NextNav Results: Vertical accuracy delivered by various phone models using signals from an installed network of NextNav beacons. (Plots: NextNav, from ex parte FCC filing, Aug. 8)
According to NextNav, its altitude service delivered floor-level accuracy in 94 percent of test calls in recent blind industry tests commissioned by the Cellular Telephone Industry Association.
The Stage Z Tests were designed to develop a proposed Z-axis (vertical) metric for indoor wireless 9-1-1 calls, as required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
NextNav’s Metropolitan Beacon System (MBS)-based services enable mobile phones and other devices to reliably determine their location and timing in indoor and urban environments where GPS signals cannot be received, the company said. NextNav’s 3D location services include accurate horizontal positioning, floor-level altitude precision, and context and visualization applications.
Polaris Results: Vertical accuracy (Plots: Next Nav, from ex party FCC filing, Aug. 9)
Delivered over a managed network on the licensed spectrum with carrier-grade dependability and metropolitan-wide coverage, NextNav’s services are designed for public safety applications, E911 and critical infrastructure as well as the multitude of consumer, internet of things and commercial applications that require reliable indoor 3D location or precision timing.
According to NextNav, the Stage Z Tests evaluated the ability of various technologies to accurately locate mobile 911 callers in the vertical dimension in challenging indoor environments spread across an entire metropolitan area. The tests were conducted using popular off-the-shelf iOS and Android devices running a software client provided by NextNav. The tests included more than 70,000 emergency-style calls generating altitude fixes from more than 200 different test locations.
“Our ability to deliver floor-level height accuracy has the potential to speed up emergency response time and save lives,” said Ganesh Pattabiraman, co-founder and CEO of NextNav. “The ability to precisely locate the exact floor is a significant breakthrough for wireless 9-1-1 location technologies.”
Real-time kinematic (RTK) integration usually uses separate antennas, which can lead to reduced efficiency because of electro-magnetic interference (EMI).
Image: HarxonImage: Harxon
Also, conventional antenna installation can result in unstable machine performance because of the problems of system compatibility between different antennas.
Harxon has overcome those difficulties with its integrated X-Survey antenna, a 4-in-1 OEM antenna for both navigation and communication in surveying applications.
It provides standard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G, plus multiple constellation signal reception for GNSS positioning.
The high-gain and wide-beamwidth GNSS antenna features a multi-point feeding technology, ensuring a high phase-center stability and positioning accuracy, the company said. Moreover, the array-arranged 4G antennas enables more stable signals and longer communication distance at 360-degree direction, increasing the overall machine efficiency over conventional antennas.
The X-Survey antenna provides high isolation among each antenna to prevent self-interference, improving RTK system compatibility. RF coaxial connectors are designed for plug-and-use, keeping high efficiency and lowering the impact of EMI.
The antenna low-noise amplifier features excellent out-of-band rejection performance, which can also suppress the EMI, providing reliable GNSS signals.
The unique structure design simplifies RTK integration, and minimizes the overall machine dimension. Harxon aims to bring system integrators high-efficiency performance of navigation and communication in surveying and precision agriculture applications.
4G bands can be customized according to different countries and regions, the company added.
Aerial imagery specialist Spookfish has expanded its capture program into New South Wales (NSW), now covering the NSW coast and Sydney’s entire metropolitan area. Spookfish’s coverage in NSW now spans from Newcastle to Kiama and from Lithgow to Manly.
The expansion into NSW marks the next stage of a nationwide rollout for Spookfish. In the past 12 months, the company has expanded coverage into the South Australian, Victorian, Australian Capital Territory and now NSW markets, in addition to its Western Australian coverage.
The expansion of coverage will give businesses and government agencies across Sydney and regional NSW the opportunity to access high-resolution aerial imagery and save thousands of dollars by reducing the time spent on site.
Spookfish now covers the entire Sydney metropolitan area, home to 71% of the NSW population. The city’s growth presents development opportunities for businesses, all of which need to fit within city planning regulations. High-resolution aerial imagery will play an important role in the planning stages.
Spookfish also captures regional cities and towns, including Albury and Wagga Wagga, at the same consistent specification as capital cities.
With the addition of Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide’s entire metropolitan areas, Spookfish offers users access to more than 55,000 square kilometers of high-resolution imagery across Australia. The platform provides customers a clear view on any device with no data caps to give users access to unlimited high-resolution aerial imagery without the risk of unexpected costs.
