The change provides a secure, encrypted connection between browsers or other tools connecting to the Navigation Center website. It also provides authentication that you are unquestionably connecting to the Navigation Center website.
This change is a result of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-15-13, Policy to Require Secure Connections across Federal Websites and Web Services, which requires that all publicly accessible federal websites and web services only provide service through a secure connection (HTTPS instead of HTTP).
Address any questions to the Navigation Center’s Web Services team via the Contact Us page.
Silicon Labs has acquired Zentri, an innovator in cloud-connected Wi-Fi technologies for the Internet of Things (IoT). Zentri helps customers worldwide securely connect and manage products across a range of industrial, commercial and consumer applications. Zentri provides combinations of modules, embedded and cloud software, APIs and other tools for rapid development of secure IoT end-node products.
Comtech renews LBS contract
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.’s Commercial Solutions segment received a renewal agreement worth $2.8 million for use of its Xypoint Location Platform (XLP), providing precise location for a major mobile network operator. XLP is a standards-based solution suite that enables wireless carriers to launch a variety of location-based services (LBS). The renewal will support the continued roll out of services during the remainder of a three-year agreement.
Teleena, Cumulocity partner on IoT
IoT enabler Teleena is partnering with Cumulocity, an IoT device platform provider. Teleena will roll out its IoT Suite with functionalities for enterprises to build transformational IoT solutions and monetize new business models. The suite consists of five modules and is a configurable one-stop-shop for customers.
Topcon Positioning Group announces the release of the latest addition to its ES total station series in the Americas, the ES-60. Featuring advanced reflectorless capabilities and an upgraded data-transfer functionality — the new ES-60 is designed to provide an entry-level total station option with a fast and powerful EDM.
“The ES-60 is an excellent solution for customers looking for the dependability and accuracy of the ES series in an entry-level package,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global surveying products. “Incorporating all the time-honored expectations of the ES series along with a reflectorless EDM of up to 350 m, and 4000 m with a prism — the instrument also offers a USB option for quick and easy data transfer.”
The ES-60 offers 2- and 5-arc second accuracies. “It’s ideal for land surveying, topography, construction layout, foundations and exterior job sites as well as as-built projects,” said Kerwin.
Additional features include 10,000 points of memory, a battery life of up to 15 hours, dual axis compensation, a waterproof design and a laser pointer.
The u-blox ZOE-M8Q is designed for wearables, UAVs and asset trackers. Photo: U-blox
U-blox has launched a new positioning module, the ZOE-M8G. The ZOE-M8G is an ultra-compact GNSS receiver module designed for markets where small size, minimal weight and high location precision are essential.
ZOE-M8G offers exceptionally high location accuracy by concurrently connecting to GPS, Galileo and either GLONASS or BeiDou. It also provides -167 dBm navigation sensitivity, important for wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and asset tracker applications.
The new u-blox ZOE-M8G helps simplify product designs, because it is a fully integrated, complete GNSS solution with built-in SAW-filter and Low Noise Amplifier (LNA). It can be used with passive antennas without the need for additional components, and doesn’t compromise performance.
The ZOE-M8G GNSS module measures 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.0 millimeters. Due to its small size, a complete GNSS design using a ZOE-M8G module takes approximately 30 percent less printed circuit board (PCB) area compared to a conventional discrete chip design with a CSP chip GNSS receiver.
“When you’re designing products such as smart watches, fitness trackers, asset trackers, UBI dongles and even drones, every square millimeter and every gram counts. The u-blox ZOE-M8G makes it significantly easier for product designers to achieve precise location tracking while keeping within their strict form factor and weight restrictions,” said Uffe Pless, product marketing, Positioning Product Center at u-blox.
Samples of the u-blox ZOE-M8G will be available in February 2017, and volume production will start in October 2017.
Aerial mapping company Bluesky has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Bird.i to provide online, instantaneous visualization of its high-resolution aerial imagery.
