Author: GPS World Staff

‘DevOps’ best practices drive progress on next-gen GPS OCX control system

New tech development approach speeds progress on improved GPS

Raytheon’s use of technology development best practices — DevOps — and its completion of a systems engineering milestone are driving progress on the GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX), according to the contractor.

Raytheon has completed its latest major systems engineering milestone for the final software iteration, a marker of the progress achieved by the GPS OCX program course corrections implemented over the last two years.

The milestone provided extra rigor and accountability around the systems engineering for the rest of the GPS OCX program, Raytheon said. It also enables more efficient completion of the remaining software development and associated cyber protection capabilities that will harden the system against hackers, double GPS accuracy, enhance its availability, and eventually replace the stop-gap and patching measures currently used on the legacy GPS ground system.

DevOps. The OCX team reduced development cycle times to create more efficient and effective software development by using a commercial best practice called DevOps. DevOps combines commercial cloud technologies, new automation and software development processes.

This is the first use of DevOps in a large-scale U.S. Department of Defense acquisition program.

“The recent milestones achieved for OCX demonstrate our resolve to meet long-term schedule commitments and keep our momentum in 2017,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business. “These software development innovations are helping to drive OCX capabilities, the replacement of the legacy GPS ground system, and significant enhancements to GPS overall.”

The U.S. Air Force-led GPS Modernization Program will yield new positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for U.S. military and civilian users across the globe.

Developed by Raytheon under contract to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, GPS OCX is replacing the current GPS operational control system and will support the launch of the GPS III satellites. The new system will provide enhanced performance, the effective use of modern civil and military signals and secure information-sharing with unprecedented cyber protection.

March 7, 2017
Dragonfly narrowband IoT unveiled with GNSS option
CEVA Inc., licensor of signal processing IP forconnected devices, and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) have introduced Dragonfly NB1, a comprehensive cost- and power-optimized NB-IoT solution aimed at streamlining the development of LTE IoT devices.

Dragonfly NB1 leverages CEVA’s heritage of low-power DSPs and modem design and ASTRI’s experience in RF and IC Design technologies. Together, the companies have collaborated to produce a complete machine-to-machine (M2M) endpoint solution that offers best-in-class performance and power consumption, that is easily integrated into a system on chip (SoC).

GMV Add-On for GNSS. CEVA and ASTRI have teamed up with GMV, a navigation system and solutions company, to offer an integrated GNSS solution for smart devices with location tracking of logistics, assets, wearables and more. The GNSS IP is available as an add-on software that runs on the CEVA-X1 together with NB-IoT and leverages ASTRI’s GNSS RF IP that is embedded into the solution.

GMV’s software IP supports all four GNSS constellations: GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS and Galileo. The flexibility enabled by running the GNSS constellations fully in software on Dragonfly NB1 allows seamless switching between constellations when required or to run multiple constellations concurrently in order to improve resolution further and offer a truly global asset tracking solution.

“Dragonfly NB1 with its multi-mode RF and dedicated IoT processor is a perfect match with GMV’s software GNSS product,” said Miguel Manuel Romay Merino, executive director of GNSS at GMV. “It provides full flexibility in using multiple constellations, either separately or concurrently to serve the various requirements specific to asset trackers, wearables and other IoT endpoint devices.”

Dragonfly Features

Dragonfly NB1 not only reduces the time taken to get NB-IoT products certified, but also provides low-power wide-area (LPWA) SoC designers with a flexible, software-upgradeable platform with key benefits in terms of die size and power consumption:
- The Dragonfly NB1 solution is enabled by a single CEVA-X1 IoT processor, capable of running the complete PHY and protocol stack software for NB-IoT in addition to other associated workloads such as GNSS and sensing. It eliminates the need for additional processors and hardware accelerators in the SoC and allows in-the-field upgrades to Release 14 eNB-IoT and other future releases.
- The CEVA-X1 IoT processor architecture includes specialized NB-IoT instructions and mechanisms to speed up PHY, MAC and encryption execution, further reducing clock speed and power consumption. It can also support other LPWA standards and workloads such as Cat-M1, LoRa, SigFox and voice.
- The Dragonfly NB1 solution incorporates highly power-efficient multi-standard RF with embedded PA, LNA, DC-DC and DCXO technology for NB-IoT and GNSS (GPS and BeiDou), shortening development time and reducing the overall module bill of materials.
Memory is a critical consideration for NB-IoT, as it directly influences the cost, silicon area and overall form factor of the module. Dragonfly NB1 is specifically designed to operate with embedded flash by incorporating an optimized low latency memory subsystem with a dedicated cache controller. The solution also includes a specialized security unit for a fully-trusted system.

