GPS World

Author: GPS World Staff

  • ‘We Will Find You’ with GPS, Nestlé Tells Candy Bar Customers

     

    Open a Nestlé candy bar in the United Kingdom — one of six with a GPS tracking device — and you could win a big cash prize. The candy company’s latest marketing campaign involves putting GPS trackers on half-a-dozen bars such as Kit Kat, Aero, and Yorkie.

    A 30-second commercial video shows, in Bond-like fashion, how the bar will activate when opened, with instant response by a “crack team” that will arrive via helicopter to award the lucky customer £10,000.

    The marketing campaign, developed by creative agency JWT London, is part of a promotion involving ads on TV and radio, as well as online, costing Nestlé £4 million ($6.5 million).

    Check out the commercial here:

  • Manufacture of 37 GLONASS Satellites Planned

    News courtesy of CANSPACE listserv:

     

    The internal newspaper of ISS Reshetnev, Siberian Satellite, has reported on the status of current and future manufacturing of GLONASS satellites (loosely translated):

    “A federal target program, approved by the Russian Government, has provided measures to maintain and develop the GLONASS system. The Reshetnev Company from 2012 to 2020 will manufacture 15 “Glonass-M” satellites and 22 “Glonass-K”. The work in this direction is taking place at ISS at full speed. Now the company is making space apparatus “Glonass-M” No. 50 [likely to be known as 750 once launched] and has signed contracts with related enterprises for the supply of equipment for a few more satellites in this series. [ISS] has already completed the manufacture of satellites “Glonass-M” No. 47, No. 48, No. 49. Routine tests confirmed compliance characteristics of their design and with operational documentation. The space vehicles have been put in the assembly shop for safekeeping. [ISS] has sent a next-generation navigation satellite “Glonass-K” No. 12L to the spaceport. A decision on the launch date of the navigation satellites will be made by Roscosmos after an analysis of the [state of the] GLONASS constellation.”

    Note that there is a reserved launch slot for the GLONASS-K satellite at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on 14 November.

  • Topcon’s MG-A8 Antenna Designed for Accurate Maritime Applications

    Topcon Positioning Systems announces the MG-A8 antenna for navigation and precise positioning in marine applications. According to Topcon, the new MG-A8 marine antenna provides exemplary GNSS signal tracking while not being susceptible to signal jamming from other sources, such as Inmarsat communications.

    The MG-A8 antenna can be used in DGPS mode for meter-level navigation purposes but can also be used for RTK centimeter level positioning in areas where there is a network of reference stations available to support this level of precision. With its RTK capabilities, the MG-A8 is a “preferred solution for applications such as dredging in inland river channels and waterways,” said Tom Morris, TPS senior product development manager.

    “This antenna is designed with challenging marine applications in mind.  It is accurate, rugged, reliable and affordable.”

  • Trimble Introduces Compact Receiver for Mobile Positioning Applications

     

    Trimble has introduced at the ION GNSS Conference in Nashville the Trimble BD920-W3G receiver and communication module. As part of Trimble’s GNSS OEM portfolio, the new compact module features centimeter-level, real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning capabilities coupled with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular that deliver flexible communication options for precise, mobile positioning. The BD920-W3G module’s connectivity and configuration ease allow system integrators and OEMs to easily add GNSS centimeter-level positioning to specialized or custom hardware solutions, Trimble said.

    “The OEM and system integrator communities demand high performance, reliability and support for their positioning solutions,” said Dale Hermann, director of marketing and sales. “The Trimble BD920-W3G delivers the latest in GNSS and communication technology in an easy-to-integrate form factor for demanding conditions and applications such as field computing, port automation, and lightweight robotic or unmanned vehicles.”

    The Trimble BD920-W3G module has been designed for applications requiring centimeter accuracy in a compact package. By integrating wireless communications on the same module, the task of receiving and transmitting data such as RTK corrections is greatly simplified. A single intuitive Web interface allows a variety of use cases to be supported. In addition to GNSS base and rover setups with Wi-Fi or UMTS modem, the module also allows simultaneous customer access to the Internet.

