Category: GPS

Esri and Trimble Offer R1 GNSS Receiver for Field GIS Workflows

The Trimble R1 GNSS receiver is now available for collecting professional-grade GPS data with Esri’s Collector for ArcGIS. The GNSS receiver is rugged certified MIL-STD-810, IP65 rated, compact, and lightweight and provides professional-grade positioning information to iOS, Android or Windows mobile handhelds, smartphones and tablets using Bluetooth connectivity for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) capabilities.

“We’re very pleased that Esri will distribute the R1 GNSS receiver to its customers,” said Ron Bisio, general manager of Surveying and Geospatial at Trimble. “Offering a complete, integrated solution that provides accurate data collection enables Esri and Trimble’s joint customers to build a better and more reliable asset inventory.”

Some users of Collector for ArcGIS on consumer-grade mobile devices might find their GPS to be less accurate than they need it to be. Now the locational precision of mobile devices can be enhanced via Bluetooth connected to the Trimble R1 GNSS receiver. The receiver is capable of supporting multiple global satellite constellation systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou, and delivers GNSS positions in real time without the need for postprocessing.

“Collector for ArcGIS is used by organizations to collect and update GIS data in the field,” said Esri product manager Jeff Shaner. “Many of our customers like the ease of use of Collector for ArcGIS on consumer handheld devices. Paired with the Trimble R1 GNSS receiver, users can now capture GIS data on their smartphones and tablets that meets the more stringent spatial accuracy requirements of their organization.”

Designed for GIS professionals in a variety of organizations, the stand-alone Bluetooth Trimble R1 GNSS receiver enables users to collect high-accuracy location data with Collector for ArcGIS on an existing device — whether it’s a modern smart device, such as a mobile phone or tablet, or a traditional integrated data collection handheld or tablet. The receiver can be pole mounted, carried in a vest pocket, or attached to a belt using the optional belt pouch for ease of use.

The Trimble R1 GNSS receiver is available now through Esri. Learn more about Esri’s hardware solutions at esri.com/hardware.

October 6, 2015
ComNav Highlights M300 Pro GNSS Receiver, New OEM Boards

Andy Yin, international sales director at ComNav Technology Ltd., talks about the company’s M300 Pro and new OEM boards at INTERGEO 2015, which was held Sept. 15-17 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The M300 Pro GNSS reference station receiver integrates ComNav’s new-generation OEM board and includes web service and remote control features.

The first OEM board, which can support all GNSS constellations (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo), will be released at the end of September, according to ComNav.

The new K502G OEM Board supports GPS and GLONASS.

September 23, 2015
Trimble Launches R2 Receiver with GIS Workflow Integration

Trimble debuted its new R2 GNSS receiver at INTERGEO 2015, held this week in Stuttgart, Germany.

The R2 GNSS receiver is a receiver that works with Trimble handheld devices and iOS, Android or Window mobile handhelds, smartphones and tablets using Bluetooth or USB connectivity. When paired with a mobile device, the receiver adds professional-grade GNSS capabilities for better accuracy. The rugged Trimble R2 provides GIS and survey professionals the flexibility to choose the mobile device, workflows and accuracy they need based on applications.

Trimble R2 GNSS Receiver for Mobile Devices

The Trimble R2 GNSS receiver is compact and portable, weighing 2.4 pounds. With one button operation and field swappable battery, the receiver can be pole or vehicle mounted or carried on a backpack. The R2 is a multi-constellation receiver that supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS satellite signals as well as SBAS.

With a variety of standard and optional correction capabilities, the Trimble R2 can achieve sub-meter to centimeter positioning for a broad range of accuracy requirements. The receiver is an option for the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy.

“Today’s geospatial professionals require flexible solutions which allow for configuration to meet their specific job requirements,” said Ron Bisio, general manager of Trimble’s Surveying and Geospatial Division. “The Trimble R2’s versatility to support GIS and survey workflows as well as BYOD deployment enables geospatial professionals to collect data using the mobile device, workflow and accuracy they choose.”

