Commercial drone and data company PrecisionHawk has opened access to its PrecisionMapper professional mapping and analytics software for free.
With the software, drone operators can snap an unlimited number of photos, create maps without resolution limits, and run algorithms to analyze their data.
PrecisionHawk announced the launch of the free version of PrecisionMapper today at the AUVSI’s Xponential 2017 conference in Dallas, Texas.
Drone operators can use PrecisionMapper to generate aerial data using their own drones.
“Drones have the potential to capture more high-resolution data than any other technology, but we believe that drones are being under-utilized because of the cost barriers around processing, analytics and storage,” said PrecisionHawk CEO Michael Chasen. “Users should be able to walk into any store, buy a drone and use that drone to generate business insights for free.”
“We believe that this move allows more innovation from more people,” Chasen continued. “PrecisionHawk has gained a lot from the advanced thinking of this community, and this is our way of giving back.”
By providing this software for free, PrecisionHawk is giving operators of drones with visual cameras the capability to explore the financial value of aerial data in any industry and is encouraging further use and adoption of drone technology.
Operators can quickly and easily upload imagery collected from a drone to PrecisionMapper. Using GPS information embedded within images, the software automatically stitches together a complete map, viewable in both 2D and 3D. Free users of PrecisionMapper can create up to 60 surveys a year without resolution or export limits.
In addition, users can add ground control points and access free analysis tools for construction, agriculture, insurance, and energy including:
volume calculations
3D models
contour maps
multiple crop health indices, including visual-NDVI
“When professionals have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with PrecisionMapper, they will be able to better understand the power of aerial data and how it can be best incorporated into their existing businesses,” Chasen said.
AGCO Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment solutions, is expanding its automatic guidance product offering to enable its customers using AGCO Auto-Guide and VarioGuide customers with NovAtel SMART6-L receivers to acquire TerraStar satellite correction signals for enhanced positioning performance.
The TerraStar-C and TerraStar-L correction services are subscription-based services that are delivered over satellite, utilizing a system of more than 80 GNSS reference stations to provide consistent accuracy worldwide. These correction services will maximize uptime and productivity by providing fast initialization to a reliable position, and instant re-convergence when the signal is lost. Providing decimeter accuracy levels through TerraStar-C of 5cm and submeter accuracy levels through TerraStar-L of 15cm pass to pass, customers can select the most appropriate service based on their specific growing operations.
AGCO’s partnership with NovAtel is a product of Fuse and its open approach to precision agriculture. Fuse focuses on helping customers optimize their farms through seamless technology integration and connectivity. TerraStar-L and TerraStar-C subscriptions will be available this summer through AGCO dealers.
Most activity so far in the PNT community has centered around the questions of “Where am I?” and “Where am I going?” and “How fast am I going?” Positioning, navigation and timing. Seemingly that should about cover it. But no.
Mapping comes into the picture: “What fixed objects are in my environment?” This is actually a corollary of “Where am I?” though let’s not put too fine a point on it.
All this “I” business. To get to driverless cars and other autonomous vehicles, we will have to look beyond the first person singular, what some researchers call “the ego vehicle.” We must know, with a high degree of precision and certainty, “Where are other moving vehicles?” and “Where are they going?” and “How fast are they moving?” Another order of magnitude, if not several. PNT squared, as it were.
In the fast oncoming intelligent transportation systems (ITS), future driving (very much present and evolving now) will rely on accurate, reliable and continuous knowledge of the position of other so-called road participants. That’s not just cars, trucks, motorcycles and buses, but includes pedestrians and bicycles and who knows what else — skateboards?
The first approaches to this requirement use on-board ranging sensors such as camera/vision systems, radar, laser scanners and more. (Some of this “more” is explored in this May’s print cover story, “Look Around.”) This already calls for a significant level of integration with GNSS and inertial systems of the ego.
But it’s still not enough. A cooperative approach must develop, in which the other road participants actively support the continuous estimation of all relative positions. Not only must they have all the sensors the ego possesses, they must continually communicate all that data with the ego, and conversely. This is what’s called “connectivity.”
It’s almost as if vehicles are becoming sentient, expressive beings. A bit like us. Bringing new meaning to the expression “the automobile as an extension of the self.”
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.
Ask anyone what time means to them, and they will give you a different answer. Benjamin Franklin famously stated that “time is money.” Time for the surveyor can mean being out in the field retracing a boundary, drafting a plat or working with a client to help them see their goals achieved. Just like any other profession, time can be a friend or foe for the surveyor. We seem to run out of it more than we have an excess of it. Either way, time marches on as we go about our business.
Time, however, is changing the surveyor’s world and how we go about our methods of measurement. While it seems like a crazy concept, time is the major component requiring changes to geodetic procedural processes and how we will determine our locations in the future.
We will continue to see advances in hardware and software along with new interfaces and ways to collect and display survey data almost daily, and we will continue to deal with adaptation. However, surveyors must be ready for the next big challenge: a national horizontal and vertical adjustment of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) into a new standard. The North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 (NATRF2022.) is currently being developed by NGS and will replace NAD83 and NAVD88. Most surveyors will ask why we are getting ready for a historic change in datums. Easy — it’s all about time.
