Viametris, specialist of SLAM-based mobile scanning systems, has launched a backpack-based scanning system called the bMS3D-360. The company continues to rely on SBG Systems’ expertise in inertial navigation by integrating the Ellipse2-D, an inertial navigation system with embedded real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS receiver.
Photo: Viametris
Viametris has been developing SLAM-based scanning systems for more than 10 years, including the iMS3D, a full indoor mapping system and the VMS3D, a car-based mapping system.
The bMS3D-360 has been designed for the most challenging environments where GNSS is not accessible (indoor) or highly perturbed (urban canyons, forest, etc.). The surveyor starts the system, checks on a tablet that the GNSS and inertial information are computed, and starts the survey.
Back at the office, the user launches the INS/GNSS post-processing software to increase orientation and position accuracy, and then uses the Viametris software to georeference and colorize the point cloud.
Collected data are ready to be imported into common design software. This workflow (from collection to plan drawing) is seven times faster than a traditional method.
The bMS3D-360 offers a 360-degree camera, which greatly simplifies the treatment work. When navigating in the point cloud, the user opens a unique picture of the 360-degree scanned environment instead of looking at four different camera points of view.
Photo: SBG Systems
The Ellipse2-D from SBG Systems is a compact inertial navigation system integrating an L1/L2 GNSS receiver. This industrial-grade INS computes roll, pitch and heading as well as position because of its embedded Extended Kalman Filtering.
In real time, Ellipse2-D orientation data are used to correct the equipment attitude and help the SLAM computed heading. The embedded GNSS receiver provides absolute positioning to the point cloud as well as altitude constraint.
When the GNSS faces sources of disturbance, the INS maintains the trajectory were the SLAM technology is limited.
Mobile-scanning company Viametris has launched the bMS3D backpack mobile scanning system, which features an embedded 360° camera.
Narrow streets and pedestrian zones are considered hurdles when it comes to mobile scanning. The new bMS3D-360 makes these tasks achievable. It is now available on the market and it comes with post-processing software. It will be presented at SPAR 3D 2018 in June.
“Users of mobile scanning systems know how difficult it is to cover an entire city with this kind of system and how complex the completeness is,” said Jerome Ninot, founder of Viametris.
Improved Data Exploitation with Panoramic Images. Viametris has found a solution to scanning challenges by developing the bMS3D-360: the mobile scanning backpack system includes a panoramic camera. This sensor allows the user to maintain continuity of results with mobile mapping systems on cars that already include this kind of camera. Operation and visualization with such 360° images are now easy to use.
Since Google provided massive street views, people are used to navigating through panoramic images. Navigating through bMS3D-360 images becomes easy and intuitive compared to navigating with 3D point clouds, the company said.
Ten years of experience have allowed Viametris to produce its GNSS mono-antenna system based on GNSS-free scanning (indoor or denied-GNSS area): the system trajectory is calculated by lidar-SLAM. It produces colorized point clouds with absolute accuracy of less than 5 centimeters under appropriate satellite reception conditions.
Compared to many mobile scanners, this backpack does not rely on GNSS to work. If the GNSS reception is not good enough, control points can be added for absolute localization. The backpack can be used to scan all sorts of indoor areas such as airports, industrial buildings or shopping malls.
The bMS3D-360 is lightweight. It protects the retractable camera an all other components since it is self-contained.
Post process in VIAMETRIS PPiMMS Software. PPiMMS post-processing software manages the dataset coming from the system. Its mission is to calculate, control and improve the trajectories by calling lidar-SLAM functions, and reducing drifts, thanks to loop closure algorithms.
The user can manually add GCPs to constrain the result when GNSS reception is poor. But, in most cases, the user will be able to include post-processed global positions (PPK) using GNSS post-processing software. Additionally, the panoramic camera can be used to colorize the point cloud using PPiMMS.
The new software release of Survey123 for the ArcGIS mobile application now has Spike, a laser measurement solution by ikeGPS.
