U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has launched an initiative to safely test and validate advanced drone operations in partnership with state and local governments in select jurisdictions.
Prospective local government participants are asked to partner with the private sector to develop pilot proposals. After evaluating all of the applications, USDOT will invite a minimum of five partnerships.
The department also will publish a Federal Register Notice with more details about how applications will be evaluated and how the program will work.
More about the program is available on the DOT website.
The program will help tackle the most significant challenges in integrating drones into the national airspace while reducing risks to public safety and security, USDOT said. The program is designed to provide regulatory certainty and stability to local governments and communities, UAS owners and operators who are accepted into the program.
In less than a decade, the potential economic benefit of integrated unmanned aerial systems into the nation’s airspace is estimated to equal up to $82 billion and create up to 100,000 jobs, according to an economic report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).
The program will help the USDOT and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develop a regulatory framework to:
allow more complex low-altitude operations;
identify ways to balance local and national interests;
improve communications with local, state and tribal jurisdictions;
address security and privacy risks; and
accelerate the approval of operations that currently require special authorizations.
“This program supports the president’s commitment to foster technological innovation that will be a catalyst for ideas that have the potential to change our day-to-day lives,” Chao said. “Drones are proving to be especially valuable in emergency situations, including assessing damage from natural disasters such as the recent hurricanes and the wildfires in California.”
The pilot program will evaluate a variety of operational concepts, including night operations, flights over people, flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight, package delivery, detect-and-avoid technologies, counter-UAS security operations, and the reliability and security of data links between pilot and aircraft.
Industries that could see immediate opportunities from the program include commerce, photography, emergency management, precision agriculture and infrastructure inspections and monitoring.
“Stakeholders will have the opportunity through this program to demonstrate how their innovative technological and operational solutions can address complex unmanned aircraft integration challenges,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “At the same time, the program recognizes the importance of community participation in meaningful discussions about balancing local and national interests related to integrating unmanned aircraft.”
A Belgian container terminal is about to become Europe’s largest, and GNSS technoloy will be integrated.
The MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) in Antwerp, Belgium, is moving its operations from the Delwaidedock on the right bank of the river Schelde to the Deurganckdock on the left bank.
The move is part of an expansion of its capacity of 9 million TEUs annually. TEUs are a 20-foot equivalent unit, a term used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals.
When fully moved and operational, the left bank terminal will feature a total of 41 quay cranes across 10 berths, 200 straddle carriers and a quay length of 3,550 meters.
“For this project, we were looking for a positioning solution that was compatible with the solution that has been in use on the terminal since 2008,” said Douwe Witteveen, senior project manager at PSA MPET. “We need to accurately know where every container is picked up and dropped off without interfering with the actions of the driver. “Based on sensors in the vehicle, the GNSS unit must detect a pick-up or drop-off and provide a position to our system. Unfortunately, the receivers used previously were no longer available, so we needed to find someone who could make a new custom integration fast.”
Multipath mitigation copes with GNSS reflections caused by metal cargo containers. (Photo: Airobot)
Airobot was selected by MPET to create a solution, and did so in less than four months, said Jan Leyssens, managing director at Airobot.
The SC-PSA-GNSS unit integrates the AsteRx-m GNSS receiver from Septentrio NV and uses EGNOS to provide submeter accurate positions. The receiver has multipath mitigation technology on board to cope with the many GNSS reflections caused by all the metal containers, and combines GPS and GLONASS to provide a solution close to the quay cranes.
“We started discussions about the requirements in January and have delivered 100 units in less than four months’ time,” Leyssens said. “Fortunately, we have a lot of experience integrating GNSS technology into our drone solutions, so we could act fast. We also listened to the people in the field to make sure the unit is easy to install and existing cable installations could be used.”
“We believed that the know-how and expertise of the Airobot team could help us to get a solution fast, and they delivered what they promised,” said Douwe.
Columbus, Ohio, has positioned itself smartly for an autonomous future, taking a lead role in pilot projects on infrastructure and autonomous air and road transport.
The city will draw on up to $40 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, $10 million from Vulcan, Inc,. and $500 million in local private pledges.
Carla Bailo, assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at Ohio State University (OSU), presented the city’s ambitious program at ION GNSS+.
In “Position, Navigation and Timing — An Enabling Technology for Mobility and Smart Cities,” she focused on a triple-zero target: zero accidents and fatalities, zero carbon footprint and zero stress.