Expanded Variables
Just as early travelers thought the Earth was flat and learned it wasn’t through exploration and science, we are learning more everyday regarding how our world is changing. To get a better understanding of how our world is changing, NGS and the geodesy community have expanded the environmental variables of geographic location to areas including gravity, geoid undulations and geopotential data, plate tectonics and crustal evolution, and additional GNSS data analysis through satellites and continuously operating reference station (CORS) installations.
By introducing new attributes affecting coordinate data, including horizontal motions induced directly or indirectly by adjoining tectonic plates, horizontal motions induced by Global Isostatic Adjustment, other horizontal motions and all vertical motions in their entirety (per NGS NOAA Technical Report NOS NGS 62), data captured will be used to create an Intra-Frame Velocity Model (IFVM). Data following this format will be now be used to monitor the movement of survey positions from implementation forward. The key factor in which all the data is centralized is time.
My GPS World colleague David Zilkoski presented a thorough explanation (“NGS to Replace NAVD88 in 2022: What GNSS Users Need To Know) of the nuts and bolts behind the changes. Here are the basic reasons behind the new adjustment as provided by NGS:
NAD 83 and NAVD 88, although still the official horizontal and vertical datums of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), have been identified as having shortcomings that are best addressed through defining new horizontal and vertical datums.
Specifically, NAD 83 is non-geocentric by about 2.2 meters. Secondly, NAVD 88 is both biased (by about one-half meter) and tilted (about 1 meter coast to coast) relative to the best global geoid models available today. Both of these issues derive from the fact that both datums were defined primarily using terrestrial surveying techniques at passive geodetic survey marks. This network of survey marks deteriorate over time (both through unchecked physical movement and simple removal), and resources are not available to maintain them.
The new reference frames (geometric and geopotential) will rely primarily Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as an updated and time-tracked geoid model. This paradigm will be easier and more cost-effective to maintain.
Plate tectonics
These proposed changes to the NSRS, however, are based upon how much we have learned about our changing Earth using GNSS equipment and data collection. Time, as it turns out, is a big factor in how we measure and document locations. A point that is determined exactly here on this day at a specific moment will have moved due to plate tectonics and other variables to there over a period of time.
New Vertical Component
Another aspect of the datum change will be the definition of a new vertical component. Surveyors are familiar with the establishment of NGVD29 based upon mean sea level, and also NAVD88 being based upon the benchmark at Father Point/Rimouski, Quebec, Canada with reference to the International Great Lakes Datum of 1985. What science has taught us in the years beyond NAVD88 is that there is a greater force at play when it comes to the vertical piece of geolocation: gravity.
Yes, gravity keeps us on the ground and causes water to flow downhill, but the development of gravitational studies has led to incredible discoveries of how gravity affects elevation. It was always assumed that the gravitational pull on the earth was uniform worldwide, but with the development of instruments that can measure and map the variations in gravity, NGS will be redefining the vertical datum through a program called GRAV-D. NGS is currently flying in various portions of the U.S. and is scheduled to be completed by 2021 in order to roll out with the new horizontal program in 2022.
So, it turns out that time has been affecting not just our productivity but also our positions on the earth. Another famous quote by Paulo Coelho does hold true: “Time neither moves nor is stationary. Time changes.” Time has passed since this article began; did you feel the earth move?
What about our survey monuments and state plane coordinates?
For many surveyors, the main question is simple: why now? What is so bad with our existing NAD83 and NAVD88 datums?
Map courtesy of GISGeography, at http://gisgeography.com/state-plane-coordinate-system-spcs/
The reason is very simple; staying current with our favorite tool in the toolbox: GNSS. Surveyors have always been about “monuments” and perpetuation of data from established points located on the face of the Earth with published and/or known values. This concept has become even more important to the surveying community once the proliferation of geographic-based and state plane coordinate data was published for all to utilize. I touched on the surveyor’s use and data collection/perpetuation of location values in a past column (GPS World November 2016). As long as NGS updated the national database with more information and a simple adjustment every so often, life was good and simple.
But now we have worlds colliding; static monuments with published horizontal and vertical values in one corner, while in the other corner is the new paradigm of ever shifting crustal plates and changing positional values monitored by GNSS data through satellites and a network of CORS located worldwide.
This situation makes me harken back to one of my favorite “Ghostbusters” lines from Bill Murray’s character, Dr. Peter Venkman: “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together – mass hysteria…”
Okay, maybe it won’t be quite that bad but there will be many surveyors that will have trouble wrapping their minds around the new concept of “moving monuments.” Our reliance on state plane coordinate systems (SPCS) is at an all-time high with the sharing of data by various parties being more seamless than ever. The notion that a permanent monument’s positional values will be constantly changing is a head-spinner to most.