The paired technology dramatically accelerates field data capture and asset inspection activities.
Spike allows users to measure hard-to-reach objects from a distance by taking a photo with their smartphone or tablet. Users can then capture real-time measurements from that image, including areas, elevations, distances between two points, and GPS/GNSS location.
Use of the Survey123 integration with Spike will be of interest to organizations that use mobile workflows for asset and facilities management, field asset inventories and inspections, damage assessments, and tactical operations including disaster response.
Using Spike with Survey123 relieves fieldworkers of the burden of carrying paper maps to find the object of interest and lugging multiple pieces of specialized, expensive measuring equipment. Instead, with a single mobile device, fieldworkers can locate the correct asset, record measurement data, and report accurate data directly back to the office.
“The new Spike integration with Survey123 is a game changer for many field data collection and inspection workflows where the dimension of physical objects needs to be captured. Spike and Survey123 provide quick return on investment,” said Ismael Chivite, Esri product management lead. “The simplicity of the solution enables it to be quickly deployed and with little training. Customers are very enthused about this low-cost solution that will streamline many of their critical workflows.”
The ability to capture accurate measurements in the field is particularly useful when working in areas that don’t lend themselves to hands-on or close-up measurement. Spike’s laser can be used in ranges from 6 to 650 feet, with the option to select units of measurement in inches, feet, meters or centimeters. With it, a single fieldworker is able to more quickly and safely accomplish what may otherwise have taken multiple field staff and costly equipment.
The Spike laser device mounts to smartphones and tablets and connects via Bluetooth with the mobile device’s camera.
Survey123 with Spike runs on Apple iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets.
GEO Business, the United Kingdom’s largest geospatial exhibition and conference, has announced that registration is now open.
The GEO Business show has grown every year since its inception, and the 2018 show looks set to be the most successful show to date with more exhibition space and a brand new seminar program. The event will return to the Business Design Centre, in London, UK, May 22-23.
Since its record-breaking 2017 event last year, which welcomed 2,386 geomatics and geospatial professionals from around the world (a 48 percent increase since the launch in 2014), the exhibition has expanded onto the upper level. Exhibitors span the entire geospatial industry, showcasing cutting-edge technology and solutions that will mold the future of the industry.
The 2018 GEO Business show will expand to the second level of the Business Design Center. (Photo: GEO Business)
Confirmed exhibitors for 2018 include Survey Solutions Scotland, Land Registry, GAP Group, Phase One, Viametris, Surphaser/ MD3D, DHF Satellite and Ordnance Survey Ireland.
New for 2018 is a free-to-attend seminar program designed to demonstrate the remarkable impact geospatial technologies and solutions on the global environment. The program will feature case studies from companies demonstrating how they are reducing costs and risk while increasing productivity.
The 2017 GEO Business exhibit. (Photo: GEO Business)
The latest in augmented reality, building information management (BIM), geospatial information systems (GIS) and big data, laser scanning, mobile mapping, remote sensing and satellites, smart cities, surveying, UAVs, virtual reality and visualization will feature within the fields of architecture and construction, commercial property, environmental, equipment theft, floods, forestry, heritage, highways, hydrography, mining, rail and tunneling.
With geospatial technology now impacting on more and more industries, GEO Business is attracting visitors from a wider range of industry sectors than ever before.
“The geospatial industry is experiencing a huge transformation, everywhere you look at the moment you bare witness to the term ‘geospatial,’” Show Director Caroline Hobden said. “Innovative technology is steadily making its presence known in everyday life, whether it is through the revolutionary capabilities of augmented/virtual reality or the extraordinary data recorded by drones to name just a few, the world is sitting up and taking notice.
“Even the U.K. government budget made mention of geospatial at the end of last year and as a result we excitedly await further announcements about the Geospatial Commission whose focus will be on location aware technologies revolutionising the digital economy.”