Smart Columbus will put six autonomous shuttle buses in the commercial district, coordinate truck platooning, time deliveries and manage parking to reduce congestion, and undertake drone delivery of medical supplies and other critical needs. Multimodal transit apps, mobility assistance for those with disabilities and pedestrian collision avoidance will be based on real-time data on transit options and availability, as well as traffic information, road and weather conditions.
Position, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies play a central role in smart cities: vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, autonomous navigation and collision avoidance, location-based services and smart, resilient infrastructure.
Smart Columbus envisions the city as a center for high-tech transportation research and innovation. OSU’s partnerships with mobility companies and vehicle manufacturers, industry groups and government agencies contribute to the city’s comprehensive approach to the smart city project. Through its expertise in sensors, communication, PNT, transportation, autonomous and connected vehicles, and geospatial science and engineering, OSU will serve as the lead researcher on Smart Columbus.
Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, OSU professor and frequent contributor to GPS World, in her new role as associate dean for research at OSU’s College of Engineering will be a key participant in research projects on ways to integrate self-driving cars, deliver high-definition 3D maps and metadata, use sensors to better connect vehicles for safety and efficiency, and find better ways to move people around the city when they don’t have access to a car.
Organized by Professor Zak Kassas from the University of California, Riverside, the workshop will feature presentations and panels by experts and leaders from government (National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Research Laboratory, Department of Transportation), industry (Google, Daimler, and Ford) and academia (The Ohio State University, UC San Diego, University of Southern California).
The workshop will discuss opportunities and challenges (technical, commercial, ethical, and legal) associated with developing fully autonomous systems that are cognizant and trustworthy for safety-critical applications. Examples include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), self-driving cars and unmanned underwater and surface vehicles.
Kassas, director of the Autonomous Systems Perception, Intelligence, & Navigation Laboratory (ASPIN), leads a team of researchers developing reliable and accurate navigation that exploits existing signals of opportunity, rather than GPS, to meet the stringent requirements of fully-autonomous systems, such as UAVs and self-driving cars.
A new tool that gives users a detailed view of the world’s mountains is now available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The Global Mountain Explorer can help users ranging from hikers to scientists, resource managers and policy makers seeking information on these prominent yet often understudied landscapes.
Mountains occupy from 12 to 31 percent of the land surface of the Earth, but despite their importance, few attempts have been made to scientifically define and map these regions worldwide with detail, the USGS said.
The Global Mountain Explorer “allows anyone with access to the Internet to explore where mountains are, whether they are low or high, scattered or continuous, snowy or snow-free,” said USGS ecosystems geographer Roger Sayre, who led the project.
Mountain Explorer provides information from global scales down to specific mountains, such as Borah Peak, Idaho, pictured here. (Public domain)
“Mountain Explorer users can visualize and compare in one place and for the first time the three major global mountain maps that have been produced,” he said.
Mountains provide significant water, timber and mineral resources, and food, fiber and fuel products. They are home to diverse ecosystems and wildlife and are valued for their esthetic beauty and recreational offerings.
Mountain areas are also prone to natural hazards. But despite their importance, surprisingly few attempts have been made to scientifically define and map these regions worldwide with detail.
The USGS developed the Global Mountain Explorer, in partnership with Esri, and three organizations at the University of Bern in Switzerland — the Center for Development and Environment, the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment and the Mountain Research Initiative.
Twilight image of snow-covered Mount Shasta with city lights visible at its base. The Global Mountain Explorer allows users to view mountains and surrounding terrain. (Public domain)
The tool was developed as part of a Group on Earth Observations initiative to accurately delineate mountain regions using best available data. It is intended to provide information on the global distribution and a variety of mountain data with a resolution 16 times more detailed than previous mapping efforts.
Users can select an area by zooming in or by typing a place name like Mt. Kilimanjaro to view its elevation and type. They can also select from a number of backdrops — satellite images, topographic maps or political boundary maps— on which to display the different types of mountain classes. A tutorial showing the full features for the Global Map Explorer is shown below.
Thales has launched commercially its next-generation Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Radio ranging system, the DVOR 532. At the same time, Austro Control was announced as the launch customer for DVOR 532 with the signature of a frame contract for deployment in Austria.
While aviation increases its reliance on GNSS, the VHF omnidirectional radio remains a critical aviation infrastructure system due to vulnerability of GNSS signals and nearly universal equipage of aircraft to use VOR signals for navigation, Thales said.
The agreement will see Austrian air space equipped with a modern short- and medium-range enroute navigation technology, help to ensure safe and accurate flight navigation across the Austrian airspace.
DVOR 532 delivers superior navigation signal performance and reduced lifecycle costs in an easy to maintain package.
