A team of researchers from the University of Texas Austin (UTA) have shown the Starlink broadband constellation’s potential to serve as a backup for GPS.
Todd E. Humphreys
The researchers, led by Todd Humphreys and funded by the U.S. Army, examined the downlink signal structure of the SpaceX Starlink constellation of ultrafast broadband satellites in low-Earth-orbit (LEO), reported MIT Technology Review. The team showed that Starlink could serve as a useful backup to GPS.
For the past two years, Humphreys’ team at UT Austin’s Radionavigation Lab has been reverse-engineering signals sent from thousands of Starlink internet satellites to ground-based receivers. Humphreys told the review that regular beacon signals from the constellation, designed to help receivers connect with the satellites, could form the basis of a useful navigation system.
Title: Signal Structure of the Starlink Ku-Band Downlink
Authors: Todd E. Humphreys, Peter A. Iannucci, Zacharias Komodromos, Andrew M. Graff
Abstract: We develop a technique for blind signal identification of the Starlink downlink signal in the 10.7 to 12.7 GHz band and present a detailed picture of
the signal’s structure. Importantly, the signal characterization offered herein includes the exact values of synchronization sequences embedded in the
signal that can be exploited to produce pseudorange measurements. Such an understanding of the signal is essential to emerging efforts that seek to dual-purpose Starlink signals for positioning, navigation, and timing, despite their being designed solely for broadband internet provision.
Tallysman Wireless has added the housed AJ977XF triple-band antenna with anti-jam technology to its line of GNSS products.
According to Tallysman, the AJ977XF uses a novel stacked antenna phased array that creates a null of typically 20-dB attenuation in the antenna’s radiation pattern from the horizon to an elevation angle of approximately 15 degrees.
The null in the radiation pattern strongly mitigates in-band and out-of-band signals. For example, the AJ977XF will continue to function in the presence of a ground-level 600-watt jamming signal, 100 meters or greater from the antenna. In addition to the null in the radiation pattern, the antenna’s OP1dB (compression point) is 15 dBm, which strongly protects the antenna’s low-noise amplifier (LNA) from saturating.
The triple-band AJ977XF antenna supports GPS L1/L2/L5, GLONASS G1/G2/G3, Galileo E1/E5ab and BeiDou B1/B2ab), and, in the region of operation, satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS): WAAS (North America), EGNOS (Europe), MSAS (Japan), or GAGAN (India).
The AJ977XF is housed in a through-hole mount, weatherproof (IP67) enclosure. L-bracket (PN 23-0040-0) or pipe (23-0065-0) mounts are available for permanent installations.
The radio frequency spectrum has become congested worldwide as many new LTE bands have been activated. Their signals or their harmonics can affect the proper operation of GNSS antennas and receivers.
In North America, the planned Ligado service, which will broadcast in the frequency range of 1526 to 1536 MHz, can negatively affect the reception of GNSS signals. Similarly, new LTE signals in Europe [band 32 (1452–1496 MHz)] and Japan [bands 11 and 21 (1476–1511 MHz)] also have been shown to affect GNSS signal reception. Tallyman’s new AJ977XF mitigates the effects of these new signals.
Hemisphere GNSS has released the GradeMetrix Scraper Solution for pull pan and belly pan scrapers on the construction site.
“We believe by introducing affordable GNSS technology to the construction industry’s bulk earth moving process, we provide a significant opportunity for equipment operators to increase their speed, accuracy and efficiency, resulting in substantial savings in fuel costs and equipment maintenance,” said Miles Ware, vice president of marketing.
“Hemisphere continues its commitment to bring high-performance, world-class 3D machine control and guidance solutions to the global market,” said Randy Noland, vice president of Global Sales & Business Development. “By adding the GradeMetrix Scraper Solution to our expanding product portfolio, we lower the barrier of entry and raise access to more markets and applications.”
GradeMetrix Scraper kits will be available for purchase for new customers. Existing customers will have the option to add scraper support to their current GradeMetrix system via a software upgrade and machine activation.