NGS has also stated that their new system and procedures will not maintain data values for SPCS (see NGS State Plane Flyer). There are currently 125 SPCS zones and 3235 county systems throughout the US and territories in place that rely on NGS data as the main framework, so having tools for reference and conversion in place will be crucial. Thus, it will be a herculean task to create a procedure/process to easily pass coordinate values between our many static systems worldwide and the new dynamic but very robust system underway from NGS.
Based upon information currently available about the NAD2022 system, it would be more efficient for all those who use geolocation data to modify their thinking to adapt to a dynamic coordinate system. However, this is a similar situation to early scientists and geographers throwing out all references to flat-earth maps and atlases. For surveyors in the twilight of their careers, these are radical items to consider and a far cry from the standardized chain and theodolite. (Maybe there will be mass hysteria…)
The good news is that we have very intelligent people in the surveying and geodetic community who are working on solutions for the masses. The beauty of newer technology is how quickly hardware and software can be adapted to fit these new data conditions. Getting the word out on these changes and educating our profession will be a key factor to its success.
Further Refinement of Coordinate Systems
While the use of GNSS has enabled the discovery of time as a significant variable in geolocation, it has also expanded out coverage area of coordinate systems to much larger areas. Distances that could not be computed prior to GNSS are now easily attained and large projects can be managed within a common coordinate system. County, regional and state agencies can now create large-scale GIS databases that utilize a single coordinate system as well.
However, there are two differing tracks being formed with the continued development of the new datum by NGS. While the new datum will become more precise and predictable, there are movements in opposing camps to make changes in user coordinate in the furthest possible ways: statewide single zone system versus county/regional low distortion projection (LDP) systems. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, and will depend on the application of the user to choose the appropriate system.
Most states currently have two or more zones so there potential to combine all zones into one, but a major drawback will be the loss of accuracy away from the defining points. For GIS users, this accuracy will more than adequate and will allow the merging of data from across the state into one unified system.
Surveyors, however, are an interesting bunch in that they accept only the most accurate AND precise measurements. The growing use of LDP is rapidly changing the implementation and management of coordinate system in smaller areas such as counties and regional DOT districts.
However, both systems have a place in our surveying and mapping world. NGS has stated that while they will help with transformation software and apps, it will leave the decision of legislative standards to each state. It will be paramount that each state study what makes the most sense for its users and pass the appropriate legislation.
“The days are long but the years are short”
As I look back and realize how much has changed with modern technology and overall knowledge of our profession, it is with much anticipation how much more will change with advancements we don’t even know about yet. The electronic distance meter (EDM) was revolutionary for many surveyors and I’ve waxed poetic about my feelings regarding RTK GNSS in past columns (GPS World May 2016). Once again, however, technology and information based upon its use has revolutionized our data system.
As a profession, surveyors have embraced GNSS use and data collection from the early implementation of the system. And while the advances of UAV use, laser scanners and LiDAR along with software improvements have revolutionized data collection, these proposed coordinate improvements by NGS will bring more potential quality information into the surveyor’s hands.
And while time is money as Mr. Franklin famously stated, 2022 is just around the corner. A good friend of mine is famous for saying: “Good coordination begins with good coordinates.” The work performed by NGS is helping us do just that. The entire surveying, mapping and geodetic community has lots to accomplish to be ready for the changes from NGS. Let’s get to work.
A drone that weighs less than 50 pounds can provide fully functional 4G cellphone service.
Virginia-based Fenix Group has partnered with Martin UAV, a Texas-based manufacturer of rugged utility drones, to launch an under-55-pound drone capable of providing fully functional 4G cellphone service.
While Fenix Group plans to issue its first production units to the U.S. Department of Defense and first responders, it anticipates demand from telecommunications providers, oil and gas companies, and crisis response units worldwide.
It also could mean connectivity in remote parts of the world.
In addition to providing a coverage area on the ground, the payload is also able to stream encrypted video from the drone’s camera system to anyone on the network. In the future, soldiers, search and rescue teams, and first responders will have access to drone video from their phones.
The Fenix team also enabled Internet access so that command centers could access the feed from anywhere in the world.
The May issue of GPS World carries these three expert opinions on the question: How are autonomous vehicles and V2V technologies driving innovation within the GNSS industry?
Chaminda Basnyake
Chaminda Basnyake
Principal Engineer, Market Development,
Locata Corporation
We still have technical and cost versus performance challenges to meet the PNT needs of V2V and AV. Positioning and even timing expectations in deep urban areas are still not met reliably. As a result, ad hoc methods such as HD map-based nav — methods that work but are not scalable — have emerged. Innovations to deal with multipath, signal visibility and geometry are critical. Solutions that enable real-time mapping will be essential for scalable AV deployment.
Curtis Hay
Curtis Hay
Technical Fellow, GPS & Maps,
General Motors
Four key areas the commercial GNSS industry is pursuing include: low-cost, high-volume dual-frequency chipsets; broadly available PPP and network RTK corrections delivered either through mobile IP or satellite; precise maps for highways, urban centers and trunk roads that achieve 10-cm localization relative to WGS-84; and improved integrity monitoring and fault detection. The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration also released a proposed rule-making with tight standards for GNSS performance: 1.5 meters, 1-sigma confidence.
