GPS World

Category: Mapping

  • Timesaving webinar on survey data collection

    Time has great impact in the enterprise mobility continuum. Developing tools for mobile workers has long been the sole province of IT, but the demand for mobile apps is stretching IT to the breaking point. Demand for mobile apps is five times greater than IT capacity, according to one market study.

    This makes many organizations reluctant to jump in to mobile development or to change traditional processes that aren’t broke — so why fix them? The trend also explains the emergence of zero-code app development platforms that can reduce a one-year IT backlog to a few hours. The equation changes when end users become “citizen developers,” allowed to create the custom apps by selecting features, interfaces from a menu of capabilities.

    Zero code is being called both a game-changer and disruptive technology because it offers a new approach to mobile data collection, with new, easy-to-use technology to develop tools.

    One such example is Terrago’s Magic, a zero-code development studio, which is growing both vertically and horizontally, with both directions responding to customer input.

    GPS World readers and all other interested parties have an opportunity to learn more about these time-saving tools in a free webinar on May 25: How to Build Custom Trimble Apps for Any Industry with Zero-Code. See env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar for further details and immediate registration.

    Participants will learn how to:

    • Create custom mobile apps with your branding and selected features using a click-not-code app studio;
    • Integrate your custom mobile app with Trimble GNSS and many other enterprise platforms;
    • Publish to the AppStore, Google Play and the Cloud with the click of a button;
    • Deploy cloud-based or private-hosted enterprise servers; and
    • Reduce development costs by 90 percent.

    Vertical growth comes through a software development process that generates a new version every 4-6 weeks, each with new features. Magic custom app development basically involves selecting workflow elements from a menu. Since anything with a menu is limiting by definition, TerraGo does not claim that Magic can be all things to all people. But as limitations are reduced with each version’s new menu, Magic is becoming more things to more people – and can complement less-limiting (if more time and money consuming) low-code app development organizations by reducing the strain on their IT departments.

    Horizontal growth is coming through partnerships with companies such as CompassTools and Duncan-Parnell.    These firms have the vertical expertise to customize and deploy tailored solutions at speeds not achievable with traditional approaches.

    CompassTools, headquartered in Denver, serves eight Midwestern states from Canada to Mexico with high-precision field data collection solutions. For many years Compass offered handheld GPS devices as the foundation of those solutions with great success. Still, the data typically required manual processing once the devices were returned from the field, introducing expensive delays. Now positioning, mobile and cloud innovations are reducing that time.

    “We really believe that TerraGo’s approach represents an important part of the future data collection tools that our customers are going to need in the field,” said Andew Carey, an account manager with CompassTools.

    “Because TerraGo apps provide direct integration with Trimble receivers, they can help us deliver the best of both worlds for customers with easy-to-use field apps and proven Trimble accuracy,” said York Grow, MGIS solutions manager at Duncan-Parnell.

     

     

  • CNES offers new Android apps for GNSS

    PPPWizzlight
    PPP Wizzlight.

    French space agency CNES has made available two applications on the Google Play store for Android apps. Both are compatible with Android N (Nougat).

    RTCM Converter: This app aims to convert the smartphone GNSS raw measurements to Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM message type 1077) and send them to a caster, for use by third-party software.

    PPP WizzLite: This app is a port of the CNES PPP client (code and Doppler only, light version) on Android. Accuracies of 1-2 meters can be reached in kinematic mode, and sub-meter in static mode (using external SBAS data). To do so, users need to pull external RTCM streams for orbits/clocks corrections and broadcasts, such as ones available from the International GNSS Service Real-Time Service (IGS RTS).

    Both apps have been validated on a Nexus 5X device with no phase support.