“Sydney has the greatest population density in Australia, and continues to grow with new projects commissioned to meet this growing population,” said Jason Waller, Spookfish CEO. “We are very pleased to be able to offer businesses access to high resolution imagery of this unique city, to help drive effective and precise planning of developments and urban areas.
“Every day our platform is being discovered by many Australian businesses, helping them save time and money by providing precise aerial imagery with the timeliness and convenience of cloud delivery. We offer our customers a service like no other, where they can access extremely high resolution images at an affordable price across very large areas, with no data caps.”
Spookfish utilizes a fleet of specialized planes to capture imagery for its platform. With regular updates in capital cities across Australia, customers have an up-to-date and evolving view of their world.
SimActive Inc., a developer of photogrammetry software, has enabled the first government drone mapping project in South Korea.
Asia Aero Survey (AAS), a SimActive regional partner, used Correlator3D for the public survey delivered to the Korean National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) and the Korean Association of Spatial Information, Surveying & Mapping.
While such projects were previously conducted using manned aircraft, a drone was preferred because of the difficulty in accessing the area of interest through traditional aerial and ground surveying methods.
The NGII officially published guidelines for public surveying and mapping with drones in March 2018, with the AAS project being the first delivered and accepted as adhering to the new guidelines.
AAS is also deploying UAV solutions with hyperspectral and lidar for other projects in conjunction with SimActive software.
DT Research has launched the DT372AP-TR rugged real-time kinematic (RTK) tablet, a lightweight military-grade tablet that offers RTK to enhance the precision of position data derived from satellite-based positioning systems.
The tablet enables 3D point cloud creation with centimeter-level accuracy to meet the high standards required for scientific-grade evidence in court, the company said.
The DT372AP-TR RTK tablet is military-grade with an IP65 rating, yet lightweight — offering the versatility to be used in the field, office and vehicles.
A dual-frequency GNSS module is built into the tablet, which uses real-time reference points within 1- to 2-centimeter accuracy to position 3D point clouds created from aerial photogrammetry, using GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellites. Users can measure with the RTK GNSS positioning directly using an external antenna for better survey-grade precision.
“We designed a more compact tablet that still offers all the functionality of a rugged RTK tablet, to give ultra-mobility to law enforcement and first responders who are already weighed down with heavy equipment,” said Daw Tsai Sc.D., president of DT Research. “With programmable side buttons and directional pad, this tablet combines ease of use with a small form factor and centimeter level accuracy, there is nothing in the market now in the same category that can offer this combination.”
The DT372AP-TR RTK tablet is compatible with existing survey and GIS software for mapping applications and brings together an advanced workflow for data capture, accurate positioning and data transmitting.
The tablet can be used in a variety of scenarios, including:
Forensic mapping. Public safety teams, investigators and crash reconstructionists can use the DT372AP-TR to accurately collect measurements that are scientifically and legally defensible by using the real-time centimeter reference points to position 3D point clouds created from aerial photogrammetry or take stand-alone measurements. By using the tablet with a drone for crime and crash scene investigation, cost goes down while accuracy and speed improve, helping to clear areas faster, thereby improving overall public safety.
Land surveying. Surveyors can use the DT372AP-TR RTK tablet to measure the altitudes, angles and distances on the land surface so that they can be accurately plotted on a map to determine property boundaries, construction layout and mapmaking.
E-construction. Construction workers can manage the collection, review, approval and distribution of highway construction contract documents in a paperless environment using the DT372AP-TR RTK tablet.
The tablet has been purpose-built for precision mapping in a variety of environments and includes the following features and capabilities:
Dual-frequency GNSS module. GNSS L1 and L2 RTK that receives GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS signals up to 372 channels
High-performance CPU and Windows OS. Intel Pentium processor with Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Enterprise with 8 GB of RAM.
Brilliant sunlight-readable display. A 7-inch LED-backlight, high-brightness (800 nits) sunlight-readable screen with capacitive touch and 1280 x 800 resolution.
Superior wireless connectivity. Long-range Class 1 Bluetooth option powers connectivity up to 1,000 feet.