Bluesky has created and maintains a high-resolution, up-to-date and accurate archive of aerial images in the United Kingdom. Established in 2016, Bird.i has developed a platform for accessing satellite, airborne and UAV imagery with a plug-and-play API that works within mapping and location-based applications.
“The partnership with Bluesky will allow businesses across multiple industry sectors to exploit location information more accurately and efficiently,” said Corentin Guillo, founder and CEO of Bird.i. “Our commitment is to serve the most accurate and recent images available, such as those on offer from Bluesky, to our clients for mass consumption of instantaneously accessible ‘image views’. Working in partnership with Bluesky, we will streamline the overall process of image consumption and open new markets”.
“We are delighted to partner with Bird.i because we believe that instant visualization of our detailed and accurate aerial images offers great benefits to businesses,” said Rachel Tidmarsh, managing director of Bluesky. “We see in Bird.i an innovative way forward, simplifying online access and accelerating the visualization of our images for many applications that rely on evidence-based information.”
The agreement between the two companies will give subscribers to Bird.i’s API the ability to integrate Bluesky’s high-quality aerial images within its existing mapping applications and location-based services.
Caltrans — the California state agency responsible for highway, bridge and rail transportation planning, construction and maintenance — has taken delivery of the new Riegl VMX-1HA mobile mapping system.
The Riegl VMX-1HA dual-scanner mobile mapping system. Photo: Caltrans
The Riegl VMX-1HA is a high-speed, high-performance dual-scanner mobile mapping system. It provides high performance and dense, accurate and feature-rich data at highway speeds.
With two million measurements and five hundred scan lines per second, the turnkey solution is suited for survey-grade mobile mapping applications to meet the standards of departments of transportation nationwide, Riegl said.
The technology of the system comprises two Riegl VUX-1HA high-accuracy waveform lidar sensors and a high-performance INS/GNSS unit, housed in an aerodynamically shaped protective cover. Four 9-megapixel cameras, along with a LadyBug 5 camera, complement the waveform lidar data with precisely georeferenced images.
The Riegl software suite provides seamless workflows for mobile data acquisition, processing, adjustments and deliverables.
Riegl USA was awarded the contract of the Request For Quote (RFQ) on the open market.
Caltrans — the California state agency responsible for highway, bridge and rail transportation planning, construction and maintenance — has taken delivery of the new Riegl VMX-1HA mobile mapping system.
The Riegl VMX-1HA dual-scanner mobile mapping system.
The Riegl VMX-1HA is a high-speed, high-performance dual-scanner mobile mapping system. It provides high performance and dense, accurate and feature-rich data at highway speeds.
With two million measurements and five hundred scan lines per second, the turnkey solution is suited for survey-grade mobile mapping applications to meet the standards of departments of transportation nationwide, Riegl said.
The technology of the system comprises two Riegl VUX-1HA high-accuracy waveform lidar sensors and a high-performance INS/GNSS unit, housed in an aerodynamically shaped protective cover. Four 9-megapixel cameras, along with a LadyBug 5 camera, complement the waveform lidar data with precisely georeferenced images.
The Riegl software suite provides seamless workflows for mobile data acquisition, processing, adjustments and deliverables.
Riegl USA was awarded the contract of the Request For Quote (RFQ) on the open market.
TerraGo is partnering with CompassTools, a provider of integrated GIS, GPS and wireless solutions for field data collection across numerous industries, including government, utility, natural resources, transportation, architecture and construction.
“We help our customers build the best bundled solution for their GIS and GPS goals, whatever they may be, and TerraGo’s mobile solutions give us the flexibility we need for the wide spectrum of accuracy, workflow and data collection requirements,” said Andrew Carey, manager of Geospatial Solutions at CompassTools. “TerraGo provides out-of-the-box integration for all the leading platforms, while enabling customizable precision, basemaps, forms and workflows, which fits well with our customer-focused approach.”