The exhibition and seminar program will run alongside a strategic senior-level conference of invited speakers presenting and debating the role of geospatial in powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution, said GEO Business. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing how we live, work and communicate. It is reshaping government, education, healthcare and commerce — almost every aspect of life. The conference will celebrate, challenge and develop the role that geospatial has to play in maximizing the digital economy as part of this revolution.
Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to attend the well-established commercial workshop program hosted by exhibitors demonstrating their latest products and services and a full line-up of innovative social activities designed for informal networking with colleagues old and new.
The exhibition, workshops and seminars are free to attend. There is a fee-to-attend the conference with an early-bird discounted rate for registrations before April 16. Public sector, association members and student discounts are also available. Visitors are encouraged to register online in advance to beat the queues onsite.
For more information on stand sales or visitor registration, contact Caroline Hobden at [email protected] or call +44 (0)1453 836363.
Belgian GNSS receiver manufacturer Septentrio was selected by Swiss drone manufacturer Wingtra to supply GNSS OEM receiver boards and PPK processing software for the recently-launched WingtraOne PPK drone.
The combination of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) technology and a high-spec post-process kinematics (PPK) brings wide-area coverage at ultra-high precision.
Following a flight, the GNSS data of the WingtraOne is processed offline using Septentrio’s PPK software. This combines the drone data with correction data from a nearby reference receiver to get accurate cm-level geolocations for every photograph.
The on-board high-resolution Sony RX1RII camera, AsteRx-m2 UAS receiver board combined with Septentrio’s PPK library, and Pix4D photogrammetry processing software are together able to produce ground precisions of 1.3 centimeter (cm) horizontal and 2.3 cm vertical.
Image: Wingtra
“With the WingtraOne PPK, we can offer a world first in drone photogrammetry — wide coverage at ultra-high precision,” said Armin Ambühl, CTO of Wingtra. “In a single one-hour flight, the WingtraOne can cover 130 ha (320 acres) delivering mapping with GSDs [ground sample distance] below 1 cm/pixel with absolute accuracy down to 1.27 cm.”
He continued, “WingtraOne’s advantage is twofold: it combines VTOL with the latest PPK technology from Septentrio. With VTOL we can offer the best of both worlds: multirotors and fixed-wings. Vertical take-off and landing means hands-free operation and a smoother ride for the on-board camera payload. Secondly, efficient flying in fixed-wing mode means far greater coverage than any comparable multirotor.”
“We are proud and excited to be part of this innovative project with Wingtra pushing the boundaries of aerial photogrammetry,” said Gustavo Lopez, product manager at Septentrio. “The WingtraOne incorporates our AsteRx-m2 UAS OEM board and, photogrammetry applications requiring high-precision, low-latency positioning are what it does best. The board is specifically designed for quick and easy integration and, with Septentrio’s world-first, multi-frequency PPK, cm-level precision can now reach the parts dual-constellation solutions feared to tread.”
Fugro is supporting NF-GEBCO Seabed 2030, a global initiative to produce a definitive, high-resolution bathymetric map of the entire world’s ocean floor by the year 2030.
The initiative is being facilitated by the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) project in partnership with The Nippon Foundation as a means to inform global policy, improve sustainable use and advance scientific research.
Less than 20 percent of the world’s oceans are mapped using modern survey techniques. Accurate seabed measurements (bathymetry) are important for numerous government, scientific and industry applications, according to Fugro.
“As the world’s largest offshore survey company, Fugro is in a position to help close this data gap, and we are committed to doing our part through the Seabed 2030 project,” said David Millar, Fugro’s government accounts director in the Americas.
One of the primary ways Fugro is supporting Seabed 2030 is through crowdsourced bathymetry data contributions.
In 2017 the company devised a methodology for collecting valuable high-resolution bathymetry datasets while its vessels are transiting between survey projects. The approach is made possible through Fugro’s Office Assisted Remote Services (OARS), its proprietary technology that enables safe and efficient data acquisition without the need for dedicated survey staff on board.
In this way, valuable data can be collected from transiting vessels with minimal effect on Fugro’s standard operating procedures.
