GPS World

Category: Applications

  • On the Road to Driverless

     

    Differential GNSS+INS for Land Vehicle Autonomous Navigation Qualification

    By Gilles Boime, Emmanuel Sicsik-Paré and John Fischer

    Land-vehicle autonomous navigation requires centimeter-level qualification tools to enable confidence build-up for delivery to open-road traffic insertion. External positioning sensors over a dedicated road section can be replaced with an embedded high-accuracy, highly responsive epoch-by-epoch differential GNSS receiver coupled with an inertial navigation system. The demonstrated absolute accuracy and mobility extends the potential test area and minimizes cost for multi-environment validation. 

    GPSWorld_June15_cover
    Cover courtesy of Mercedes.

    Personal cars and commercial trucks are continuously improving the driver experience and safety thanks to integration of more significant and machine-assisted control systems. Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are now integrated in all luxury cars and moving into mainstream products. Technologies covered by ADAS are specific for each car integrator, but increasingly they include now involving more safety features, such as driver assistance and partial delegation to autonomous control for small maneuvers such as lane control. The generation of ADAS systems introduced in early 2015 on high-end models are engaging more intelligence from the control system such as:

    • Lane departure warning system
    • Speed assistance and control
    • Driver assistance and control
    • Autonomous emergency braking.

    It is not only individual drivers who want this technology, but also governments that are getting involved to prevent accidents and minimize the economic impact associated with them. In the European Union, the general safety regulation 2009/661 was the first step to engage member-states to act as a regulator to mandate car safety improvements. The European Transport Safety Council, a non-profit private association, released in March 2015 a position paper titled “Revision of the General Safety Regulation 2009/661.” It promotes the introduction of lifesaving technologies like intelligent speed assistance, autonomous emergency technology including all speed and pedestrian detection, and lane-departure warning systems as the next step of regulation.

    Car manufacturers are not far behind. They understand their customers’ expectation of minimized risk and enhanced driving experience. Telematics is also a path to convert a single vehicle into a fully intelligent, connected and entertainment object with an associated high value. So every car manufacturer is willing to be seen as a technology master.

    Toyota, for example, plans to integrate collision-prevention technology in all its mainstream and luxury cars by 2017. The ADAS new generation focuses on radar-activated cruise control technology for the collision-prevention system. The control system maintains distance from a vehicle ahead and can stop the car if driver doesn’t react. The next step is to monitor driver attention with sensors like cameras focusing on the driver’s eyes, and the pressure of the hand on the steering wheel.

    However, no fully driverless car is expected in the next 10 years. This technology is limited by legal issues and the lack of reliable nationwide mapping data.

    Since the technology must be fully proven to prevent any lethal threat on the user and other drivers, most car and truck companies are working actively on qualifying driverless technology today. Nissan began testing driver-assist technology on open-road traffic in Japan in late 2013. It enables highly advanced systems such as lane-keeping, automatic lane change, automatic exit, automatic overtaking of slower or stopped vehicles, automatic deceleration during congestion on freeways, and automatic stopping at red lights. This is a step towards attaining fully automatic driving, targeted for 2020 by Nissan.

    Some European manufacturers such as Daimler Benz are also early adopters. Daimler/Mercedes uses the Bertha Benz prototype car to test autonomous driving technologies. It merged multiple vision, radar and GPS sensor with digital map to monitor an open-road 100-kilometer trip in August 2013 (Figure 1).

    Figure 1. Bertha Benz test car, left, running fully autonomous 103-kilometer trip in open road including 27 percent narrow urban roads. Right, networked sensor systems of the S 500 Intelligent Drive research vehicle.
    Figure 1. Bertha Benz test car, left, running fully autonomous 103-kilometer trip in open road including 27 percent narrow urban roads. Right, networked sensor systems of the S 500 Intelligent Drive research vehicle.

    All manufacturers are building driverless capability into their technology demonstration concept cars:

    • Mercedes with F 015 Luxury presented at the Consumer Electronic Show, early 2015;
    • Audi with Prologue, an extrapolation of test car RS7 concept equipped with SuperFast driverless pilot;
    • BMW’s electric i3 car is integrating ActiveAssist technology that enables portions of drive to be without any manual intervention, such as car parking and autonomous rally to a meeting point;
    • Google’s self-driving vehicle that conforms to California license requirements for driverless tests in open traffic;
    • Tesla model SD autonomous test car.

    Although most market leaders agree that this is not a technology for mainstream production in the next few years, they all work very efficiently to master the technologies. It is a big challenge to integrate all the sensors and the navigation functions to autonomously and accurately position the vehicle on a map. The whole system must be certified to prevent any liability in case of a crash, a case that would engage the solution provider and the vehicle manufacturer.

    A large part of the qualification task will benefit from simulations and integration testing platforms in realistic conditions. At the very least, a very robust final open-space validation test must take place. Car manufacturers/integrators are using private test facilities in open air to perform serious trials before proceeding to real traffic conditions. Renault uses a 10-square-kilometer facility in France (Figure 2) to perform private tests in a protected area.

    Figure 2. Renault outdoor test center at Aubevoye, France.
    Figure 2. Renault outdoor test center at Aubevoye, France.

    New autonomous car drive tests have mandated equipment enabling measurement of the car’s position on the track with an extremely high precision and repeatability. There are two competing technologies to do this:

    • Install many location sensors on the test track;
    • Use a general absolute positioning system.

    Here we focus on an absolute positioning system that is affordable, easy to install and low maintenance. It is based on two main assertions:

    • The autonomous pilot can position accurately on the test track;
    • The test track is accurately referenced to the absolute positioning system.

    We focus more closely in this article on the first assertion; the second one can be covered with a specific calibration trial where equipment, as discussed further, can be used in quasi-static mode and experience consistent accuracy. Let us have a deeper look at the candidate position technologies to verify autonomous pilot accuracy.

    Positioning Technologies

    Many technologies have been proposed to obtain vehicle position on the course. However, they all must be compatible with a reliable mapping database. Given the lack of consistent road infrastructure equipment with alternative capabilities, GNSS positioning is the sole enabling method to fit to a map every place around the world. That is why driverless systems always include a GNSS sensor to help other data matching with the map. The versatility and low cost of GNSS positioning makes it a candidate for open-air validation as well.

    Standalone Standard Positioning Service GPS. The SPS single-frequency GPS receivers are included in so many nomadic appliances today that they are a commodity. Since their introduction 20 years ago, their performance is well understood. Some trials were performed in different area profiles with satellite constellation position dilution of precision (PDOP) < 2. Worse results were obtained from deep urban canyons in downtown Seattle, Wash.

