GPS World

Author: GPS World Staff

  • Trimble Introduces New Versions of their Business Center and Access Software

    Trimble introduced new versions of its office and field surveying software—Trimble Business Center Software version 2.70 and Trimble Access software version 2012.10. The software is part of Trimble’s portfolio of Connected Site survey solutions. The new software enhancements allow surveyors to collect, share and deliver data faster to improve accuracy, efficiency and productivity.

     

    “Trimble is focused on providing Connected Site solutions that minimize rework and improve productivity. Workflow integration and connectivity provide surveyors with the day-to-day flexibility to adapt to a variety of situations in the field and office,” said Anders Rhodin, director of Trimble’s Survey Business. “Trimble’s portfolio of software solutions gives surveyors improved workflows for field data collection and enhance collaboration between the field and the office.”

    Trimble Business Center Software Version 2.70

    Version 2.70 advances the capabilities of surveying offices with key new functionality, including:

    Photogrammetry – When a surveyor’s project contains images from Trimble VISION™ Total Stations or Trimble VX Spatial Stations, users can make photogrammetry measurements and calculate points with three-dimensional (3D) coordinates.

    Support for Polygon Features – Using the Feature Definition Manager application, surveyors can create and edit polygon feature definitions for inclusion in a library (.fxl) file. Polygon features are useful for modeling real world terrain features such as bodies of water, building footprints, and parcel boundaries.

    New GNSS Baseline Processor – The baseline processor has been enhanced to provide improved accuracy and support for RINEX 3.0 and ANTEX antenna model formats. Users can post-process GNSS observables faster by taking advantage of multi-core computer processing. By decreasing the time it takes to process baselines, the software enables office surveyors to spend more time analyzing results and creating deliverables.

    Trimble Access version 2012.10 offers new functionality, including:

    Volume Calculation and Surface Creation – Surveyors can now compute volumes and create surfaces in the field on any of the following: Trimble Tablet, TSC3, TSC2, or Trimble CU Model 3 Controllers, plus the Trimble S3 and Trimble M3 Total Stations.

    Panorama Image Capture – All Trimble S Series total stations equipped with Trimble VISION technology can now take multiple images seamlessly using the panorama function.

    Target Interrupted Measurements – A new “Interrupted Target Measurement” feature is now available on all Trimble VX Spatial Stations and Trimble S8 and S6 Total Stations. This feature allows successful measurements in difficult environments where a measurement is likely to be interrupted – for example, when surveying across a busy road.

    OmniSTAR Support – Customers with a Trimble R7 GNSS System, the latest version of Trimble Access and a subscription to OmniSTAR corrections signals, can now take advantage of real-time, differential positioning without a radio link. OmniSTAR services can be used for real-time differential surveys or as a fallback for RTK surveys when a ground-based radio link is down or unavailable.

    Trimble’s Connected Site Solutions

    Trimble’s Connected Site solutions for surveyors create seamless working relationships among Trimble products, technologies and services. Through the Connected Site, Trimble is focused on providing solutions that address the customers’ full work processes. By carefully combining technology innovation with a deep understanding of the users’ workflows, data integration and maintenance across the lifecycle of projects, Trimble helps surveyors reach new levels of productivity for their businesses.

    Availability  

    Trimble Business Center Software version 2.70 and Trimble Access software version 2012.10 are available now through Trimble’s Survey Distribution Channel.

  • Russia to Increase Number of Space Service Centers to 25

    The number of Russian centers providing services based on data received via GLONASS satellites will reach 25, Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov said  Tuesday, according to a RIA Novosti report. The space service centers are engaged in satellite monitoring of traffic safety, road planning and cargo transportation on federal highways as well as natural dangers such as landslides, avalanches, and mud flows.

    “Ten space service centers have already been established in Russia, the establishment of another 15 is planned,” Surkov said at a satellite navigation forum in Moscow. So far, there are centers in Moscow, Sochi, Kazan, Kaluga, Ryazan and five more Russian cities.

    Russia has 31 GLONASS satellites in orbit, with 24 operating to provide global coverage, four in reserve, two under maintenance, and one undergoing trials. According to Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, two Glonass satellites are under maintenance, one is on standby, and one recently launched satellite is being integrated into the grouping. The complete Glonass grouping needs 24 functioning and 2-3 reserve satellites to operate with global coverage.