In 2017, Fugro deployed its in-transit data collection methodology on two survey vessels, delivering approximately 65,000 square kilometers of crowdsourced bathymetry data to GEBCO.
The company has recently expanded that collection capacity to include four survey vessels and intends eventually to incorporate the approach across its entire global survey fleet to make an increasingly significant impact on the Seabed 2030 program.
“Fugro has displayed exemplary corporate leadership by sharing transit data from two of its survey vessels,” acknowledged Seabed 2030 Project Director Satinder Bindra. “In the coming months we look forward to receiving more transit data from all its survey vessels, which we believe will serve as a shining example to others in the industry and play an important role in helping us map the entire ocean floor for the benefit of humanity by 2030.”
Along with its own data contributions, Fugro is working with its clients to investigate how their datasets (existing and planned) may be incorporated into the Seabed 2030 program. In some instances, data sharing is straightforward, but in many others, datasets contain sensitive information.
Reducing the data resolution to a suitable degree and delaying the release of datasets until an acceptable amount of time has passed can mitigate these sensitivities and ensure the integrity of client-owned data.
The company is also helping to establish a workflow for integrating third-party datasets into the overall Seabed 2030 project database. The workflow will address such things as data formats and metadata standards, with the goal of simplifying and accelerating the rate of crowdsourced contributions and data sharing arrangements.
“We are proud to continue our support of the Seabed 2030 programme and to lead industry participation in this way,” Millar said. “As an appreciable portion of our work is ocean related, Seabed 2030 provides a perfect opportunity for us to contribute to global society and practice good ocean stewardship.”
Spatial analytics company Esri has acquired technology from ClearTerra, a company that offers geospatial and activity-based intelligence tools.
The acquisition will provide ArcGIS platform users the ability to easily discover and extract geographic coordinates from unstructured textual data like emails, briefings and reports, instantly generating intelligent map-based information.
This capability will make mapping this elusive information easier across many industries. Defense, intelligence and public safety organizations tend to have massive volumes of unstructured data, as do other fields, such as petroleum, utilities and maritime, where locating information on the Earth is not as easy as searching for a street address.
Esri’s acquisition of ClearTerra technology brings workflow-enhancing software technologies into the ArcGIS platform.
“We have been close partners with Esri for a number of years,” said Jeff Wilson, former vice president of sales for ClearTerra, now an executive for defense and intelligence with Esri. “Esri has the platform and resources to provide a solid path going forward for our technology, allowing us to expand this capability to the global market.”
ClearTerra LocateXT technology allows analysts to rapidly scan through documents without having to spend hours reading, copying, pasting and running spreadsheet formulas, placing the results instantly into geospatial features.
Additionally, ClearTerra FindFZ technology provides enhanced search capabilities for the ArcGIS platform, incorporating the powerful techniques found in internet search engines, including a tolerance for misspelled words, as well as wildcard and Boolean logic searches.
The LocateXT extension for ArcMap is used to extract locations from unstructured data (messages, reports, briefings) into a geodatabase feature class. (Image: ClearTerra)
“We are excited to bring ClearTerra technology into the Esri family,” said Jeff Peters, Esri director of national government. “The unstructured data tools are powerful not only for those who have made use of this technology for a number of years, such as in the military, but it also has useful applications for so many more Esri users.”
ClearTerra has been an active member of the Esri partner program, providing their software to ArcGIS users via desktop, server, and the cloud. Support and maintenance for the software will continue via Esri with no interruption of service, and is readily available for licensing.
ClearTerra specializes in geospatial and activity based intelligence software products, custom solutions, technical services, consulting and training. ClearTerra is a business unit of ClearShark.
Lidar and UAV technology has revealed hundreds of previously unknown Mayan ruins in the Guatemalan rainforest.
The Optech Titan stripped away overlying vegetation to reveal extensive Mayan ruins in Guatemala’s rainforest. (Image: Teledyne Optech)
In what is considered biggest aerial lidar survey in the history of archaeology, a vast and complex civilization has been discovered.