    For every technology, the relevant performance for the test course is the lateral error to the expected center of the lane in the two horizontal dimensions, referred to as 2D or N/E for orientation north and east.

    For standalone SPS GPS, the lateral error standard deviation in 2D can be as high as 46 meters and have peak errors up to 660 meters. Lateral error in 3D can be as high as 20 meters with peak errors up to 175 meters.

    Such performances are out of range for any positioning verification. It can only deliver a rough estimate of the point on the map, but would not provide tight correlation with other sensors for the navigation system.

    Hybridized IMU and SPS GPS. Coupling of an absolute navigation GPS receiver with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) can mitigate corruption of the navigation solution when intermittent GPS signal outage is encountered. The hybrid approach is beneficial on any difficult signal transmission path from the satellite that is not line-of-sight: in urban canyons, deep foliage, under bridges, tunnels and in any multipath area. It also yields benefits in the very short term (less than a few seconds) for dispersion on the position computed from the sky.

    Over the last 10 years, the combined benefits of micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) and tight coupling algorithms have raised the bar of positioning accuracy. It enables smoothed position along track and dead reckoning (DR) in case of GNSS signal outage.

    Lateral error standard deviation in 2D is lowered to 2.3 meters and peak error up to 10 meters. However, this performance is still too poor to validate a vehicle position in the lane.

    Hybrid Differential Single Frequency and IMU. The next step to mitigate systematic errors of the GNSS system is to use a set of multiple reference receivers in the vicinity of the area covering the test course. The reference receivers are static. The position of the reference is determined using long-term averages to mitigate constellation errors. A minimum for a position fix of 20 minutes is commonly reported. Then the position error standard deviation in 2D is less than 2 centimeters for baselines shorter than 100 kilometers.

    For a MEMS integrated with a standard SPS GPS single-frequency receiver with DGPS correction on a mobile platform moving at less than 70 km/hour with HDOP < 1.4, Table 1 compares performance in a 2013 test.

    Table 1.IMU performance grades.
    Table 1.IMU performance grades.
    Table 2. Horizontal error performance.
    Table 2. Horizontal error performance.

    Hybrid Differential Dual-Frequency Carrier Phase and IMU. The GNSS solution can be further improved, taking into account both L1 and L2 frequencies to mitigate propagation error and carrier phase to achieve ultimate signal accuracy. The combination of both helps solve ambiguities associated with the carrier-phase technique. When combined with a MEMS IMU, accuracy confirmed with HDOP < 1.6 is:

    • Lateral error standard deviation down to 0.18 meters;
    • Peak error of 0.6 meter.

    However, this is still insufficient accuracy when compared to 0.1 meter required for verification testing.

    With such low-cost IMU, GPS outages produce a rapidly increasing lateral error over elapsed time. The lower the speed, the poorer the position result.

    Another limitation common to many differential solutions is the turn-on delay for the solution. It is also a repetitive issue in case of disruption of the GNSS solution. It extends the delay to recover from DR situation.

    Geodetics’ Epoch-by-Epoch

    Geodetics Inc. has developed a new class of instantaneous, real-time precise GPS positioning and navigation algorithms, referred to as Epoch-by-Epoch (EBE) and employing hybridized dual-frequency differential GPS with a high-performance IMU.

    Compared to conventional real-time kinematic (RTK), integer-cycle phase ambiguities are independently estimated for each and every observation epoch. Therefore, complications due to cycle slips, receiver loss-of-lock, power and communications outages, and constellation changes are minimized. There is no need for the initialization period (several seconds to several minutes) required by conventional RTK methods.

    More importantly, there is no need for re-initialization immediately following loss-of-lock problems such as those that occur when a mobile GPS receiver passes under a bridge or other obstruction, or when it loses satellite visibility during a shaded portion of road. In addition, EBE provides precise positioning estimates over longer reference-receiver-to-user-receiver baselines than conventional RTK.

    This feature supports testing for long-range operations, for example, such as positioning a vehicle on a lane. The reference receiver is set in the vicinity of the test center track.

    EBE requires the use of a minimum of two receivers, each of which is tracking a common set of five or more satellites and providing simultaneous dual-frequency phase data. Typically, one of the receivers is stationary, but this is not a requirement.

    EBE has been proven utilizing dual-frequency receivers and operating at distances of up to 50 kilometers from the nearest base station in unaided mode. Additionally, the EBE algorithms operate in a network environment and make optimal use of all GPS measurement data at each epoch, gracefully degrading the position accuracies when some measurement data are not available. Furthermore, the system will make use of an IMU system, compensating for outages when line-of-sight to the satellites is blocked. This produces a robust and more reliable system.

    Epoch-by-Epoch can deliver several benefits including:

    • Computationally efficient algorithms that provide a position estimate based on a single epoch in several milliseconds. This allows the real-time position estimate to be computed on the user platform (assuming reference station data is sent to the user platform).
    • An initialization period is not required. Since RTK requires some period of time (that can be measured in seconds to minutes) to perform ambiguity resolution, this is an important capability for platforms that:
      • require high accuracy (for example, for end-game scoring);
      • cannot see the satellites until launch;
      • have short flight or test course duration;
    • A re-initialization period following loss-of-lock is not required, unlike RTK, which needs to restart the integer-cycle phase ambiguity resolution process. This is another important capability because vehicle monitoring is considering EBE for dynamic applications where loss-of-lock and loss-of-data are likely.

    However, it must be mentioned that many of the GPS receivers in use by the test (and training) community today do not support this dual-frequency requirement. Hence, those systems could not realize the maximum benefit.

    This technology is implemented in a rugged modular platform (Figure 3) with three main units:

    • A dual-frequency GPS antenna,
    • An integrated INS coupling GPS receiver with either an internal MEMS IMU or external IMU,
    • An external fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) IMU for high-end accuracy and reliability. The external IMU is optional and dedicated to increasing the DR capability.
    Figure 3. Dual-frequency differential navigation unit hybridized with external fiber-optic gyro.
    Figure 3. Dual-frequency differential navigation unit hybridized with external fiber-optic gyro.

    Performance. Tests have been performed in conditions close to the land-vehicle navigation validation. It is based on measurements on-the-fly with no post-processing except for evaluation of the error.

    The first case is a static position of the rover 4.8 kilometers away from the reference receiver. Positions are updated once per second. The system includes a FOG IMU. the lateral error peak is less than 4 centimeters. Bias error is less than 1 centimeter. See Figure 4.