     

  • UAV poll results and business applications

    One-third of GPS World readers who responded to the latest poll think air traffic control and the FAA regulatory environment constitute the biggest challenges facing the UAV industry today. Other answers receiving top votes, from 10 to 27 percent of the total, included

    • Better, smaller, more lightweight sensors: inertial, Lidar, infrared, spectral, etc. (16 percent)
    • Integration of other sensors with GPS/GNSS. (10 percent)
    • Competition from satellite and aircraft imagery/mapping. (9.8 percent)

    “Other” answers, summing 28 percent altogether, included:

    • Battery technology and flight times
    • Battery capacity
    • Control from normal Android phone
    • GNSS disruption
    • Definition of sensor performance specifications for navigation, in particular GNSS & SBAS MOPS-like standardisation.
    • Something simple that will make it visible on primary radar
    • Longer flight time

    To learn more about overcoming such challenges, tune into the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing ease of use for the user in business applications.  The webinar will cover a broad range of issues concerning sensor integration aboard a flying platform, and in particular their use for commercial purposes. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.

    Speakers

    • Gustavo Lopez, product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications, Septentrio
    • Jan Leyssens
, managing director, Sales and Business Development, Airobot
    • Francois Gervaix, product manager – Surveying, senseFly SA
    • Zak Kassas, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside

  • DroneDeploy integrates with agX on UAV mapping flights

    DroneDeploy, a cloud software platform for commercial drones, is integrating with agX to help growers more easily capture field maps and analyze aerial data.

    agX users can now share field boundaries saved in agX with DroneDeploy to simplify the planning of drone mapping flights. Over time, agX and DroneDeploy plan to integrate further to allow seamless sharing of drone images from DroneDeploy to agX.

    “This integration will provide agX users an efficient method of combining high-quality UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] imagery from DroneDeploy with other agronomic data to assist in decision-making that can add to a grower’s bottom line,” said Shawn Peterson, business development lead at agX. “Integrating quality imagery into an operation brings tremendous value by showing the varying conditions of the crop throughout the field. We are excited DroneDeploy will join the platform to offer imagery solutions that bring value to UAV applications.”

    agX users can exchange field boundaries between DroneDeploy and other agX Compliant applications, allowing them to centrally store, access and share field boundaries. In the future, DroneDeploy’s integration will offer users the ability to share field data and imagery layers.

    DroneDeploy makes drones accessible and productive tools that help growers save time and create actionable insights. Using DroneDeploy, a grower can automatically fly and capture drone imagery, create a field map and analyze crop variability in hours to help make timely management decisions.

    “DroneDeploy makes it fast and easy for growers to capture aerial data,” said Scott Lumish, vice president of business development at DroneDeploy. “Integrations with tools like agX help growers turn that data into action.”

    agX helps growers and service providers stay connected to various precision agricultural applications. Users can access and share their data within agX Compliant applications to save time and reduce duplicate data entry. Anyone can create a free agX account.

    Support for DroneDeploy imagery transfer will be added to agX in early of summer 2017.

  • Leica Zeno GG04 smart antenna increases access to GIS

    Leica Geosystems has introduced the Leica Zeno GG04 smart antenna, enabling a flexible solution to improve mobile devices’ GNSS accuracy with real-time kinematic (RTK) and precise point positioning (PPP).

    Paired with the Zeno GG04, any Zeno or third-party mobile device with Android or Windows OS can now collect highly precise positioning data with Leica Geosystems’ GNSS technology and 555-channel tracking performance. With PPP, users can collect data in areas without cellular coverage. The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) functionality enables any smart device to collect survey-grade data, delivering centimeter results.

    “We’re excited to hear about the new Zeno Connect for Android. Being able to connect any Android device to the new GG04 antenna and use it for field data capture is a real game-changer,” said Zenny Chareas, project manager at PeopleGIS, a firm that builds web-based database applications for field collection currently using the Leica Zeno GG03. “Our clients have been eagerly anticipating this type of functionality, and it’s pretty cool that we now have a solution for them.”

    With the Zeno Connect app, any third-party app is compatible with the Zeno GG04 smart antenna. The Zeno Mobile, Zeno Connect or Esri’s Collector for ArcGIS apps provide an easy and familiar platform for non-surveying professionals to collect and analyze data. Organizations can integrate and enrich data in real time from different sources to collect all details of any project from anywhere in the world, regardless of how remote.