Jonathan Auld
Jonathan Auld
Director, Safety Critical Systems,
NovAtel
Unlike traditional GNSS applications, automotive positioning requires high-precision accuracy at extremely low cost and size. Most importantly, this performance must be achieved with high reliability while operating in the toughest environments. Solving this positioning challenge is driving innovation in the system engineering of multi-frequency receivers and antennas along with extending performance through sensor fusion with lower cost devices. Additionally, there is significant work in the area of safety and integrity for land-based applications.
Here’s a preview of the V2V countdown article from the May issue, introduced by Chaminda Basnyake, an engineer at Locata Corporation:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in December 2016 for the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications as part of the connected vehicles (CV) and automated vehicles (AV) initiative. If all goes well, this mean a V2V deployment mandate for new passenger vehicles likely starting in 2021 and reaching all new vehicles within 2–3 years.
Standards required for V2V deployment were published in 2016 or before, including the V2V Minimum Performance Requirements SAE 2945/1, leading the way for commercial product development. The USDOT, which has been the catalyst behind V2V industry R&D starting from the automaker collaboration CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrix Partnership) in 2001, is conducting CV Pilot programs in New York, Wyoming and Florida. These offer the opportunity for state DOTs, vendors and all other stakeholders to test the technology in real-life scenarios.
Automotive OEMs have been developing this technology for more than a decade, and the NPRM is the beginning of a race toward integrating V2V to production vehicles. Deploying V2V technology requires the close cooperation of OEMs, their suppliers and many other stakeholders.
This article captures the views of major players in the CV marketplace on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on AV technology.
Tallysman, a manufacturer of high-performance GNSS antennas and related products, released its NMO (New Motorola) mounts for its dual- and triple-band GNSS antennas. NMO mounts are used in a variety of applications such as automobiles, railway cars and emergency vehicles.
With the introduction of this mount, customers can now upgrade existing GPS L1-only antennas to dual (L1/L2) and triple (L1/L2/L5) band GNSS antennas.
The NMO mount is available for Tallysman’s TW3872 (GPS L1/L2, GLONASS G1/G2, BeiDou B1, and Galileo E1) and the TW3972 (GPS L1/L2/L5, GLONASS G1/G2/G3, BeiDou B1/B2, Galileo E1/E5a+b + L-band correction) antennas.
The NMO mount is able to accept a ground plane (also available from Tallysman) to increase the gain of the antenna.
Tallysman antennas are housed in an IP67 compliant housing and are REACH and RoHS compliant.
We asked major players in the connected vehicles marketplace for their views on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on autonomous vehicle technology.
Curated and introduced by Chaminda Basnayake, Principal Engineer, Market Development, Locata Corporation
State of the Industry: Connected Vehicles
Intersection Movement Assist warns the driver if it is not safe to enter an intersection, for example, if another vehicle is running a red light or making a sudden turn. (Image: U.S. Department of Transportation)
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in December 2016 for the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications as part of the connected vehicles (CV) and automated vehicles (AV) initiative. If all goes well, this mean a V2V deployment mandate for new passenger vehicles likely starting in 2021 and reaching all new vehicles within 2–3 years.
Standards required for V2V deployment were published in 2016 or before, including the V2V Minimum Performance Requirements SAE 2945/1, leading the way for commercial product development. The USDOT, which has been the catalyst behind V2V industry R&D starting from the automaker collaboration CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrix Partnership) in 2001, is conducting CV Pilot programs in New York, Wyoming and Florida. These offer the opportunity for state DOTs, vendors and all other stakeholders to test the technology in real-life scenarios.
Automotive OEMs have been developing this technology for more than a decade, and the NPRM is the beginning of a race toward integrating V2V to production vehicles. Deploying V2V technology requires the close cooperation of OEMs, their suppliers and many other stakeholders.
The following transportation article captures the views of major players in the CV marketplace on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on AV technology.
By Curtis Hay Technical Fellow, GNSS and Precise Maps, General Motors
General Motors is the first automaker to offer V2V technology in North America with the 2017 interim model year Cadillac CTS. These V2V-equipped vehicles share information to alert drivers of upcoming potential hazards. Cadillac’s V2V uses DSRC and GPS, and can handle 1,000 messages per second from vehicles up to nearly 1,000 feet away. For example, when a car approaches an intersection, the technology scans the vicinity for other vehicles and tracks their positions, directions and speeds, warning the driver of potential hazards.
GM continues to make technology investments in V2V to achieve greater global market volumes. We have been developing V2V technology for the past several years and are exploring potential enhancements to the V2V features currently offered. Nearly all global OEMs are developing V2V today, but market readiness, adoption and technology maturity vary greatly between regions and manufacturers. I expect other OEMs will begin to deploy V2V systems beyond model year 2017.
We believe that autonomous vehicles will require some level of connectivity — there is no way around this. V2I connectivity is required for precise map updates, emergency call alerts, GNSS corrections, remote diagnostics, traffic and weather updates, and many more applications — both existing and emerging. V2V communication will also be an important technology to improve safety and reliability as autonomous vehicles become more broadly deployed.