    Figure 4. Single point error when rover is static.
    Figure 4. Single point error when rover is static.

    The second test case is with a high-dynamic mobile platform, moving at a speed of 200 km/h, with an average distance from the reference to the rover of 6 kilometers. Lateral error standard deviation is 0.5 centimeters, peak error is less than 2.2 centimeters. Bias error is lower than 0.2 centimeters (Figure 5).

    Figure 5. Dynamic trial test single point error.
    Figure 5. Dynamic trial test single point error.

    The performance in these test cases meets the expected accuracy for validation of autonomous navigation.

    One last method to increase accuracy is to switch to a different class of IMU performance, from tactical grade to advanced. When in the line-of-sight of the GNSS sky-view, the performance is the nearly the same.

    Conclusion

    A real-time, differential Epoch-by-Epoch, dual-frequency carrier-phase GPS receiver, tightly hybridized with a high-performance IMU can provide absolute error lower than 5 centimeters in the 10-kilometer baseline range of the reference static receiver. This is fully adapted to the qualification of driverless auto-pilot systems for the targeted year of 2020. It can avoid the need to use complex theodolite and vision calibration systems. It provides maximum flexibility  and minimum sustaining costs.

    Acknowledgment

    This study has been made possible thanks to materials provided by Geodetics Inc. and the advice of Jeffrey A. Fayman, vice president, Business & Product Development, Geodetics Inc. The results displayed in Figures 4 and 5 are from a test with a medium-sized UAV from Allied Drones, model EF44 high-endurance quad.

    Manufacturers

    The Geo-iNAV family is a range of GPS-aided INS solutions available in different configurations, including various GPS receivers (L1, L1/L2 RTK, SAASM), internal MEMS or external FOG IMU. As part of this family, the Geo-RelNAV provides differential GPS relative navigation capability, the Geo-hNAV includes a dual GPS antenna receiver for static heading measurement capability, and the Geo-PNT combines position and attitude measurement with precise timing distribution.

    Gilles Boime is is chief scientist for Spectracom. He is involved in GNSS signal generator, hybridized navigation platforms, GNSS timing and synchronization innovative solutions build-up. He holds an engineering diploma in telecommunication from Institut Superieur d’Electronique de Paris.

    Emmanuel Sicsik-Pare is strategic product manager for Spectracom. He is involved in timing and navigation products and systems definition and application market monitoring. He holds a M.Sc degree from Telecom Bretagne.

    John Fischer is CTO of Spectracom. He has more than 30 years experience creating navigation and communications systems, received his master’s in electrical engineering from SUNY at Buffalo. Prior to joining Spectracom, he worked in radar, command and control, and wireless systems.

  • Florida International’s Autonomous Catamaran Performs Bathymetry Data Collection, Mapping

    Geospatial Solutions’ and GPS World‘s Art Kalinski reports from eMerge Americas, held May 4-5 in Miami. Florida International University had numerous technology displays, but its autonomous catamaran doing bathymetry data collection and mapping was impressive.

  • EGNOS Hits the Road in North Africa and Middle East

    EGNOS Hits the Road in North Africa and Middle East

    MEDUSA-Tunis-ThinkTank
    MEDUSA sponsored a Think Tank May 19 in Tunis focused on EGNOS in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

    Delegates from 10 countries met in Tunis May 19 for an “All-day-long Think Tank” organized by MEDUSA. The sixty participants represented Algeria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, Jordan, France, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and Slovak Republic.

    Focused on the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) market, the event addressed the advantages of satellite navigation, and particularly of EGNOS and Galileo. ITS concerns the integration of information and communication technologies to create new applications and services for transport and mobility. ITS applies to all transport modes and is oriented to both passenger and freight transport. Satellite navigation plays an important role in ITS.

    The MEDUSA Think Tank opened with a keynote speech by Ammar Habib of the Ministry of Transport of Tunisia, who reaffirmed the country’s interest in the development of ITS and in the cooperation with Europe in relation to the exploitation of the services offered by the European GNSS in the various transport domains.

    The Euromed and European panelists gave a wide overview of existing and emerging applications in their countries, such as tracking and tracing of dangerous goods transportation, tracking special regulated fleets, emergency call, road tolling, urban traffic management, control of service fleets, and freight transit monitoring. They presented the existing technologies and value-added services that can be delivered through EGNOS today, and services that will become more robust thanks to Galileo in the future. It was recognized that the European GNSS, EGNOS and Galileo, can provide benefits to more than European countries and that, though primarily conceived for the aviation needs, EGNOS has interesting perspectives of utilization in ITS, and particularly in those applications requiring accurate and reliable positioning.

    The participants from different sectors (policy makers, users, technology and commercial players, experts) shared their experiences and lessons learned. They also had the opportunity for networking, establishing relationships, and strengthening cooperation on GNSS and ITS.

    Organized in combination with the Elgazala Innovation Days 2015, an international exhibition on information and communication technologies, the Think Tank is one of the technical assistance actions undertaken by MEDUSA and in the frame of the program of GEMCO (Galileo EuroMed Cooperation Office), the regional cooperation structure in Tunis set up and operated by MEDUSA.

    About MEDUSA —  MEDiterranean follow-Up for EGNOS Adoption

    Coordinated by Telespazio, the MEDUSA project belongs to the Euromed GNSS program, part of the Euromed Transport framework. MEDUSA aids the Euromed countries in the operational introduction and the exploitation of the European GNSS (EGNOS/Galileo) in various applications, mainly in the transport sectors. MEDUSA runs a program of technical assistance actions, aimed at capacity building, development of enablers and regional cooperation on EGNOS/Galileo.

  • Hyundai Launches Android Auto in New Car Models

    Hyundai Launches Android Auto in New Car Models

    Android Auto in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. (Photo: Hyundai)
    Android Auto in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. (Photo: Hyundai)

    Hyundai has become the first car company to launch Android Auto on production vehicles. Android Auto is premiering on the 2015 Sonata with Navigation at dealerships nationwide, and will later become available on other Hyundai models.

    “Android Auto aligns with Hyundai’s core interior design principles of safety, intuitiveness and simplicity,” said Dave Zuchowski, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “We launched this highly anticipated feature on our best-selling Sonata, adding to our promise of value. With the launch of Android Auto, we provide more owners with the experience of cutting-edge technology.”

