GPS World

Category: Applications

  • Science of geodesy and surveying: support progress report

    Science of geodesy and surveying: support progress report

    Image: Avalon_Studio/E+/Getty Images
    Image: Avalon_Studio/E+/Getty Images

    On March 20, 2023, I wrote a short announcement about a funding opportunity by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) to support the science of geodesy.

    As mentioned in previous columns, Everett Hinkley wrote about the geodesy crisis in an ION article. Hinkley’s article summarized several action items that could help improve the lack of trained geodesists in the United States. One action was to encourage U.S. government support in the form of grants, professional development of staff, and research collaborations/affiliations. A pilot PhD geodesy educational program with three National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and one NGS employee is in place. He stated that the NGA expects to continue growing this program. Click here for more information on NGA’s academic research program.

    NGS’ geospatial modeling grant is another example of this action item. There needs to be more funds added to this task, but it is a start. The program priorities under NGS’ grant program include: research and develop new methodologies for defining and applications for working with the NSRS; develop and evaluate tools, models, and guidelines to access, analyze, and manipulate geodetic data; enhance infrastructure of geodetic control, coastal remote sensing data, survey measurements, and other physical datasets that comprise the NSRS; support education, capacity building, and technology transfer for the future of geodesy; coordinate through partnerships with local, state, and regional users such as state and local governments, universities, and/or the public sector.

    The geospatial modeling grant was included in the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. The agreement provides $8,000,000 for the program and states that all funding shall be distributed externally. Hopefully, the same amount or more will be in FY 24 appropriations. Additional information about NOAA’s appropriations can be found in the 2023 Omnibus Appropriation Bill under the explanatory statement for Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies. The bill can be found here. To find the language in the bill click here, then search the document for “geospatial.” See the image below for the language in the bill.

    Image: Senate.gov website
    Image: Senate.gov website

    For those that are interested in the appropriation process, the image below provides a list of the senators that work on these agencies’ appropriations. If you are interested in learning more about the appropriation process and the geospatial modeling grants, contact your senator. The more congressional representatives know about the geodesy crisis — which includes the lack of trained geodesist as well as surveyors — the sooner they will support funds to help correct the problem. Click here for a list of senators on the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriation Committee.

    Advancing geodesy with conferences

    Another activity that promotes the advancement of geodesy and surveying are national and international surveying and mapping conferences. Before the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) disbanded, the four-member organization collaborated to convene annual surveying and mapping conferences in the United States. Topics like those presented at a FIG Working Week were presented at these conferences.

    Since these ACSM conferences are no longer being held, I encourage users of geospatial data and GNSS technology to attend conferences like FIG Working Week 2023. I have participated in several FIG meetings and learned a lot from presentations as well as holding hallway meetings with experts from the international surveying and mapping community. In the March column, I highlighted that FIG Working Week 2023 is going to be held in Orlando, Florida, on May 28 – June 1. NGS will be presenting a full-day worth of content on NSRS modernization during the conference. I want to highlight some presentations that may be of interest to readers. Register for FIG Working Week 2023 here.

    The image below provides a list of NGS presentations with scheduled times. There will be a panel session in the beginning of the day to set the context for the day.

    Agenda of NGS DAY at FIG Meeting (Image: FIG website)
    Agenda of NGS DAY at FIG Meeting (Image: FIG website)

    As in most conferences there are several ways participants can register, one day to the entire conference. This is a great opportunity to have discussions with the leadership of the National Geodetic Survey and individuals working on the development of the new, modernized NSRS.

    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website

    There are a lot of presentations on various topics so, I would encourage readers to look through the entire agenda. FIG’s technical work is led by ten commissions. The August 2021 column provided information about the FIG commissions. See the list of commission below:

    Commission 1 – Professional Standards and Practice
    Commission 2 – Professional Education
    Commission 3 – Spatial Information Management
    Commission 4 – Hydrography
    Commission 5 – Positioning and Measurement
    Commission 6 – Engineering Surveys
    Commission 7 – Cadastre and Land Management
    Commission 8 – Spatial Planning and Development
    Commission 9 – Valuation and the Management of Real Estate
    Commission 10 – Construction Economics and Management

    The full technical program lists the topics by date and time. I highlighted sessions by commission 5 and 6 that I think would be interested to the surveying and mapping community. See the image below.

