GPS World

Author: GPS World Staff

  • Thales to Provide GPS SAASM Receivers for French Navy Lynx Helicopters

    Thales has been awarded a contract by the Service Industriel de l’Aéronautique (SIAé), France’s military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service, to supply stand-alone GPS receivers for the French Navy’s Lynx helicopters, which are currently being upgraded by the French defence procurement agency (DGA).

    Thales’s GNSS 1000-S receiver relies on SAASM (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) technology to access military GPS encrypted signals. This technology also uses state-of-the-art signal processing offering extended satellite tracking capabilities in terms of precision, integrity, availability and jamming resistance in severe operational conditions.

    This contract consolidates Thales’s European leadership in the field of military GPS receivers, which already equip FREMM multi-mission frigates, cruise missiles, Tiger helicopters, C-135 refuelling aircraft, Atlantique-2 marine patrol aircraft and Mirage 2000D fighters in service with the French armed forces, and the tanker aircraft being delivered for the UK’s FSTA (Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft) programme.

    The GNSS 1000-S is part of Thales’s suite of GNSS products which will be presented at the European Navigation Conference in Gdansk, Poland, April 25-27 on the Galileo Services booth.

  • FCC Announces Initiatives to Combat Smartphone and Data Theft

    FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski joined major police department chiefs, including New York City Police Commissioner Raymond E. Kelly, Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, wireless carriers, and Senator Chuck Schumer to announce new initiatives to combat cell phone and data theft.

    Genachowski commended police departments and members of Congress, in particular Senator Schumer, for calling attention to a growing epidemic of robberies targeting smartphone users. Genachowski announced an industry commitment to develop a shared, centralized database that will record unique identifiers of stolen wireless devices to prevent their reuse, thereby making it harder for thieves to resell stolen wireless devices. Legislation, sponsored by Senator Schumer, will ensure that authorities have the tools they need to crack down on efforts to evade this technological solution.

    According to the FCC, there is a growing epidemic of robberies involving smartphones and other cell phones:

    • More than 40% of all robberies in New York City involve smartphones and other cell phones.
    • The situation is getting worse: In Washington, D.C., cell phones were taken in 54% more robberies in 2011 than in 2007, and cell phones are now taken in 38% of all DC robberies.
    • Other major cities have similar statistics, with robberies involving cell phones comprising 30-40% of all robberies.
    • Robberies are, by definition, violent crimes, and there are many instances of robberies targeting cell phones resulting in serious injury or even death.
    • A recent Symantec study indicates that a loss or theft of an unsecured smartphone often results in access to sensitive personal data.
    Chairman Genachowski, with the support of major city police chiefs and the wireless industry, announced new initiatives by wireless carriers, initially including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint who cover 90 percent of US subscribers, to deter theft and secure customer data:
    Implement a database to prevent use of stolen smartphones.
    • Within six months, when Americans call their participating wireless provider and report their wireless devices stolen, their provider will block that device from being used again. This system will be rolling out globally using common databases across carriers over the next 18 months.
     Encourage users to lock their phones with passwords.
    • Smartphone makers will notify and educate users in the most highly visible ways—through messages on the smartphone itself and through “Quick Start” user guides—about how to use passwords to deter theft and protect their data.
    Educate users on lock/locate/wipe applications.
    • Wireless providers will directly inform their customers about how to find and use applications that enable customers to lock/locate/and wipe smartphones remotely.
    Public education campaign on how to protect your smartphone and yourself.
    • The wireless industry will launch a campaign, with media buys, to educate consumers on how to protect their smartphones and themselves from crime.
    Progress benchmarks and ongoing dialogue.
    • The wireless industry will publish quarterly updates and submit them to the FCC on progress on these initiatives.
     Accountability.
    • The FCC will engage the public safety community and wireless carriers in an ongoing dialog, with regular, quarterly meetings, to ensure that the most effective technological processes are in place to deter smartphone theft and data exposure.
    • The FCC will launch a proceeding if progress on the above deliverables falls behind schedule.
     Legislation expected to criminalize tampering with unique hardware IDs on cell phones.
    • Members of Congress are planning to introduce legislation that will make it a federal crime to take steps to evade the effective deployment of a stolen phone database, including by tampering with hardware identifiers on wireless devices.
    • Criminalizing tampering with unique hardware identifiers has been an integral part of successful foreign deployments of stolen cell phone databases and the deterrence of cell phone theft.