    Android Auto not only brings a high technology experience to Hyundai owners, but also improves safety, Hyundai said. For example, at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010. Android Auto helps keep drivers’ eyes and attention on the road by integrating the advanced driving-related functions of the user’s smartphone with the familiar centralized screen, physical controls and microphone of their car.

    Furthermore, the smartphone’s screen becomes “locked,” so drivers are not tempted to look down and interact with their phones directly while Android Auto is in use.

    Hyundai lists these advantages to Android Auto:

    • The Google Now card-based experience provides suggested locations and travel times based on the user’s searches, calendar entries and home and office locations, as well as weather information and “now playing” information for music streamed via the phone
    • App software (navigation, streaming music, etc.) is automatically updated because the apps live on the phone
    • Natural voice recognition with Google voice actions
    • Owners can easily bring their personal reminders, suggested destinations, calendar appointments and music preferences with them when they get in their car
    • Android Auto automatically pairs with the Sonata for phone calls through Bluetooth when connected for the first time via USB
    • Android Auto has familiar interfaces that are easy to use and have almost no learning curve.
    The Android Auto navigation screen.
    The Android Auto navigation screen.
  • DeepOcean Hires Fugro for Fleet Positioning

    DeepOcean Hires Fugro for Fleet Positioning

    Credit: DeepOcean/Fugro
    Credit: DeepOcean/Fugro

    Fugro has been awarded a contract by subsea contractor DeepOcean for the provision of precise satellite positioning for its fleet.

    The contract is valid for three years and also includes the new vessels in DeepOcean’s expanding fleet. The DeepOcean fleet will be equipped with hardware and software developed by Fugro, providing independent positioning solutions on each vessel.

    Under the contract, Fugro will supply DeepOcean with three independent decimeter-level satellite navigation systems. Also part of the contract delivery are Fugro’s Starfix.G2+ system, which has a 3D accuracy approaching that of GNSS RTK systems, and Fugro’s Starfix.G4 satellite correction service.

    Starfix.G2 is a GPS and GLONASS positioning system based on orbit and clock corrections generated from Fugro’s own expanded network of dual system reference stations. Starfix.G2 is a precise point positioning (PPP) technology, which distinguishes itself from the traditional differential approach as satellite errors are not lumped together but estimated per source, per satellite. The GPS/GLONASS orbit and clock corrections are computed separately, free of ionospheric and tropospheric effects.

    Starfix.G4 is a GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou positioning system based on orbit and clock corrections generated from Fugro’s network of reference stations. Like Starfix.G2, Starfix.G4 also uses PPP technology. The GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou orbit and clock corrections are computed separately, free of ionospheric and tropospheric effects.

    DeepOcean is an integrated provider of services and technologies for the subsea industry, including offshore services for oil and gas, offshore renewables and electrical power transmission industries, with offices in Norway, UK, Holland, Brazil, Mexico and Singapore.

     

  • MachineryGuide Offers Smartphone Guidance for Agriculture

    MachineryGuide Offers Smartphone Guidance for Agriculture

    The MachineryGuide package with antenna, receiver and guidance software.
    The MachineryGuide package with antenna, receiver and guidance software.

    MachineryGuide is a new GPS guidance system for Android that gives farmers the ability to use their smartphones for precision guidance.

    With the help of MachineryGuide, the cultivated area and overlaps can be displayed. The guidance application helps farmers in edging along the ideal track by gearing to straight reference lines.

    With the application and an antenna from MachineryGuide, farmers can have a simple precision guidance application to improve yield growth, increasing efficiency. Also, fertilizer and pesticide use can be optimized, while machine costs and work hours can be lowered by up to 10 percent, the app designers said.

    The application is aimed at managers of small- and medium-sized farms and can be used on a smartphone or tablet. A demo can be downloaded from GooglePlay — the free version can not connect to a real GPS device, but all the functions of the program can be tested.

    MachineryGuide sells the software separately; a GNSS receiver + antenna separately; and a package bundle that includes software, GNSS receiver and antenna. The antenna is capable of receiving and processing free corrections (EGNOS, WAAS).

    MachineryGuide has been listed among the top 5 farming apps according to Agrivi. Also, Croplife considers MachineryGuide one of the 10 best agricultural apps of 2015.

  • Crowdsourcing Indoor Positioning, Connected Vehicle News

    Janice Partyka
    Janice Partyka

    One of the marvels of the decade is crowdsourcing. This month I look at crowdsourcing for indoor-location positioning and report findings on GPS in smartphones that provide reliable earthquake warnings. Google has had some issues with mapping crowdsourcing, leading to the temporary suspension of Map Maker. If Google can’t block inappropriate content, it does give pause.

    Next, I look at connected cars. Since this fall, four out of nearly 50 self-driving cars driving throughout California have gotten into accidents. With connected vehicles about to start popping out of dealerships, the legality of hands-free driving is belatedly being examined. And, last, INRIX has released an analytics platform that will use the massive data coming from connected vehicles.

    Crowdsourcing Indoors. Crowdsourcing has worked for mapping, but what about for indoor location? Sensewhere thinks it can work. The company’s indoor positioning technology learns Wi-Fi mapping through crowdsourcing. The premise is that it gets better over time, with each user’s device adding to the Sensewhere database. For instance, Sensewhere’s ability to determine the location of an office door from the building’s lobby will improve with each trip down the corridor. Although other systems may be more accurate, Sensewhere requires no infrastructure. The company claims accuracy of 10 meters or better.

    Sensewhere’s solution doesn’t require the Wi-Fi mapping labor that companies like Skyhook initially undertook. Skyhook engaged in “wardriving,” a peculiar term defined by Wikipedia as “the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by a person in a moving vehicle, using a portable computer, smartphone or personal digital assistant (PDA).” The term “wardriving” originated from “wardialing,” popularized by the 1983 film War Games in which the lead character, played by Matthew Broderick, has his computer automatically dial phone numbers in search of modems, perhaps the precursor to robocalling.

    Crowdsourcing for Earthquakes? The GPS in smartphones can detect the earliest signs of a quake with at least a magnitude of 7. The challenge is to distinguish an earthquake from the usual bouncing and jarring every cell phone encounters. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey found that if 103 phones in a defined vicinity record the same displacement, there is an overwhelming likelihood that a quake is occurring. The amount of forewarning is very small and maybe only a few seconds, but it could be enough time for a surgeon to retract a scalpel or a person to take cover.