Workflows – GIS and Survey Field Software

Designed for both GIS field data collection and survey workflows, the Trimble R2 receiver integrates with Trimble TerraFlex mapping and GIS field software and Trimble Access survey field software.

TerraFlex software is a scalable cloud-based solution for geospatial data collection. By pairing the R2 with a smart device or Trimble handheld running TerraFlex, the solution addresses a wide variety of field requirements, including attribute-rich GIS data collection on consumer and professional devices.

Trimble Access software supports the workflows of everyday surveying tasks such as topographic and control surveys and specialized surveying tasks such as roads, monitoring, tunnels and mines. By pairing the receiver with a Trimble handheld running Trimble Access or TerraFlex field software, the Trimble R2 is a versatile solution that supports the full range of geospatial data collection workflows for both GIS and survey applications.

Flexible Accuracy

It us capable of receiving a broad range of corrections from traditional RTK, VRS networks and SBAS to Trimble RTX correction services via cellular/IP connections or satellite (L-band), the Trimble R2 provides high-accuracy data worldwide.

The R2 GNSS receiver can leverage the entire portfolio of subscription-based Trimble RTX correction services to accommodate a wide range of applications and accuracy requirements. This includes CenterPoint RTX (less than 4 centimeters), RangePoint RTX (less than 50 centimeters), and ViewPoint RTX (less than 1 meter) correction services.

September 15, 2015
First Day at INTERGEO: UAVs and RTK GNSS Receivers

Every fall thousands of geospatial professionals are drawn to Germany, like bees are to honey, for the largest geospatial exhibition on Earth. This year in Stuttgart, more than 17,000 attendees from 92 countries are flooding the halls of the Stuttgart Exhibition grounds located adjacent to the Stuttgart International Airport. Attendees are being treated to a vast array of geospatial technology treats from 500+ exhibitors representing 30 countries.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

I recall a few short years ago, there were only a handful of UAV vendors at the entire exhibition. Now, there is hardly an aisle that does not contain a quad-copter, fixed-wing aircraft or a UAV-related accessory. The growth of UAVs into the geospatial market growth has been the most explosive geospatial technology introduced in the past 25 years, the span of time that I’ve been involved in the geospatial industry. It’s over the top — there is so much hype surrounding UAV technology that there might be more sellers than buyers. It’s become so crazy that there are vendors presenting UAVs that haven’t even been built yet! It reminds me of the days that Atari would announce a new game system nine months before it was ready to ship.

In the UAV space, I wonder which companies are actually making money. My guess is very few. A few of the big players like DJI, Parrot (owns senseFly) and 3D Robotics are doing well, plus a few others. But it’s an unhealthy buyer/seller ratio. Something’s going to give.

The sensefly eXom UAV in flight.

Today’s winners in the UAV market are companies like Pix4D, Agisoft and others who make mission planning and image-processing software for UAV-collected data. They are smart in that they aren’t competing against the hundreds of other UAV airframes on the market; they work with data from most of them. Following is a 3D example of what the Agisoft software can create given a bunch of images shot with a $1,500 DJI Phantom at 200-foot elevation.

The resolution is very good, and you’re able compute material volume such as the piles of aggregate on the west side of the river.

Inexpensive RTK

In the past, I’ve written a lot about inexpensive RTK GNSS receivers. At the InfoAg Conference a couple of months ago, Swift Navigation announced it is testing its $500 RTK receivers. At INTERGEO, CHCNav introduced L1 RTK GNSS in a mobile phone (check our website for a video on that). It’s not capable of centimeter accuracy yet, but quickly heading in that direction. NVS Tech is also pushing sub-$500 L1 RTK GNSS modules.

It’s interesting because L1 RTK is nothing new. That technology was first introduced almost 10 years ago, and wasn’t accepted very well. Now, the UAV phenomena is breathing new life into L1 RTK receiver technology because it’s driving the requirement for low-cost, high-precision GNSS receivers. L1 RTK GNSS are finally getting the love they were looking for nearly 10 years ago.

In case you weren’t able to make it to INTERGEO this year, Joelle, Michelle and I are shooting a bunch of short (~2-minute) videos at various exhibition booths while we are here. We hope to give you a flavor of the geospatial technology being offered this year in Stuttgart.