  • NASA Tests GPS Monitoring System for Big U.S. Quakes

    NASA Tests GPS Monitoring System for Big U.S. Quakes

    Location of the more than 500 real-time GPS monitoring stations in the western United States that make up the Real-Time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster Mitigation Network. Image credit: USGS/UC Berkeley/Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
    Location of the more than 500 real-time GPS monitoring stations in the western United States
    that make up the Real-Time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster Mitigation Network.
    Image credit: USGS/UC Berkeley/Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

    The space-based technology that lets GPS-equipped motorists constantly update their precise location will undergo a major test of its ability to rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes across the western United States, according to NASA. Results from the new Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster (READI) Mitigation Network soon could be used to assist prompt disaster response and more accurate tsunami warnings.

    The new research network builds on decades of technology development supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The network uses real-time GPS measurements from nearly 500 stations throughout California, Oregon and Washington. When a large earthquake is detected, GPS data are used to automatically calculate its vital characteristics, including location, magnitude and details about the fault rupture.

    “With the READI network, we are enabling continued development of real-time GPS technologies to advance national and international early warning disaster systems,” said Craig Dobson, natural hazards program manager in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This prototype system is a significant step towards realizing the goal of providing Pacific basin-wide natural hazards capability around the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire.’”

    Accurate and rapid identification of earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 and stronger is critical for disaster response and mitigation efforts, especially for tsunamis. Calculating the strength of a tsunami requires detailed knowledge of the size of the earthquake and associated ground movements. Acquiring this type of data for very large earthquakes is a challenge for traditional seismological instruments that measure ground shaking.

    High-precision, second-by-second measurements of ground displacements using GPS have been shown to reduce the time needed to characterize large earthquakes and to increase the accuracy of subsequent tsunami predictions. After the capabilities of the network have been fully demonstrated, it is intended for use by appropriate natural hazard monitoring agencies. The USGS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are responsible for detecting and issuing warnings on earthquakes and tsunamis, respectively.

    “By using GPS to measure ground deformation from large earthquakes, we can reduce the time needed to locate and characterize the damage from large seismic events to several minutes,” said Yehuda Bock, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Orbit and Permanent Array Center in La Jolla, Calif. “We now are poised to fully test the prototype system this year.”

    The READI network is a collaboration of many institutions, including Scripps at the University of California in San Diego; Central Washington University in Ellensburg; the University of Nevada in Reno; California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena; UNAVCO in Boulder, Colo.; and the University of California at Berkeley.

    NASA, NSF, USGS and other federal, state and local partners support the GPS stations in the network, including the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory, the Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array, the Bay Area Regional Deformation Array and the California Real-Time Network.

    “The relatively small investments in GPS-based natural hazards systems have revolutionized the way we view Earth and allowed us to develop this prototype system with great potential benefits for the infrastructure and population in earthquake-prone states in the western United States,” said Frank Webb, Earth Science Advanced Mission Concepts program manager at JPL.

    The READI network is the outgrowth of nearly 25 years of U.S. government research efforts to develop the capabilities and applications of GPS technology. The GPS satellite system was created by the Department of Defense for military and ultimately civil positioning needs. NASA leveraged this investment by supporting development of a global GPS signal receiving network to improve the accuracy and utility of GPS positioning information. Today that capability provides real-time, pinpoint positioning and timing for a wide variety of uses, from agriculture to Earth exploration, NASA said.

    “Conventional seismic networks have consistently struggled to rapidly identify the true size of great earthquakes during the last decade,” said Timothy Melbourne, director of the Central Washington University’s Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array. “This GPS system is more likely to provide accurate and rapid estimates of the location and amount of fault slip to fire, utility, medical and other first-response teams.”

    The GPS earthquake detection capability was first demonstrated by NASA-supported research on a major 2004 Sumatra quake, conducted by Geoffrey Blewitt and colleagues at the University of Nevada in Reno.