    Is Automated Hands-Free Driving Legal? Given the batch of vehicles with automated driving about to land this year and next, you’d think that the answer would be a resounding yes. But it isn’t clear. Only one state, New York, requires drivers to have one hand on the wheel at all times. The law was enacted in 1967 without the impetus of connected vehicles. A handful of states have legalized automated driving in certain instances. It would be more practical for the federal government to step in to avoid a patchwork of regulation. The automotive industry and other boosters would argue that if automated driving isn’t specifically prohibited, it is legal. However, “drivers” of automated vehicles could find themselves ticketed by police, who could deem hands-free driving as “reckless driving.”

    Tapping Big Data from Connected Vehicles. Where you go in your car and what you do in it will be used by INRIX in its new Insights analytics platform. Over the years, INRIX has transformed itself from a purveyor of traffic data to a sophisticated driving and traffic analytics player. The platform will use data from connected vehicles for urban planning, retail site selection and advertising usage, leveraging real-time GPS from a network of 250 million vehicles and devices. INRIX introduced InsightsTrips, a data-as-a-service application for understanding population movement across a metropolitan area.   InsightsVolume provides information on how many vehicles typically pass a location.

    Android Mascot Defacing Apple’s Logo. Not even Google is impervious to spam attacks and obscene edits. Google has temporarily disabled its crowdsourcing map editing tool, Map Maker. The tool, especially important in countries that lack detailed maps, allows maps to be updated with new geographical features and roads. In April, Google improved its spam detection system in response to escalating hacking, but the company’s efforts were not enough. One recent misdeed was the renaming of a business located near the White House to “Edwards Snow Den,” a play on Edward Snowden. However, the prank that seemed to precipitate Google taking Map Maker offline was an image of the Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo that appeared on a map.

    The Android mascot could have used the crowdsourced app Sit or Squat to find a more appropriate venue. Crowdsourcing knows few boundaries.

  • Autonomous Vehicle Ambitions Behind HERE Suitors?

    Autonomous Vehicle Ambitions Behind HERE Suitors?

    Kevin Dennehy
    Kevin Dennehy

    A number of large companies are making bids to acquire Nokia’s HERE digital mapping company. At least one analyst believes the interest is fueled by future autonomous ambitions. In other location industry news, a new location-based analytics product hits the market.

    Signaling the need to control a major location industry segment, Nokia’s HERE digital mapping company is attracting big-name suitors for as much as $3 billion. According to published reports, the bidders include Uber, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Chinese search engine giant Baidu — and even Facebook.

    However, at least one industry insider believes the hoopla for HERE, which is found in a majority of in-dash navigation units worldwide, is being driven by the continued interest in autonomous vehicles.

    “Google has been openly working on the concepts required to support AVs for several years and Apple has a skunkworks where they are working on prototypes for an Apple AV. The German luxury car makers realize the bind they could find themselves in — as do all vehicle manufacturers — if Google is able to produce a popular AV-oriented OS that is preferred by owners of AVs over an OS produced by the vehicle manufacturers,” said Mike Dobson, TeleMapics principal, who writes about the topic at www.telemapics.com. “I suspect that Google is really focused on an operating system for autonomous vehicles that can help promote Google’s interest in advertising, but will produce a prototype car to show how the system should work, although avoiding large-scale production. Apple, on the other hand, may be considering producing a vehicle that runs on their OS. So while Google is regarded as a more immediate concern for the automobile industry, the company may also become the vehicle manufacturers’ best friend and trusted supplier, if Apple enters the autonomous vehicle market as a vehicle manufacturer.”

    While Dobson believes Uber, which bought mapping company deCarta in March, is playing with fire by bidding for HERE, he says they are clearly concerned what the world of autonomous vehicles might mean for their business. “Within 10 years, Uber will be producing its own fleet of AVs. While owning a map company might be beneficial to them, they might be better off licensing map databases,” he said.

    Facebook Not a Good Match

    Dobson said that while Facebook, rumored to also be a bidder, can afford the billions to buy HERE, there does not appear to be a significant strategic advantage for them in doing so. “While (Facebook) is experimenting with geographical databases, it is unclear to me that they would significantly benefit from owning a spatial database, as opposed to licensing the data, although their concern may be driven by a fear that the data might not be freely licensed after the company is acquired, say, by a competitor,” he said.

    The problem with the automotive consortium and Uber that have surfaced in the quest for HERE, the company once called Navteq — and acquired by Nokia for more than $8 billion in 2007 — is that none are data companies — with the background and nuances of creating spatial databases,” Dobson said.

    “From my perspective, that means none of the current bidders are ideal candidates to manage the company. Like Nokia, these companies may not actually know what to do when they win the auction,” he said. “During the eight years that Nokia has owned HERE, the mapping asset has been devalued and improperly positioned for growth. I do not know how much more mismanagement the team at HERE can take before the company and its navigation databases becomes non-competitive.”

    Dobson says that Uber, Facebook, Baidu, and the German car manufacturers do not yet understand the expense of upgrading and maintaining HERE’s mapping database for the demands of the autonomous vehicle market. “Buying HERE for ‘internal’ use only would be a significant mistake, so any potential buyer is going to need to continue to sell data to all channels, even those owned by potential competitors. This simple reality will cause any of the buyers who have surfaced so far a lot of heartburn in the future,” he said.

    Dobson says the clear winner for the future of HERE is the German automotive consortium of Audi, BMW and Mercedes, with its reported alliance with Baidu. “I do not regard this combo as an optimal owner, but the mix of interest may help keep HERE at the forefront of producing high-accuracy navigation databases — although the extent of map coverage may be a casualty of this ownership team,” he said.

    New Location Analytics Product Hits the Market

    A new location analytics product is hitting the market in a more and more crowded indoor-positioning field. The differentiator, says Cloud4Wi about its new Fogsense product, is that the unit constitutes the location industry’s smallest Internet of Things Wi-Fi device that is tailored to retail outlets, coffee shops, restaurant chains and shopping malls with presence analytics and location-based services.

    The device, which contains Broadcom’s WICED chip, will feature Bluetooth low-power technology in the new version in (the fourth quarter), said Elena Briola, Cloud4Wi’s chief marketing officer. The new BLE version will enable Apple iBeacon and location-aware mobile applications.

    “We not only track the position of visitors and customers in the venue, we aggregate this data in valuable analytics and we provide applications to deliver targeted localized services based on these analytics,” she said.

    The device is also USB-powered, allowing businesses to scale its integration with both single and small venues, where Fogsense receives power from laptops and point-of-sale (POS) devices, the company said.