Thales will deliver, install and provide training for up to eight new DVOR systems to Austro Control. Austro Control will begin to take over operation of the systems as flight checks for the new systems are completed, with the first to take place before the end of 2017.
Thales provides air traffic management systems worldwide, with more than 7,000 navigation aids installed in 170 countries.
The DVOR 532 is a ground-based radio navigation aid for short and medium range for en-route and technical guidance. It transmits an omni-directional signal that enables an aircraft to determine its bearing relative to the location of the beacon.
The Doppler version of the VOR system provides a highly precise azimuth signal, suitable for difficult geographical conditions.
The DVOR 532 meets increasingly demanding international design and safety standards such as DO 278/ED 109 for software assurance.
Orbital Witness will receive a voucher worth €50,000 for the acquisition of satellite data and will benefit from both technical and business coaching.
The competition encourages startups to innovate and develop new applications primarily based on Airbus’ satellite data. The winning British startup Orbital Witness proposes to use satellite imagery to provide a new perspective for legal due diligence in real estate.
Launched on May 30, the goal of the four-month challenge was to create added value for new businesses focusing on themes identified as important topics for the global population, ranging from forestry and agriculture to smart cities and maritime.
More than 130 projects from five continents were entered for the competition, among which 23 startups were pre-selected based on their originality and relevance as well as their technical and commercial feasibility.
These “semi-finalists” entered a subsequent round to further develop the proposals — this ended with a second selection phase in which the six finalists were chosen.
During the final, held Oct. 20 at the Airbus PlayLab in Toulouse, the six finalists presented their projects in front of representatives of different Airbus departments, including strategy, innovation, and marketing and sales.
The other finalists were:
23insights (the Netherlands), which tracks and predicts the human footprint in forests.
Ozius (Australia), which creates new landscape intelligence by fusing a variety of remote-sensing data to identify where the environmental risks and opportunities occurred in the past, where they are today, and project where they will occur in the future.
Ursa Space Systems Inc. (U.S.), which utilizes radar satellite data to deliver global and unbiased economic intelligence to energy and financial enterprises, providing reliable information about areas of the world that are traditionally opaque.
Qirate (Italy), which enhances position appeal for boosting business locations and helps people find their ideal place to live by rating the quality of life.
Kermap (France), which uses satellite imagery to support the ecological transition of cities.
The runner-up projects also received satellite data vouchers: €20,000 for 23insights, €15,000 for Ozius, €10, 000 for Ursa and €5,000 for Qirate and Kermap.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is conducting an investigation into the collision between a drone and a passenger aircraft that took place on approach to the Jean Lesage International Airport in Québec City on Oct. 12.
On that day, a Beech King Air A100 operated by Skyjet M. G. was on an instrument flight rules flight from the Rouyn-Noranda (Quebec) airport to the Jean Lesage International Airport in Québec City with two crew members and six passengers on board.
The aircraft was approaching runway 24 and had just passed the final approach fix when the crew noticed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) off the left wing. The aircraft struck the UAV at an altitude of 1500 feet and the crew declared an emergency.
Aircraft rescue and firefighting services were deployed and the aircraft safely landed on runway 24. The aircraft inspection revealed a few scratches and some paint transfer on the top surface of the left wing and scrape marks on the de-icing boot.
The aircraft was then returned to service. No one was injured.
As a U.S. military system, GPS provides all the PNT capabilities they need for defense — until it doesn’t.
Though the accuracies are great and the encrypted signal is resistant to spoofing, its weak signal is very susceptible to jamming. GPS World will host a webinar Nov. 16 to examine ways to augment GPS/GNSS to add resiliency so critical military systems have assured PNT. Registration is free.
Speaker Mikel Miller — Air Force officer (ret.), chief scientist for PNT and instructor — said, “As military operations have evolved over time, three critical technologies have become foundational in synchronized, precision military operations: resilient PNT, resilient communications and resilient cyber. A system-of-systems architecture that integrates and optimizes these three technologies is required to provide trusted and resilient PNT information in GNSS denied/degraded environments.”
Sponsored by precision time company Spectracom, the webinar takes place Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. EST / 10 a.m. PST / 7 p.m. (1900h) Central European Time.
Read about the speakers and their topics below.