  • PRN Codes Assigned to Russian SBAS Satellites

     

    According to a spokesperson from the Space and Missile Systems Center, GPS Directorate, the Russian Space Agency (RSA) has been assigned L1 pseudorandom noise (PRN) C/A codes for its System of Differential Correction and Monitoring (SDCM) transponders on the Luch series of geostationary relay satellites.

    SDCM is a satellite-based augmentation system that will be compatible with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s Wide Area Augmentation System, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, and Japan’s MTSAT Satellite-based Augmentation System.

    The SDCM transponders will be hosted on the satellites of the Luch Multifunctional Space Relay System (Mnogofunktsional’noi Kosmicheskoi Sistemy Retranslyatsii). In addition to seven transponders in the Ku-and S-bands to be used to relay communications and telemetry between low-Earth-orbiting spacecraft (such as the Russian segment of the International Space Station) and Russian ground facilities, the satellites will host COSPAS/SARSAT search and rescue transponders, as well as the SDCM transponders.

    The first of the new Luch satellites, Luch-5A, was launched on December 11, 2011. The satellite has passed the initial inspection carried out at its temporary location at about 58.5 degrees east longitude. According to published documents, Luch-5A will eventually be relocated to its designated operational location at 16 degrees west longitude.

    Two more Luch satellites are to be launched: Luch-5B, scheduled for launch around the end of August 2012 into an orbit at 95 degrees east longitude and Luch-5V (“V” is the transliteration of the third letter in the Russian alphabet) in 2014 into an orbit at 167 degrees east longitude (Luch-5V replaces the previously designed Luch-4 satellite).

    The C/A codes assigned to the Luch SDCM transponders are as follows: Luch-5A, PRN 125; Luch-5B, PRN 140; and Luch-5V (Luch-4), PRN 141. Notification of the assignments was sent to the RSA on December 20, 2011.

    No signals from the Luch-5A SDCM transponder have yet been detected by the monitoring stations of the International GNSS Service.

  • GeoEye and Rolta Form Strategic Partnership to Develop Geospatial Solutions for Global Markets

    GeoEye, Inc. announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with Rolta, a global, leading provider of innovative IT solutions. With this new partnership, Rolta gains access to GeoEye’s high-resolution satellite imagery, services and expertise to develop innovative geospatial products and services. Rolta plans to offer these GeoEye-enabled solutions to its customers across high-growth global markets, beginning with India.

     

    Preetha Pulusani, Rolta’s chief strategy officer, said, “Rolta has been engaged in providing geospatial solutions for over two decades. Imagery plays a critical role – especially for defense and homeland security – to enable users to rapidly analyze change, visualize impacts and make informed decisions in the field in a timely manner. We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with GeoEye to provide our customers with tools and content to meet their most challenging needs.”

    According to the announcement, Rolta also plans to develop intelligent 3-D city solutions for commercial users in urban planning, construction and infrastructure development. Ninety percent of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies are located outside North America and Western Europe and in regions such as Southern Asia. Rolta intends to offer these high-growth global markets financially accessible 3-D model solutions developed from GeoEye satellite imagery.

    Tony Frazier, GeoEye’s senior vice president of Marketing, said, “Geospatial intelligence has become crucial to decision making. We are excited about this partnership and believe that our world-class imagery, information service capabilities and expertise, coupled with Rolta’s product development and IT services track record, will produce innovative geospatial solutions that deliver clear, deep and timely insights to global government and commercial users.”

  • OAG Launches Mapper, a New Network Analysis Mapping Tool

    OAG unveiled its new aviation analysis mapping tool, OAG Mapper. This latest innovation, from the global leader in aviation intelligence, combines a powerful global flight schedule query with advanced mapping software technology to quickly plot route network maps, based on data drawn from OAG’s market leading schedules database of 1,000 airlines and over 3,500 airports. It is ideal for those in commercial, marketing and strategic planning roles across the airlines, airports, tourism, consulting and route network related industry sectors.

    According to the announcement, a web-based tool that eliminates the need to hand-draw network routes onto maps, OAG Mapper allows users to either import IATA Airport codes, or to enter a carrier, airport, equipment type or a combination of these and generate custom network maps in seconds. The user can then highlight key routes by changing the thickness and colour of the lines and label them for easy reference, save the map to their profile and export to jpeg for use in network planning, forecasting, strategy and executive presentations.