    “Customers increasingly expect Wi-Fi to be available wherever they go. Businesses can collect valuable data about their customers, better understand their behavior and deliver more personalized marketing initiatives,” Briola said.

    Like many location analytics companies, Cloud4Wi believes the new product will enable businesses to design push-targeted, localized marketing and advertising messages based on an assessment of the customer’s behavior at the venue.

    The company evokes the much-quoted ABI Research statistics that more than 1 million location retail deployments will occur by 2020.

     

  • NovAtel Offers Marine Antenna that Blocks Inmarsat Interference

    NovAtel Offers Marine Antenna that Blocks Inmarsat Interference

    GPS-713 pinwheel antenna.
    GPS-713 pinwheel antenna.

    NovAtel Inc. has introduced the GPS-713 pinwheel antenna, available in two configurations: the standard GPS-713-GGG-N and the L-Band capable GPS-713-GGGL-N. 

    Both antennas provide enhanced Inmarsat interference rejection, allowing tracking of GNSS signals in the presence of high-powered Inmarsat transmitters typically found on marine vessels. The antennas receive GPS L1, L2, L5; GLONASS L1, L2, L3; BeiDou B1, B2; and Galileo E1, E5a/b frequencies, optimizing global satellite tracking capabilities. Customers can use either antenna for GPS-only or multi-constellation applications, providing excellent flexibility and reduced equipment costs, NovAtel said.

    Designed for baselines of any length and easy installation, the phase center offset of these antennas remains constant as the azimuth and elevation angle of the satellites change. The antenna shares the same form factor as other NovAtel GPS-700 series antennas, and is enclosed in a durable, waterproof housing.  Its compact, lightweight size makes it suitable for a wide variety of environments and applications.

  • USGS Offers New Series of California Offshore Maps

    Map of sediment thickness in state waters offshore of San Francisco. About 21,000 years ago, sea level in this area was about 125 m lower and the shelf offshore San Francisco was an emergent land surface. At that time, the Sacramento River drained through the Golden Gate and eroded a valley ("the San Francisco paleovalley”) that was filled with sediment during subsequent sea-level rise. The thickest young sediment in the region occurs in the “San Andreas graben,” a basin that formed by crustal down dropping along the offshore section of the San Andreas fault. There is very little sediment on the shelf offshore of southern Ocean Beach (a pattern that extends south to Pescadero), a factor important for understanding and forecasting coastal erosion in this area.
    Map of sediment thickness in state waters offshore of San Francisco. About 21,000 years ago, sea level in this area was about 125 m lower and the shelf offshore San Francisco was an emergent land surface. At that time, the Sacramento River drained through the Golden Gate and eroded a valley (“the San Francisco paleovalley”) that was filled with sediment during subsequent sea-level rise. The thickest young sediment in the region occurs in the “San Andreas graben,” a basin that formed by crustal down dropping along the offshore section of the San Andreas fault. There is very little sediment on the shelf offshore of southern Ocean Beach (a pattern that extends south to Pescadero), a factor important for understanding and forecasting coastal erosion in this area.

    Three new sets of maps detail the offshore bathymetry, habitats, geology and submarine environment of the seafloor off the coast of San Francisco, Drakes Bay and Tomales Point.

    Critical for resource managers, the maps are part of the California Seafloor and Coastal Mapping Program, a series of maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, NOAA and 15 other state and federal partners. The maps are designed to be used by a large stakeholder community and the public to manage and understand California’s vast and valuable marine resources.

    “OPC is proud to be a partner in this interagency effort,” said California’s Secretary for Natural Resources and OPC Chair John Laird. “These maps are critical to the state’s innovative approach to coastal resource management. USGS’s products form the foundation for assessing the performance of our Marine Protected Area network and preparing for climate change impacts such as sea-level rise.”

    “NOAA is pleased to be partnering in this integrated ocean and coastal mapping project. By working with partners from across federal, state, academic, and private sectors, we are able to combine data resources and maximize our efficiency in applying a ‘map once, use many times’ approach that benefits all,” said Rear Admiral Gerd F. Glang, director NOAA’s office of coast survey.

    The program was initiated seven years ago with the goal of comprehensively surveying and mapping all of California’s state waters. The vision was tremendously ambitious — comparable mapping on this scale has not been attempted anywhere else in the world, the USGS said. Each of the three publications includes 10 map sheets, a pamphlet and a digital data catalog.

    The maps and mapping data have a large range of applications. They provide:

    • a foundation for assessing marine protected areas and habitats;
    • baselines for monitoring coastal change and sea-level-rise impacts;
    • critical input data for modeling and mitigation of coastal flooding;
    • a framework for understanding coastal erosion and developing regional sediment management plans;
    • contributions to earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments;
    • more accurate maps for safer navigation;
    • and essential information for planning, siting, or removing offshore infrastructure.

    The new “Offshore of San Francisco” maps document the complex submarine environments along the inlet to San Francisco Bay formed by strong tidal currents, including spectacular sand waves, a deep scour pool beneath the Golden Gate, and the dynamic offshore San Francisco mouth bar and “Potato Patch” shoal.

    Sediment distribution maps reveal only a thin sediment cover offshore of the Ocean Beach (San Francisco) erosional hotspot (a pattern extending south to San Gregorio), indicating that today’s present coastal erosion will be a continuing problem, likely to be exacerbated by continuing sea-level rise.

    Geologic maps incorporating subsurface data document the location and geometry of the San Andreas, San Gregorio and Point Reyes fault systems, and show how their interactions led to uplift of Point Reyes and development of a deep sediment-filled basin.

    The Drakes Bay and Vicinity, and Offshore of Tomales Point maps reveal the diverse and complex range of seafloor habitats typical of the California coast, ranging from the rugged granitic bedrock along the high-energy west coast of Point Reyes, to smooth sand and mud in the more protected Drakes Bay environment that includes the Point Reyes State Marine Reserve.

    “There is a ‘WOW!’ factor to the new high-resolution datasets and maps,” said Sam Johnson, the USGS project lead. “They’re allowing scientists to pose new questions and are having a significant role in stimulating research.  We’re also seeing a positive impact on public education and awareness.”

    To date, 12 map sets and catalogs have been published. Ten additional map sets are now being formatted for publication, which will complete coverage in the Santa Barbara Channel (Oxnard to Gaviota) and from Marina northward to beyond the Russian River.

    The maps are created through the collection, integration, interpretation, and visualization of swath sonar data, acoustic backscatter, seafloor video, seafloor photography, high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, and bottom-sediment sampling data.