Lisa Perdue Product Manager and Applications Engineer, Spectracom
Perdue is an expert in testing critical GPS and GNSS systems. She has trained hundreds of engineers and technicians who are responsible for high-reliability positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) applications. She took a lead role in the development of the first GNSS Vulnerability Test System and speaks widely on the topic at many industry conferences. Perdue is Spectracom product manager at Orolia, where she directs the organization’s GNSS simulation activities and contributes to its entire portfolio of resilient PNT solutions. She has more than 15 years of navigation and RF systems experience, which includes 10 years of service with the U.S. Navy, where she was a certified master training specialist.
Mike Jones
GPS World contributing editor for Defense; Capability Lead for Array Processing, Roke Manor Research
Jones leads the Array Processing group at Roke Manor Research, where he is also a senior consultant engineer. He has an exceptionally broad skill base encompassing sensing, communications, navigation and electronic warfare, and has particular specialist interest in GNSS adaptive antenna systems and direction-finding technology. He has detailed technical knowledge of adaptive antenna GPS systems and was jointly responsible for the development of a number of navigation protection systems using interference cancellation, adaptive beamforming and direction finding. His work is in service on a variety of MoD and DoD airborne platforms around the world. He specializes in the simulation, modeling and hardware implementation of advanced signal processing algorithms, and has led a number of FPGA and ASIC designs for radar, GPS and communications systems. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation.
Mikel Miller Vice President for PNT Technologies at Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S); Former U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory
Miller is building a broad, multi-disciplinary research and development group at IS4S, focused on aspects of PNT and autonomous system science and technology. He began his career as a satellite systems engineer assigned with the U.S. Air Force, holding numerous test, research and development, and program management positions. After earning his Ph.D., he served as an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology until his retirement from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 2003. Most recently, he served as the chief scientist for PNT Technologies for the Air Force Research Lab Sensors Directorate. He has authored/co-authored more than 65 journal articles, technical papers and documents, as well as a NATO handbook on navigation technologies. He is a Fellow and past president of the Institute of Navigation (ION) and a past chairman of the Joint Service Data Exchange.
Randy Villahermosa Executive Director, iLAB, The Aerospace Corporation
Villahermosa will speak on research concepts in complementary PNT, including open-source frameworks and the potential role of signals-of-opportunity navigation.
Alan Cameron, Moderator Editor-In-Chief and Publisher, GPS World
Alan Cameron is editor-in-chief and publisher of GPS World magazine, where he has worked since 2000. He also writes the monthly GNSS Design & Test newsletter.
Commercial drone-maker Delair has introduced a professional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for survey-grade photogrammetric mapping.
The UX11 is a small fixed-wing UAV that combines a powerful integrated onboard system, industry-grade sensors, limitless communication range and PPK centimeter-level positioning. It carries enough onboard computing power to access and process the pictures, then sends them to the operator in real-time.
According to the company, it will run automated quality checks on the images (such as blur detection or overlap checks) to help ensure the operator is acquiring quality data.
The UX11’s redundant communications system includes a proprietary line of sight radio and 3G/4G connectivity between the ground control station and the UAV using a worldwide machine-to-machine pre-paid plan.
Building on Delair’s experience with beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations since 2012, the UX11 is ready for BVLOS flights with unlimited range and adds a new level of safety with this communication link.
The UX11 is lightweight, ultra-stable, simple to hand-launch at takeoff and it lands precisely where planned using distance measuring technology. New user-friendly Android mission planning software boasts innovative features such as support for in-flight camera feedback and live data review, the company said.
Made to help professionals in GIS, survey, and construction optimize area coverage per flight, the UX11 flies for 59 minutes with the best coverage and resolution specifications in its class for flights at 122 m (400 ft) altitude above ground level. The UX11 will be available for purchase via DELAIR’s global network of distributors by January, 2018.
The UX11 is a product offer for data acquisition which can be complemented by data processing and analytics software programs to address a range of commercial applications. Geospatial users can create 2D and 3D models and then generate elevation profiles, contour lines, slope qualifications and volumetric estimates with high accuracy and resolution using post-processed kinematic data and ground-control points.
32 GPS channels for faster, more accurate position lock
The HOOK3 radio is 30 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than the HOOK2 radio, and has a smaller, longer lasting battery. The embedded GPS module has 32 channels, enabling a faster position acquisition time, more accurate position reporting and better performance under forested or densely vegetated areas or near structures. The radio transmits encrypted GPS, user identification, situation reports and other critical information to rescue teams and aircraft in short bursts to reduce the risk of detection. The radio can also use multiple GNSS. The HOOK3 provides direct line-of-sight voice and encrypted two-way data communications to help combat search-and-rescue teams quickly and accurately locate and rescue downed pilots and isolated military personnel. It automatically activates and transmits location data when specific G-force or salt water is detected.