     

  • Bradford Parkinson to Discuss ‘GPS for Humanity’

    Brad Parkinson
    Brad Parkinson

    As part of the Stanford Engineering Hero Lecture Series, Brad Parkinson will present a talk on “GPS for Humanity” Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. The lecture will be broadcast online at no charge. If you would like to view the live broadcast, register at the Stanford University site.

    In large part, Parkinson will present the story he told in GPS World, The Origins of GPS, Part 1 and Part 2. Here is the lecture description:

    More than anything else, GPS has become the United States’ gift to humanity. Cell phones rely on GPS for timing. Ship and aircraft carry multiple GPS receivers to provide positioning information. Other applications range from earth movement to disease tracking to search and rescue. Dr. Bradford Parkinson, chief GPS architect and Stanford Professor Emeritus of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will describe the origins and applications of GPS and explore its future, including one application enabled when the world has more than 50 interchangeable civil signals.

    Bradford Parkinson is chief architect of the now-ubiquitous Global Positioning System (GPS), which he led as a U.S. Air Force colonel in 1973. As a professor at Stanford, he pioneered GPS for aviation and other applications, including the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) used by the FAA. More recently, he led the NASA/Stanford Gravity Probe B program that validated Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity to an unprecedented accuracy. Parkinson is co-editor and an author of the best-selling textbook, Global Positioning System: Theory and Applications.

  • GLONASS 701K Reactivated

     

    News courtesy of CANSPACE Listserv.

    GLONASS 701K, the first GLONASS-K1 satellite, launched on February 26, 2011, has been reactivated on frequency channel -5. GLONASS 701K, still undergoing flight tests, had previously been active, transmitting legacy FDMA signals on channel -5 between April 8 and October 10, 2011, using almanac slot 4 although the satellite was (and still is) physically in/near orbital slot 21. Transmissions resumed on October 31, 2011, using almanac slot 3, and ceased again on November 30, 2011. During these tests, the satellite was set unhealthy in the broadcast almanac.

    GLONASS 701K does not currently appear in the broadcast almanacs but its broadcast ephemeris gives its designation as 26 or R26 in IGS nomenclature.

    Some receivers may not currently track GLONASS 701K (also known as GLONASS 801 by the IGS to distinguish the satellite from an earlier GLONASS-M satellite also numbered 701) given that it is not in the almanacs and/or has a non-orthodox slot number. Some software providing conversions between receiver data formats and RINEX formats may not recognize the satellite either.

    However, according to reports, at least Javad receivers can successfully track the satellite at the moment.

    The reactivation of GLONASS 701K may be a hint that plans to expand the GLONASS constellation from 24 to 30 satellites, as previously reported, are actually underway.

    Thanks to T.S. Kelso and Javad Ashjaee for information concerning the reactivation of the satellite.

  • Navitel and AND Automotive Navigation Data Announce Strategic Partnership

    Navitel, navigation provider for Russia and Eastern Europe, and global mapping company AND announce a strategic partnership in developing car navigation maps for Navitel Navigator.

     

    Navitel and AND will combine their knowledge, experience and know-how to develop navigation products, the annoucement said. Navitel can now introduce Western European maps for their navigation solution. Thanks to this cooperation, Navitel will offer the market extremely detailed, precise, and actual Western European maps with all Navitel online-services support.

    In 2012, in addition to maps of all Eastern Europe, CIS and Asia countries, Navitel will expand its cartographic coverage and release new maps of all Western Europe countries. Thus, Navitel will offer users navigation on the territory of all Eurasia from Pacific to Atlantic Ocean.

  • CAST Navigation Introduces Handheld Simulator

    CAST Navigation of Tewksbury, Massachusetts introduced its SGX GPS Satellite Simulator. With its compact size — 7 × 11× 3 inches — and weighing in at just over 4 pounds, the SGX is CAST’s newest and smallest fully capable simulator to date.

    The new SGX replaces the CAST-SIMCOM Simulator which was a 17-inch, 50-pound simulator. The SGX lightweight portability operates on AC or battery power, features 16 channels of L1 C/A and P codes, and is extremely accurate and repeatable, according to the company.

    Features include touch screen, individual satellite power control, and start and stop scenarios with a touch of a button.

    The CAST-SGX is portable, affordable, lightweight and utilizes CAST long standing proven technology.

    CAST has been in the GPS simulation and support business for more than 25 years, designing, developing, manufacturing, and integrating innovative GPS/INS simulators and associated equipment for government, military, prime vendor, and consumer markets.