    The California Seafloor and Coastal Mapping Program is a collaborative effort supported by the USGS, the California Ocean Protection Council, NOAA, California State University at Monterey Bay, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and other academic, government, and industry partners.

    Map of offshore sediment thickness in State Waters between Drakes Bay and Salt Point, north of the Russian River. The thickest sediment in the region occurs offshore of the Russian River, and in a large bar along the south flank of Point Reyes Head. There is a relative lack of offshore sediment between Bodega Head and Point Reyes, where the shelf is characterized by abundant rocky habitat and much of the coastal sediment is trapped in large onshore dune fields.
    Map of offshore sediment thickness in State Waters between Drakes Bay and Salt Point, north of the Russian River. The thickest sediment in the region occurs offshore of the Russian River, and in a large bar along the south flank of Point Reyes Head. There is a relative lack of offshore sediment between Bodega Head and Point Reyes, where the shelf is characterized by abundant rocky habitat and much of the coastal sediment is trapped in large onshore dune fields.
    Perspective view looking to the southeast over entrance to San Francisco Bay. Golden Gate Bridge is to left (east) of this view. The large sand-wave field lies within Golden Gate channel, and formed from sediment transported out of the Bay by strong tidal currents. Profile A–A’ shows that the larger bedforms can reach heights of over 7 m and are asymmetrical with steeper sides towards the open coast. A smaller field of sand waves to south near Baker Beach shows the opposite symmetry (steep sides toward the Bay) indicating that the strongest tidal currents in that local area are directed eastward.
    Perspective view looking to the southeast over entrance to San Francisco Bay. Golden Gate Bridge is to left (east) of this view. The large sand-wave field lies within Golden Gate channel, and formed from sediment transported out of the Bay by strong tidal currents. Profile A–A’ shows that the larger bedforms can reach heights of over 7 m and are asymmetrical with steeper sides towards the open coast. A smaller field of sand waves to south near Baker Beach shows the opposite symmetry (steep sides toward the Bay) indicating that the strongest tidal currents in that local area are directed eastward.
    “Seafloor character” map of the San Francisco Region. This is a type of habitat map that classifies the seafloor based on surface hardness and roughness. Such maps are used in various types of ecosystem assessments and seafloor zoning, such as delineation or monitoring of marine protected areas.
    “Seafloor character” map of the San Francisco Region. This is a type of habitat map that classifies the seafloor based on surface hardness and roughness. Such maps are used in various types of ecosystem assessments and seafloor zoning, such as delineation or monitoring of marine protected areas.
    Bathymetry bounding Tomales Point. Rugged and massive granite outcrops extend offshore from Tomales Point to water depths of as much as 60 meters. Offshore sedimentary rock outcrops (lower left part of image) form distinctive “ribs” on the seafloor and have a notably different appearance. There is minimal sediment on this part of the California shelf because the watersheds draining the west flank of Tomales Point are very small and because Tomales Point and Tomales Bay block sediment transport from the north. Rocky-shelf outcrops and rubble are excellent habitats for rockfish and lingcod, recreationally and commercially important species. Tomales Bay, approximately 20-km long and 1- to 2-km wide, formed along a submerged portion of the San Andreas Fault (very shallow water depths preclude collection of high-resolution bathymetric data at the mouth of Tomales Bay).
    Bathymetry bounding Tomales Point. Rugged and massive granite outcrops extend offshore from Tomales Point to water depths of as much as 60 meters. Offshore sedimentary rock outcrops (lower left part of image) form distinctive “ribs” on the seafloor and have a notably different appearance. There is minimal sediment on this part of the California shelf because the watersheds draining the west flank of Tomales Point are very small and because Tomales Point and Tomales Bay block sediment transport from the north. Rocky-shelf outcrops and rubble are excellent habitats for rockfish and lingcod, recreationally and commercially important species. Tomales Bay, approximately 20-km long and 1- to 2-km wide, formed along a submerged portion of the San Andreas Fault (very shallow water depths preclude collection of high-resolution bathymetric data at the mouth of Tomales Bay).

    Maps: USGS

  • Exelis, UrsaNav to Demo eLoran with Homeland Security, Coast Guard

    Exelis, UrsaNav, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), and the U.S. Coast Guard have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for testing and demonstration at former Loran-C sites.

    The team will evaluate eLoran as a potential complementary system to GPS. The capabilities and potential utilization methods of eLoran will be explored in depth to identify all strengths, capacities, and potential vulnerabilities of the technology.

    The sites are the legacy ground-based radio navigation infrastructure of the decommissioned Loran-C service that could be retained and upgraded to provide eLoran low frequency service.

    Under the CRADA, Exelis will use the former Loran-C assets to put eLoran signals in space for research, test and demonstration of the ability of eLoran to meet precise positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) requirements of government and privately-owned critical infrastructure. The first station Exelis will broadcast from is located in Wildwood, N.J. The broadcast will provide a usable signal at a range up to 1,000 miles.

    “eLoran is an ideal technology to complement GPS for critical, resilient and assured PNT,” said Ed Sayadian, vice president of Civil & Aerospace Systems for Exelis. “eLoran is a difficult to disrupt technology that offers PNT and wide area broadcast data capabilities indoors, in underground locations and other GPS-denied environments.”

    “A preponderance of government, academic, and industry reports have concluded that eLoran is the best independent, multi-modal solution to provide assured PNT as a complement to GPS,” said Chuck Schue, president and CEO of UrsaNav.

    Exelis and UrsaNav have entered into this CRADA because they believe that low frequency signals, such as eLORAN, operate independently of GPS signals and can provide alternative timing, either standalone, or as a component of a PNT service. Exelis also believes that as a result of its wealth of experience in its PNT portfolio, that there are many civil and defense applications that require precise time and/or position in GPS-denied environments. Examples include radio frequency interference, both intentional and unintentional; signal attenuation from heavy forest canopy, terrain or buildings; and indoor and underground locations.

  • Geospatial UAVs Showcased at AUVSI 2015

    As digital producer for Geospatial Solutions, I spent three days this month covering Unmanned Systems 2015, the huge show hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). This was definitely the show at which I gathered the most news and footage of exciting UAV/UAS applications in geospatial technology.

    Let’s meet the experts responsible for developing high-altitude color and infrared imagery gathering of a city-sized area, a lower altitude quadcopter for surveying and mapping and a small vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed for use by warfighters that is now ready for first responders and others in small, cluttered, urban environments, giving them an eye-in-the-sky in just minutes.