More than 34 million miles have been driven with Super Cruise engaged on General Motors vehicles. (Photo: GM)
General Motors and Trimble have reached more than 34 million miles of hands-free driving with Super Cruise engaged on General Motors vehicles.
GM teamed with Trimble to develop a reliable way to maintain in-lane positioning for hands-free driving, putting safety top-of-mind.
Trimble’s precise GPS technology enables a vehicle to maintain its lane position in a variety of environments, including inclement weather conditions (rain, snow, fog and more), which often challenges other sensors. GM’s Super Cruise, a hands-free driver assistance system, uses Trimble RTX (Real-Time eXtended) technology to deliver high-GNSS accuracy corrections since it introduced the technology in 2017 on the model year 2018 Cadillac CT6.
“Trimble RTX has been in commercial use for more than 10 years, and in 2018 was the first precise point positioning correction service to log miles in a commercial autonomous driving system,” said Patricia Boothe, senior vice president of Autonomy, Trimble. “It works with Super Cruise to help a vehicle maintain its lane position, bringing more consumers access to a more enjoyable and convenient driving experience.”
Standard GPS receivers can have a margin of error of up to 25 feet, which is not suitable for vehicles that require precise absolute position information to maintain lane-level positioning. Trimble’s RTX technology removes errors in GNSS satellite data broadcasts to improve location accuracy on our roadways.
“Super Cruise is a life-changing technology, allowing customers to experience hands-free driving on compatible, mapped roads nationwide,” said Mario Maiorana, GM chief engineer, Super Cruise. “The technology is a collaborative effort internally and externally to bring this advanced driver assistance technology to life. Trimble Autonomy has been a valuable collaborator in bringing Super Cruise to our customers.”
New receiver provides a path to the security and performance benefits of dual-band technology
Photo: u-blox
U-blox has announced a new, compact dual-band timing module that offers nanosecond-level timing accuracy, thereby meeting the stringent timing requirements for 5G communications.
The new u-blox NEO-F10T is compliant with the u-blox NEO form factor (12.2 mm x 16 mm), allowing space-constrained designs to be realized without the need to compromise on size.
The NEO-F10T is the successor to the NEO-M8T module, providing an easy upgrade path to dual-band timing technology. This allows NEO-M8T users to access nanosecond-level timing accuracy and enhanced security.
U-blox’s dual-band technology mitigates ionospheric errors and greatly reduces timing error, without the need of an external GNSS correction service. Additionally, when within the operational area of a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), the NEO-F10T offers the possibility to improve the timing performance by using the ionospheric corrections provided by the SBAS system.
As the NEO-F10T supports all four global satellite constellations and L1/L5/E5a configuration, it significantly simplifies global deployments because the same device can be used universally.
NEO-F10T includes advanced security features such as secure boot, secure interfaces, configuration lock and T-RAIM to provide the highest-level timing integrity. This ensures that reliable, uninterrupted service is delivered as any attempt to interfere with the receiver is unlikely to be successful. Additionally, advanced anti-jamming and anti-spoofing algorithms are included to further enhance security.
The module has a single RF input for all the GNSS bands and dual SAW filters for exceptional signal selectivity and out-of-band attenuation. It is compatible with u-blox’s ANN-MB1 L1/L5 multi-band antenna, making it simple to evaluate the performance of the timing modules. The devices operate from a single 2.7 V to 3.6 V supply and draw just 19 mA (@ 3.0 V) during continuous operation.
“NEO-F10T is designed to meet the timing synchronization requirements in 5G small cells and private networks on a global scale. By significantly reducing the time error of cellular network synchronization, the NEO‑F10T module will help operators maximize the performance of their networks and so optimize the return on their investment in 5G communications,” said Samuli Pietila, Director Product Line Management, Timing and Infrastructure, at u-blox.
Cepton Inc. is working with LidarSwiss Solutions GmbH to deploy its lidar technology in a drone-based mapping and analytics solution for infrastructure management and engineering design applications.
Cepton is a Silicon Valley innovator of high-performance lidar solutions. LidarSwiss is a Switzerland-based provider of high-performance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lidar solutions.