“CompassTools helps organizations identify and implement the best combination of GPS receivers, hardware and software to meet their unique requirements,” said John Timar, vice president, Worldwide Sales, TerraGo. “TerraGo Edge and TerraGo Magic were designed from the ground up to support that type of customization; which makes it easy for customers to get the benefit of CompassTools’ expertise to help them deploy a solution tailored to their mission.”
TerraGo is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 12 p.m. ET with a live demonstration of mobile GIS and GPS solutions available from TerraGo and CompassTools.
The agriculture robots market is projected to reach US$5.7 billion by 2024, according to a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR).
The diverse nature of the competitive landscape in the global agriculture robots market presents a number of prominent players for each of its key regions, TMR analysts said.
Also, a diverse array of names is appearing as emergent players in the global agriculture robots market within each region, denoting a strong scope of entry for advanced innovations and increased player competition.
Agriculture robots include UAVs, driverless tractors, automated harvesting machines and more.
According to the report, the global agriculture robots market was led by North America until 2015. It was considered to be the base for several of the stronger players in the market and the leading region in terms of technological development and rate of implementation.
In 2015, the global agriculture robots market was dominated by driverless tractors. This segment is likely to hold the leading share in the market in the immediate future, followed by automated harvesting machine. Driverless tractors are currently in very high demand due to factors such as their ability to automatically plough the field, and pick and place articles from one place to another at an extremely consistent rate.
By revenue, the global agriculture robots market is likely to reach US$1.01 billion by the end of 2016. Its revenue generation is expected to continue expanding at a CAGR of 24.1% within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024, and is expected to reach US$5.7 billion by the end of 2024.
Source TMR Analysis, 2016
Urban Migration Pushes Need for Agriculture Robots Globally
“The progress of regions and cultures has primarily driven a growing number of people towards the urban areas and the suburbs. The chance of industrial progress and growth in personal income are key factors attracting more and more people to the city life. This, in turn, has caused a twofold need for the incorporation of agriculture robots in several countries,” said a TMR analyst.
“Firstly, the growing global population — a lot of it being urban — is pressuring countries to increase food production while steadily reducing the hands available for the agriculture industry. Secondly, the overall land slotted for agriculture in nearly all countries is reducing, thanks to the burgeoning industrial sector and residential construction projects. This is creating an additional layer of demand for agriculture robots as they are as close as the industry can get to precision farming,” said the analyst.
Other factors driving the global agriculture robots market include the reduction in the use of chemicals through the efficient performance of jobs such as weeding, spraying, and pick-and-place, and the increasingly accepted modes of corporate farming.
Functionality Still Limited for Multiple Robotic Farming Aspects
It is currently not feasible to aim for constructing robots that are capable of performing multiple functions that constitute running a farm. Between crop management, irrigation, and even livestock rearing, the design of robotic programs and functions can be utterly difficult to accomplish.
This results in the requirement of multiple robot types in a single farm in order to completely automate the process, which is a serious financial burden to consider. The scope of utility in the global agriculture robots market is thus limiting the overall customer pool, which is already thinned out by the heavy investments required in installation and maintenance of single function robots.
“Future opportunities in the global agriculture robots market lie in the adoption of telematics sensors to reduce the complications that are caused by tractor failure and other functions, the use of crop sensors to increase the precision of pesticide use and gauge overall crop health, and the use of robotic farm swarms,” said the analyst.
The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, “Agriculture Robots Market (Products — UAV, Driverless Tractors, Milking Robots and Automated Harvesting Machines; Applications — Field Farming, Dairy Management, Indoor Farming and Horticulture) — Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2016-2024.”
A PDF research brochure of this report is available.
The government of India has warned domestic airlines of “consequences” if they do not use GAGAN, the state’s GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation system, reports the Mumbai Mirror.
The warning came during a meeting called by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in December with all stakeholders, including the airlines. Most aircraft registered in India are still not equipped with the technology two years after its launch.