Mobile broadband option. For best field connectivity, there is an option for 4G mobile broadband for LTE, HESPA+, GMS/GPRS/EDGE, EV-DO, Rev A and 1xRTT.
Military standards. For use in harsh environments, the tablet is fully ruggedized to meet the highest durability standards with an IP65 rating, MIL-STD-810G for vibration and shock resistance and MIL-STD-461F for EMI and EMC tolerance.
High-capacity hot-swappable battery pack. Delivers 60 or 90 watts for up to 15 hours of continuous mobile communications.
Camera option. The optional back camera offers 5 megapixels, CMOS sensor and auto focus to capture project progress or record crash and crime scene details.
Accessories. External antennas, pole mount cradles, battery charging kits and digital pens.
By Sam Pullen, Stanford University; Jim Kilfeather, Jim Goddard, Tom Nowitzky, Brinda Shah, Wen Doong, David Kagan, and Kerry Greer, Globalstar. To be presented at ION-GNSS+ 2018.
Globalstar is developing a connected car program for continuous, worldwide service to vehicles via satellite and terrestrial communications links.
This combines PPP corrections provided globally by the second-generation Globalstar low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation with local-area corrections via LTE cellular signals in urban areas for connectivity anytime, anywhere. Both signals are broadcast at 2.4 GHz and include pilot channels used for ranging, augmenting GNSS ranging and providing robustness against jamming and spoofing.
The program provides enhanced navigation via continuous augmentation of GNSS with data derived from ground-based reference networks for sub-meter accuracy and integrity bounds on navigation errors to probabilities as low as 10-9 per operation. When this is combined with other on-board sensors and data such as lidar, radar, optics and IMUs, it will be possible to operate autonomously under almost all conditions with a very high degree of safety.
The key is combined use of PPP corrections globally and local-area CDGNSS/RTK corrections in high-density urban regions where it is economically beneficial. Both sets of augmentations are made available to vehicles. The global approach on the left side of the figure is primary, given its near-worldwide coverage based on the LEO satellite network broadcasting corrections within its licensed communications spectrum at 2.4 GHz. The P/N-modulated pilot component of the Globalstar satellite signals will be used for ranging to augment GNSS and provide additional robustness to RF interference or spoofing at GNSS frequencies.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from Maxar’s MDA RADARSAT-2 satellite will become available to SecureWatch subscribers on Oct. 1, according to DigitalGlobe.
SecureWatch, DigitalGlobe’s cloud-based geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) platform, will now combine the company’s high-resolution optical imagery and MDA’s SAR imagery in one platform, enabling defense and intelligence analysts to deliver actionable insights to decision makers regardless of weather and light conditions, the company said.
Maxar’s MDA will refresh hundreds of global sites on a weekly basis using RADARSAT-2’s Wide Ultra Fine format (3 meter resolution, 50 kilometer scene width).
RADARSAT-2 imagery allows users to observe features and changes that go undetected using other imaging techniques, and provides day and night coverage regardless of weather.
SecureWatch users can access timely RADARSAT-2 imagery using current subscription plans. When combined with 30 cm optical imagery, analysts will have an even more uniquely powerful and reliable toolset to perform analysis to make decisions with confidence, the company said.
“Adding RADARSAT-2 imagery to SecureWatch is a perfect demonstration of Maxar Technologies’ unique promise: create valuable, integrated and innovative solutions that address customers’ critical challenges,” said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA. “MDA’s RADARSAT-2 information has played a key role in supporting security missions for over two decades, and partnering with our sister company, DigitalGlobe, immediately enhances our offerings and expands our global reach.”
“SecureWatch subscribers now have an exciting new tool to enrich GEOINT gathering and decision-making,” said Dan Jablonsky, DigitalGlobe president. “Combining SAR and optical imagery takes analysts’ abilities to the next level to deliver powerful insights into what’s happening in their areas of interest and allows them to save lives, resources and time.”
The toolset is a rapid-prototyping platform that lets product designers test and optimize the position accuracy and power consumption of wireless location tracking applications that use LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular networks, as well as GNSS technology. The toolset targets product engineers working on battery powered applications such as sport, people and asset trackers.
An increasing number of battery powered consumer and industrial products feature integrated GNSS receivers. These products include virtual reality headsets, smart watches, and devices to track elderly people, containers or parcels.