Utilizing Cepton’s Sora lidar sensor, the LidarSwiss Nano P60 system provides high-fidelity mapping and real-time processing on the fly to serve engineers, forestry managers and urban planners across the globe. To date, Nano P60 has been used to map and analyze powerlines, areas for site development, flood plains and highways in more than 20 cities in Asia, Europe and Australia.
Nano P60 packages Cepton’s Sora lidar, a 42-mp camera, an Applanix IMU/GNSS and a LidarSwiss controller. (Photo: LidarSwiss)
Nano P60 integrates Cepton’s Sora sensor with a high-precision IMU/GNSS unit from Applanix and high-resolution camera system. Its intelligent controller with LidarSwiss proprietary software automatically combines all raw data to generate high-density, high-precision RGB attributed 3D laser point clouds during flight.
With a total weight of 2.1 kg, this compact system can be mounted on small UAVs to produce mapping products such as digital orthophotos, digital elevation models and 3D models, or to interface with a third-party software to enable easy, seamless solutions for all kinds of industry applications, such as digital twins, smart cities and building information modeling (BIM).
“The prominent features of the Nano P60 are its high stability, point density and intelligence,” said Robert Kletzli, LidarSwiss founder and CTO. “This lidar-enabled system addresses the critical gap of 3D accuracy with traditional camera and stereo imaging technologies. Now, instead of needing two images to see a single point and detect its elevation, Nano P60 utilizes lidar’s intrinsic 3D imaging capabilities to achieve maximized efficiency, making real-time processing and analytics possible. Cepton’s Sora lidar is among the most compact, lightweight lidar sensors that we have tested and offers an unparalleled combination of high resolution, longer range in the same category and cost efficiency. Its unique lidar architecture allows seamless integration, making Nano P60 a true plug-and-play system with solid-state reliability.”
Nano P60 combines lidar point clouds with RGB imagery to generate high-density, high-precision 3D imaging with color by elevation features. (Image: LidarSwiss)
“We are proud to be supporting LidarSwiss and its customers with our lidar technology to unlock applications such as 3D modeling for BIM, historical site mapping, terrain modeling for heavy vegetation areas, volumetric calculations for mining, power line inspection and forestry mapping,” said Klaus Wagner, director of Product Management and Marketing at Cepton. “Our Sora lidar is a one-of-a-kind line scanner that combines high frame rate and long range. Powered by Cepton’s proprietary lidar technologies, it is compact, lightweight and rotation-free, making it ideal for small UAV applications.”
Lantronix Inc. has launched its new PNT Series GNSS receiver modules. The embedded modules provide an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution to enable the addition of GNSS functionality to products, Lantronix said, supporting the internet of things (IoT).
The new PNT Series modules are suitable for use in consumer solutions including people, pet and asset tracking devices, as well as agriculture asset monitoring and commercial solutions such as drones, toll-road charging, fleet management, maritime, rail, critical infrastructure and utilities.
“With the addition of the GNSS receiver modules, Lantronix is expanding its embedded IoT family to meet the growing demand for GNSS capabilities in a wide range of essential, often critical, consumer and commercial applications,” said Brian Jaroszewski, lead product line manager at Lantronix. “Adding positioning and tracking, navigation and timing capabilities supports essential processes in many industries, empowering our customers to propel our world forward with enhanced safety, security and the increased ability to more effectively and remotely manage people, places and things.”
According to the European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA), by 2031 more than 10 billion GNSS devices will be in use across the world. Mass-market segments — consumer solutions, tourism and health — will contribute to 92 percent of all devices in use. The global GNSS downstream market revenues, covering both device sales and service-related revenues, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2 percent over the next decade, reaching a total of USD $486 billion by 2031.
Available in Two Models
Lantronix PNT-SG3FS
Available now, the PNT-SG3FS flash-based module is designed for simultaneous tracking of multiple constellations. The PNT-SG3FS standalone module integrates a Teseo III receiver from STMicroelectronics.