The University of Houston’s National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) used Teledyne Optech’s Titan sensor to identify raised highways, and complex irrigation and terracing systems.
The jungle of Central America is one of the last great frontiers of archaeology, according to National Geographic, which covered the new finds in a recent documentary, Lost Treasures of The Maya Snake Kings.
After the collapse of the Mayan civilization, its cities and monuments were quickly covered by thick rainforest, hiding it from airborne observation and making it very difficult to survey on foot. Over decades of work, the ancient civilization has gradually been revealed. But now technology is set to change everything.
Lidar digitally removes the forest canopy to reveal ancient ruins below, showing that Maya cities such as Tikal were much larger than ground-based research had suggested. (Photo: National Geographic)
Flying high above the rainforest, the Titan’s lasers penetrated the canopy to collect almost a million data points per second from the forest floor, giving archaeologists a “bare earth” view of the structures underneath.
Having covered 2,100 square kilometers, the Titan’s data revealed massive amounts of ruins hidden below the forest, showing that their urban centers were significantly larger than archaeologists had previously thought.
“Lidar is revolutionising archaeology the way the Hubble Space Telescope revolutionised astronomy,” Francisco Estrada-Belli, a Tulane University archaeologist, told National Geographic. “We’ll need 100 years to go through all [the data] and really understand what we’re seeing.”
(Image: Teledyne Optech)
“We are incredibly proud and excited that our award winning Titan multispectral lidar sensor has contributed to this spectacular discovery,” said Michel Stanier, EVP and general manager of Teledyne Optech. “The Titan’s ability to strip away overlying vegetation and map wide areas very quickly and accurately makes it an important tool for archaeologists, and we expect to see many more discoveries coming from it and our other airborne laser terrain mappers.”
The Optech Titan multi-spectral lidar sensor incorporates three independent laser wavelengths into a single sensor design, with beams at 532, 1064 and 1550 nanometers (0.5/1.0/1.5 microns) and a ground sampling rate of 300 kHz per beam.
Because Titan uses both green and infrared channels, it is capable of simultaneous water-depth mapping and high-precision 900-kHz topography.
Titan can also be used for purposes such as vegetative and forestry applications, which require multiple wavelengths for improved classification accuracy and carbon credit counting initiatives.
Lidar and UAV technology has revealed hundreds of previously unknown Mayan ruins in the Guatemalan rainforest.
The Optech Titan stripped away overlying vegetation to reveal extensive Mayan ruins in Guatemala’s rainforest. (Image: Teledyne Optech)
In what is considered biggest aerial lidar survey in the history of archaeology, a vast and complex civilization has been discovered.
The University of Houston’s National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) used Teledyne Optech’s Titan sensor to identify raised highways, and complex irrigation and terracing systems.
The jungle of Central America is one of the last great frontiers of archaeology, according to National Geographic, which covered the new finds in a recent documentary, Lost Treasures of The Maya Snake Kings.
After the collapse of the Mayan civilization, its cities and monuments were quickly covered by thick rainforest, hiding it from airborne observation and making it very difficult to survey on foot. Over decades of work, the ancient civilization has gradually been revealed. But now technology is set to change everything.
Lidar digitally removes the forest canopy to reveal ancient ruins below, showing that Maya cities such as Tikal were much larger than ground-based research had suggested. (Photo: National Geographic)
Flying high above the rainforest, the Titan’s lasers penetrated the canopy to collect almost a million data points per second from the forest floor, giving archaeologists a “bare earth” view of the structures underneath.
Having covered 2,100 square kilometers, the Titan’s data revealed massive amounts of ruins hidden below the forest, showing that their urban centers were significantly larger than archaeologists had previously thought.
“Lidar is revolutionising archaeology the way the Hubble Space Telescope revolutionised astronomy,” Francisco Estrada-Belli, a Tulane University archaeologist, told National Geographic. “We’ll need 100 years to go through all [the data] and really understand what we’re seeing.”