See you next time.

Following me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GPSGIS_Eric

September 15, 2015
Carlson SurvCE 5.0 Improvements on Display at INTERGEO
Advanced control for multiple rod heights and prism offsets.

Carlson Software experts will be demonstrating the newest abilities of the 5.0 version of SurvCE, its data-collection software, at INTERGEO, being held in Stuttgart, Germany, Sept. 15-17. Carlson will have two stands: indoors at C8.017 (Hall 8) and outdoors at FG.004.

SurvCE v. 5.0 software is scheduled to be officially released and available for download following extensive testing and after final enhancements are completed in October. Those buying a new license of SurvCE 4.0 software between now and the release of SurvCE 5.0 will receive an automatic upgrade to 5.0.

SurvCE 5.0 focuses on speed and power. A new memory allocator empowers users to do more, faster, opening large drawing and coordinate files with ease.

Mission Planning user-defined list for obstruction masking.

Other top new improvements include the following:
- Enhanced GNSS tilt sensor (IMU) for confirmation of level and the taking of measurements with tilted GPS/GNSS poles (works with selected GNSS such as Stonex and CHC in addition to Carlson);
- All-new GNSS Mission Planning, which will include GLONASS mission planning;
- Newly designed two-step stakeout procedure now intuitively and accurately guides the user to his point, delivering easy to follow navigation that shifts to proximity information as he gets close to target;
- And map-picked, cursor-displayed stakeout and one-pick measurement options.
Featuring hundreds of additions and improvements, Carlson SurvCE 5.0 continues to support the widest range of popular and new release RTK GPS and conventional/robotic total stations of any other data collection software on the market.

“SurvCE 5.0 is incorporating new emerging technologies like IMU support, while still providing its renowned friendly user environment,” says Jesus Latova, SurvCE product director. “Simplicity and safety are our main focus in developing these new features, together with continuing the extensive instrument support capacity of SurvCE.”

Carlson SurvCE is both powerful and easy to use, providing users with the options to collect data as they prefer. SurvCE 5.0 will be available in nearly two dozen languages. These include: English, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swediish, Tagalog, and Turkish.

Hardware from Carlson SoftwareAlso visit the Carlson outside stand (F.004, outside Hall 8) at Intergeo to see and sample its hardware options, produced to work specifically with its popular software. These will include the rugged, fast, and popular Surveyor2 data collector, the BRx5 GNSS receiver, and other equipment recommended by Carlson.

For more information about SurvCE 5.0 and additional Carlson Software offerings, call 606-564-5028 (U.S.) or +31 36 750 1781 in the Netherlands and ask for your local Carlson representative.
September 14, 2015
MicroSurvey FieldGenius 8 Provides Control in Field Data Collection
The newest version of MicroSurvey FieldGenius delivers expanded toolsets and enhanced capabilities for fast, accurate and complete field data collection, according to maker MicroSurvey Software. FieldGenius 8 was developed through close market collaboration and feedback from users, and provides tight control over crucial aspects of field data collection through expanded toolsets and an enhanced user experience, the company said.

Benefits of the new release include:
- Easy GNSS Local Transformation. A redesigned interface provides a streamlined workflow along with the ability to export/import localization files and use Helmert transformation.
- Enhanced DXF Support. Blocks, extrusion vectors, circles, and other entities are now supported in DXF file format for faster and easier drawing import.
- Advanced Point Averaging. The routine allows users to take multiple GNSS and/or TPS temporary measurements of a point and calculate an averaged position for increased accuracy and reliability.
- All-New Electronic Bubble. Integrated inertial sensors are now supported, which enables tilt compensated surveying on selected receivers and improves efficiency at difficult job sites.
- Native Unicode Support. Unicode character encoding has been implemented throughout the program. International users can now use their own language for data entry inside FieldGenius.
- Simplified GIS Mapping. GIS attributes can now be easily added to figures. In addition, users can quickly access default/previous values for both points and figures to make mapping tasks even easier.
FieldGenius 8 also includes improvements to road alignments, an onboard basic measurement mode, dynamic screen rotation, and expanded ASCII export options. Additionally, supported coordinate systems, geoids, instruments, and data collectors has been expanded, making it easier to integrate into existing survey operations.
August 12, 2015
INTERGEO Conference in Stuttgart Looks to Future

The conference program and registration for INTERGEO 2015 are now live. Register before July 31 to benefit from the early-bird booking rate.