The single-frequency receiver can track up to 32 satellite signals in view across GPS L1C/A, BeiDou B1, Galileo E1B/C, GLONASS L1OF, SBAS L1C/A (WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, GAGAN) and QZSS L1C/A bands. The pin-compatible multi-frequency PNT-SG4FM adds support for GPS and QZSS L5C, BeiDou B2a and Galileo E5a bands.
PNT Series SG3FS evaluation board. (Photo: Lantronix)
The PNT-SG3FS module supports Differential GPS (DGPS) data according to RTCM 10402.3 for improving location accuracy. The module can output measurement data (carrier phase) supporting PPP-RTK host algorithms for precise positioning applications with a custom firmware and supports 1.8V or 3.3V power supply domains. Assisted GNSS algorithms support extended ephemeris data using local autonomous or server-assisted-based solutions for fast time to first fix (TTFF) operation.
The module provides a high stability pulse-per-second (PPS) output for time-synchronization for electricity transmission, telecom networks operation and timestamping of financial transactions as well as application uses in utility systems, scientific applications, IoT and in broadcast and datacom networks.
The PNT-SG3FS integrates 16MB flash memory that supports many capabilities, including data logging, geofencing, odometer, five-day autonomous assisted GNSS and firmware updates. Integrated is a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TXCO) for navigation performance and stability. Also included is a real-time clock (RTC) oscillator with a clock-trimming feature to compensate for the accuracy of the 32.768 kHz crystal in timing applications.
Lantronix PNT-SG4FM
Coming soon, the PNT-SG4FM is a pin-compatible flash-based module designed for multi-frequency GNSS deployments. The PNT-SG4FM is ready for IRNSS using a custom firmware build. The PNT-SG4FM relies solely on server-assisted-based assisted GNSS. In addition, the PNT-SG4FM has a built-in LNA and SAW filter and features short and open circuit detection functions for antenna status.
New PNT satellites will operate in low Earth orbit (LEO). (Image: ESA)
News from the European Space Agency (ESA)
Satellite navigation is headed closer to users. ESA’s Navigation Directorate is planning an in-orbit demonstration with new navigation satellites that will orbit just a few hundred kilometers in space, supplementing Europe’s 23,222-km-distant Galileo satellites.
Operating added-value signals, these novel low-Earth-orbit (LEO) positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) satellites will investigate a new multi-layer satnav system-of-systems approach to deliver seamless PNT services that are much more accurate, robust and available everywhere.
Global in coverage, free for everyone to use, GNSS such as Europe’s Galileo have already transformed our society, and due to their sheer omnipresence their influence continues to grow. In 2021, the population of satnav receivers reached 6.5 billion around the world, and the sector is projected to maintain a 10% annual growth rate in the years ahead. But in various respects the standard GNSS approach is nearing the limits of optimum performance — to get even better, added ingredients are becoming essential.
“Satellite navigation has enabled a vast range of applications in recent years, but this very success is inspiring still more demanding user needs for the coming decade,” said Lionel Ries, head of ESA’s GNSS Evolutions R&D team, overseeing the agency’s LEO-PNT studies.
“For use cases such as autonomous vehicles, ships or drones, robotics, smart cities or the industrial internet of things for control of factory systems, the positioning requirements are growing from the current meter-scale to centimeter scale or even more precise, based on continuously reliable signals that are available anywhere, anytime — even indoors —while able to overcome interference or jamming.
“Up until now we have relied for positioning on the classical solution of GNSS such as Galileo, located in medium Earth orbit and based on L-band signals. Standard GNSS alone is not going to be able to fulfil all these future user demands. Instead Europe needs to seize the opportunity to investigate the potential of the kind of LEO constellations that are already on the way in the global market to enable new kinds of PNT services.”
Simply by virtue of physics, with less of a distance to cover down to Earth, the signals from these LEO-PNT satellites can be more powerful, able to overcome interference and reach places where today’s satnav signals cannot reach.
Additionally, by adopting novel navigation techniques and a wider range of signal bands the satellites can address particular user needs: for instance at lower orbits the satellites themselves move more rapidly relative to Earth’s surface — think of the International Space Station at 400 km that orbits the Earth every 90 minutes — which offers possible advantage in the time needed to reach very accurate positions. Also some bands could offer greater penetration in difficult environments while other bands could offer higher robustness and precision.