As a technical challenge, the limitations of GNSS are certainly understood by automakers for applications such as vehicle navigation, stolen vehicle tracking and emergency response services. Many recent advances in vehicle positioning technology mitigate the effects of urban multipath and poor sky view. These include higher quality micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, low-cost lidar, visual inertial odometry, wheel encoders, precise maps and more GNSS satellites in view.
We believe that high-confidence lane classification is becoming possible even in dense urban environments, thanks to these and other advancements. Infrastructure augmentation will certainly help, and these investments are gradually being made by state and local governments. However, technology development occurs at a faster pace inside the vehicle versus along our roadways.
There is growing demand for low-cost, high-quality automotive cameras and radar components that will be critically important for CV and AVs. I expect some degree of sensor data sharing over V2V will enter the industry within a 4–5-year time frame. Today, not all automotive cameras are designed to provide real-time video output across a high bandwidth interface such as low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS).
Furthermore, DSRC protocol and LTE Release 14 are not yet broadly accepted among competing OEMs. V2V innovations will occur as OEMs see what is possible, and customer demand for safety and reliability increases. Once the auto industry has passed the 50% milestone for market penetration of V2V vehicles, the rate of adoption will be much higher for new vehicle builds.
Denso’s autonomous vehicle research and development ranges from head-up display to voice recognition and human machine interfaces.
As we know, GM offers V2V in the current model year CTS, and Toyota deployed ITSConnect in Japan in 2016. So, multiple OEMS have cars on the road and appear to see the value of V2V.
A retrofit V2V, a universally acceptable U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-compliant solution that could be installed at a dealership, is an interesting concept that has been around in recent years. This will allow OEMs to comply with the rule much quicker. However, that concept is easier said than done, and it hasn’t been the focus of the industry up until now.
I see connectivity as nearly a requirement to get to highly AV in the future. On a limited-access highway, connectivity is probably not a requirement, as there are predictable and infrequent “high anxiety” encounters. In an urban setting, however, many other elements complicate the necessary behavior and reaction; and therefore I see the most value from connectivity.
Sensors such as cameras can detect the state of a traffic light with some level of certainty, but often the situation is complicated, such as the need to differentiate between a straight versus a turn signal. Even in highway scenarios, we can see how connectivity can favorably impact use cases like truck platooning and cooperative automated cruise control.
For positioning, it may be that a terrestrial solution will be necessary in difficult GNSS environments such as New York. It’s clear traditional GNSS is not capable of performing at the level required for the cooperative crash avoidance capability that NHTSA desires. Ranging systems that operate as a part of V2I and high-definition maps with lidar could be potential augmentations. I can relate the latter to how humans drive: Although we are not aware of our position, we can certainly drive in Manhattan (with difficulty!) by observing lanes, curbs and other relative
I envision V2V as part of a typical in-vehicle sensor suite at some point without exception; vehicles will eventually communicate what they see with their sensors to others via DSRC. Denso holds a patent that proposes to use on-board sensing to detect the presence of unequipped vehicles and send a proxy basic safety message (BSM) to other vehicles through DSRC.
In the V2V NPRM, NHTSA defines benefits in terms of lives saved under full penetration, but we believe benefits can be shown under much lower levels. For example, in the Ann Arbor Safety Pilot, even with under 5% penetration, anecdotally the University of Michigan buses averaged about one warning every 150 miles during the trial, a significant number of warnings.
By Roger C. Lanctot Director, Automotive Connected Mobility, Strategy Analytics
We think the best-case U.S. V2V deployment scenario might be 2021 — but given the challenges in security management, the ongoing testing of spectrum sharing by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the lack of infrastructure support — we think an even later commencement is likely. This means that early 5G deployments will already be beginning.
It is worth noting that the NPRM provides for alternative technologies as long as the performance requirements are met. The interest in DSRC in Europe has waned significantly, and Toyota appears to be the only company aggressively investing in Japan. China appears to be heading towards 5G for V2X.
In our view, given the vast uncertainties, it makes little sense to proactively add a box that will add cost along with driver distraction and security vulnerabilities. Vehicles will benefit from connectivity regardless of the technology used, but many more miles must be driven before a level of sufficient confidence is reached to integrate V2V with safety systems.
We believe DSRC-based V2V is decades away from delivering a reliable and warrantee-able or life-saving value proposition. Even NHTSA has suggested it may take as long as 20 years before significant value is returned to the manufacturers, let alone the consumer, making the investments today.
We do not think the industry is prepared to integrate safety systems with V2V for a broad range of reasons — GNSS vulnerabilities in urban canyons being one of them. This is the scenario in which additional sensors and high-definition maps can add to location accuracy. Details not only on the road, but also on the location and geometry of buildings, trees, street furniture and more can be gathered by sensors during the mapping process. The vehicle camera and/or lidar sensors can then be used to position the vehicle against this map.
We think a base map will be generated by the mapping entity using vehicles equipped with high-quality sensors and location technology, and then this will be updated by user-gathered data, as well as continued use of the mapping vehicles. This is the approach taken by the likes of TomTom, Mobileye and Civil Maps.