“In the coming years, NB-IoT will become the dominant technology for low power wide area connectivity. For most companies, understanding how to develop this technology is a daunting task,” said Michael Boukaya, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Business Unit at CEVA. “To overcome this, we have worked relentlessly with ASTRI to develop a complete solution from the ground up, that removes the design burden and allows SoC designers to add NB-IoT connectivity to their product designs. We’re extremely excited to announce this solution and demonstrate our leadership in IP for NB-IoT.”

“We’re pleased to partner with CEVA to address the cellular IoT market opportunity,” said Frank Tong, CEO at ASTRI. “Our joint development efforts have resulted in a highly-integrated modem solution with integrated RF that delivers outstanding performance and is power-optimized for the most rigorous NB-IoT use cases. We look forward to continuing our collaboration as we help our mutual customers get to market.”

Reference silicon of the complete modem design — including embedded CMOS RF transceiver, advanced digital front-end, physical layer software and third-party protocol stack (MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC and NAS) — will be available this June.
March 7, 2017
u-blox and Digicom partner on narrowband IoT products

Chip-maker u-blox is parntering with Digicom, a company that offers a wide range of hardware and software with cellular connectivity, to develop narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) products and solutions. Both companies have carried out a series of innovative and successful field trials of the new NB-IoT technology.

The announcement reflects u-blox’s and Digicom’s eagerness to meet pent-up demand for Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) connectivity, as delivered by NB-IoT technology, standardized by 3GPP in June 2016.

Digicom’s narrowband IoT GPS tracker has u-blox inside. Photo: u-box

The benefits of NB-IoT over other cellular radio technologies include lower device complexity, ultra‑low power operation and support for > 50 k devices per single cellular cell. As NB-IoT operates on networks within the licensed spectrum, it also offers greater security and freedom from interference.

It is therefore suitable for IoT and M2M applications requiring extremely low power consumption and better coverage even in shielded areas.

The collaboration is driven by a complementary business relationship between the two companies. Digicom offers innovative solutions for the industrial markets using NB-IoT, with a particular focus on connectivity solutions for Smart Cities, Smart Buildings, Industry 4.0 in general and the Automotive industry. Digicom platforms are designed for the protection of vehicles, people and pets, offer ultra low power consumption and several years operation in battery mode.

Embedded in Digicom’s products and solutions is for instance the u-blox SARA‑N2 NB-IoT module, which was announced in June 2016 as a cellular radio module compliant with 3GPP Release 13. Release 13 defined the NB-IoT cellular air interface standard, specifically targeting devices that need to communicate small amounts of data over long periods of time in hard-to-reach places.

“We have collaborated with u-blox for a long time and the quality and innovation of their modules enable us to develop cutting-edge products and solutions,” said Stefano Galzignato, business line manager at Digicom.

“We are excited to be part of this partnership, which showcases u‑blox as a global leader in developing NB‑IoT solutions for IoT applications,” said Stefano Moioli, u‑blox director of product management, cellular.

The partnership is expected to grow steadily alongside a rising demand for Digicom solutions for IoT markets.

March 7, 2017
Surveying at the South Pole

Finnegan with the Riegl VZ-1000. (Image courtesy of Adam LeWinter.)

In January, Adam LeWinter and Dave Finnegan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), traveled to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to conduct a terrestrial lidar/thermal infrared survey of the elevated station as part of a National Science Foundation-funded project.

They used a Riegl VZ-1000 with integrated InfraTec VarioCAM high-definition thermal camera to capture a three-dimensional thermal map of the building, to assess the building envelope for thermal efficiency.

Working in temperatures down to –30° C, CRREL designed a heated thermal jacket to keep both scanner and camera warm.

Riegl lidar on a sled. (Image courtesy of Adam LeWinter.)