Mega-constellations of hundreds or even thousands of low-orbiting satellites offer a means of acquiring continuous coverage for telecommunications services or Earth observation. (Image: ESA)
The purpose of ESA’s plan to perform an in-orbit demonstration of low Earth orbiting satnav satellites is precisely to consolidate the types of signals, enabling technologies and their potential for future services.
The plan is to build and fly an initial mini-constellation of at least half a dozen satellites to test capabilities and key technologies, as well as demonstrating signals and frequency bands for use by a follow-on operational constellation, in the same way that Europe’s GIOVE test satellites paved the way for Galileo. Success will place European industry in pole positions for follow-on commercial undertakings, as well as planned institutional programs.
“Each individual satellite would be comparatively small, below 70 kg in mass, compared to a 700 kg current Galileo operational satellite,” added Roberto Prieto-Cerdeira, Galileo Second Generation satellite payload manager and LEO-PNT project preparation manager as part of ESA’s FutureNAV program.
“They can be comparatively more streamlined because they can benefit from other means to calculate the accurate time without extremely precise atomic clocks on board — including relayed signals from the Galileo satellites above them. These satellites would also be built on a rapid batch production basis to save time and cost — we are targeting three years at the most from signing the contracts to the first satellites in orbit, the same kind of timescale achieved by GIOVE-A in the early 2000s.”
A vision of the future shows layered satellite navigation stretching from Earth to the Moon. (Image: ESA)
“It is ESA’s ambition to ensure Europe maintains a world-class space industry, and navigation today forms the single largest downstream space sector, worth about €150 billion annually and growing at the rate of 10% per year,” said ESA Director of Navigation Javier Benedicto-Ruiz. “Standing still is not an option; instead we need to explore new technical avenues to spur European competitiveness and commercialization.”
An operational version of the LEO-PNT constellation would represent a whole new layer for PNT delivery, combined with traditional GNSS as well as 5G/6G-based positioning on the ground, and fused with data from sensors in the user terminals.
Interest from industry
ESA has been researching core elements of the LEO-PNT concept since 2016. Now, with numerous low Earth orbit constellations already taking shape around the globe, the time is right to move from basic research to in-orbit demonstration.
Interest from European industry in the LEO-PNT project has been very high, shown by a recent Request for Information where ESA presented details of how companies and institutions might participate and a large number of companies registered and presented possible concepts and contributions.
Forward to FutureNAV
LEO-PNT is supported through the ESA Directorate of Navigation’s FutureNAV programme, which also includes the GENESIS satellite to measure the shape of Earth more accurately than ever before while also boosting the positioning performance of satnav satellites. The FutureNAV programme, which includes both GENESIS and the LEO-PNT initiative, is up for decision at ESA’s next Ministerial Conference, taking place in Paris on Nov. 22-23. Read the fact sheet here.
Until now, all navigation satellites have flown in medium-Earth orbit – up at 23,222 km in the case of Galileo, which delivers meter-level accuracy. At such altitudes the satellites move slowly across the sky, helping ensure global availability of satellite navigation signals, albeit at relatively low power.
ESA’s LEO PNT constellation would move to a “multilayer system of systems” approach, with medium-Earth orbit signals supplemented by those from LEO satellites at altitudes of less than 2,000 km — along with additional inputs from terrestrial PNT systems and user-based sensors, made up of approximately a dozen satellites, helping European companies move forward at a time when worldwide commercial interest is high in LEO constellations of all kinds, especially for telecommunications and PNT.
The satellites themselves can be stripped down compared to current navigation satellites, because they would essentially be relaying satnav signals from MEO. This is a key point because there will need to be many more satellites to ensure global coverage — because the lower the orbit the faster each individual satellite will pass across the sky. This fact also opens the way to a more agile “New Space” approach to satellite construction for European firms, with smaller payloads and simplified operations from the ground.