Cellular networks are de facto infrastructure assistants today, and we expect those capabilities to be enhanced. Connectivity is a nice-to-have for AV — not necessary. With the onset of 5G this will change a little bit, but AVs will always have to be able to operate without a connection, in our opinion.
Connected Car a Critical Stepstone to Automated Vehicle and Driverless Driving
By Jonathan Auld
Director, Safety Critical Systems, NovAtel Inc.
I think some OEMs and Tier1s will integrate the technology in advance of the full mandate and thereby reduce the time to widespread adoption. The benefits of V2V may not be fully realizable at first, but will increase as more equipped vehicles and infrastructure becomes available.
It’s a false assumption that any one technology will resolve CV or AV positioning challenge. The challenging environments and user expectations for high availability and safety will require multiple sensors and systems.
In this context, we see the CV as a critical stepping stone to the AV. CV provides a critical link for V2V communications in low/no-visibility/hidden-object situations as well as a pipe for critical mapping and road network information to the car. As part of this, the GNSS receiver plays a role in being an all-weather absolute position and time reference that can tie all the other sensors together. GNSS has its limitations, as do other sensors, which leads to the multi-sensor fusion approach for accuracy, availability and safety.
The automotive industry’s understanding of GNSS performance is largely driving from the perspective of L1-only single- and dual-constellation receivers. In both the CV and AV use cases, there is a push for more accuracy from GNSS. When moving to a higher performance expectation from GNSS, issues come up that are new to the automotive industry.
For consistent sub-meter-level performance, we start to consider multi-frequency receivers with correction/integrity services supporting them. This is where we see PPP (precise point positioning) as a key technology. Taking advantage of our global PPP correction network for corrections, authentication and safety services will make this performance possible. Also, antenna quality and location become more important. In urban environments where GNSS is less available, we expect a multi-sensory solution to aid GNSS through outages, but still keep lane-level performance as long as possible and safe.
Given the significant challenges on the automotive environment, I would expect that new and innovative ways of gathering and sharing additional information between vehicles and the infrastructure will be developed. It’s entirely feasible that future systems will share as much data as is practical, with the cloud to allow for better map generation and data dissemination. All of this will be driven by the need to keep the systems as available as possible while still maintaining safety.
Dual-Band Carrier Phase for Lane Position
By Rod Bryant
Senior Director, Positioning Technology, u-blox
We expect to see early adopters integrating the technology ahead of the mandate in selected models such as GM with Cadillac-CTS planned for this year. Depending upon the applications to be supported, DSRC fleet penetration of over 70–80% is probably needed for it to become a truly all-round sensor. That’s why the forthcoming legislation in the U.S. is so important for solving the chicken-and-egg problem, as well as the development of aftermarket V2X.
The combination of CV safety applications with features that use in-vehicle sensors would be a natural evolution. Sooner or later every vehicle will be able to see what others see.
For Level 4 AV systems, GNSS is needed to unambiguously identify the road segment. Highway pilot should not be used off the highway; for lane-accurate positioning with integrity on the urban highway and main roads, we are using dual-band carrier phase positioning with wide area State Space Representation (SSR) corrections and automotive-grade INS. This combination of technologies can cope with the level of interruptions to carrier phase lock and the multipath distortion caused by bridges, signs, trees and buildings in such environments.
As we move deeper into the urban canyon, additional measures will be needed. More advanced multipath mitigation, terrestrial ranging and beamforming techniques could contribute to the solution. V2I ranging is a particularly attractive and obvious example. However other ranging sources could also be utilized. Various beamforming approaches are possible with various levels of disadvantage regarding the accommodation of antenna arrays into the car.
Inevitably, there will be periods of unavailability of GNSS-based lane-level accurate position deep in the urban canyon when required protection limits cannot be met within the required level of integrity risk. It is essential that these are managed properly in the reliance on different sensors at different times and, for lower levels of autonomy, in the interactions between machine and driver.
We see automated driving as a related but separate evolution. The crux of the automated-driving problem is how to manage risk in such a complex scenario. Multiple sensors are being used by OEMs to determine the position of the vehicle with respect to roads and for collision avoidance. Those sensors include GNSS/IMU, radar and lidar, which have overlapping capabilities across conditions. This allows the decomposition of the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ISO26262 ASIL) requirements.
A combination of all of these sensors is required to meet the stringent safety goals. In that context, V2X will clearly play a role, but may not be seen as a prerequisite. The cooperative nature of V2X operation presents challenges for the application of functional safety methodologies like ISO26262. Partly for that reason, we do not expect the application of V2X to autonomous driving before 2025.
The TruPoint 300 total station by Laser Technology.
Laser Technology Inc. (LTI) has released its TruPoint 300 for field data collection and mapping, as well as producing +/–1 millimeter range accuracy. It is a fully integrated laser with vertical and horizontal angle encoders capable of producing 3D, survey-grade measurements.
The TruPoint 300 is LTI’s first phase-technology product with a laser diode that emits light pulses with a distinct wavelength and pulse repetition frequency that obtains millimeter accuracy.