    “Wherever users are working, despite, how rough the environment, the Zeno GG04 ensures all needed data is easily and accurately collected,” said Alexander Fischer, Leica Geosystems Zeno product manager. “The flexibility offered by turning our most common devices into precise instruments increases access to the geopositioning world, and this is certainly an exciting advancement to share technology and information with new segments.”

  • UAV manufacturer senseFly joins April 20 webinar panel

    UAV manufacturer senseFly joins April 20 webinar panel

    A speaker from UAV manufacturer senseFly will appear on the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing ease of use for the user in business applications. The Switzerland-based company specializes in professional-grade UAVs for survey, mapping, precision agriculture and asset inspection. The company recently became the first drone operator to be granted anytime Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) authorization in Switzerland.

    ebee copy 2
    Photo: senseFly

    The webinar will cover a broad range of issues concerning sensor integration aboard a flying platform, and in particular their use for commercial purposes. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.

    The senseFly speaker (name to be announced soon) will join a panel that consists of:
    Gustavo Lopez, Product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications, Septentrio; Jan Leyssens
, Managing Director, Sales & Business Development, Airobot; and Zak Kassas, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside.

    Further speaker details:

    Lopez: Septentrio is an leader in bringing high end GNSS technology when accuracy and reliability matters. Gustavo Lopez is Product manager for UAS applications at Septentrio. Since joining the company, he has held a number of R&D and product management roles. Gustavo holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Monterrey’s Technology Institute and an MBA from United Business Institute

    Leyssens: Airobot specializes in meeting safety demands for UAVs by providing intelligent safety components, specifically designed for drones, and in facilitating end-users’ success in completing their missions. Leyssens has Masters’ degrees in avionics, electrical engineering and business administration.

    Kassas will present the research material from his cover story in the April issue of GPS World: “LTE Steers UAV — No GPS? No Problem! Signals of Opportunity Work in Challenged Environments.” Long-term evolution cellular can be exploited for accurate and resilient autonomous vehicle navigation in the absence of clear GNSS signals. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that GPS-like performance can be achieved in the absence of GPS signals when cellular pseudoranges aid an inertial navigation system.

  • TCarta Marine offers Gulf of Mexico basemap, bathymetry data

    TCarta Marine, a global provider of marine geospatial products, will unveil two new offshore data offerings at the 2017 Esri Petroleum GIS Conference in Houston — the Gulf of Mexico Marine Basemap Plus service and 2-meter Satellite Derived Bathymetry dataset.

    The Marine Basemap Plus is a streaming data service that delivers up-to-date value-added marine layers directly into Esri ArcGIS on a subscription basis.

    LandingImages-TCarta-WThe 2-meter Bathymetry product is an off-the-shelf shallow water, coastal zone bathymetric dataset derived from high-resolution satellite imagery.

    Both products will be demonstrated by TCarta Marine in booth #403 at the Esri Petroleum Conference being held April 12-13, in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

    “The Marine Basemap service covering the entire Gulf of Mexico is available now,” said TCarta Marine President Kyle Goodrich. “Datasets for additional marine regions around the world will be added this year with the North Sea available this summer.”

    The streaming data service was developed with the oil and gas industry in mind, allowing customers to choose from two subscription tiers for the Gulf of Mexico. The GoM Marine Basemap is a tiled map service intended to provide users with an informative and aesthetically pleasing backdrop streamed into the desktop GIS environment. The Basemap is a scale-dependent display of a stylized bathymetry image with labeled contour lines and marine feature names

    The Marine Basemap Plus incorporates best-available resolution bathymetry grids, contour lines and other valuable data for modeling, analysis and derivative work. The entire gulf is covered at 90-meter resolution while many areas have been mapped at 30-meters, with higher resolution data to be added.