The conference will be open with keynote speeches by Chris Cappelli (Esri Inc.) on “The Age of the Location Platform: How Mapping and GIS are Transforming the Work Environment” and Prof. Georg Gartner (TU Wien, Vienna University of Applied Sciences), president of the International Cartographic Association, on “The Future of the Map – the Map of the Future.”

“The agenda for the INTERGEO conference in Stuttgart is packed with exciting topics that are the focus of ongoing political debate on the digital world and will play a key role in shaping the way we work in future,” reads a statement by INTERGEO. “With keynote speeches and plenary talks delivered in English and simultaneous interpreting provided for one strand of the conference on the second day, it is clear that INTERGEO is also becoming increasingly significant on an international scale.”

The major topic of discussion at 2014’s INTERGEO remains a key part of the conference this year — INSPIRE examines geo-issues from a European perspective, providing practical examples and focusing on further development of the European directive. Other central themes include geodata as a basis for construction management and land development, a major concern for future development at regional and local level, as well as issues relating to property markets and valuation. These subjects are all crucial when it comes to discussing the “smart cities” and “smart villages” of the future, according to INTERGEO.

Another highlight of INTERGEO in Stuttgart this year will be the panel discussion on the second day on “Geospatial Information – A Key Element for Emerging Markets.” The high-profile panel of speakers include Bengt Kjellson (UN-GGIM Europe), Ola Rollen (Hexagon), Steve Berglund (Trimble) and Chris Cappelli (Esri Inc.).

A further key topic at the conference that is set to have a profound effect on the working world is geoinformation and mobility. DDGI and DVW will be addressing this together and discussing practical examples in two event strands.

The contributions on big data will focus on the rapid development of data capture, processing and presentation as well as the direct integration of data into business processes. Geoinformation as an element of networked processes is a subject of major international significance, as evidenced by the conference’s high-profile speakers. “In terms of digitization, the conference will be key to paving the path to Geospatial 4.0 and the networking of digital geodata,” said Prof. Karl-Friedrich Thöne, president of the event’s host, DVW, adding, “INTERGEO is the ideal forum for creating processes that could eventually benefit the entire value-added chain.”

As important as data may be in the digital world, it is also crucial to have the right visualization concepts in place. This will be demonstrated through presentations on the German Cartographers’ Day, which will form part of INTERGEO this year.

June 3, 2015
Apple Acquires GPS Company Coherent Navigation

Apple has acquired Coherent Navigation, according to various media reports.

Coherent Navigation is a Bay Area GPS firm founded in 2008 by engineers from Stanford and Cornell. One of its areas of focus was high-integrity GPS (iGPS), an enhanced version of GPS that uses both normal, high-altitude GPS satellites and lower-altitude voice and data satellites from Iridium to increase the accuracy of a consumer’s GPS reading from the ground.

The acquisition seems to be Apple’s latest efforts to bolster its mapping capabilities.

May 18, 2015
Geodetics Teams with Velodyne for Real-Time Mobile Mapping Systems

Geodetics Inc. has teamed up with Silicon Valley’s Velodyne Lidar. Velodyne and Geodetics will work on a variety of initiatives to enhance each others technologies and products with the goal of offering a small-size integrated inertial navigation and LiDAR-based mobile mapping payload for UAVs and other autonomous platforms.

Payloads will include Velodyne’s HDL-64E, HDL-32E and VLP-16 real-time LiDAR systems combined with Geodetics’ Geo-iNAV inertial navigation systems.

Geodetics and Velodyne are exhibiting this week at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Show in Atlanta, being held May 4-7 (booth 1500J and booth 2838 respectively). See our show coverage page for more information.