Their signals will be much stronger (potentially able to penetrate indoors), and transmitted on novel frequencies, which – along with the new geometries made possible by LEO satellites – should enhance overall service resilience. LEO PNT will also deliver faster position fixes and enable rapid two-way authentication checks. And overall signal availability will be boosted enormously, especially in high-latitude and polar regions.
The realistic racetrack in the Assetto Corsa game. (Screenshot: Dronezone)
News from OxTS
The possible applications for 3D point clouds are almost endless. When you think of lidar, the mind naturally wanders to applications of the autonomous vehicle navigation or geospatial survey type. In fact, navigation and lidar data are useful for all manner of applications—including video game development.
When a new technology, such as lidar, is first brought to market, a number of factors affect its price. Initially, the cost-per-unit is likely to be high to ensure recovery of research and development costs. However, as technology ages and manufacturers innovate and bring out new versions, price invariably comes down.
As this process occurs, it puts the technology into the hands of a much wider audience, increasing the number of new and innovative use cases.
Point clouds are useful for many wide and varied applications. Autonomous vehicle developers may use point clouds to aid object detection and avoidance, while geospatial surveyors could use a point cloud to determine road degradation over time or monitor the rate of coastal erosion.
These are however some of the more common use cases. But how can navigation data be used in applications such as video game development? Let’s first look at how navigation data works alongside lidar.
Lidar and Inertial Navigation
To create a 3D point cloud, users must combine the position, navigation and timing measurements from an inertial navigation system (INS) with raw lidar data. Without accurate INS data, it is impossible to create a point cloud. This is because the lidar sensor needs to know its position in space and time and its orientation.
To avoid complicated software engineering work, simple-to-use software such as OxTS Georeferencer is available to georeference the lidar data. Once georeferencing is complete, OxTS Georeferencer will create a PCAP file that users can view in many point cloud viewer software applications.
Enter Dronezone
As lidar technology becomes more accessible, new and inventive ways to use point clouds are coming to light. OxTS partner Dronezone is one such company finding new uses for lidar.
Dronezone builds and hires out professional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They build UAV payloads with Velodyne VLP-16 lidar sensors and OxTS INS devices they sell or rent to customers.
Cover: Kunos Simulazioni
Dronezone’s customers have used the payloads for a variety of projects. One used a payload to scan an aging railway bridge looking for possible weaknesses and deterioration over time. Besides geospatial mapping projects, Dronezone is seeing an increasing need to cater to niche applications.
Dronezone undertook surveying the Transylvania Motor Ring racetrack for a video-game developer Kunos Simulazioni, which publishes racing simulator “Assetto Corsa.” The company wanted an accurate digital representation of the track contours. The results, which you can see in the video and screenshots, are particularly impressive.
Point cloud of the Transylvania Motor Ring. (Image: Dronezone)Point cloud of the Transylvania Motor Ring. (Image: Dronezone)
Racing Simulator
For this project, Dronezone moved away from traditional UAV-based mapping. To survey the track precisely, the company used the flexibility of its UAV payload by repurposing the hardware for use on a car. With many off-the-shelf solutions, this wouldn’t have been possible. The setup enabled Dronezone to complete multiple laps of the track and create a high-density point cloud.
“Using different components to build a UAV payload meant that Dronezone could reuse the hardware and build a different setup suitable for use on a car,” said Paris Austin, head of new product technology, OxTS. “It’s this flexibility that allows Dronezone to serve multiple applications.”
To further improve results, Dronezone used the Boresight Calibration feature within OxTS Georeferencer to calibrate the coordinate frames of the lidar sensor and INS. This process, which involves a short survey of two retro-reflective targets, increases the clarity of the final results and eliminates blurring and double vision.
The OxTS INS and lidar payload on an auto for racetrack mapping. (Photo: Dronezone)
The quality of the data produced has given Dronezone confidence it can win more business from the same customer to map further tracks for the game.
This is just one example of the new and unique applications we’re developing alongside our customers.
SouthPAN provides accurate, reliable and instant positioning services across all of Australia and New Zealand’s land and maritime zones without the need for mobile phone or internet coverage. It will improve positioning from 5-10 meters, to as little as 10 centimeters — a 50-fold increase in accuracy.