    The dual-frequency GPS/GLONASS BD920-W3G provides customers with a more integrated product that can reduce their integration effort and time to market. Wireless communications and Ethernet connectivity are available on the module to allow high-speed data transfer and configuration via standard Web browsers. USB and RS232 are also supported. By tightly integrating communications and GNSS receiver, integrators can reduce costs and integration complexity, the company said.

    The Trimble BD920-W3G is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2013 through Trimble’s Precision GNSS + Inertial sales channel worldwide. The BD920-W3G can be viewed in 3D on Trimble’s 3D Warehouse by SketchUp. OEMs and integrators can also download a 3D model into their applications. For more information, visit www.trimble.com/gnss-inertial.

  • SPAN GNSS/INS Technology Now on NovAtel’s OEM6 Receiver Products

    NovAtel Inc. announced  at ION the addition of SPAN GNSS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) technology to its OEM6 GNSS receiver platform. NovAtel’s SPAN technology tightly couples precision GNSS receivers with robust inertial measurement units (IMUs) to provide reliable, continuously available, position, velocity and attitude (roll, pitch, yaw), even during short periods of time when satellite signals are blocked or unavailable.

    The release of SPAN on OEM6 provides SPAN OEM customers with new features and functionality previously unavailable on NovAtel’s OEMV based SPAN platform, including ALIGN GNSS heading determination, API, RAIM, and GPS+GLONASS positioning.

    Jason Hamilton, director of Marketing at NovAtel, stated, “SPAN on OEM6 builds on our core GNSS platform, taking features and functionality from our six series and adding them to our SPAN technology.” He added, “SPAN on OEM6 improves positioning performance in difficult GNSS environments over NovAtel’s past generations of products, greatly improving the ability to bridge GNSS outages, and allowing users to operate with higher confidence in challenging environments.”

    NovAtel’s SPAN technology will be supported on OEM615 and OEM628 board level receivers, and the FlexPak6 receiver which gives integrators a rugged enclosed platform that can be paired with the company’s complete range of IMU sensors.

    The OEM615 and 628 boards replace NovAtel’s legacy OEMV receivers to provide integrators a new platform for developing and embedding SPAN into their applications. Existing OEM6 customers can now upgrade their receiver to become full GNSS/INS SPAN platforms.

    Interested parties can visit NovAtel at Booth “F” at ION 2012 to learn more about this new product offering. Shipments of OEM6 SPAN enabled receivers will begin September 2012. Further information can be found on the company’s website at novatel.com or through a company representative which can be located under the “Where to Buy” tab of the company website.

  • NVS Technologies Launches Embedded Mini GNSS Receiver

     

    NVS Technologies AG announces today, from the ION-GNSS 2012 Conference in Nashville, the launch of the NV08C-Mini PCI-E Embedded Mini PCI Express GNSS Receiver.

    The NV08C-Mini PCI-E is a fully integrated GNSS receiver module, optimized for Mini PCI Express (Mini-PCIe) based applications. Its key feature is its full compatibility with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, COMPASS (GNSS), and EGNOS, WAAS, MSAS, and GAGAN (SBAS). It is specifically designed for use in a wide range of mobile computing, in-vehicle and rugged handheld computer equipment, for the security/public safety, telematics/fleet management, and precision GIS/survey, machine control, and agriculture markets. Features include:

    • Embedded mini PCI Express GNSS receiver
    • Very quick and simple integration
    • GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, COMPASS, SBAS L1
    • Precise navigation, positioning, and timing
    • 32 GNSS tracking channels / 200K correlators — Ensuring fast TTFF and high signal sensitivity
    • NMEA 0183 / IEC 61162-1, binary (BINR) and RTCM SC-104 v2.3 data protocols
    • Raw Data output — Pseudorange, Carrier phase and Doppler
    • Individual GLONASS group delay calibration — Assuring very high accuracy
    • Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) / Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS) interface
    • 64 KB EEPROM for firmware upgrade and data storage
    • Industrial operating temperature range ‐40 to +85°C

    The NV08C-Mini PCI-E offers high sensitivity, high-performance acquisition and tracking, NMEA and raw data outputs, plus Differential (D-GNSS) and Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS) functions. Tracking satellites from multiple GNSS constellations ensures much higher availability of navigation signals, when compared to single constellation alternatives, and provides increased performance, accuracy, and reliability, NVS Technologies said. It features two RF channels (GPS and GLONASS), three-stage SAW filtration for high noise immunity, and several protocol interfaces and a supply voltage source for an active antenna. This fully featured embedded Mini PCI-e GNSS receiver is the quickest-to-market solution for mobile computing applications, the company said.