The fully integrated MapStar Angle Technology make the Trupoint 300 suitable for GIS, incident mapping, crush analysis, surveying, electric utilities, architecture and construction.
It will measure the distance between two remote points and has onboard solutions for volume, height, and 2D and 3D area, the company said. Professionals can navigate through measured data, routines, and menus with a full-color touchscreen.
In addition, the laser features an integrated red-dot visual indicator and crosshair with four-power zoom camera, which makes taking measurements easier, especially indoors, LTI said. The unit will also capture a photo of every shot taken that includes raw measurement values and onboard calculations.
Both photos and data can be stored in a CAD-friendly format for professional documentation. With Bluetooth and WLAN, professionals can communicate with apps and transfer X-, Y-, Z-point data files with images.
Several measurement and mapping apps designed by LTI are expected to be released in the coming months. Besides professional-grade lasers for mapping, LTI also provides a line of recreational rangefinders by Bushnell for golfing and hunting.
Averna has entered a strategic partnership with M3 Systems to distribute M3’s StellaNGC GNSS Simulator on National Instruments’ VST platforms for the infotainment segment of the automotive market.
M3 Systems’ GNSS simulator, based on National Instruments’ Vector Signal Transceiver (NI VST), will now be available as part of Averna’s AST-1000 platform, extending its capability to navigation and GNSS testing.
Launched in July 2016, the AST-1000 is an RF solution designed for radio, navigation, video and connectivity testing. Also based on the NI VST, the software-defined AST-1000 supports all common infotainment RF signals, including AM/FM, DAB, RDS, HD Radio and Sirius/XMas, as well as GNSS navigation.
The combination provides a comprehensive solution and enables unprecedented applications for the testing of infotainment systems.
M3 Systems’ GNSS simulator is a good fit to extend the capability of the AST-1000 for navigation testing because both instruments are based on the NI VST, the companies said.
Averna is aiming for an all-in-one platform for the complete validation of infotainment systems, including radio, navigation, audio/video and connectivity testing.
The Averna AST-1000 is available to customers worldwide.
Ultra stable for low jitter and phase noise applications
The RHT1490 series of high-frequency and low-jitter ultra-stable TCXOs are available in frequencies from 50 MHz to 204.8 MHz. It delivers telecommunications-grade stability with a low real mean squared (rms) phase jitter of <200 fs (12 kHz–20 MHz). The platform’s frequency output enables lower system jitter, allowing communication system architects to optimize noise budget and performance. It can serve as a reference clock for SyncE and packet clock requirements (ITU-T G.826x and G.827x). It works with both discrete and integrated IEEE 1588 solutions, providing medium-term stability for low loop bandwidth applications. Its ultra-low noise floor performance, combined with system phase locked loop filtering, helps achieve very low system clock rms jitter numbers required by reference clocks of physical layer devices for high -speed interfaces (40 G and 100 G applications).
The 50-channel 8835 GPS reference clock serves satellite communications, defense and wireless applications. It has extreme power and interoperability options while maintaining GPS accuracy and reliability. Tracking GPS, the clock exhibits a frequency accuracy of <1 x 10-12 and a 1 PPS accuracy with <50 nanoseconds real mean squared. The proprietary oscillator steering discipline algorithm can enhance the rms accuracy of either the double-oven crystal oscillator or optional enhanced rubidium oscillator for greater depths of accuracy. It operates from –30° C to +60° C with a terminal node controller GPS receiver port.
The Algiz 8X ultra-rugged tablet computer is built for field workers who require a powerful, portable computer for mobile tasks. It offers communication features such as LTE and dual-band WLAN, along with an 8-inch projective capacitive touchscreen for outdoor use. Enabling glove mode or rain mode allows for operation in changing weather. The chemically strengthened glass survives an impact test in which a 64-gram steel ball is dropped on the screen 10 times from a height of 1.2 meters. The Algiz 8X has optional active capacitive stylus. Built-in features include Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB; u-blox GPS and GLONASS; WLAN a/b/g/n/ac; BT 4.2 LE; a rear-facing 8-MP camera with autofocus and LED flash; and 4G/LTE.
The X-52 entry-level machine control system for excavation features the new intuitive MC-X1 controller, compatible with all brands and models of excavators. Its reliable and rugged TS-i3 tilt sensors detect the precise positioning of the boom, stick and bucket at all times. Later this year, the X-52 will be upgradeable to a full 3D system with GNSS. The X-52 not only allows operators to work faster and with better accuracy, but also promotes a safer work site by keeping grade checkers out of the trenches. The system is designed to pair with the GX-55 touchscreen control box to offer sunlight-readable indicate grade reference in any climate.
Integrated display and keypad for configuration without controller
The Precis-TX204 receiver is a light-weight, rugged, all-in-one GNSS receiver with a built-in centimeter-accuracy RTK engine, onboard storage and versatile connectivity. The built-in battery can support up to 10 hours of continuous field work. Up to 16-GB SD card support makes field work easier, and the rugged enclosure enables the receiver to work in harsh environment. The receiver is designed for infrastructure applications such as providing differential data or logging observations; centimeter-level position and velocity information; precise tracking for internet of things; precise navigation for UAV and robotics. It supports GPS L1 and L2, and BDS B1 and B2.