The LM940 is a global full PCI Express mini card (mPCIe) module for the router and gateway industry supporting LTE Advanced Category 11 (Cat 11) with speeds of up to 600 Mbps. The internet of things (IoT) module will be available, with various mobile network operator approvals, in the fourth quarter of 2017. The module includes quad-constellation integrated GNSS and is in an mPCIe form factor to support Cat 11 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 LTE modem. The industrial-grade LM940 delivers significant flexibility and a competitive edge to original equipment manufacturers looking to quickly deploy next-generation products. 3x carrier aggregation leverages extended capabilities of the network for increased coverage and bandwidth. The industrial-grade module is designed for the router and gateway market supporting high-bandwidth dependent applications like high-definition video streaming with digital signage.
The Rohde & Schwarz TS-LBS test solution allows mobile manufacturers, chipset manufacturers, test houses and network operators to verify chipsets and mobile devices to obtain permission to operate them in a particular network. The successful Assisted BeiDou (A-BeiDou) verification of a Media-Tek device under test using the Rohde & Schwarz test system means the setup can be used to validate and verify a device in the U-plane and C-plane for A-BeiDou location-based services (LBS). The TS-LBS uses an R&S CMW500 as the base-station simulator and an R&S SMBV100A GNSS simulator. The CMW500 provides assistance data to the device under test and the SMBV100A simulates the BeiDou satellites. The test system can be used to obtain Global Certification Forum (GCF) and PTCRB certification as well as network-operator-specific certification for chipsets and mobile devices.
Next-generation quad-system GNSS module in small package
The UM482 is a multi-frequency high-precision heading module with a 30 × 40 millimeter footprint. It supports the satellite signals BDS B1/B2, GPS L1/L2, GLONASS L1/L2, Galileo E1/ E5b and SBAS. The module is designed for applications such as robotics, drones, intelligent drives and mechanical control. Features include surface-mount (SMD) packaging; 1-centimeter real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning accuracy and 0.2-degree heading accuracy with a 1-meter baseline; dual antenna input with support of antenna signal detection; supports simultaneous output of heading and positioning with a 20-Hz data output rate; adaptive recognition of RTCM input data format; and on-board micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) integrated navigation. The UM482 GNSS RTK module adopts Unicore’s new-generation Nebulas II chip and UGypsophila real-time kinematic (RTK) algorithm.
Underlying tech, security benefits described in new application note
The NTP Reflector is one of many differentiating features of Microsemi’s new SyncServer S600 series network time servers. The Reflector is a real-time, hardware-based NTP packet identification and time-stamping engine uniquely designed to protect the SyncServer CPU from excessive network traffic denial of service (DoS) attacks. It will and notify the operator if NTP traffic is above expected levels. This enables extremely high-bandwidth, high-accuracy, high-reliability and security-hardened NTP operations.The Security Hardened SyncServer features denial of service (DoS) resilience, monitoring and notification functions.
Provide a high degree of multipath signal rejection
The TW3152 and TW3752 are high-gain (50dB) GNSS antennas useful where long cable runs are required, such as in timing systems and GNSS re-radiator systems. The TW3152 provides reception of GPS L1. The TW3752 provides reception of GPS L1, GLONASS G1, BeiDou B1 and Galileo E1 signals. Both antennas employ Tallysman’s Accutenna technology, which provides a high degree of multipath signal rejection through the full bandwidth of the antenna. The antennas are triple filtered to prevent the saturation of the front-end low-noise amplifier (LNA) by strong near frequency and harmonic signals — are a growing concern throughout the world. The antennas are available with a choice of radome shape (flat or conical), color of radome (white or grey), and a wide variety of connectors.
Penmap for Android is a cloud-connected application for field surveying and high-accuracy geographic information system (GIS) data collection that works on mobile handhelds, smartphones and tablets. It focuses on core survey and mapping tasks such as cadastral and boundary surveys, establishing local control, stake-outs, quality checks and asset management for utilities. It provides both professional surveyors and field workers with a map-based interface to manage features and attributes for high-accuracy GIS and complete survey documentation. In the energy sector, it can be used to locate infrastructure and record critical information on encroachments, clearways and existing monuments. The app runs on Android handhelds such as the Trimble TDC100 and supports the Trimble R10, R8s and R2 GNSS receivers.