Velodyne’s LiDAR sensors are the highest performance LiDAR systems on the market in their size, weight and power class. Geo-iNAV is a fully-integrated GPS-aided inertial navigation system that provides real-time, high-precision positioning and navigation for manned and unmanned air, sea and ground vehicles. It combines GPS and proprietary sensor fusion technologies to achieve centimeter-level real-time positioning and navigation for dynamic platforms.

“We’re delighted to work with Geodetics to ease the integration process for our customers,” said David Oroshnik, Technical Sales Engineer, Velodyne LiDAR. “Our decision to support Geodetics is based upon the growing demand for cost-effective, small-sized, fully-integrated mobile mapping payloads that deliver performance traditionally associated with higher-end systems.”

“Velodyne’s LiDAR systems enable Geodetics’ products to reach new markets and customers by delivering high performance in a smaller package and for a lower cost than competing devices,” said Lydia Bock, Geodetics president and CEO.

With recent advances in unmanned vehicle technologies, the GNSS ecosystem has expanded to support such mission-critical applications as mobile mapping. These applications increasingly require more accurate navigation to accomplish their mission. The Geo-iNAV family of inertial navigation products delivers this capability with features that support reliable and precise navigation with a low SWaP (size, weight and power) profile for autonomous vehicles and payloads on manned vehicles.

Geo-iNAV is offered in several configurations designed to meet a wide range of requirements. It is available in commercial as well as SAASM configurations, meeting a wide range of inertial navigation application requirements.

May 7, 2015
TopoDrone-100 Captures Near Infrared Mapping Data

DroneMetrex has captured high-quality near-infrared (NIR) mapping data with its TopoDrone-100 UAV. DroneMetrex said in a news release that this is the first time such high quality NIR imagery has been captured by a UAV.

High-quality NIR data is a tool to detect chlorophyll. Because chlorophyll is emitted by all vegetation to various degrees, experts from land and forest departments, agronomists, vignerons and pastoralists will be able to discriminate between health and vigor of vegetation and between different types of vegetation. The data collected helps determine vegetation stress, disease, pest infection, irrigation faults and nutrient variations.

“We say ‘unique high-quality mapping’ because the data are both radiometrically and geometrically unparalleled from a drone,” said Thomas Tadrowski, managing director of DroneMetrex. “From the one-flight sortie, TopoDrone-100 users are able to perform vegetation analysis mapping as well as accurate 3D contours/DTM mapping. The pixel resolution is unsurpassed. The data geometry is unsurpassed. The radiometric mapping is unsurpassed.”

DroneMetrex offers its Extended Spectrum Mapping (ESM) camera modification as an option with the TopoDrone-100. After ESM modification, the camera is supplied with three external screw-on lens filters. Simultaneously using the NIR filter and a high-accuracy L1/L2/L5/GLONASS/COMPASS (BeiDou-2) PPK direct georeferencing solution, the TopoDrone-100 captures three-band imagery, with the near-infrared band recording unparalleled radiometric quality and chlorophyll discrimination.

The high radiometric quality is achieved because DroneMetrex specialists perform the necessary camera modifications themselves, and have designed the external filters specifically to match the requirements of accurate, discriminative vegetation mapping, DroneMetrex said.

Burnt vegetation.

Burnt vegetation NIR.

May 1, 2015
CHC Offers LT500 Series Handheld for GIS
The CHC LT500.

CHC has launched the LT500 series of handheld GPS receivers. The LT500 series LT500N /LT500T/LT500H covers three accuracy ranges from sub-meter to centimeter accuracy and is a cost-effective full GNSS positioning solution for survey, construction and GIS professionals.

Powered by the Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 operating system, the LT500 is accurate, rugged and versatile, CHC said. User productivity is enhanced with the built-in gyroscope, an innovative laser plummet for positioning the accurate handheld receiver over a point, an E-compass for showing the direction and G-sensors for leveling.

The LT500 series is competitively priced and comes with several bundled software programs, including SurvCE, DigiTerra, MapCloud and other third-party software.