(Image: Teledyne Optech)
“We are incredibly proud and excited that our award winning Titan multispectral lidar sensor has contributed to this spectacular discovery,” said Michel Stanier, EVP and general manager of Teledyne Optech. “The Titan’s ability to strip away overlying vegetation and map wide areas very quickly and accurately makes it an important tool for archaeologists, and we expect to see many more discoveries coming from it and our other airborne laser terrain mappers.”
The Optech Titan multi-spectral lidar sensor incorporates three independent laser wavelengths into a single sensor design, with beams at 532, 1064 and 1550 nanometers (0.5/1.0/1.5 microns) and a ground sampling rate of 300 kHz per beam.
Image: Teledyne Optech
Because Titan uses both green and infrared channels, it is capable of simultaneous water-depth mapping and high-precision 900-kHz topography.
Titan can also be used for purposes such as vegetative and forestry applications, which require multiple wavelengths for improved classification accuracy and carbon credit counting initiatives.
The application, built using the TerraGo Magic platform and available today from BAE Systems, offers iOS, Android and web apps that make it easy to securely capture and share field reports from any location.
With GXP InForm, users can customize forms, maps and workflows so field applications can be quickly configured and instantly deployed to support any operation, in any location.
GXP InForm’s mobile features, including basemaps and forms, are available without network connectivity so personnel can get the job done in the most remote locations and demanding conditions. When a network connection is available, GXP InForm enhances situational awareness for all stakeholders with the bi-directional flow of information between headquarters and on-site personnel.
“We constantly look for ways to help our customers extend the value of GXP Xplorer across the enterprise and improve the quality of geospatial intelligence for all stakeholders,” said Damon Brady, director, product development and programs at BAE Systems. “With GXP InForm, mobile users get access to actionable imagery, while command units gain access to site reports, photos and videos that enhance the fidelity of their common operating picture.”
“We’re proud of this collaboration to build GXP InForm,” said Dave Basil, president and CEO at TerraGo. “It’s the result of a long-running and successful partnership with BAE Systems that goes back to 2008. The combination of GXP Xplorer, as an open data-management platform, and GXP InForm, as a customizable reporting application, provides great value to our customers that need to leverage vast geospatial data sources and tailor field workflows to all types of operations and missions.”
TerraGo is offering a webinar at 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 21, with a discussion and demonstration of GXP InForm. Register here.
SuperSurv’s NTRIP solution is being enhanced to adopt more RTCM versions and provide a better GNSS positioning service. NTRIP (Networked Transport of RTCM via internet protocol) is a protocol to send GNSS-related data through the internet, which enables users of differential GPS or network real-time kinematic (RTK) to get correction parameters after connecting to the internet. The correction parameters can be used to calculate a more accurate GNSS location. Supergeo’s product team is developing the support for RTCM 3.1, including Types 1021 and 1023.
The scalable A222 GNSS smart antenna is designed for both agriculture and basic indicate systems markets, as well as other markets requiring flexible positioning. The smart antenna has the flexibility to scale and grow as business expands and can be configured from L1-only to multi-GNSS, multi-frequency and real-time kinematic (RTK). It adds a system component so that tractor and farm equipment manufacturers can deliver their own guidance and control solutions to their customers. Designed to excel in challenging environments, the A222 uses Hemisphere’s Athena RTK engine and is Atlas L-band capable. It is easy to mount and customizable. Its dual-serial, CAN and pulse output options are compatible with almost any industry-standard interface. Because the A222 is Atlas-capable, it has the ability to use the new Atlas AutoSeed technology. Atlas AutoSeed allows users to suspend Atlas use for any period, and upon returning to their last location, AutoSeed rapidly re-converges to a high-accuracy converged position. A222 comes pre-configured with Atlas Basic activated.