While smaller aircraft such as ATRs and Bombardiers in the Indian carriers’ fleet are already equipped with the GAGAN system, bigger planes need to be retrofitted at the airlines’ expense, including Airbus A320, A330, Boeing 737, B777 and B 787. Eight major domestic carriers — Air India, Air India Express, Jet Airways, JetLite, IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, Vistara and AirAsia — have 427 such planes in service, Mumbai Mirror reports.
The National Civil Aviation Policy, announced by the government in June, makes it mandatory for all aircraft registered in India to be GAGAN-enabled by Jan. 1, 2019.
Jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), the GAGAN system was officially launched by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in July 2016. It is said to make airline operations more efficient and cut down costs as it reduces separation between aircraft, increases air safety and fuel efficiency.
GAGAN’s footprint extends from Africa to Australia and has expansion capability for seamless navigation services across the region. The system is inter-operable with other international satellite based tracking systems such as the WAAS (US), EGNOS (Europe) and MSAD (Japan).
Iridium Communications Inc. has successfully launched its first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, which will support real-time automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) operations in oceanic regions.
Iridium NEXT is the company’s next-generation satellite constellation, replacing and enhancing its existing network of low-Earth orbit satellites spanning the entire globe — the largest commercial satellite constellation in space.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, Jan. 14. (Photo: SpaceX)
The satellites were delivered into low-Earth orbit an hour after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:54:39 a.m. PST on Jan. 14.
The launch is the start of a series of Iridium NEXT launches scheduled over the next 18 months, and marks the beginning of one of the biggest “tech refreshes” in history, completely replacing the only satellite constellation providing 100-percent global communications coverage.
Once fully deployed, Iridium NEXT will enable a new broadband multi-service capability called Iridium CertusSM, while providing the technical flexibility to support innovative new services and technologies from Iridium’s extensive partner network.
Aircraft surveillance
Among those technologies is a unique hosted payload from Iridium’s partner Aireon, which will provide a real-time global aircraft surveillance service, extending aircraft visibility across the planet.
Aireon’s space-based ADS-B receiver network will relay signals from all ADS-B equipped aircraft to controllers worldwide, allowing 100 pecent global air traffic surveillance. (Image: Aireon)
According to Aireon, its space-based ADS-B network will transform air traffic management capabilities, providing air traffic surveillance and flight tracking across 100 percent of the planet. Currently, more than 70 percent of the earth, including oceanic and remote airspace, has no existing air traffic surveillance.
The first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites were delivered to a 625 kilometer (km) temporary parking orbit where they will be tested and exercised by Iridium over the coming weeks. Upon meeting testing and validation requirements, the satellites will then be moved into their 780-km operational orbit and begin providing service to Iridium’s customers.
As part of this testing and validation process, Aireon’s ADS-B receivers, which were manufactured by Harris Corporation, will provide air traffic surveillance data through the Aireon network to the Service Delivery Points (SDPs) at partners NAV CANADA, NATS, ENAV, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
One by one, the new satellites will be positioned near a current generation satellite, each moving at approximately 17,000 miles per hour as testing begins. Iridium’s inter-satellite communication links from nearby satellites will be repositioned to point to the new Iridium NEXT satellite as it prepares to take over service. Existing satellites will eventually be de-boosted and de-orbited.
“Today Iridium launches a new era in the history of our company and a new era in space as we start to deliver the next-generation of satellite communications,” said Matt Desch, chief executive officer of Iridium. “We have been working endless hours for the last eight years to get to this day, and to finally be here with ten Iridium NEXT satellites successfully launched into low-Earth orbit is a fulfilling moment. We are incredibly thankful for all of the hard work from our team, as well as our partners, to help us achieve this milestone.”
Both Thales Alenia Space, System Prime Contractor for the program, and their subcontractor for production, Orbital ATK, have been integral in the development of the Iridium NEXT program, from the design and manufacturing of the Iridium NEXT satellite vehicles to managing an 18-station, state-of-the-art assembly line production system.