    “Marine Basemap Plus will appeal to oil and gas companies of all sizes because the streaming data is extremely affordable and updated constantly through the subscription process,” said Goodrich. “The GIS manager at an energy company will never have to worry about obtaining the most recent or highest quality offshore data because it will be downloaded automatically.”

    The Gulf of Mexico Marine Basemap Plus also includes information enhanced from authoritative sources such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Department of Energy and Bureau of Energy Management. The five main value-added layers relate to:

    • Navigation – Seafloor elevation data including dredged channels and shipping lanes
    • Geology – Natural features and seismic anomalies
    • Lease Blocks – Active leases, well, and pipeline information
    • Habitat – Reefs, grasses, corals and other marine ecosystems
    • Shoreline – Vector derived from lidar and satellite imagery

    Also making its U.S. debut at the Esri Petroleum show will be the 2-meter Satellite Derived Bathymetry offering developed by TCarta Marine, DHI and DigitalGlobe with funding from the European Space Agency. This is an off-the-shelf version of a custom product introduced in 2011 by Proteus Geo, which merged with TCarta Marine this year. It will eventually be a global marine dataset.

    To create this product, accurate seafloor depths are extracted by DHI using a primary production technique before TCarta Marine ensures that all data undergoes a rigorous quality control procedure. All depths are derived from eight-band multispectral imagery captured by DigitalGlobe’s high-resolution WorldView satellites, the commercial imaging constellation.

    “This process derives bathymetric measurements at 2-meter resolution to an average depth of 20 meters in the near-shore coastal zone, where environmental conditions allow,” Goodrich said. “The 2-meter product will be sold by the square kilometer, which means clients only pay for the data they need, making this a very cost-effective product.”

    The off-the-shelf 2-meter product covering the Arabian Gulf is available for purchase now, with the Red Sea planned for completion by later this year. By mid-2017, TCarta Marine will make the 2-meter products available for instant searching, purchasing and downloading through an online portal called Bathymetrics.

    The Gulf of Mexico Marine Basemap Plus and 2-meter Bathymetric products can be ordered through [email protected].

  • Polaris scanner uses GNSS to go indoors, outdoors

    Polaris scanner uses GNSS to go indoors, outdoors

    Teledyne-Optech-Polaris-TLS-W
    Photo: Polaris

    Teledyne Optech has released its Polaris terrestrial laser scanner, which automatically detects its location with a built-in GNSS receiver and selects the planned survey parameters for the site. Alternatively, operators can set up surveys in the field and resection/backsight the system using the menu-driven graphical user interface (GUI) on its touchscreen.

    The announcement was made at the SPAR 3D Conference and Expo, being held April 3-5, in Houston, Texas. Visitors to SPAR 3D will be able to see the Polaris’ streamlined user interface in action at booth #400 along with the Optech Maverick, Eclipse and award-winning Galaxy.

    Bridging the gap between indoor and outdoor scanners, the Polaris can survey targets up to 1600 meters away in long-range mode or collect up to 500,000 measurements per second in short-range mode. Its 360 × 120-degree field of view captures indoor panoramas from a single site, while its rugged design, light weight and swappable batteries let it travel deep into the field, the company said.

    Also on display at SPAR is the Galaxy airborne lidar, which was awarded the MAPPS Grand Award for Innovation, and Teledyne Optech staff will be on hand to explain the SwathTRAK technology that earned it the prize. By dynamically adjusting the Galaxy’s scanner field of view in response to changes in the ground’s elevation, SwathTRAK keeps the swath width and point density on the ground consistent, even in hilly terrain. This technology saves clients time and money by reducing the number of flightlines required and ensuring homogeneous point density.

    Finally, visitors to the Teledyne Optech booth can also get hands-on time with the Maverick, Teledyne Optech’s first backpack-mountable mobile mapping system, and see the autonomous Eclipse airborne data-collection system and learn how a pilot can operate it alone, saving the cost of a dedicated operator.