Locates mobile devices moving indoors and outdoors
Leveraging ubiquitous LTE signals, the Lite-Touch Architecture calculates positioning in the cloud to efficiently locate devices between indoor and outdoor environments. By offloading computation-heavy location calculations from the device to the cloud, the PoLTE positioning solution makes location positioning available to a wider variety of devices, including those constrained by battery life, memory, processing power, size and cost. This includes IoT-based applications that historically relied on GPS, with its high rate of power consumption, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with their added size, cost and network complexity.
Enhancements to the SyncServer S600 series of time servers and instruments improve time synchronization over enterprise Ethernet networks and supply timing signals for improved military radar operations and satellite uplink communications. The SyncServer S600 series also meets the timing and synchronization needs of the rapidly evolving networks of enterprise and financial customers, particularly for compliance purposes such as the European MiFID II directive, which specifies highly stringent time accuracy requirements for stock trading systems. The latest release includes support for the IEEE 1588 multiport, multi-profile Precision Time Protocol (PTP), which allows the S600 to operate as an independent grandmaster clock on each Ethernet port — delivering cost savings and network deployment flexibility to customers. This is coupled with a new 10-GbE interface to easily interoperate with a wider variety of network and stock trading topologies.
The HG4930 inertial measurement unit (IMU) is tailored for “straight-out-of-the-factory” integration and use in various non-defense and non-aerospace industrial applications including surveying and mapping, autonomous vehicles and gimbal stabilization. The HG4930 IMU is not classified under an International Traffic in Arms Regulation category; it is free from the burden of an export license for all but a few military-related use cases. The micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based IMU has been tailored to provide significantly improved gyroscope and accelerometer performance for the environments and use cases experienced by non-aerospace and non-defense users.
The HX-DU2017D is a frequency-hopping OEM modem designed to provide strong anti-jamming and signal receiving capability for complex data-intensive applications. HX-DU2017D is a miniature, dual-frequency, software-selectable 840-MHz and 900-MHz data link modem. It provides power switching of 0.5 W, 1 W and 2 W; 20 ms/30 ms/40 ms/50 ms/ frequency-hopping intervals; and supports point-to-point, point-to-multipoint network. Its full duplex mode ensures secure data transferring and stable long-range communication. The HX-DU2017D also provides short latency of data transmission and communication recovery in millisecond level. It allows fast and secure simultaneous data communication for mission-critical applications, especially in the fields of precision agriculture and UAVs, including unmanned plant surveys, UAV plant protection and automatic mowers. It could be placed on a UAV with its extremely small footprint for tight OEM integration and design flexibility. Meanwhile, its frequency-hopping transmission ensures UAV data security and flight stability.
For small construction, thermal inspections and public safety
The Parrot Bebop-Pro Thermal is a compact quadcopter with two embedded cameras: a stabilized 14-megapixel high-definition front-facing video camera and a FLIR ONE Pro thermal camera. The thermal-imaging camera is positioned in a dedicated module at the back of the drone. Three thermal-imaging setting modes are available: Standard, Dynamic and Hotspot. The Parrot FreeFlight Thermal app innovatively transmits and analyzes images captured by the quadcopter’s cameras. Included is a long-range Parrot Skycontroller 2 remote control.
Pergam gas sensor integrated with carbon-fiber UAV
Pergam gas sensor aboard the Microdrones md4-1000 UAV.
The aerial methane detector mdTector1000 CH4 detects methane gas via a fully integrated aerial package. It has a Pergam gas sensor, mounted and integrated with the Microdrones md4-1000 UAV. In real time users can see aerial shots of detection with the laser sensor. The carbon-fiber-built UAV goes into dangerous areas unsuitable for workers. The mdTector1000 CH4 can be used for natural gas line surveys, tank inspections, gas well testing, plant safety and landfill emission monitoring. The mdCockpit Android app allows users to maintain visualization in flight. A special mdTector app allows users to visualize and present all post-flight data on one map.