March 7, 2017
Microdrone to the Rescue: UAVs bring flotation to drowning swimmers

Microdrones collaborated last summer with the DLRG Horneburg/Altes Land e.V. (German Lifeguard Association) to simulate a mission to rescue a drowning swimmer, demonstrating the life-saving potential of UAVs.

Crowds watched from the banks of the Elbe River as a UAV flew to the person in distress and dropped a compact rescue device called RESTUBE, which automatically inflated. The swimmer was able to grab onto the RESTUBE and float until he could be reached by a lifeguard and brought to safety.

The UAV used in the rescue was the microdrones md4-1000. The quadcopter drone features specially developed motors, carbon fiber housing, efficient batteries, and an integrated GPS system that allow the UAV to fly and stay in position in strong winds over the water.

For the simulation, the md4-1000 was equipped with an imaging camera that streamed live to the specially trained lifeguard operating the drone, allowing him to easily see the precise location to drop the RESTUBE flotation device.

“An adult drowns in approximately 60 seconds and a child in only 30,” said Christopher Fuhrhop, founder and CEO of RESTUBE. “By combining UAVs and RESTUBE flotation devices, we arE able to buy the drowning person valuable time that could very well mean the difference between life and death.”

Other safety possibilities for quadcopters include locating people using thermal imaging cameras and collecting data on the condition of leaking and burst banks on hard-to-reach embankments.

March 6, 2017
GPS disruption a full-fledged aviation problem

Several jamming incidents in 2016 highlight the increasing reliance on GNSS by commercial aviation and vulnerabilities of PNT-dependent devices and systems to real-world GNSS threats.

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and other warnings to pilots and crews reported GPS signal jamming near major international airports. Aircraft approaching or flying over these airports were advised to avoid using RNAV technology to plan their approach or landing, due to the presence of GPS signal jamming.

The NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database contains records of pilot-reported incidents, which rose from 11 in 2013 to 28 in 2015, and they continued to grow in 2016.

There is also increasing pressure on the GPS spectrum, from Ligado plans to deploy wireless systems in the U.S. that transmit on adjacent frequencies, to Europe’s new Radio Equipment Directive with a GNSS Adjacent Band Compatibility test. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently found that high-precision GPS receivers were more likely to be affected by adjacent-band noise.

Large international airports lie near busy roads and parking lots and are more likely to encounter small in-vehicle personal privacy device jammers used by employees to disrupt tracking systems. These devices are capable of disrupting Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches that rely on GPS.

It is obviously important to test the effects of such interferers on safety-critical devices and systems so that their performance can be evaluated. There are strong guidelines and standards that apply to GNSS receivers designed for use by commercial aviation. This means that it is very rare for onboard GNSS receivers to output hazardously misleading information to other flight-deck control and management systems. But jamming does obviously affect aviation equipment by rendering it inoperative.

Monitoring the RF signal environment around an airport to understand where interference is occurring, and potentially what’s causing it, has become vital. This can be done using one or more interference detectors, and can produce extremely enlightening results. Information on the frequency of events and jammer types can also be collected and used to better protect systems installed at the airport.

The aviation industry has been deliberately cautious in adopting GPS technology, and is well educated about the specific vulnerabilities of GPS. But GPS interference is now widespread, and as the industry is becoming more dependent on GNSS, safety measures should be featured in every airport’s and every airline’s risk assessment framework.

The collection and analysis of statistics quantifying frequency and type of interference in GNSS bands should be an essential part of any mitigation strategy where GNSS is used to provide position or precise timing data critical for business to operate.

A number of systems and products are available to help businesses mitigate against threats to satellite positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems. Test instruments including GPS interference detection systems, real-world threat scenarios, and a range of professional services can all help to evaluate the risks and impacts of relevant threats.

For example, in Spirent’s Robust PNT Framework, once risks and threats have been evaluated, algorithms and/or hardware modifications to receivers and/or antennas can be devised. Once implemented, the effectiveness of these mitigation measures can be evaluated using the same Framework, which can generate simulation scenarios using captured interference waveforms.

This use of real-world interference waveforms in a realistic simulator-generated scenario can provide a great deal of information on likely effects of interference on GNSS systems and devices. Further, airports can implement operational measures to mitigate interference.