    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website
    Image: FIG website

    Finally, I would like to highlight a NGS product that is now in production mode. That is, OPUS Project 5.1 is now a production product. *NGS did not make an official announcement about this change, but if you access OPUS Project the new version comes up. As described in the March column, OPUS Project 5.1 routine allows the use of RTN vectors and post-processed vectors from vender software.

    Clicking the “projects” icon on the OPUS page connects you to the latest version of OPUS Project 5.1. See image below. Please see the March column or NGS’ January webinar to learn more about OPUS Project 5.1.

    Image: NGS Website
    Image: NGS Website

    *Note: As of the writing of this column, March 29, it is still listed on the beta release section of NGS website. If you click on OPUS Project 5.1 in the Beta Release section, it will link to the production version of the routine.  

  • BAE Systems laser-guidance kits tested by US counter-UAS office

    BAE Systems laser-guidance kits tested by US counter-UAS office

    Image: BAE Systems
    Image: BAE Systems

    The Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems office successfully tested BAE Systems’ APKWS laser-guidance kits in a counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) mission.

    During the Department of Defense-led exercise at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the 70 mm APKWS-guided rockets demonstrated 100% effectiveness when fired against 25-to-50-pound UAVs traveling at more than 100 miles an hour. The APKWS C-UAS solution is platform agnostic, permitting multiple options to accelerate fielding.

    APKWS transforms unguided rockets into smart munitions for precision strikes on soft and lightly armored targets. An updated proximity fuse for the standard M151 warhead enables laser-guidance kits to target Class-2 and Class-3 UAVs, which typically weigh less than 55 lbs. The fuse retains the legacy point denotation capability for flexibility of the weapon in the field.

    APKWS now enables rockets to engage and destroy UAVs at a fraction of the cost of existing C-UAS systems with unprecedented precision.

    The kits are available to all U.S. armed forces, as well as allies via foreign military sales.

  • NV5 Geospatial maps North American shorelines and riverine environments

    NV5 Geospatial maps North American shorelines and riverine environments

     NV5 Geospatial has mapped more than 26 million acres of North America’s shoreline and riverine environments across more than 200 projects.

    The projects have spanned from the Nuyakuk River in Alaska, Lake Tahoe in California, the Rio Grande in Texas, the entire coasts of South and North Carolina, the Achigan River in Quebec, Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and the Florida Keys.

    In 2022, the company mapped and acquired topobathymetric lidar data for 14 projects including the Yellowstone River, Wyoming; Hells Canyon, Indiana; Revillagigedo Island, Alaska and Iles de la Madeleine in Quebec.

    NV5 Geospatial first mapped these environments in 2012 using high-resolution bathymetric lidar and natural color imagery. The company mapped 34,051 acres of shoreline along the Sandy River, located in northwestern Oregon, to study the ever-changing basin geomorphology.

    NV5 has also signed a two-year contract with the National Geodetic Survey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide topobathymetric lidar, 4-band imagery and mapping of 3,115 sq miles of the Maine shoreline.

    “For a decade we have been helping local, state, and federal government agencies as well as commercial and private entities gain the insights they need to solve some of their most challenging nearshore and riverine projects through our mapping technologies including topobathymetric lidar,” Kurt Allen, vice president of NV5 Geospatial, said. “Whether it be mapping the shoreline after a hurricane, updating the national shoreline, assisting water boards with flood planning, or hundreds of other possible use cases, we are constantly improving our technology and scalability to always be at the ready for our customers.”