With the ongoing roll-out of low power wide-area cellular networks (LPWAN) such as LTE-M and NB-IoT technologies around the world and the extremely low power consumption they enable, the range of use cases for wireless location trackers is expected to expand further.
Screenshot: u-blox
“With today’s technology, product designers can now include optimized battery life in their applications,” said Florian Bousquet, product manager, Product Center Positioning, at u-blox.
“We developed this toolset to give customers a quick and easy way to test the accuracy and the power consumption of their product ideas using the latest generation of our technology,” he said. “In many cases, they can replicate their applications and start testing the performance of different device configurations in under 15 minutes.”
“The toolset offers access to the very latest technologies, from LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular communication to our proprietary Super-E mode(see video below) that delivers the best balance between power consumption and GNSS positioning performance,” he added.
The u-track software runs from embedded firmware on the new u-blox C030-R410M application board. The board, specifically designed to rapidly prototype applications for the internet of things (IoT), includes an ultra-small, low-power u-blox ZOE-M8B GNSS receiver and a size-optimized SARA-R410M LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular communication module.
Additionally, u-track includes a PC software application. Its user-friendly dashboard lets users log, retrieve, and visualize power consumption, accuracy, and other important values, such as the time it takes the GNSS receiver to calculate a position (time-to-first-fix, TTFF).
The u-track and C030-R410M toolset will be showcased on Sept. 12-14 at Mobile World Congress Americas, u-blox Booth no S.2702.
Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, IRNSS, and more join GPS and GLONASS to bring you wider, broader, greater, more accessible and above all more accurate PNT. How to get all that’s coming at you?
Multi-GNSS paves the way for complete exploitation of new signals and constellations in navigation, surveying, geodesy and remote sensing.
The free 1-hour webinar, which will take place at 1 p.m. Eastern [10 a.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. (1900h) Central European Time] on Thursday, Sept. 20, will review advantages of using multi-GNSS for the end-user and challenges in obtaining maximum efficiency when combining multiple constellations and signals. It will also discuss different approaches of testing GNSS receivers against jamming and spoofing attacks.
You will learn:
Advantages of using multi-GNSS
Challenges when combining multiple constellations
Robustness of multi-GNSS receivers to jamming and spoofing
Test solutions for GNSS receivers.
The webinar presents sponsored content by Skydel and Talen-X. Register for it here.
3DR, makers of Site Scan, has partnered with Esri to develop Site Scan Esri Edition, a custom version of its iOS app for drone flight planning and data capture that works seamlessly with Esri’s ArcGIS Online and Drone2Map for ArcGIS.
The Site Scan Esri Edition app will complement Esri’s Drone2Map for ArcGIS software by providing full drone project mission planning and a simple workflow for transferring drone captured data into the Esri ArcGIS ecosystem.
Screenshot: 3DR and Esri
Users will be able to connect to ArcGIS Online with an Esri sign-in. The app will allow users to directly use Esri data layers from ArcGIS Online — including custom data layers from the user’s FedRAMP authorized ArcGIS Online organization account — as base and reference data for their drone flight planning mission.
Esri customers can use any drone currently supported by Site Scan, including a variety of DJI drones. Site Scan also supports a custom version of the new Yuneec H520 commercial drone by 3D, which is based on the Dronecode PX4 software and designed to be an open and secure drone option for use on U.S. government projects.
“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to work with Esri to provide its users with flight planning and drone capture tools,” said Chris Anderson, CEO of 3DR.
“3DR has been a leader in the drone industry, and we are excited to support this development effort,” said Cody Benkelman, imagery product manager at Esri. “A drone flight planning app that connects directly to ArcGIS Online will provide great value to Esri’s worldwide customer base, and simplify the process of ensuring successful projects using Drone2Map.”
Site Scan Esri Edition app will be available on the Esri Marketplace in late September for free to ArcGIS customers.
SenseFly, provider of fixed-wing drones, has launched the eBee X for mapping.
The eBee X, part of the Parrot Business Solutions portfolio, is designed to boost the quality, efficiency and safety of an operator’s geospatial data collection.
The eBee X. (Photo: senseFly)
It offers a camera to suit every job, the accuracy and coverage capabilities to meet the requirements of demanding projects, and is durable enough to work virtually every site, the company said.