While the onus seems to fall on receiver manufacturers to mitigate against interference, they can only offer part of the solution. The remainder is institutional. A robust approach to identifying and dealing with threats must be mandated.

Even with robust receivers and a concerted effort to reduce threats, some will persist. Hence, a backup strategy must continue to be explored and funded at an appropriate level.

GUY BUESNEL is market segment manager, GNSS vulnerabilities, and PAUL CRAMPTON is senior systems engineer, both at Spirent Federal Systems.

March 6, 2017
Hexagon and Locata offer solution to the mining puzzle

The Leica Geosystems JPS (Jigsaw Positioning System) uses Locata’s system of positioning. Photo: Locata

Locata Corporation and Hexagon Mining have partnered to bring Locata technology to mines.

The JPS (Jigsaw Positioning System) is a radiolocation technology that replicates a highly accurate positioning network system, augmenting GNSS satellites with a ground-based positioning network.

Created in partnership with Locata, JPS provides the same positioning accuracy of GNSS, but without the signal drop-out in deep pits and against high walls.

LocaLites. Using a combination of fixed-position and movable LocataLites, a high-precision positioning network can be created where needed, complimenting or replacing traditional GPS. The LocataLites are solar-powered and contain an RTK GNSS receiver. They also have TimeLoc synchronization technology. Multiple signals are transmitted for redundancy and to mitigate multipath in the pit.

Module. One JPS receiver module contains two receivers. It has Ethernet and RS232 connections, and support for external GNSS corrections. A co-located antenna receives both GNSS and Locata signals.

Operations. Once the system is set up, users can monitor network health via an in-built web interface or reporting of the LocataNet status in the Jigsaw fleet management software, Jmineops. A web-based diagnostic tool is provided.
JPS can be customized and scaled to be any size needed, with LocataLites added or removed from a network as needed. JPS is interoperable with any Wi-Fi network.

No additional correction network means base stations, atomic clocks, data links, and differential corrections are not needed, reducing errors and infrastructure costs.

March 6, 2017
System of Systems: DHS Receiver Improvements, Australian SBAS
DHS Spells Out Receiver Improvements

In early January, a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document appeared: “Improving the Operation and Development of Global Positioning System (GPS) Equipment Used by Critical Infrastructure.”

The document focuses on receivers used in critical infrastructure, with an emphasis on timing receivers. It provides owners, operators, researchers, designers and manufacturers with information to improve the security and resilience of PNT equipment across the spectrum of equipment development, deployment and use.

Specifically, its recommendations address:
- installation and operation strategies that can be implemented for current equipment,
- strategies that can result in more robust and resilient new and/or improved products based on existing technology and knowledge,
- research and development that can lead to improved future capabilities.
It introduces clear definitions of different categories of threats and hazards, including the new term “data spoofing.” It recommends some creative ways to install receive antennas, such as using decoy antennas and obscuring the location of the actual antennas being used, presumably to foil some spoofing attacks.

It also points out that modern GNSS receivers are computers, and need to be operated and maintained with good cyber hygiene, just like other computers.

The extensive list of recommended development strategies will challenge manufacturers while informing purchasers about the features they can seek in new equipment.

Implementing these recommendations will lead to increased competence — that is, equipment that is better able to accommodate imperfect or faulty inputs, intentional or not.

This document reflects the recognition that many reported problems or difficulties with GPS could be prevented or mitigated by improvements in GPS user equipment and how it is installed and operated. It is encouraging to see DHS taking steps to remedy this situation, and important that manufacturers of timing receivers, as well as critical infrastructure owners and operators that use timing receivers, follow through on these recommendations.

Also for Receiver Manufacturers

The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) has issued a paper with calculation algorithms to promote consistent BeiDou IODE and IODC computational approaches within the community.

To improve precision navigation, a second-generation SBAS will use signals from both GPS and Galileo, and dual frequencies, to achieve even greater GNSS integrity and accuracy.

Second-Generation SBAS

Geoscience Australia, an agency of the Commonwealth of Australia, will collaborate with Lockheed Martin, Inmarsat and GMV on research to show how augmenting signals from multiple GNSS constellations can enhance positioning, navigation and timing for a range of applications.