The HX-DU1603D is an advanced, high-speed, Bluetooth-enabled wireless rover radio designed for GNSS/RTK surveying and precise positioning. The HX-DU1603D is a lightweight, ruggedized UHF receiver designed for data communications between 410 MHz and 470 MHz in either 12.5-KHz or 25-KHz channels, which can be widely used in GNSS/RTK surveying and GNSS precise positioning fields. It has a Bluetooth transceiver and is IP67 waterproof rated. It also has a 6800-mAh rechargeable internal battery and configurable transmit power between 0.5W and 2W. The 1.9-inch display screen supports frequency, protocols, power display, serial port baud rate and air baud rate. Users can instantly communicate with GNSS precise positioning receivers with the same protocols throughout the world.
Bathymetrics portal delivers data online for download
The Bathymetrics Data Portal allows users to search, purchase and automatically download water-depth information directly from an online store to their computer. It offers continuously expanding 2m Bathymetry data in shallow water areas and a global database of interpolated 90m bathymetry. The portal allows users to search for data in their areas of interest and purchase what they need. Data is priced by the square kilometer; the customer pays online with credit card and can download the data shortly after. Bathymetric products are used extensively by organizations involved in energy infrastructure development, port construction, environmental monitoring, aquaculture planning and hydrodynamic modeling.
Portfolio 2017 is a digital asset management (DAM) solution optimized for geospatial data. It enables users to organize, access and share geospatial datasets — including compressed MrSID files — along with associated graphics and documents. Divisions of Celartem Inc., LizardTech and Extensis collaborated in adding geospatial data management capabilities to the new version. The DAM solution indexes and catalogs photographs, videos, maps, audio files, Adobe Creative Cloud applications and Microsoft Office documents. A centralized repository for managing digital files should reduce time spent looking for datasets and eliminate costly replacement of misplaced files, according to LizardTech. Portfolio 2017 gives users instant access to imagery, lidar and video data captured by satellite, aircraft and UAV platforms. Geospatial files that have been compressed and saved in MrSID formats with the LizardTech GeoExpress solution can be loaded and viewed into Portfolio without any further data conversion. The new version extracts embedded metadata from compressed imagery and lidar files saved in MrSID formats — as well as GeoTIFF, JPEG 2000, NITF and LAS. Geospatial data can be indexed and stored alongside associated non-geospatial photographs and documents. Data can be retrieved by geographic coordinates or the metadata tag, such as a name, acquisition date or sensor platform. Users can also search by defining an area of interest on a map.
The ArcGIS book 10 Big Ideas about Applying The Science of Where has a companion website. The book provides mapmakers with the know-how and hands-on experience to practice what Esri calls “The Science of Where.” The accompanying website offers information and interactive education resources needed to use web-based geographic information system (GIS) technology to create maps, work with apps, create and use authoritative data and conduct spatial analysis. The book is available in print, as an interactive PDF and online. Chapters cover web mapping, ready-to-use apps, story maps, 3D GIS, spatial analysis, imagery and the Internet of Things, as well as curated content from Esri’s Living Atlas of the World.
Internet of things workflow automation application
WyzeTask is now available in the Geotab Marketplace. WyzeTask is a complement to the MyGeotab platform, which serves more than 14,000 Geotab customers. WyzeTask maximizes employee productivity by automating task tracking and job completion processes, freeing workers from paperwork and manual data entry. WyzeTask includes the WyzeBeacon, a wearable device that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to transmit data to a nearby BLE scanner, which can be a Geotab IOX-BT hub or a smartphone/tablet running the WyzeTask application. Employees click a button on their WyzeBeacon to have it log and share information such as their task status, time and GPS location.
The MX-15 electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging system can be configured with up to six imaging and laser payloads, each of which shares the highest level of stabilization. It incorporates a GPS receiver and antenna, with options available for a GPS time-sync interface and GPS data interface. Sensor options include a high-definition thermal imager, color low-light continuous zoom, daylight step zoom spotter, day/night spotter, laser rangefinder and a laser illuminator. The MX series turrets are operational across 74 countries and on more than 137 different types of platforms, including Airb us helicopters.
The AG960 AutoSteer System is designed to accelerate the application of autopilot for precision agricultural machinery. By integrating high-precision real-time kinematic (RTK) receiver and software, the AG960 enables agricultural machines to operate in accordance with a pre-set planning path. Using precise GNSS guidance, the hydraulic system of the agricultural machinery is steered by the vehicle controller. Agricultural machines can operate aligned with the set route automatically, while graphical details are displayed on the vehicle display panel. The system includes a high-precision positioning receiver with GPS L1/L2, GLONASS G1/G2, BDS B1/B2, Galileo, QZSS and two GNSS antennas. Other features include a vehicle display panel computer, hydraulic valve (steering wheel optional), autopilot (controller), coaxial rotation direction sensor, electromagnetic hydraulic valve and radio receiving antenna mast/pedestal.