  • Centimeters and picoseconds without satellites or atomic clocks

    Centimeters and picoseconds without satellites or atomic clocks

    Image: Locata
    Locata dish antenna pointed back to EU’s JRC, 44 km away, just under the setting sun. The Yagi antenna above is pointed to a cell tower in Como and used to connect the system for remote control and data logging.
    Image: Locata

    A new European Commission (EC) Technical Report, published after exhaustive and completely independent testing of several candidate A-PNT (Alternative Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) technologies, confirms that Locata has demonstrated positioning and timing performance across every test environment, delivering:

    • cm-level positioning accuracy in all tests, indoor and outdoor, under static and kinematic conditions
    • picosecond-level time transfer using Locata’s proprietary TimeLoc technology, over multiple media types including RF over distances of more than 105 kilometres and over fibreoptic and/or coaxial cables, without requiring satellites or atomic clocks.

    The rigorous scientific test campaign was conducted over a period of eight months by experts from the EC’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Italy. Its purpose was to establish the foundations for European navigation and timing policy, including the upcoming European radio navigation plan, in the context of growing concerns about the single-point-of-failure that GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) pose.

    According to Locata, their validated capabilities promise to open previously unattainable, satellite-free A-PNT performance for autonomous vehicles, logistics, indoor positioning, critical national infrastructure, and aviation, as well as better levels of synchronization to improve mobile phone and digital data networks.

    Locata’s products have been deployed commercially for a decade, delivering cm-level positioning (via sales and IP licenses) to globally recognized partners, including systems now certified for safety-of-life level operation of autonomous vehicles. Prominent government customers include NASA and the United States Air Force, which runs a large Locata network that covers more than 6,500 sq km for aviation use when GPS is being jammed or spoofed.

    This performance evaluation assessment was run under a globally-open tender launched by the EC’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS). The tender sought applications from around the world, from every potential candidate claiming they could provide “an alternative to GNSS-based PNT.” More than 30 companies applied, and this number was then down-selected by an expert panel to the seven technologies that were, in the end, independently evaluated. Locata was the only technology that was granted two contract slots, and the only technology that completed every timing and positioning test, in every indoor and outdoor environment, sought by the EU.

  • CHC Navigation releases 3D Grade Control System

    CHC Navigation releases 3D Grade Control System

     

    Image: CHC Navigation
    Image: CHC Navigation

    CHC Navigation has released the TG63, a 3D Grade Control System designed for motor graders.

    With a tightly coupled dual-GNSS positioning system and inertial sensor, the TG63 provides reliable 3D positioning and heading to ensure accuracy of the grader blade within ±2 cm.

    The TG63 is designed to withstand the harsh environment of construction sites and supports multiple applications, including real-time kinematic networked transport of RTCM via internet protocol and ultra-high frequency base stations.

    In addition, GradeNav software, operating on a 10.1 in industrial display, supports standard AutoCAD DXF design files to manage multiple grading operations, including surfaces, slopes, TINs and road features.

  • Leica lidar sensor improves deep water surveying

    Leica lidar sensor improves deep water surveying

     

    Image: Hexagon
    Image: Hexagon

    Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, has launched the Leica HawkEye-5, a new high-performance airborne bathymetric lidar solution for deep water surveying.

    Leica’s HawkEye-5 increases survey efficiency by up to 25% compared to previous generations. The technology expands the capabilities of the Leica Chiroptera-5 bathymetric lidar system, enhancing the productivity of applications such as nautical charting, environmental monitoring, and maritime surveillance in deep waters.

    The technology is designed to fit the Leica PAV100 gyro-stabilized mount, which isolates the sensor from unwanted aircraft movements — resulting in consistent data density and more efficient area coverage.

    The HawkEye-5 combined with the Chiroptera-5 features three lidar sensors, one four-band camera, and a QC camera to collect data from the seabed to land.

    The Lidar Survey Studio software suite provides full waveform analysis, automatic data classification and advanced turbid water enhancement to support multiple applications.

  • Seen & Heard: Can GPS forecast rain?

    Seen & Heard: Can GPS forecast rain?

    “Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.