“Leading a worldwide team to manufacture, assemble, test and prepare each satellite for this moment has been incredibly exciting,” said Bertrand Maureau, executive vice president of telecommunications at Thales Alenia Space. “We are very proud to have conducted such a unique program, in terms of scale and complexity as well as to have successfully completed the end-to-end whole constellation on-ground validation. The system is fully tested, and the compatibility of Iridium NEXT with the Block-1 operating satellites has been perfectly demonstrated. It has truly been an honor, and we are looking forward to completing the rest of the Iridium NEXT constellation through 2017 and early 2018.”
“We are proud to be a part of this revolutionary satellite program,” said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK’s Space Systems Group. “Seeing these first ten satellites launch successfully into space is the result of a unique assembly-line process at our satellite manufacturing facility that represents a remarkable achievement. We look forward to seeing the innovative solutions these satellites, which are great examples of leading-edge technology and manufacturability, will enable.”
In addition to partnering with Thales Alenia Space as System Prime Contractor, Iridium has partnered with SpaceX for the launch of 70 Iridium NEXT satellites on its Falcon 9 rocket.
“We are very proud to be chosen as the launch provider for the entire Iridium NEXT program and are excited about today’s successful first launch,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX. “Iridium was one of SpaceX’s first customers, and working alongside them to deliver one of the largest aerospace projects underway is an exciting moment for us at SpaceX.”
Iridium and SpaceX are partnered for a series of seven launches, deploying ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time. The next major milestone will be the completion of on-orbit testing of these satellites, to validate performance requirements are met.
The second Iridium NEXT launch will be scheduled after testing is completed in April. The entire Iridium NEXT network is scheduled to be completed by mid-2018.
The Australian Government will invest $12 million in a two-year program looking into the future of positioning technology in Australia.
The funding includes testing of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that can offer instant, accurate and reliable positioning technology. The improvements in positioning could provide future safety, productivity, efficiency and environmental benefits across many industries in Australia, including transport, agriculture, construction and resources.
The two-year project will test SBAS technology that has the potential to improve positioning accuracy in Australia to less than five centimeters. Currently, positioning in Australia is usually accurate to five to 10 meters. While highly accurate positioning technologies are already available in Australia, they are expensive and only available in specific areas and to niche markets.
Research has shown that the widespread adoption of improved positioning technology has the potential to generate upwards of $73 billion of value to Australia by 2030.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said the program could test the potential of SBAS technology in the four transport sectors — aviation, maritime, rail and road.
“SBAS utilizes space-based and ground-based infrastructure to improve and augment the accuracy, integrity and availability of basic GNSS signals, such as those currently provided by the USA Global Positioning System (GPS),” Chester said.
“The future use of SBAS technology was strongly supported by the aviation industry to assist in high accuracy GPS-dependent aircraft navigation. Positioning data can also be used in a range of other transport applications including maritime navigation, automated train management systems and in the future, driverless and connected cars,” he said.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan said access to more accurate data about the Australian landscape would also help unlock the potential of Northern Australia.
“This technology has potential uses in a range of sectors, including agriculture and mining, which have always played an important role in our economy, and will also be at the heart of future growth in Northern Australia,” Senator Canavan said. “Access to this type of technology can help industry and Government make informed decisions about future investments.”
The SBAS testbed will use existing national GNSS infrastructure developed by AuScope as part of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. It will test two new satellite positioning technologies — next-generation SBAS and Precise Point Positioning, which provide positioning accuracies of several decimeters and five centimeters respectively.
The SBAS testbed is Australia’s first step towards joining countries such as the U.S., Russia, India, Japan and many across Europe in investing in SBAS technology and capitalizing on the link between precise positioning, productivity and innovation.
Early this year, Geoscience Australia with the Collaborative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI) will call for organizations from a number of industries including agriculture, aviation, construction, mining, maritime, rail, road, spatial and utilities to participate in the testbed.
For more information about the SBAS testbed and National Positioning Infrastructure Capability visit the Geoscience Australia website.