  • What have you been up to in the world of PNT?

    microdrone-water-rescue-W
    Photo: Microdrones

    Do anything interesting today? Specifically, did you do something interesting involving positioning, navigation or timing (PNT)?

    GPS World is always on the look-out for case studies — stories of how you, our readers, used PNT or GNSS equipment, or applied related technologies, to solve a problem. Each month in our Market Watch and Updates sections, I try to include a few case studies. We always provide news about new products or company and industry announcements, but it’s the case studies that often “bring it home” to our readers.

    We’ve taken a look at thermal mapping at the South Pole and a one-man survey project on a remote tropical island, using both a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and a receiver on a pole. We also share how lifeguards can use UAVs to save people who are drowning. Previously, we discussed how avalanches were being mapped and how a state transportation department was making the move to tablets for 3D mapping. We showed how UAVs could speed cell-tower recovery after floods.

    So, tell us what you’re up to. We want to hear about it. With pictures. Email me at [email protected].

  • NOAA seeks new members for hydrographic advisory panel

    The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking new members for its Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a federal advisory committee that advises the NOAA administrator on the agency’s hydrographic programs, products and technology.

    “We depend on the perspectives of the people who rely on NOAA maritime products, especially for safety at sea or commercial efficiency, as we plan for improvements of our navigation data, services, and products,” said Russell Callender, Ph.D., assistant NOAA administrator for the National Ocean Service. “This panel is a vital part of our information gathering process to determine future priorities.”

    The panel advises NOAA on hydrographic surveying, nautical charts, tides and currents, geodetic and geospatial measurements, and coastal preparedness.

    shipping-portApplicants should have expertise in one or more of the following fields:

    • marine navigation and technology,
    • port administration,
    • marine shipping or other intermodal transportation industries,
    • cartography and geographic information systems,
    • geodesy,
    • physical oceanography,
    • coastal resource management, including coastal preparedness and emergency response,
    • other related scientific fields.

    Applications must be received by May 30; those received after the deadline will be kept on file and may be used for future panel vacancies. Members serve four-year terms, with meetings occurring at least twice a year.

    For more information on how to apply, see the Federal Register notice or visit the HSRP website.

  • GEO Business 2017 features free workshops, exhibition

    GEO Business, the London-based international showcase for the geospatial industry, has unveiled its commercial workshop program for 2017.

    Featuring more than 80 workshops from 200 international exhibitors, GEO Business is expected to attract over 3,000 visitors from around the world. Held at the Business Design Centre in London on May 23-24, the workshops and exhibition are all free to attend.

    Tailored specifically to equip geomatics and geospatial professionals with practical demonstrations of the latest research, services and technology in action, the 80-strong workshop line-up covers everything from automation, multi-channel GPR, topographic surveying, and wearable technology to 3D modeling and visualization, hyperspectral imaging, UAV developments and laser scanning.

    “Visitors to this year’s GEO Business will be treated to our most exciting line-up of hands-on commercial workshops yet,” said show director Caroline Hobden. “They’ll enjoy opportunities to experience first-hand, ground breaking new products and services from leading industry innovators, many of which won’t be exhibiting at any other event in the U.K. this year. Being able to compare what’s on offer in the market, and get advice and inspiration to ensure you make the best decisions for your business, is what makes GEO Business such an invaluable experience to the thousands of visitors that attend every year.” The full line-up is now online.

    Workshop highlights include:

    • Next-generation condition reporting and assessment using artificial intelligence and robotics as a service: Learn how these emerging and disruptive technologies can deliver far-reaching gains in productivity and capability (hosted by SCISYS UK).
    • Reality modeling: The capture of infrastructure assets’ as-operated conditions, by the use of simple photos or point clouds into a reality mesh (hosted by Bentley Systems International).
    • HERON, the wearable mobile surveying system: Indoor or outdoor applications, walking or driving configuration able to provide 3D real-time mapping, real-time localization, change detection analysis and a powerful software brain to adjust and optimize scans (hosted by Gexcel).
    • Using MAPublisher to create quality maps: Output to HTML5, GeoPDF and the Avenza Maps app using a wide range of GI tools in Adobe Illustrator (hosted by XYZ Maps).
    • NTM, the country’s most detailed tree map: Updated and upgraded. What’s changed, and who’s using it? (hosted by Bluesky International).
    • Ordnance Survey: Catch up with the latest news on products, services and apps.
    • Hyperspectral Imaging: To support design and maintenance of infrastructure corridors (hosted by Cyient).