    Image: Licence plate, Reviver
    Image: Reviver

    Digital license plates gone wrong

    A security research team has gained administrative access to Reviver, the only company in California that sells digital license plates, which has allowed them to track the physical location of all of Reviver’s customers. With this vulnerability, anyone could remotely update, track and delete someone’s Reviver plate. The access also enabled the researchers to change a section of the text at the bottom of the plate, designed for personalized messages, to anything they want, according to Vice.com. California launched the option to buy a digital license plate in October 2022, and Reviver has since addressed the license plates’ security vulnerability.

    AirTag. (Image: David Peperkamp/iStock / Getty Images Plus/ Getty Images)
    Image: David Peperkamp/iStock / Getty Images Plus/ Getty Images)

    Bill makes secret tracking illegal

    Indiana state legislators have filed a bill that would make tracking someone with a GPS-based device without their knowledge a crime, reported WTHR of Indianapolis. The bill is in response to the growing number of criminal cases involving Apple AirTags and other GPS-based tracking devices. Tracking someone secretly is not currently a crime in Indiana; however, laws vary from state to state. Under the proposed bill, the penalty would be increased from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor if the person tracked is under a protective order. The penalty could be enhanced for someone convicted of using a tracking device when committing a felony. Similar incidents are on the rise around the United States involving the use of AirTags and other tracking devices for criminal purposes.

    Image: big-dan/ iStock / Getty Images Plus/ Getty Images
    Image: big-dan/ iStock / Getty Images Plus/ Getty Images

    Cellphones cause demise

    On New Year’s Day, six rockets were launched from a United States-made Himars rocket system at a vocational college in Ukraine, killing at least 89 Russian soldiers. Russia is blaming this on illegal cellphone usage by Russian soldiers, defying a ban. Ukrainian officials say 400 Russian soldiers were killed and another 300 were wounded, contradicting Russia’s report. However, this is the largest number of deaths Russia has acknowledged during the war. Russia says that the obvious cause of the attack was the use of mobile phones, as the enemy was able to locate and determine the troops’ coordinates for the strike. Two of the rockets were shot down before reaching Makiivka in the occupied Donetsk area of Ukraine. 

    Image: Angelo F-/ iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Image
    Image: Angelo F-/ iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Image

    Can GPS forecast rain?

    Researchers at the Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the Cochin University of Science and Technology in Kochi, India, say that heavy rainfall can be detected more than six hours in advance using GPS signals, reported The Hindu. During rainy seasons, as GPS signals pass through the atmosphere, how much they are delayed depends on the amount of water vapor present. By using continuous GPS signals and rainfall data collected in Thiruvananthapuram, the study showed that any heavy rainfall could be detected using this delay. 

  • BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin tests UAS

    BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin tests UAS

     

    Image: Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Simones/ Department of Defense.
    Image: Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Simones/ Department of Defense.

    BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works partnered to test the Skunk Works Stalker and Indago UAS on BAE Systems’ amphibious combat vehicle (ACV) command, control, communication and computers (C4)/UAS variant. The UAS will provide reconnaissance capabilities to support U.S. Marine Corps expeditionary warfare and battle management capabilities.

    BAE Systems tested the Stalker and Indago UAS — in addition to other technology suppliers — as a part of contractor verification testing. With contractor verification testing complete, the USMC plans to conduct additional tests to evaluate whether the AVC C4/UAS is a solution for the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle program.

    “By integrating Stalker and Indago on BAE Systems’ ACV platform, we are delivering greater mission flexibility in a small form factor that supports Marine Corps operations,” Jacob Johnson, Skunk Works UAS and attritable systems director, said.

    The Skunk Works Stalker and Indago UAS provide a broad operating envelope and endurance, which enables diverse and demanding missions while maintaining a small operational footprint and crew requirement.

    BAE Systems’ ACV C4/UAS vehicle is a mobile systems integration lab built to demonstrate the technology Marines need to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and acquisition capabilities, including the ability to sense and communicate targets over the horizon using C4 systems.