“CHC’s LT500 series is our brand-new GNSS handheld, which has amazing features and specifications. It meets more customers’ needs with more options and affordable prices,” said George Zhao, CEO of CHC. “The introduction of the LT500 demonstrates CHC’s commitment to provide the GIS community with a full spectrum of rugged, cost-effective professional GPS handhelds.”

The LT500 series features these specifications:
- 1-GHz high-speed CPU with 512-MB RAM and 16-GB flash memory built-in
- Three tracking options:
  - LT500H 120 channel GPS L1/L2/L2C,GLONASS G1,G2,BeiDou B1, Galileo E1 Tracking
  - LT500T 220 channel L1,G1,B1
  - LT500N 12 channel L1
- 13-hour battery: 11.1V, 2600mAh
- Gyro, laser-plummet, E-compass, G-sensor
The LT500 series is available immediately through CHC’s worldwide distribution channel.
April 29, 2015
Trimble Expands Geospatial Portfolio to Increase Productivity

Trimble has expanded its portfolio of geospatial solutions for surveyors, engineers and mapping professionals. Highlights include new total stations, a new GNSS receiver and new field and office software features. The solutions save time, reduce costs, streamline workflows and produce high-quality geospatial deliverables across a wide range of industries, Trimble said.

“Trimble’s portfolio expansion will enable our customers to work in a more efficient, seamless and collaborative manner,” said Chris Gibson, vice president of Trimble. “Trimble’s solutions are best known for quality, dependability and performance. Our vision is to equip customers with the most innovative tools, which includes a focus on offering new software applications that streamline and elevate the value of geospatial data to guide smart decision-making and transform the way organizations work.”

The expanded portfolio of productivity solutions include:

Total Station Solutions

A range of new and enhanced robotic total stations — the Trimble S5, S7 and S9 — improve project efficiencies, productivity and deliverables. Times saving enhancements include improved Trimble VISION technology, SureScan technology included in the S7 and optional in the S9 total station, and the DR Plus electronic distance measurement technology as a standard feature.

Theft and loss risks are also minimized now with Locate2Protect technology embedded in each instrument, allowing users to remotely track the location of their equipment in real-time using Trimble InSphere Equipment Manager.

In the office, Trimble Business Center software can be used to create high-dynamic-range (HDR) images using data captured with total stations. A new total station data editor enables fieldwork to be rapidly reviewed and allows surveyors to create deliverables with confidence, Trimble said.

Scanning Solutions

Trimble continues to blend powerful 3D laser scanning and imaging hardware with workflow-based software to drive new efficiencies for survey applications and construction planning and design.

The Trimble TX8 3D laser scanner now offers greater accuracy (down to 1 mm) and streamlined onboard operation when measuring to longer ranges, decreasing the field time required for capturing reliable high-accuracy data.

Enhanced tools in Trimble RealWorks software version 9.1 further reduce the time to produce high-quality deliverables from Trimble TX8 data. The new version of Trimble RealWorks software includes improved workflows for creating floor settlement plans and 3D pipeline models as well as complete storage tank inspection and reporting capabilities.

GNSS Solutions

The new Trimble R8s Integrated GNSS receiver and updated version of Trimble Access field software combine to offer configurable and scalable settings. Surveyors have the flexibility across their workflows by being able to tailor the Trimble R8s receiver with the updated field software for their specific application. The ability to customize provides flexibility for future business requirements and allows customers to maximize efficiencies across their workflows.

Imaging Solutions

Trimble enhancements to Trimble VISION workflows increase the value of highly accurate image data. Survey, engineering and civil infrastructure professionals can now generate dense point cloud deliverables in Trimble Business Center from images captured using the Trimble V10 Imaging Rover. Users can also quickly generate 2D CAD and 3D real-world models from images captured with Trimble total stations using the streamlined workflows created within Trimble Business Center and SketchUp software.

Availability

Trimble Access field software, Trimble Business Center version 3.50 office software, the Trimble R8s GNSS receiver, Trimble S5, S7 and S9 Total Stations and TX8 3D Scanner are available now through Trimble’s Geospatial Distribution Channel.

April 24, 2015