The CMA-6024 aviation GPS/SBAS/GBAS sensor, featuring an embedded VHF data broadcast (VDB) receiver, is a complete, self-contained, fully certified, precision approach and navigation solution certified to Design Assurance Level A (DAL-A). Designed as an easy-to-integrate solution for all aircraft, the plug-and-play standalone unit requires no specialized installation or integration support. The new CMA-6024 provides a navigation solution that is fully compliant with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). The CMA-6024 includes SBAS Localizer Performance/Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LP/LPV) and GBAS GNSS Landing System (GLS) GAST-C/D precision approach guidance for all aircraft. Built on the success of the CMA-5024, the CMA-6024 is the next step forward, adding a complete GBAS/GLS solution. All CMA-5024 receivers can be upgraded to a CMA-6024.
Alternative to paper logs streamlines fleet management
The GPS Insight Hours of Service solution has a feature set designed to streamline fleet management and ensure Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance. Hours of Service bundles an Android tablet hardwired to a GPS tracking device. The ruggedized Electronic Logging Device (ELD) tablet features an intuitive user interface to ensure ease of use for all drivers. The management portal is web-based, secure and accessible via PC, tablet and smartphone. Features include messaging between drivers and dispatch; audible and visual directions using designated truck-specific routes; and e-logs combined with GPS monitoring, alerting and reporting. The GPS Insight Hours of Service Solution offers a simple alternative to paper logs and provides many benefits beyond compliance.
Rugged platform designed for aerial inspection, data collection
The Matrice 200 drone series (M200) is built for professional users to perform aerial inspections and collect data. The folding body is easy to carry and set up, with a weather- and water-resistant body for field operations. It offers DJI’s first upward-facing gimbal mount, for inspecting the undersides of bridges, towers and other structure. It is compatible with DJI’s X4S and X5S cameras, the high-powered Z30 zoom camera and the XT camera for thermal imaging. A forward-facing first-person-view camera allows a pilot and camera operator to monitor separate images on dual controllers. Obstacle avoidance sensors face forward and up and down, and it has an ADS-B receiver for advisory traffic information from nearby manned aircraft.
PCI Geomatics’ STAX UAV image alignment and analysis tool.
Designed to ease image alignment
The STAX UAV image alignment and analysis tool provides automated tools for aligning and analyzing UAV imagery without a full photogrammetric software suite. STAX was built to address the challenges of collecting and aligning multiple UAV surveys of the same location over time. By automating the alignment process, UAV operators can reduce or eliminate the use of ground control points that are traditionally installed and measured in survey sites. Relative corrections can be applied by using one of the surveys in a stack as a reference. Alternately, a highly accurate reference image of similar resolution over the area of interest can be used to automate the image alignment process. Once multi-pass UAV surveys have been aligned, customers can accurately make comparisons between surveys to measure changes over time or perform feature extraction. STAX provides tools to calculate vegetation indices as well as visualization and basic cartographic capability. Stacked data sets
can be exported for deeper analysis.
Enables long-endurance missions for very small UAVs
The miniature, lightweight BlackRay 72Ka terminal enables long-endurance missions for very small UAVs. The ultra-compact airborne SATCOM terminal for unmanned aircraft systems delivers exceptional throughput for its size. Tactical, long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are commonly used to gather and send intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to ground stations in real time. Reliable, high-performance satellite communications are crucial for ensuring uninterrupted broadband connectivity in beyond line-of-sight missions. Weighing less than 5 Kg, the BlackRay 72Ka combines high performance and throughput with minimal footprint.
Long endurance aircraft equipped for military applications
The carbon-fiber HyDrone 1800 is designed for use in tough conditions. The drone is wind-resistant, rain-resistant, cold-resistant and lightweight. Its hydrogen fuel-cell technology provides a flight endurance of 4 hours — 50+ hours when combined with MMC tethered technology. The HyDrone 1800 achieves extended flight time while maintaining altitude limits of 4,500 meters with a payload capacity of up to 5 kg. Constructed for safety and durability, an auxiliary lithium battery starts the fuel cell and provides a backup power source. Hydrogen drones can be flown in extreme temperatures from –10° C to 40° C. Payloads include a thermal imaging camera, low light camera, laser equipment or zoom camera, making the system suitable for many military applications such as intelligence gathering, border patrol, aerial fire support, laser designation or battle management services to tactical military operators. MMC also offers packaged solutions in target acquisition and reconnaissance technology (ISTAR).
Our reliance on state plane coordinate systems (SPCS) is at an all-time high with the sharing of data by various parties being more seamless than ever. The notion that a permanent monument’s positional values will be constantly changing is a head-spinner to most.
With the introduction of this mount, customers can now upgrade existing GPS L1-only antennas to dual (L1/L2) and triple (L1/L2/L5) band GNSS antennas.