  • OxTS product now available with additional features

    OxTS product now available with additional features

     

    OxTS Georeferencer 2.5
    Image: OxTS

    OxTS has released its Georeferencer 2.5 with the anyNAV feature and eight lidar sensors from RoboSense. Georeferencer 2.5 featuring anyNAV software is suitable for survey applications.

    Users of Georeferencer 2.5 with anyNAV feature enabled can boresight payloads and georeference lidar data using the user’s navigation data. The anyNAV software enables lidar surveyors to create accurate pointclouds quickly.

    Georeferencer 2.5 now takes navigation data from third-party inertial navigation systems, which enables users to use that data to georeference raw lidar data from multiple sensor families. The resulting data can then be viewed in many pointcloud viewer software packages.

  • Safran Electronics and Defense releases defense PNT system

    Safran Electronics and Defense releases defense PNT system

    NAVKITE on board a vessel. (Image: Safran Electronics and Defense)
    NAVKITE on board a vessel. (Image: Safran Electronics and Defense)

    Safran Electronics and Defense and Fuscolab, the innovation lab for the French Marine Corps, released a resilient position, navigation, and timing (PNT) system, NAVKITE. It provides navigation integrity and performance over long periods of time and under demanding circumstances on land and at sea.

    NAVKITE meets operational requirements for the French Navy Commandos and will be integrated in Embarcation Commando a Usage Multiple Embarquable (ECUME) — a transportable, multirole, semi-rigid boat purpose-designed for commandos and other special forces.

    NAVKITE’s capabilities depend on the coupling of Safran’s Geonyx M inertial navigation system with the VersaSync time/frequency server. Together, they handle the transmission of PNT data to ensure mission continuity.

    The first sea trials of the system, conducted by Fuscolab and the Ponchardier commando unit, demonstrated NAVKITE’s performance under operational conditions. It was then successfully deployed in February in the joint services exercise Hemex, during phase two of Orion, a large-scale operation for resilient, innovative and interoperable armed forces focused on high-intensity conflicts.

  • Sikorsky partners with CMC Electronics for FMS

    Sikorsky partners with CMC Electronics for FMS

     

    Image: CMC Electronics
    Image: CMC Electronics

    CMC Electronics has entered a multi-year contract with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, to supply its CMA-2082MC military flight management system (FMS) for several Sikorsky helicopter models, including the UH-60M, HH-60M, HH-60W, S-70i and the S-70M.

    CMA-2082MC is a complete FMS with integrated radio management, which provides centralized control of navigation sensors, communication radios, mission avionics and more. It is also highly reliable while operating in harsh environments.

    The helicopters complete with CMA-2082MC military FMS will be delivered to the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, as well as several Black Hawk customers for use in a wide range of missions including search and rescue, troop transport, medical evacuation, disaster relief, aerial firefighting and border patrol.

  • Raytheon completes JPALS delivery to U.S. Navy

    Raytheon completes JPALS delivery to U.S. Navy

    Image: U.S. Department of Defense / Raytheon Technologies
    Image: U.S. Department of Defense / Raytheon Technologies

    Raytheon Technologies has delivered all 23 contracted Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems (JPALS) low-rate production units to the U.S. Navy to ship to Japan. Raytheon announced the contract with the Navy back in February to provide JPALS to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), which will be deployed on the JMSDF JS Izumo carrier in 2024.

    JPALS is a software-based GPS navigation and precision approach landing system that guides aircraft onto carriers and amphibious assault ships regardless of sea state or weather conditions, bolstering safety and operational capability.

    JPALS is deployed on all U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, as well as all F-35 aircraft. In addition, JPALS are deployed on platforms from two countries: the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth, and the ITS Cavour, an Italian aircraft carrier, to support their F-35 squadrons.

    Raytheon has also developed an expeditionary variant of JPALS called eJPALS, which is a smaller, portable system that could be packaged in ruggedized cases, mounted on small vehicles, and deployed in austere, remote locations for precision landings. The system could establish up to 50 different landing points within a 20-nautical-mile radius.