     

    “Aviation professionals who plan, forecast and analyse airline networks have never before had a single system that allows them to bring their network plans and presentations to life in an online format,” said Rob Shaw, OAG Product Director. “The OAG Mapper tool provides users with the ability to easily build an online library of custom-generated aviation route maps. It is a great example of how using OAG data intelligently can lead to the development of new solutions that help streamline our customers’ processes, increasing productivity and saving valuable time.”

  • GPS III Endures Bad Press

    Reports in daily news media such as the Washington Post and Denver Post that “Lockheed Martin will lose its entire fee of about $70 million to defray an 18 percent cost overrun” on GPS III satellites misconstrue the facts.

    Don Jewell, contributing editor for GPS World, said after informal talks with key Lockheed executives, “This is a good story, but it has been sensationalized.” Lockheed Martin’s fee is 5 percent of the target cost, which includes one-time engineering tasks, test equipment and satellite assembly, according to the Air Force.

    The first GPS III satellite remains on schedule to be available for launch in 2014, Lockheed Martin spokesman Michael Friedman said via e-mail. “While we have encountered challenges associated with higher standards for parts testing and first-time technical issues, the program is on firm footing and our cost estimate remains within the original Air Force budget,” Friedman stated, adding that the company doesn’t discuss specifics of fees.

    “In [Lockheed’s] defense,” Jewell reports, “the program was initially identified as stable with no government change request allowed, to keep it on schedule and budget. The recent budget furor has introduced chaos into the requirements process and contributed significantly to the increased costs.”

    Lockheed Martin is using a full-sized prototype to identify and solve many assembly issues “that would have cost more and presented more risk if they had been discovered later in production,” Lockheed’s Friedman said.

    “We have identified tens of millions of dollars in cost savings for the production satellites and in some cases we are seeing 50 to 80 percent reductions in labor costs,” he added.

  • TomTom Launches New Global Geocoding Web Service

    At the Geospatial World Forum, TomTom announced the launch of its high volume batch geocoding web service. The TomTom Global Geocoder enables businesses to process large amounts of data with a single click of a button and return results quickly.

    According to the announcement, geocoding is the process of converting addresses into geographic coordinates to allow location analysis. By combining geographic knowledge with business information, businesses can make smarter decisions that will lead to better products, as well as cost savings and process improvements. For example, insurance companies are relying on geocoding techniques to help set premiums and make underwriting decisions based on the physical locations of the insurance projects.

    “Geocoding is part of TomTom’s DNA. With close to 30 years of experience developing global digital maps, TomTom is known for its expertise in geocoding,” said Dan Adams, Vice President, Location and Live Services at TomTom. “By launching our global batch geocoding web service, we are providing critical spatial data to fuel our customers’ analytic engines.”

    The TomTom Global Geocoder offers the following benefits:

    • High volume results in one easy step, with no usage restrictions
    • International coverage enables one stop for all geocoding needs
    • Highly accurate, address point level matching
    • Fast results delivering hundreds of thousands of records per hour

    Visit TomTom at Geospatial World Forum booth #19 in hall 10 to learn more about the TomTom Global Geocoder, as well as other products.

  • U.S. Army Geospatial Center Introduced the HyDRA Android App

    The U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC) and Engineer Research and Development Center introduced the Hydrologic Data Resources Application (HyDRA) – a Web-based data survey and analysis tool created to provide the Dept. of Defense (DoD) logistics and geospatial intelligence-related water communities with information on water resources data collection, visualization and dissemination in a mobile, enterprise-enabled environment.

     

    According to the announcement, HyDRA allows users to view, collect and edit unclassified water resources features via Android 2.2+ OS smart devices using Google Maps and Google Earth applications. Wells, water tanks, water storage points, dams, treatment plants and other features may be added, queried and edited in “connected” and “disconnected” modes; collected features may also be edited through a Web page using the same functionality. The Web page and app were created to assist U.S. Army engineers and the water community working in infrastructure and reconstruction operations with feature collection and identification. A compass feature is also included to assist the user in finding the nearest water feature and its bearings.