  • Safe Software Commences FME 2012 World Tour

    Safe Software announced is kicked off its FME 2012 World Tour on April 4th in Paris, France, and continues on to 30+ cities worldwide. The series of free, one-day events aims to educate and empower users by introducing the advancements in FME 2012, and by providing them with the opportunity to further develop their FME skills through technical sessions and interaction with FME experts and fellow users.

     

    According to the announcement, attendees of FME 2012 World Tour events will discover how the new capabilities of FME 2012, such as real time data delivery, enhance the user experience by providing faster and simpler ways to use and share their spatial data. The events will feature how-to and best practice sessions that will allow participants to build upon their FME skills.

    The tour will have an interactive element, giving attendees access to assistance from FME Certified Professionals, as well as a platform to network with FME users from other organizations.

    “As a company we are committed to equipping our clients with the skills they need to use FME to overcome data challenges,” says Dale Lutz, Vice-President of Development at Safe Software. “FME 2012 features usability enhancements, speed improvements, and real time data delivery to enable more efficient data transformation and easier sharing of the most up-to-date data.”

    Those unable to attend an event in person can sign up to participate in an interactive live stream of the FME User Meeting being held in Vancouver on April 27th, where they can watch the presentations and ask questions directly. The FME 2011 World Tour held a similar live stream event that was well received by participants.

    The theme of the tour centers around attendees joining Geography Jones, a data adventurer, on a journey to overcome spatial data interoperability obstacles and unleash the power within their “Temple of Data”.

    The tour appears in 17 cities across North America and will touch down in close to 20 locations throughout South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The events are free and are open to both current FME users and those interested in learning more about FME technology. Those interested in more information on locations, dates and registration, click here.

  • King County GIS Reports Significant Return on Investment

    King County announced that twenty years ago geographic information services were in the proposal and planning stage in King County, Washington. Today King County’s geographic information system (GIS) includes integrated spatial databases, mapping and analysis software, information technology, and professional GIS staff. King County’s GIS was developed to meet the business needs of county users, and it also provides free data and online mapping capability to the public.

     

    According to announcement, in March 2012 a return-on-investment (ROI) report issued by Professor Richard Zerbe and Associates showed that use of the King County Geographic Information System has resulted in at least $775 million in net benefits to the county over the eighteen-year period from 1992 to 2010. While ROI estimates are often developed as part of a proposal to develop a geographic information system, it is believed that this is the first study by independent economic consultants to examine and measure the actual benefits realized by a city or county from the internal agency use of GIS.

    King County reported that the study methodology looked at the cost to perform county agency business functions both with and without GIS. For example, county permit technicians were asked how much time it takes to pull together all the maps and spatial data needed to assist a permit applicant now with GIS, versus the time it would take the technician to perform the same business function without GIS tools and data. The methodology included detailed interviews of 30 key county staff and then an online survey to county GIS users that was completed by 175 respondents. Interview and survey responses were analyzed to compare both with-GIS and without-GIS level of effort. The results were then compiled and monetized by output type and agency to measure cost savings and productivity benefits.

    The total cost for King County GIS, including capital development, central GIS operations and maintenance, and agency GIS end-user costs from 1992 to 2010 is over $201 million. In 2010 alone these county GIS costs were $14.6 million, but for the same year the Zerbe report measured benefits from GIS of $180 million, with a lower estimate of $87 million. So the benefits over a single year far outweigh the costs for the year, and if repeated for 2011 and 2012, the benefits realized over just two years could eclipse the costs of the previous twenty.

    This project was partly funded by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, Geospatial Enterprise Office.

    Dr. Richard O. Zerbe, Jr. is the Daniel J. Evans Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, where he is Director of the Center for Benefit-Cost Analysis.

     

    The King County GIS Center is a part of King County Information Technology, chartered as an internal service fund to provide GIS services to county agencies and external customers. The King County GIS Center operates King County’s enterprise GIS and provides data, services, and training to help put GIS to work. For more information, contact Greg Babinski at the King County GIS Center (206-263-3753).

  • Accela Announces Accela Automation 7.2

    Accela, Inc. launched Accela Automation 7.2, the latest version of its market-leading software platform for government automation and civic engagement. The new release incorporates mobile application development tools, new social media features, and an expanded selection of deployment and licensing options—all designed to make the procurement, implementation, and daily use of online automated government services easier, faster and more accessible to agencies of all sizes and budgets.