Maintains accurate heading during GNSS outages of up to 20 minutes
The GNSS Compass is a fully integrated wheelmark certified GPS/INS navigation and heading solution. It contains a 9-axis IMU that is integrated with a dual-antenna GNSS system with high-performance antennas. It provides higher heading accuracy than magnetic systems and does not require any calibration or setup. It features high accuracy RTK positioning and is plug and play for NMEA0183 and NMEA2000 integrations. Four product variants are available . The low-cost variant is an L1-only model suitable for commercial vessel navigation, while an L1/L2 variant meets the high accuracy requirements of surveying applications. It is also possible to choose between an NMEA0183/NMEA2000 interface and a power-over-Ethernet interface for maximum flexibility. The Ethernet variant features NTP and PTP timing servers for precise time synchronization.
In-vehicle system compliance tools for EU eCall regulations
Spectracom has introduced built-in scenarios for testing eCall in-vehicle systems compliance to the GNSS requirements of the regulation as an option with its GSG simulator products. These options will ensure that automotive manufacturers who plan to continue selling in Europe are equipped with the right tools for testing the eCall regulatory compliance of their equipment. The Spectracom GSG simulators simulate all the major GNSS constellations needed for testing compliance of critical signal-receiving equipment in a variety of eCall scenarios. Scenarios can test positioning accuracy under different conditions, time-to-first-fix, GNSS receiver sensitivity, reacquisition performance following signal outages, playing specific static and dynamic trajectory scenarios, and changing RF transmit-power-level manually or remotely sequenced as required by standard. European Union (EU) regulation 2015/758 requires new vehicle types of M1 and N1 to be equipped with eCall in-vehicle systems by March 31, 2018.
Titan GPS’ Titan Electronic Logbook (ELD) was one of the first devices to be registered as a certified ELD under the standards of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The Titan Electronic Logging Devices and Electronic Hours of Service Logbook App help fleets comply with hours of service regulations with error-free, easy-to-use electronic solutions. An intuitive interface, detailed analytics and easy installation ensure that fleets of all sizes can comply with the FMSCA mandate. Features include easy creation of a driver log faster roadside inspections and audits, pre- and post-trip DVIR reports. The logbook adheres to both U.S. and Canadian rules.
The Robusta GNSS antenna ia a very low-profile antenna in a new patent design for metal surfaces. The antenna operates in the 1559–1609 MHz bands and is designed for tracking metal objects and smart city applications. It is designed to answer to the challenge of operating on a metal surface or housing, where it is extremely difficult for an antenna to operate. It uses a patented new technology with two layers: The first layer is electrically isolated to provide RF shielding to the second layer, allowing the antenna to radiate effectively in the direction pointing away from the base material. It can be used on bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles, containers or other property that needs to be tracked and located accurately.
In kit with UAVCAN GNSS module, power module, long-range Wi-Fi
The ArduPilot-based Emlid Edge drone controller runs Linux on a quad-core system on chip, and offers an HDMI input, long-range 5.8GHz Wi-Fi and a UAVCAN GNSS module. The Emlid Edge kit offers an HDMI input to capture video from an HD camera such as the GoPro. An optimized, long-range 5.8-GHz Wi-Fi link can stream pre-compressed HD video and telemetry data up to 2 kilometers to Emlid’s QGroundControl station (GCS) software running on a laptop equipped with the same 5.8-GHz link. The kit provides a separate external UAVCAN GNSS module that includes a temperature-controlled dual inertial measurement unit (IMU) and barometer sensor subsystem. The module supports batteries up to 12S and current sensing up to 200A. The GCS software includes waypoint navigation, flight status monitoring, automatic return based on triggers, and payload control for devices like cameras, retractable landing gear, parachute or crop-spraying equipment.
The Falcon UAV comes with a complete first-person-view kit. A return-to-launch function enables the system to come back to the point of launch by command of the Ground Control Station or when it loses power. High-efficiency motors and actively braking propellers provide increased stability and response control, while hard-switch buttons on the command station reduce the in-field risk of operating the the aircraft and selecting the wrong mode or instruction. Autonomous software allows the operator to plan, control and fly missions using pre-determined flight paths via waypoint control. Its small noise footprint means the aircraft is undetectable at 150 meters.