    From the chipset level to fully-featured aerial survey platforms to processing software, AUVSI had it all.

    Intro to AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2015

    The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI’s) Unmanned Systems 2015 show, held May 4-7 in Atlanta, convened a global community of commercial and defense leaders in intelligent robotics, drones and unmanned systems.

    CEA Research: UAS Could Reach 1M U.S. Flights a Day in 20 Years

    The United States will reach one million UAS flights per day within the next 20 years, given the right regulatory environment, according to new economic research from the Consumer Electronics Association.

    Exelis Showcases CorvusEye at AUVSI 2015

    CorvusEye 1500 is one of the programs Exelis featured at AUVSI 2015. From an altitude of 15,000 feet, CorvusEye 1500 provides color and infrared imagery of a city-sized area unavailable with comparable airborne systems. Bernard Brower, product manager for Exelis, shows us how users work with the real-time analytics and processed data to search for vehicle tracks based on location and time.

    Trimble Details New OEM Module at AUVSI 2015

    Akshay Bandiwdekar of Trimble Integrated Technologies details the company’s BD935-INS module that features precision GNSS with an integrated 3-D Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial sensor package. As part of Trimble’s GNSS OEM portfolio, the new compact module augments real-time precise positioning with 3-D orientation.

    Septentrio Launches AsteRx-m UAS Reciever at AUVSI Show

    Septentrio’s Jan Van Hees talks about the AsteRx-m UAS, an RTK-accurate GNSS receiver solution specially designed for the drone market. The AsteRx-m UAS provides high-accuracy GNSS positioning with low power consumption, according to Septentrio.

    NavtechGPS Showcases GPS, GNSS Products for Unmanned Systems

    NavtechGPS CTO Franck Boynton explains how AUVSI 2015 attendees can incorporate GPS and GNSS technology into unmanned projects. NavtechGPS represents nearly 30 leading manufacturers of GPS and GNSS products.

    NovAtel Showcases FlexPak6, FlexPak-S Receivers

    NovAtel’s Peter Soar talks about the company’s FlexPak6 receiver that houses its OEM628 triple-frequency plus L-Band GNSS receiver board. It has a highly configurable interface to ensure precise positioning for UAV applications. Soar explains that its “sister unit,” the FlexPak-S, contains a real-time kinematic GPS receiver with an L-3 XFACTOR Selective Availability Anti Spoofing Module (SAASM). The two receivers are both the same size and fit.

    Lockheed Martin Displays K-MAX Cargo UAS Helicopter at AUVSI Show

    Lockheed Martin Corporation and Kaman Aerospace Corporation transformed Kaman’s K-MAX power lift helicopter into an unmanned aircraft system capable of autonomous or remote controlled cargo delivery. Jon McMillen explains that its mission for the last three years has been to resupply battlefield cargo for the U.S. military in Afghanistan. McMillen says another possible application for K-MAX is firefighting.

    NavCom Technology Offers Navigation and Positioning Capabilities for UAS

    NavCom Technology’s Jim Williams explains the precise positioning and navigation solutions offered by the company for UAS. NavCom offers GNSS aerial antennas, RTK positioning and its StarFire global satellite-based augmentation system (GSBAS).

    Maxtena Displays L1/L2 GPS Antennas for Use in UAS

    Stani Licul, CEO of Maxena, displays some of its antennas for use in UAS. Maxtena’s active rugged antenna is designed for L1/L2 GPS and GLONASS bands for GNSS satellite and RTK applications.

    Spirent Federal Systems GSS9000 GPS/GNSS Constellation Simulator

    Jeff Martin of Spirent Federal Systems talks about how its GSS9000 simulator can help with UAS development. The GSS9000 simulator supports multi-system, multi-constellation GNSS testing for UAS.

    NovAtel Talks GPS Anti-Jam Technology for Use in UAVs

    NovAtel’s Peter Soar shares on the company’s GAJT (“Gadget”), a single unit GPS anti-jam antenna for use in UAVs. GAJT nullifies jammers, ensuring satellite signals necessary to compute position and time are always available.

    Exelis Disruptor SRx Electronic Warfare Technology Explained

    Marty Apa, chief engineer for Exelis’ Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems, shows Geospatial Solutions the Disruptor SRx. The Disruptor SRx electronic warfare technology is small enough to fit into UAS. It also has the ability to switch between multiple functions in real time.

    Geomatics USA’s GPS Technology Enables UAS Navigation

    Geomatics USA’s Ahmed Mohamed showcases a UAS that uses the company’s GPS technology to take off and land quadcopters from its structure. Geomatics USA also offers its G-AT: Active Target for surveying and mapping.

    Lockheed Martin Corporation Demos Indago UAS at AUVSI Show

    Lockheed Martin demonstrates its Indago UAS. The Indago payload system features a quick disconnect adapter which allows the operator to choose the appropriate payload for the mission, according to Lockheed Martin. The payloads are available for a variety of different applications, including agricultural, mapping, inspection and ISR.

    Exelis’ Symphony RangeVue Offers Web-Hosted Aircraft Surveillance Information

    Christian Ramsey, UAS program manager for Exelis, explains that the Symphony RangeVue enables UAS operators and test-range personnel to have access to both real-time and historical aircraft surveillance information via a web-hosted platform, helping to manage mission operations across multiple locations. Symphony RangeVue can be used as command center decision support and post-event analysis tool, or in the field as a sense-and-avoid addition to UAS ground control stations. Flexible geofencing tools alert operators when a UAS approaches airspace boundaries or other aircraft are in the vicinity.

    Spectracom Shows Off Rugged Product Line at AUVSI Show

    Spectracom displayed its precise positioning, navigation and timing solutions that leverage GPS/GNSS signals at AUVSI 2015. Capabilities for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) include precision references, signal generation, reception, synchronization, distribution, test/validation, simulation, integration, interference, detection/mitigation, real-time embedded and technical/support services.

    Racelogic Highlights GNSS Simulator, VBOX Speed Sensor IMU

    Jim Lau with Racelogic details the company’s GNSS Simulator and VBOX Speed Sensor IMU. VOBX is a 100-Hz dual-antenna GPS/GLONASS speed sensor (VBSSISL) that combines signals from an integrated inertial measurement unit with those from GPS to provide smoother output data even when satellite reception is interrupted.

    Next year’s show has been branded XPONENTIAL 2016, “An AUVSI Experience,” and will be held in New Orleans, May 2–5.  See you there!