     

    According to the announcement, the latest advancements in Accela Automation 7.2 include: a suite of Best Practices Templates to streamline implementations; the addition of the Accela Mobile™ Software Development Kit (SDK) to enable easy development of m-government apps; functionality to spur government-citizen interaction; and a range of user-experience enhancements that benefit government administrators, office and mobile workers, and citizens.

    “Internet-based commerce long ago stopped being a nice-to-have option for government agencies, since the public and businesses now expect to interact with government anytime and anywhere, just as they do with other service providers in their lives,” noted Maury Blackman President and CEO of Accela. “At the same time, public-sector agencies are increasingly looking for easy-to-implement, cost-effective automation solutions. Accela continues to lead the way with a platform that provides the features and tools they need—whether deploying on premise or in the Accela Cloud.”

    Best Practices Templates Boost Productivity

    New Best Practice Templates make it easier and faster than ever for governments to deploy Accela Automation as their enterprise solution. Included in Accela Automation at no additional charge, the Templates provide complete turnkey configurations, which agencies can immediately use for rapid deployment—gleaned from Accela’s more than 30 years of experience serving over 500 agencies of all kinds. Accela Automation 7.2 incorporates nearly 100 templates for Permitting, Planning, Code Enforcement, Licensing and Case Management, Service Request, and Asset Management.

    SDK to Fuel Rapid Expansion of Accela Automation for m-Government and Citizen Engagement

    An additional component of the Accela Automation ecosystem, the new Accela Mobile SDK extends the functionality of Accela Automation to foster development of m-government and civic-engagement apps by third-party developers and agencies themselves. Accela’s current iOS apps, Accela Mobile Inspector™  and Accela Analytics™, were developed using the SDK. The Accela Mobile SDK is free to download, after registration with the Accela Developer Program.

    Features Meet Changing Needs of Governments and Citizens

    Further innovations in Accela Automation 7.2 have been designed to advance the burgeoning revolution in government/citizen interaction happening today, through social media, mobile devices, and the web.

    • Social Media: Integration with Twitter enables agencies to automatically tweet when new records—for anything from a new building permit to an agency update—are created within Accela Automation. Agencies with a Facebook page can also forward the Tweet to their followers and spread the word.
    • QR Codes: Accela Automation 7.2 supports the scanning of QR (quick response) codes to access permits and related documents online. The QR system has become a popular way to access web-based details, due to its standardization and embedded information capacity, compared to standard UPC barcodes. For example, if a permit is posted on a jobsite, a registered user can scan the QR code and will be directed to a secure Accela Citizen Accesswebsite to schedule or update an inspection.
    • Custom Web Portals: New features in Accela Citizen Access empower agencies to easily configure and design web page flows that are easy-to-use and come with agency-defined, context-specific options. This makes it even easier for the public to engage and connect with their local government, anytime from anywhere.

    Other advancements in Accela Automation 7.2 include a graphical workflow designer for the creation of visual workflow processes, built-in capabilities for online scheduling and management examinations for licenses and certifications, and much more. A more complete list of Accela Automation 7.2 features may be found at: www.accela.com/accela-automation/whats-new.

    Licensing options provide flexibility for today’s economy

    With the goal of delivering Accela Automation’s robust capabilities to agencies of all sizes and budgets, Accela offers a subscription model, licensing the software for a low per-user fee. The new subscription model provides a turnkey solution, including:

    • the Best Practices Templates;
    • access to the complete Accela Automation Land Management, Licensing, and Asset Management applications;
    • an optional mobile license with access to the complete library of Accela’s growing roster of task-centric and role-specific mobile apps; and
    • an optional population-based license for use of Accela Citizen Access, which provides the public with an online mechanism for applying, paying and tracking their applications from their home, office or mobile device.

     

  • Trimble Acquires UAV Mapping Company Gatewing

    Trimble announced that it has acquired privately-held Gatewing of Gent, Belgium, a provider of lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for photogrammetry and rapid terrain mapping applications. The acquisition broadens Trimble’s industry-leading platforms for surveying solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

    According to the announcement, UAVs in combination with photogrammetry are an emerging technology providing an innovative platform for flexible aerial imagery acquisition. Easy to use and flexible, UAVs provide users the ability to create orthophotos and Digital Surface Models (DSM) from aerial imagery for mid-sized areas previously only accessible at higher costs and with longer planning cycles. UAVs are used in a variety of applications including preliminary surveys for corridors and rights-of-way, volumetric surveys, high-level topographic surveys, land fill inspection, and much more.