The SouthPAN satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) test-bed project took place between 2017 and 2019, demonstrating the value of SouthPAN to Australian and New Zealand economies and communities. Economic analysis indicates that it is more than $6.2 billion for Australia alone.
In February 2020, Geoscience Australia and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) began a joint collaboration on SouthPAN under the Australia New Zealand Science, Research and Innovation Cooperation Agreement (ANZSRICA). A comprehensive procurement process followed, awarding an AUD$1.18 billion, 19-year contract on Sept. 16 to Lockheed Martin Australia.
“The SouthPAN project team will work with Lockheed Martin Australia to establish a network of Global Navigation Satellite System reference stations, a corrections processing facility and satellite uplink facilities that will enable accurate and reliable positioning signals to be transmitted from satellites to users,” said Madeleine King, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia. “The SouthPAN services will be fully operational across the two countries with safety-of-life certification from 2028.”
Benefits from SouthPAN
With early Open Services, Geoscience Australia and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand enable industry access to SouthPAN. Early Open Services can immediately integrate with existing equipment or products, to create or enhance positioning service offerings to end-users.
Early Open Services will bring widespread benefits across agriculture, construction, resources and many other industries, paving the way for technological advancements in automation, including:
heavy vehicle automation, such as truck platooning, where vehicles can connect to each other as a group to transport goods
precision agriculture applications such as yield mapping, controlled traffic farming, inter-row seeding, precision spraying and livestock management
personnel safety on mine and construction sites, through smart geofencing technologies that accurately identify the locations of workers with key equipment, such as vehicles and heavy machinery.
SouthPAN is estimated to generate more than AUD$6 billion in benefits to the Australian economy over the next 30 years.
King said the new network will allow
mining companies to install more accurate collision avoidance systems on automated mining haul trucks
visually impaired citizens to navigate cities with pinpoint assistive technologies
light aircraft to land more safely in remote rural areas in all weather conditions, including essential services such as The Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The joint Australia-New Zealand initiative will be a game-changer for the economies of both nations, said Damien O’Connor, New Zealand minister for land information.
“This technology was originally developed to support aviation safety, but as technology has advanced, the applications have expanded,” O’Connor said. “It now has potential uses as varied as enabling accurate vehicle guidance for efficiencies in agriculture and horticulture management, tracking maritime shipments, and enabling navigation for drones and other unmanned vehicles.”
Early Open Services
SouthPAN will provide three early Open Services.
L1 SBAS Open Service. The L1 SBAS early Open Service will provide navigation messages on the L1 frequency (1,575.42 MHz), and allow users with a receiver that tracks GPS L1 C/A signals to improve their position accuracy to better than ≤3m in the horizontal and ≤4 m in the vertical (95% confidence interval).
DFMC SBAS Open Service. The Dual-Frequency Multi-Constellation SBAS early Open Service will provide navigation messages on the L5 frequency (1,176.45 MHz), and allow users — with a receiver that tracks GPS L1 C/A and L5 signals, and Galileo E1 and E5a signals — to improve their position accuracy to better than ≤1.5m in the horizontal and ≤2.5 m in the vertical (95% confidence interval).
PVS Open Service. The Precise Point Positioning (PPP) via SouthPAN (PVS) early Open Service will share the L5 frequency with the DFMC SBAS Open Service in the near future, before transitioning to a new navigation signal. PVS will allow users — with a receiver that tracks GPS L1 C/A and L5 signals and Galileo E1 and E5a signals, and is capable of processing the PVS messages — to improve their position accuracy better than ≤0.40 m in the horizontal and ≤0.55 m in the vertical (95% confidence interval) after convergence. Convergence will be better than 80 minutes during PVS early Open Services, and the user does not need to remain stationary during the convergence period.
SouthPAN early Open Services coverage. OS-L1 covers mainland Australia and New Zealand. OS-DFMC and OS-PVS cover Exclusive Economic Zones in both countries. (Image: Geosciences Australia)
SouthPAN uses several distributed ground stations to monitor signals broadcast by GNSS satellites, and compares each station’s known location with position data from the satellites.