    “We’re very much looking forward to GEO Business 2017, and the opportunity to share ideas and innovations around satellite data with delegates in both our workshop session and on our stand,” said Jonathan Summer, business development director at Earth -i UK. “This is an important event on our calendar for this year.”

    A few decades ago, few could have foreseen some of the technological advancements that now seem commonplace. The geospatial industry has certainly seen its share of game-changers. Applying these changes — and figuring out what’s next — is an over-arching theme at GEO Business 2017.

    In addition to the workshops and presentations, the show will feature 200 exhibitors and a packed conference program of keynotes offering real-time insights into the challenges and opportunities ahead. The exhibitor list is available online.

    For more information, and to register for a free ticket to attend the exhibition and workshops, visit www.geobusinessshow.com/register. Continuing Professional Development points are available at all workshops and conference sessions. Conference prices start at £15 per day.

  • UK’s Bluesky acquires US aerial survey company Col-East

     

    British aerial mapping innovator Bluesky International is expanding its business into North America following the acquisition of Col-East Inc., a Massachusetts-based aerial survey company. Col-East has been mapping the Northeast United States for 65 years and will continue as Col-East International Ltd., forming the U.S. arm of Bluesky.

    Founded in 1952, Col-East has a long-established reputation for high-quality topographic mapping with particular expertise in specialized aerial surveys, such as high-precision aeronautical mapping requiring skilled analysis. Bluesky has seen an increase in the demand for specialized large-scale mapping, 3D modeling and feature extraction in recent years in the European market, and the company intends to apply these skills to the expanding U.S. market.

    Bluesky has improved on aerial mapping techniques in the UK in recent years, backed by the latest digital cameras and 3D laser mapping technology. The Leicestershire-based company will not only be equipping Col-East aircraft with the latest digital aerial surveying equipment, including cameras and sensors for laser (lidar), thermal and infrared capture, but will also be building on the existing technical and experienced Col-East skill base by introducing new workflows and image-processing techniques honed in the competitive U.K. and European markets.

    “Britain has a long tradition as a pioneer in mapping techniques, and the Bluesky team was behind the creation of what was the world’s first nationwide high-resolution aerial photo map, created back in 1998,” said Rachel Tidmarsh, managing director of Bluesky International Ltd. “Since then, we have developed new systems and techniques that are underpinning advances in environmental and 3D mapping, and we will be introducing these advancements to the U.S. market with the acquisition of Col-East.”

    As well as topographical mapping and aeronautical work, Col-East offers a range of aerial imaging services such as the production of terrain models, orthophotos and volumetrics, providing cost-effective mapping solutions from estates to development sites and complex transportation corridors.

    Col-East owns a huge archive of aerial photography that has been captured over many years and dates, back to 1946. Col-East will gain immediate access to Bluesky’s proprietary technology used in the development of some ground-breaking derived products, including 3D building modeling, tree mapping, air quality mapping and state-wide solar power potential mapping. Products will also be available to purchase through the new Col-East online Mapshop, which will be launched soon.

    “It’s a very exciting time for Col-East,” said Mark Thaisz owner and general manager at Col-East. “Bluesky is bringing significant investment, new technology and added resources that will allow the business to expand freely. Already we’ve equipped our aircraft with a new Vexcel UltraCam Eagle survey camera which offers high accuracy and unsurpassed clarity to bring a whole new edge to the aerial survey market in New England.”