    Trimble reports that Gatewing’s solutions include the X100 UAV and Stretchout desktop software for digital image processing and analysis. The X100 is an ultra-light, 2 kg (approximately 4.4 lbs) class UAV that allows fast and simple image acquisition. It consists of an airframe; an integrated GPS, inertial system and a radio; a 10 megapixel camera; and battery. Using the Trimble Yuma tablet computer, a predefined area is planned and the flight of the UAV is fully automated from launch to landing. The terrain is mapped through parallel flight paths and consecutive, overlapping camera shots during flight. The ground control station (GCS) is used to monitor the mission and allows an on-site image quality check. In addition, the GCS provides the operator with the option to intervene and abort the flight if needed. The image set consists of a number of digital images that are tagged with the GPS coordinates.

    Gatewing’s Stretchout desktop software uses advanced computer vision technology which automates raw image processing to deliver georeferenced orthophotos and accurate DSM. As an alternative to the desktop software, users can upload images to Gatewing’s cloud solution, which automatically processes the images based on the users’ requirements. After a few hours, users can download their georeferenced orthophotos and DSMs from the cloud server including feedback about the results for quality assurance.

    “The combination of UAVs and low-altitude photogrammetry as an image collection platform opens up new opportunities for surveyors to use aerial imagery for the rapid acquisition of high-density geospatial data,” said Anders Rhodin, director of Trimble’s Survey Business. “We are excited to add Gatewing’s unique aerial mapping system to Trimble’s portfolio of survey solutions.”

    “The Gatewing team is excited about the new ownership,” said Maarten Vandenbroucke, CEO and one of three founders of Gatewing. ”For Trimble to see the value in unmanned aerial systems for surveying and mapping applications means that the industry is truly ready for this exciting new technology. We are enthusiastic about how UAVs can revolutionize the landscape and open a complete new spectrum in remote sensing applications. I believe that being a part of Trimble will accelerate the pace in which UAVs will further be adopted by professionals.”

    The Gatewing business will be reported as part of Trimble’s Engineering and Construction segment.

     

  • GeoMobile Innovations Announces ArcPad Boot Camp May 14/15 in Portland

    GeoMobile Innovations announced that expert ArcPad Mobile GIS instructor Craig Greenwald is back for a ArcPad Bootcamp on May 14/15th in Portland Oregon.

    This 2-day hands-on ArcPad 10 Bootcamp is a must for new ArcPad users or users migrating to ArcPad 10. It is also great for GIS administrators who manage and support field crews using ArcPad.

    Immediately become productive with ArcPad 10’s core functions with hands-on field and office exercises. Dig into the enhanced ArcGIS Desktop data management tools and enrich your field experience with free ArcGIS Online basemaps and Bing Maps. Learn how to use ArcPad Studio to create custom toolbars, data entry forms, and task lists, tailored to your specific projects and workflows – all with no programming required.

    When: May 14-15, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Cost: $795 for 2 days – includes course materials and media to take home.

    Location: Metro Regional Center in Portland, OR, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland, OR 97232

    Registration: Download more information about the ArcPad Bootcamp and a registration form.

  • NVS Technologies AG Releases Raw Data Firmware for NV08C Multi-GNSS Receivers

    NVS Technologies AG, GNSS receiver developer, announces today the release of the optimized and raw data output enabled firmware v0204 for its NV08C-CSM and NV08C-MCM GPS/GLONASS receivers.

    Firmware v0204 provides significant performance improvements, as well as a group-delay calibrated raw data (carrier phase, code phase, and Doppler) output function, to the highly integrated NV08C-CSM SMT receiver module and the compact NV08C-MCM BGA SiP receiver. Firmware v0204 enables the NV08C-CSM and NV08C-MCM receivers to be utilized in a wide range high-precision applications, including survey equipment, GIS portable devices, and machine control and precision agriculture systems.

    NVS Technologies’ customers can take full advantage of NVS Technologies’ professional grade NV08C-CSM and NV08C-MCM multi-GNSS receivers’ capabilities. These receivers deliver true simultaneous multi-constellation navigation + up to 10Hz NMEA and raw data outputs, the company said.

    Firmware v0204 is download-able free of charge at www.nvs-gnss.com/support/firmware.