The GNSS signal data and measurement information is sent to correction processing facilities. The facilities aggregate the data from all ground stations, produce error corrections and status information about the GNSS satellites, and format the data in a standardized series of messages. These messages are sent to an uplink station, which transmits the data to a satellite in geostationary earth orbit. The data is broadcast to all precise positioning users, who combine SouthPAN’s data with their own observations of GNSS satellites.
The approval paves the way for Orolia’s ELT-DT to play essential roles in meeting the aviation industry’s advanced safety mandates worldwide
The Ultima-DT emergency locator. (Photo: Orolia)
Orolia is the first company to receive certification from Cospas-Sarsat and the European Union Safety Agency for its new-generation distress tracking emergency locator transmitter, the Ultima-DT.
The approval verifies Orolia’s continuous advancements in global beacon technology, including securing a single source, multi-year program contract to supply ELT-DTs for all Airbus aircraft programs.
Cospas-Sarsat is an international, humanitarian search-and-rescue system that uses space-based technology to detect and locate model 406 emergency beacons carried by ships, aircraft or individuals venturing into remote areas, often inaccessible by GNSS signals. The system consists of a network of satellites, ground stations, mission control centers (MCCs), and rescue coordination centers (RCCs) that work together when a 406 beacon is activated.
“Being the first company to certify a distress tracking ELT shows again Orolia’s unique ability to provide the industry with the most innovative safety solutions,” said Jérôme Ramé, Orolia’s aviation and military product line director. “With Ultima-DT, we address the EASA-mandated requirement for the location of aircraft in distress, but also the market need for an ELT meeting the most recent safety standards.”
Orolia developed the Ultima-DT in response to aviation safety mandates to improve global aircraft tracking. As per the ICAO Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety Systems (GADSS) recommendation and European Union mandate, all new aircraft delivered from January 2024 shall be able to autonomously report their location anywhere in the world and determine the end-of-flight location to help rescue teams rapidly locate the aircraft and recover flight recorders.
Unlike traditional automatic fixed ELTs and stand-alone units, the Ultima-DT is tightly connected to the avionics system. It activates upon detecting a potential distress condition and starts transmitting automatically while the aircraft is still in flight. This next-generation ELT autonomously acquires the aircraft’s location and sends a 406-MHz message in real-time, including the accurate location, to the Cospas-Sarsat distress alert organization.
The Ultima-DT is also the first ELT to fully comply with the latest EASA/FAA safety requirements for non-rechargeable lithium battery-powered equipment through (E)TSO-C142b. As part of its efforts to support airlines in their regulatory compliance projects, Orolia is also offering its portable Ultima-S ELT, which aims to meet these special conditions.
Femtocell cellular base stations used by Global Medical Response (GMR) in their Dallas, Texas, offices are receiving high-accuracy GPS location and timing signals from RF-over-fiber links from ViaLite Communications.
The GPS signals help GMR provide emergency quality medical care at a moment’s notice, primarily in the areas of emergency and patient relocation services in the United States and around the world.
The Local Integrated GPS Splitter. (Photo: ViaLite)
The highly reliable system consists of a ViaLite GPS Link that sends the GPS and timing signals from the rooftop antenna down an optical fiber to a Local Integrated GPS splitter situated in the building. The splitter then distributes the timing data to multiple femtocells.
“The efficiency of ViaLite’s signal distribution techniques is second to none, and in this emergency support application, when action at a moment’s notice can be vital, our equipment’s reliability and performance are crucial,” explained Craig Somach, ViaLite sales director.
A monitoring and control module is built into the GPS splitter. (Photo: ViaLite)
Use of the high-tech splitter, which features a built-in monitoring and control module, also eliminates the need to install multiple antennas on the rooftop, avoiding the appearance of an antenna farm.
“As a first-time customer, we found the deployment was as smooth and simple as ViaLite had promised,” said Dan Cottom, senior manager of communication systems at GMR. “The GPS distribution is working great.”