  • Placed Adds Location Analytics

    Placed Analytics is a new service that will provide perspective on the places that people were physically nearby when interacting with specific content. Placed Analytics expands the platforms it supports beyond Android and iOS to include the mobile web.

    “We chose mobile web as our next platform because mobile site owners have been requesting the same level of insights as app developers. Additionally, the early adopters of Placed Analytics are also the same developers embracing HTML5 as an alternative to native app development,” said David Shim of Placed. “Placed has measured over 1 billion locations since launching our beta to the public back in June. This rate of adoption has surpassed all of our internal goals, and the addition of mobile web measurement should only accelerate growth.”

  • Duntsu Releases Food Finding LBS App

    Dentsu has released a social app for location-based food search for iOS devices. FoodKing enables searching for a particular food item of interest, such as an omelet or pasta, based on the user’s location. Users can also “like” and “comment” on reviews and gather points to become a King of an individual food ranking.

    This app was released globally enabling users to communicate internationally through food reviews. Dentsu says it will be adding new food categories every month. Currently the app supports English and Japanese in the interface, and reviews in all languages. More languages are planned.

  • TomTom, Telenav Extend Mapping Partnership

    TomTom, global supplier of location and navigation products and services, is extending its partnership with Telenav. TomTom will provide mapping data for Scout, Telenav’s daily personal navigator. Additionally, TomTom will remain the provider of map content for Telenav-powered Sprint applications.

    Scout, currently available on the iPhone, provides personalized information that includes navigation directions, optimal departure time and things to do at the destination. Together, Telenav and TomTom will provide up-to-date map content to Scout customers. All Sprint customers will also continue to have access to TomTom maps via Scout.

    “We believe the new contract with Telenav is an endorsement of our high quality maps,” said Anders Truelsen of TomTom. “We are pleased that Scout users will be able to experience the added value of our rich map content.”

    “Our goal is to always provide a reliable and easy-to-use service for our customers,” said Hassan Wahla of Telenav. “We are pleased to extend our agreement with TomTom because of its parallel focus and commitment to high-quality map content.”

     

  • ITT Exelis Announces New Capability in GPS Interference, Detection and Geolocation

    ITT Exelis has announced what it calls a significant development in the field of GPS technology. Exelis GPS Interference, Detection and Geolocation (IDG) will provide near real-time geolocation of intentional and unintentional GPS jamming sources through a network of sensors and advanced geolocation technology, the company announced at ION-GNSS, being held this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

    “From security to transportation and almost every sector of the economy, the world relies on receiving precise GPS timing and positioning data,” said Mark Pisani, vice president and general manager, Precision Instruments and Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Systems, ITT Exelis Geospatial Systems. “As GPS jamming devices become cheaper and more accessible, there is a greater need to protect military, commercial and industrial systems from a diverse range of threats. This technology is a major step forward in delivering actionable interference intelligence to an array of GPS users.”

    IDG technology is based upon a network of threat detection sensors that are networked to a centralized server running Exelis-developed geolocation algorithms. These sensors would be strategically located around high-risk areas, such as airports or utility grids, to instantaneously sense and triangulate the location of the jamming source. Should a threat be detected, users would receive pin-point geolocation information and actionable intelligence in order to respond.

    The Exelis solution would benefit a broad range of GPS customers and users. Jamming devices can send out signals capable of disrupting the synchronization of a utility power grid and creating significant infrastructure and economic damage. In each of these scenarios, IDG would detect, analyze and geolocate the hostile signal, sending the intelligence through a secure network in order for the user to mitigate the threat.