“The eBee X is a giant leap forward for mapping technology and underscores senseFly’s position as the leader in the fixed-wing drone market,” said Gilles Labossière, executive vice president and COO of Parrot Group and senseFly CEO. “No matter what type of project a professional is undertaking, the eBee X has the coverage, data and accuracy capabilities needed to get the job done.”
The eBee X includes a range of cameras for jobs ranging from land surveying and topographic mapping to urban planning, crop mapping, thermal mapping, environmental monitoring and more. Cameras include:
The senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D: a unique drone photogrammetry camera with a one-inch sensor, which changes orientation during flight to capture three images (two oblique, one nadir) every time, instead of just one, for a much wider field of view. The result is stunning digital 3D reconstructions in vertically-focused environments—such as urban areas, open pit mines and coastlines—over larger areas than quadcopter drones can achieve. senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D is optimised for quick, robust image processing with Pix4Dmapper software.
The senseFly Aeria X: a compact drone photogrammetry camera with APS-C sensor. This rugged innovation offers an ideal blend of size, weight and DSLR-like image quality. Thanks in part to its built-in Smart Exposure technology, it provides outstanding image detail and clarity, in virtually all light conditions, allowing operators to map for more hours per day than ever before.
The senseFly Duet T: a dual-camera thermal mapping rig, which lets mapping professionals create geo-accurate thermal maps and digital surface models quickly and easily. The Duet T includes both a high-resolution (640 x 512 px) thermal infrared camera and a senseFly S.O.D.A. RGB camera with one-inch sensor. Both image sources can be accessed as required, while the rig’s built-in Camera Position Synchronisation feature works in sync with Pix4Dmapper photogrammetry software (optional) to simplify the map reconstruction process.
The eBee X is also compatible with the Parrot Sequoia+ multispectral camera for agriculture, the senseFly S.O.D.A. drone photogrammetry camera and senseFly Corridor for simple linear mapping.
The eBee X can meet the exacting requirements of every project. Its unique Endurance Extension option unlocks a flight time of up to 90 minutes (versus a maximum endurance of 59 minutes by default).
With this capability activated, the drone is able to achieve vast single-flight coverage of up to 500 hectares (1,235 acres) at 122 meters (400 feet), while the eBee X’s built-in High-Precision on Demand (RTK/PPK) function helps operators to achieve absolute accuracy of down to 3 centimeters (1.2 inch) — without ground control points.
According to senseFly, the eBee X allows users to work virtually every site, no matter how demanding, thanks to the drone’s built-in Steep Landing technology, ultra-robust design, live air traffic data and more, all backed by senseFly’s professional, localized support.
The eBee X is ideally suited to the varied and evolving needs of mapping professionals. These include: surveying and construction companies, quarry and mine operators, agronomists and forestry engineers, professional drone service providers, aerial imagery companies, environmental researchers and more, the company added.
The eBee X is supplied with senseFly’s eMotion flight planning and data management software.
U-blox, a global provider of positioning and wireless communication technologies, has released the ANN-MB multi‑band active GNSS antennas, tailored specifically to the needs of applications requiring centimeter-level positioning accuracies.
The ANN-MB series. (Photo: u-blox)
ANN-MB offers product designers an easy-to-implement and reliable multi-band antenna solution, u-blox said. It is designed for small- to medium-size customers with little experience with GNSS antennas who would like to accelerate their time to market.
The ANN-MB antenna series builds on u‑blox’s two decades’ worth of experience with high-performance antennas for GNSS receivers. Developed in conjunction with the recently announced u‑blox F9 multi-band high precision positioning platform, ANN‑MB receives signals on the L1 and L2/L5 bands of all four global navigation satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou).
The antenna features versatile mounting and connector options (SMA, SMB, MCX) and supports an extended temperature range (up to 105 degrees Celsius), making it suitable for applications subject to extreme temperatures, the company added.
“With the u‑blox F9 platform, we took a major step in bringing down the cost of ownership of high-precision GNSS technology, such as our recently announced u‑blox ZED‑F9P module,” said JunJun Lu, senior engineer of product management, Product Center Positioning at u‑blox. “The ANN-MB multi-band antenna series takes this effort one step further, paving the way for new high precision positioning applications in the consumer and industrial markets.”
A limited number of ANN-MB-00 (SMA) prototypes are available now, with production of the ANN-MB series planned for December.
