campground Directory and Good Sam discount locations, pre-loaded into the RoadMate RV5365T-LMB, provide RV travel resources featuring comprehensive North America campground information and amenities to facilitate locating available facilities, RV services, pet-friendly campgrounds and parks, tent spaces, Wi-Fi and more.

    During trips, the Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB helps drivers navigate on its 5-inch high-definition touch screen that adjusts color and contrast for the most optimal night visibility. To help drivers keep their eyes on the road, the RoadMate RV5365T-LMB features Spoken Street Name guidance to announce street names and give turn-by-turn directions. The integrated Bluetooth wireless technology enables RV drivers to safely talk hands-free when the GPS is paired with a compatible Bluetooth phone.

    In addition to free lifetime map updates and free lifetime traffic alerts, the Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB GPS navigator includes many of Magellan’s latest high-end features to make navigation safer and easier.

    • Junction View displays a realistic image of the road and highway signs to help guide RV drivers to the correct lane that the vehicle needs to be in for safe merging and exits during their trip.
    • Next Turn visibility prepares drivers with valuable information about which lane to stay in or enter when approaching the next turning location.
    • Landmark Guidance gives RV drivers an easier way to navigate to their destinations by telling them to turn at familiar landmarks such as gas stations, stores or other large, easily-seen places instead of only street names that may be hard to locate and read.
    • The Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB includes one year of free service to ‘Traffic Camera Alerts,’ powered by PhantomALERT, to warn drivers about upcoming red light and speed cameras on their route.
    • OneTouch, another Magellan-exclusive feature, enables drivers to bookmark and assign a button to their favorite destinations or searches for faster access.

    Continuing to enhance the driver safety and peace-of-mind to see behind their RV, the Magellan RoadMate RV5365T-LMB is compatible with Magellan’s award-winning Wireless Back-up Camera ($149.99 MSRP). When the vehicle is in reverse-mode, the RoadMate RV5365T-LMB will automatically switch from navigation mode to become a rear-view monitor that allows the driver to see what is behind the vehicle including children, pets and toys, or for assistance when parking into a tight parking space.

    “Driving an RV or towing any size recreational vehicle can be very challenging on today’s crowded roadways and Magellan is dedicated to giving RV drivers the best navigational tools for the safest journey,” said Stig Pedersen, Associate Vice President of Product Management for Magellan.  “We are pleased to offer the RV community the most innovative navigation features plus a choice of RoadMate RV GPS devices to best fit their needs.”

    Available in January through Magellan’s consumer electronics and online partners including Camping World, Canadian Tire Corp. and Amazon.com, the Magellan RoadMate RV 5365T-LMB is $299.99 (MSRP).