    The mobile application may be downloaded from the AGC’s Web site. An offline version of the mobile application is under development and will allow the user to store collected data locally and sync to the server after an internet connection becomes available.

  • SeaZone Introduces SeaZone HydroSpatial 2

    HydroSpatial announced it has released the first in a new series of marine mapping layers to sit within the new HydroSpatial 2 Product Family. Benefits include an enhanced data model, allowing for intuitive feature filtering; geo-processing and spatial analysis to create customised data outputs and map views using both real world and abstract feature types. Mapping is delivered in themed tiers with improved symbology, and licensed as a complete package, delivering an exceptional user experience in both desktop, and web GIS.

    According to the announcement, SeaZone HydroSpatial Base provides users with a definitive worldwide marine reference map incorporating large-scale, authoritatively sourced, marine geographic datasets. The content is processed to form a continuous vector layer dataset, with a well structured and defined feature and attribute model, providing the best possible marine mapping experience. SeaZone HydroSpatial Base is ideal for use as a marine spatial planning aid and as a primary decision support tool. It has a global reach and is available for regions where content is captured to scales greater than or equal to 1:1,500,000. The feature attribution for SeaZone HydroSpatial Base is comprehensive and serves a wide range use scenarios. For the high end technical user, HydroSpatial Base performs well when interrogated by vigorous and complex geo-processing or spatial analysis in GIS. For less demanding requirements, HydroSpatial Base represents an excellent high-resolution selectable back-drop with flexible filtering and styling.

    SeaZone reports that the HydroSpatial Base provides decision makers with accurate information to make effective decisions in the marine environment. SeaZone HydroSpatial Base was delivered as a result of an extensive consultation with our HydroSpatial customers about how they would like the product to evolve, the improvement content they needed and the prices they would like to pay. SeaZone acknowledges the support of EU Interreg IVB Bringing Land and Sea Together (BLAST) Project in developing and testing the HydroSpatial Base concept.

  • FAA Awards Raytheon Two-year Contract Extension on WAAS

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Raytheon Company a two-year contract extension to continue to provide services for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), a safety system that provides satellite-based navigation in the continental United States, Alaska, Canada and Mexico. The $30.1 million contract extends the period of performance through Sept. 24, 2013.

    “Raytheon has been the FAA’s prime contractor for WAAS since the system was commissioned for operational use in the United States in 2003,” said Michael Prout, vice president of Security and Transportation Systems for Raytheon’s Network Centric Systems business. “The contract marks another milestone in the continuing partnership between Raytheon and the FAA to improve safety and efficiency for pilots.”

    According to the announcement, Raytheon will provide life-cycle support and other services to improve service reliability and availability, and increase the coverage area through system enhancements. WAAS enables GPS to meet air navigation performance and safety requirements for en route, terminal, non-precision approach, and approach with vertical guidance operations.

  • u-blox Acquires 4M Wireless for LTE Technology

    u-blox, fabless provider of positioning and wireless semiconductors, software and solutions, will acquire 4M Wireless, a company that designs and develops software and test solutions for developing fourth-generation (4G) mobile wireless devices based on the latest Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards.

    The acquisition will give u-blox ownership of advanced protocol stacks that are licensed to chipset vendors whose products enable 4G user equipment for applications with needs for high-speed data connectivity such as smartphones, tablet computers, notebooks, and any other high-speed wireless modems, u-blox said. Also a variant of the products is licensed to manufacturers of 4G test equipment. 4M Wireless was founded in 2006 and has headquarters in the UK and operations in Lahore, Pakistan.

    Key terms of the transaction include acquisition of 100% of the shares of 4M Wireless at a price of approximately $9 million US, depending on earn-out; intellectual property and software in the area of LTE wireless technology; and integration of the 4M Wireless business and employees into u-blox’ organization.

    LTE is a unifying technology for almost all mobile operators around the world. All GSM/UMTS operators as well as most CDMA operators have agreed to evolve to LTE. Currently, there are 35 commercially available LTE networks in more than 20 countries, and 48 manufacturers have already announced 197 different LTE end-devices. 300 Million LTE subscribers are expected by 2015.

    The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and pending regulatory approval. Closing is expected by September 2012.