The project aims to demonstrate how a second-generation satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) testbed can for the first time use signals from both GPS and Galileo, as well as dual frequencies, to provide greater integrity and accuracy. Over two years, the testbed will validate applications in nine industry sectors: agriculture, aviation, construction, maritime, mining, rail, road, spatial and utilities.

Basic GNSS signals require augmentation to meet higher safety-of-life navigation requirements. The second-generation SBAS will mitigate that issue. Once the testbed is operational, basic GNSS signals will be monitored by widely distributed reference stations operated by Geoscience Australia.

A master station, installed by GMV, will collect the data, compute corrections and integrity bounds for each GNSS satellite signal, and generate augmentation messages.

A Lockheed Martin uplink antenna at Uralla, New South Wales, will send these augmentation messages to an SBAS payload hosted aboard a geostationary Earth orbit satellite, owned by Inmarsat, which rebroadcasts the augmentation messages containing corrections and integrity data to end users. The whole process takes less than six seconds.
March 6, 2017
GLONASS ground station goes live in South Africa

A GLONASS ground station was officially commissioned in South Africa on Feb. 27.

“Assembling and pre-commissioning work was completed on Nov. 25 to set up a measuring station on the premises of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) as part of the agreement signed between Russia’s High-Precision Instrument Systems Company and South Africa’s HartRAO on Oct. 29, 2015,” said the station developer, Russia’s Precision Instrument Systems Corporation.

Sazhen-TM-BIS station in South Africa is the second station of the overseas network segment created for the GLONASS system. The first station was installed and commissioned in 2014 in Brazil.

The station will continuous monitor GLONASS and GPS satellites’ navigation signals, measurements of current navigation parameters of their travel, and receipt of navigation messages from the satellites.

March 6, 2017
BeiDou launch schedule shared

A launch schedule for future BeiDou satellites was reported on a space news discussion board. According to the schedule, the government of China is planning to launch 32 satellites through 2020.

The schedule includes nine BeiDou-3 MEO satellites launched this year, and one replacement for a BeiDou-2 satellite, which retires in January 2018.

The schedule is below:

A PDF of the schedule is available for download.

March 6, 2017
GPS World editor to moderate innovation panel at Munich Summit

Photo: GPS World

This year, the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit features an interactive session on the topic “Industry Meets Research: Innovation Drivers and Barriers in SMEs.” Fabio Dovis from Politecnico di Torino will chair the session, and GPS World magazine Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Alan Cameron will moderate the discussion.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their innovative ideas are an important factor of economic growth,” states the conference program. “Therefore it is important to improve the environment in which innovative business ideas can be created. A main factor is the promotion and facilitation of technology transfer, thus the access to scientific results. In order to enable a dynamic and creative GNSS product, service and application development, a stronger and more structured link between the most promising results of GNSS research and companies should be fostered.”

Enter the Fishbowl

This session will be organized according to the so-called fishbowl method that will involve GNSS experts from universities, research centers and industry in an interactive discussion. Everybody is welcome to join the fishbowl and to be part of the GNSS Knowledge Triangle to strengthen the knowledge transfer and the future success of GNSS.

According to the fishbowl method, five chairs will be arranged in circles and one chair is always unoccupied. Any member of the audience can, at any time, occupy the empty chair and join the fishbowl. When this happens, an existing member of the fishbowl must voluntarily leave the fishbowl and free a chair. The discussion continues with participants frequently entering and leaving the fishbowl.

The Munich Satellite Navigation Summit takes place March 14–16.

March 6, 2017
What is the biggest unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) challenge?
What is the biggest challenge facing the UAV industry? Go to gpsworld.com/17marpoll to give us your opinion by March 22 and you’ll also be entered in a drawing to receive a $50 gift card.

Here are the possibilities on offer, plus an “other” category for you to specify something bigger if you think we’ve omitted anything.
- Better quality images and video
- Better, smaller, more lightweight sensors (inertial, Lidar, infrared, spectral, etc.)
- Integration of other sensors with GPS/GNSS
- Applications and command-control on mobile devices: smartphones and tablets
- Virtual and augmented reality
- Competition from satellite and aircraft imagery/mapping/other
- Air traffic control and the FAA regulatory environment
- Other (please specify)
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Watch this space for continuing coverage of developments in UAV navigation and related issues, with in-depth reporting from the upcoming AUVSI Xponential conference in May.
March 6, 2017