The REX 1 is designed to disrupt GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou sateliite navigation signals; radio-frequency communications (900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.2–5.8 GHz); and mobile networks (GSM, 3G and LTE). Built on the Kalashnikov MP-514K rifle, it can be put in combat mode with the push of a button. It is equipped with interchangeable jamming units, a sight, foregrip, bipod and a mount for ancillaries such as a strobe light or a laser-beam pointer. The battery is installed in the rifle’s buttstock and has a continuous working time of 3 hours. It has a jamming distance of 1,000 meters (5,000 meters against GPS navigation), an angular coverage of 15° (180° against GPS navigation) and weighs 4.2 kilograms.
The Atlas Blue-J features a 3.5-meter wing span, four to six hours of flight time and a 150-kilometer operational range. Designed for large-scale security and inspection missions, the fixed-wing UAV can be operated in autonomous and semi-autonomous modes, including takeoff and landing. Made of carbon fiber, the Atlas Blue-J is light weight (11 kilograms) and can carry up to a 9-kilogram payload. It is suitable for high-speed, high-altitude missions, with long target duration capabilities and a low radar footprint.
Simultaneous capture of thermal, NDVI, high-resolution RGB imagery
The Omni quadcopter drone captures three distinct crop health data measurements in a single flight: thermal, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and high-resolution RGB. Pairing a DJI XT Thermal sensor with Omni’s standard Double 4K offers agronomists, crop consultants, advisors, and producers a precise agriculture data capture tool for multi-dimensional insights. Thermal data allows farmers to evaluate plant health and practices as reflected through plant and soil temperatures.
The Matternet Station enables fully-automated ground operations for Matternet customer networks, including battery and package exchange. It is integrated with Matternet’s autonomous M2 drone and Matternet’s cloud platform to provide an intuitive user interface for sending and receiving packages through Matternet. The station has a footprint of 2 square meters and can be installed at ground or rooftop locations. Its technology guides the Matternet M2 drone to precision landing on the station’s platform. After landing, the station locks the drone in place and automatically swaps its battery and payload. A user is able to send a package to another location by scanning it into the Matternet Station, or receive a package from the station by scanning a QR code. The first Matternet networks will service hospitals in cities across Switzerland.
Using live data from USGS and Waze, a new Esri interactive map visualizes active wildfire locations and traffic alerts for Northern California.
The map incorporates a new mapping technique to group traffic alerts at locations where there is a high density of alerts. This method enables faster and more effective visual analysis in areas where there are many alerts that would normally overlap.
Active fire data displays the locations of large fire incidents in Northern California. Data is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and The Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination Group, and is intended to give near real-time understanding of the situation on the ground.
Location and status of active fires is updated throughout the day as new information is gathered by first responders.
Data from Waze is reported by users of Waze and updated every two minutes. This data, provided by Waze through the Connected Citizens Program, contains filtered data for affected area including system-generated traffic jams and user-reported traffic incidents (including jams, accidents, hazards, construction, potholes, roadkill, stopped vehicles, objects on road, and missing signs).
DigitalGlobe releases images of Northern California wildfires
DigitalGlobe has released high-resolution satellite images of the wildfires burning in Northern California. These wildfires have killed at least 21 people, destroyed at least 3,500 structures, and burned more than 115,000 acres.
The Oct. 10 images were collected using the Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) sensor on DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-3 satellite, which is uniquely able to pierce through the wildfire smoke to see where the fires are burning on the ground. For comparison, the ground and the fire line are completely obstructed by smoke in the natural color image of the same area (see the larger overview image on the first slide).
The Oct. 11 images were taken by DigitalGlobe’s GeoEye-1 satellite. Some of these are natural color, while others are shown in the Very Near Infrared (VNIR), where burned areas appear gray and black and healthy vegetation is red.
Additionally, DigitalGlobe has activated its Open Data Program, which provides imagery to support recovery efforts in the wake of large-scale natural disasters. Pre- and post-wildfire imagery of the affected areas are available to emergency responders on the Santa Rosa wildfires page.
Mike Jones
Mikel Miller
Randy Villahermosa
The ArcGIS book 10 Big Ideas about Applying The Science of Where has a companion website. The book provides mapmakers with the know-how and hands-on experience to practice what Esri calls “The Science of Where.” The accompanying website offers information and interactive education resources needed to use web-based geographic information system (GIS) technology to create maps, work with apps, create and use authoritative data and conduct spatial analysis. The book is available in print, as an interactive PDF and online. Chapters cover web mapping, ready-to-use apps, story maps, 3D GIS, spatial analysis, imagery and the Internet of Things, as well as curated content from Esri’s Living Atlas of the World.