    Exelis payloads and payload components have been aboard every GPS satellite for almost 40 years. Today, Exelis is involved in developing and integrating the navigation payloads for GPS III. Exelis is also providing navigation processing components, precision monitor station receivers, and key components of the system security design for the GPS Operational Control System, also known as GPS OCX.

  • Two Compass Satellites Launched

    News courtesy of CANSPACE Listserv.

     

    China successfully launched two BeiDou-2/Compass MEO satellites Tuesday at 19:10:04 UTC. The satellites are designated Compass-M5 and Compass-M6. They are also referred to BeiDou-14 and BeiDou-15.

    UPDATE: More details have emerged on yesterday’s BeiDou-2/Compass satellite launch. According to Web sources, the new satellites will occupy slots 7 and 8 in Plane A of the Compass MEO orbit design. The existing operational Compass MEO satellites, MEO-3 and MEO-4 occupy slots 3 and 4 in Plane B, 120 degrees to the west of Plane A. The Compass MEO constellation will eventually consist of 24 primary satellites, eight in each of three equally spaced planes. It is reported that the satellites now use Chinese-made atomic clocks.

    The exact time of yesterday’s launch was 19:10:04.179 UTC. NORAD/JSpOC is tracking four objects from the launch: the satellites, the adapter, and the third stage of the launch vehicle. They are all in elliptical transfer orbits at the present time and the satellites will likely transfer to their MEO orbits within the next few days.

    According to a Compass official, the current generation of Compass navigation satellites has a predicted lifetime of eight years. This will be increased to 11-12 years for future models.

    Compass managers now claim that the 5 GEO + 5 IGSO +4 MEO initial configuration will have good robustness and economic efficiency for such a regional navigation system. They state that “[T]he four MEO satellites increases the repeat coverage for users: the probability for position dilution of precision being less than three is now at 74.89 percent for more than 23 hours per day, up from 38.55 percent earlier this year.”

    The final Compass GEO satellite for the initial constellation deployment, GEO-6, is scheduled for launch in October of this year.

    CCTV-13 video report of the launch:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brzO8UtnXEM

  • Toyota, Denso Develop Device for Real-time Vehicle Data Collection

    Toyota Motor Corporation and DENSO Corporation are jointly developing an on-board communications network device, CAN-Gateway ECU, that can take data gathered while driving and apply it to create a virtual simulation that enables a new way to enjoy driving.

    The CAN-Gateway ECU captures driving data — including GPS data, accelerator pedal strokes, steering angles, brake operation signals, gear shift signals, engine rpm count, water temperature, and vehicle speed — from a dedicated on-board GPS as well as CAN information exchanged among on-board ECUs. The device can wirelessly transmit (by Bluetooth) the data to software installed on smartphones or other devices for real-time monitoring. As this data is accumulated, it can serve as a driving coaching guide.

    Furthermore, software makers can use the data to create games or a wide variety of other software using standard creation tools, with no need to deal with the complicated nature of the onboard CAN protocol.

    The CAN-Gateway ECU can be fitted to the Toyota “86” rear-wheel-drive compact sports car. It is scheduled to be tested in Japan in spring 2013 by people active in car racing, before the scheduled Japan launch at the end of 2013.

    Further development is under way to enable vehicle data from drives on major circuits in Japan such as Fuji Speedway to be recorded onto USB flash drives for input into the racing game Gran Turismo, a PlayStation 3 home entertainment console title. Driving scenarios can then be recreated with the data and run simultaneously with other data to enjoy real-time, side-by-side track-run comparisons. Additionally, the user can reproduce aspects of a drive on a circuit such as the steering path taken, and where and when the brakes and accelerator were used, in the game for analysis and critique.

    USB memory data format and Bluetooth transmission protocol will be finalized after Toyota and DENSO review feedback with Polyphony Digital Inc., Densan System Co., Ltd. and other software makers, taking their expertise into account before specifications are finalized. Following this, information necessary for connecting to the CAN-Gateway ECU will be gradually made available to other software makers, DENSO said, thereby allowing for even broader development of software that explores new ways of enjoying cars.