Microdrones, www.microdrones.com
UAV tracking antenna
Portable antenna for unmanned or manned aircraft
The Octopus UAV portable tracking antenna enables long-range data transmission and is suitable for unmanned and manned aircraft applications. It has a range of more than 100 kilometers and an integrated pointing algorithm. The GPS location of the aircraft is sent over the Airlink IP datalink and received directly by the tracking antenna, making it operational with any existing unmanned aircraft autopilot system. For a manned aircraft, an existing GPS receiver or dedicated GPS receiver can be used.
Brings high-precision positioning and attitude to small UAVs
AsteRx-m2 UAS receiver.
The AsteRx-m2a UAS GNSS OEM engines provides precise and reliable multi-frequency, all-in-view real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning and heading — along with interference technology — with low power consumption. It features Septentrio’s AIM+ interference mitigation and monitoring system, which can suppress a wide variety of interferers. It is designed to bring high-precision positioning and attitude to any space-constrained application, offering a high update rate and low latency output. The AsteRx-m2a UAS provides plug-and-play compatibility for autopilot systems such as ArduPilot and Pixhawk. Event markers accurately synchronize camera shutter events with GNSS time. The board can be powered directly from the vehicle power bus via its wide-range input. It works seamlessly with GeoTagZ software, providing offline re-processed RTK accuracy without the need for either ground control points or a real-time datalink.
The GPS-TMG-HR timing antennas are designed for Positive Train Control and railroad management, among other markets. They are equipped with high-rejection narrowband filtering to mitigate interference and provide 65-dB rejection of frequencies adjacent to L1 GPS. The GPS-TMG-HR maintains all features of PCTEL’s GPS timing reference platform. The antennas feature a 26-dB amplifier (GPS-TMG-HR-26N) and 40-dB amplifier (GPS-TMG-HR-40N ) and narrowband high rejection filtering to support long-lasting, trouble-free deployments in congested cell-site applications with severe interference around the GPS L1 frequency. The proprietary quadrifilar helix design, coupled with multi-stage filtering, provides superior out-of-band rejection and lower elevation pattern performance than traditional patch antennas.
The GPDF.47.8.A.02 is a ceramic GPS L1/L2 / Galileo low-profile, low-axial ratio, embedded stacked passive patch antenna. It is 47.5 x 47.5 millimeters wide and 8 millimeters thick. It is designed for the highest accuracy centimeter-level tracking in telematics applications for positioning technologies. Typical applicable industries are transportation, defense, marine, agriculture and navigation.
The Autonomy Development Platform provides automakers, truck makers and Tier 1 vehicle suppliers the hardware, software, engineering and integration services they need to accelerate development programs for on-road and off-road autonomous vehicles. By combining customized integration and engineering services with GNSS-inertial positioning technologies, the Autonomy Development Platform advances driverless vehicle development projects at every stage of development and commercialization. The platform delivers a navigation solution that is fully customizable and includes integration and engineering services, field-tested hardware and proprietary software for highly accurate positioning. The solution is capable of working with all sensors, including multiple cameras, lidar, radar and ultrasonic sensors, and with all vehicle types at all stages in the development and commercialization cycle. Also, the technology enables highly accurate assessments of the full 360-degree environment around a vehicle to produce a robust representation, including static and dynamic objects, which is critical for successful vehicle autonomy.
TomTom AutoStream is a map delivery service for autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. The service enables vehicles to build a horizon for the road ahead by streaming the latest map data from the TomTom cloud. TomTom AutoStream ensures that the TomTom map data used to power advanced driving functions is the latest, most accurate available, enabling a safer and more comfortable experience. The map-data stream can be customized based on criteria such as sensor configuration and horizon length. It can stream a wide variety of map data including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), attributes such as gradient and curvature, and the TomTom HD Map with RoadDNA. This flexibility allows customers to use AutoStream to power a wide range of driving automation functions.
Delair, a supplier of drone solutions for commercial industries, has introduced the next-generation of its high-performance DT26X Lidar UAV.
The DT26X is a long-range fixed-wing drone that combines highly accurate lidar sensing capabilities with an integrated high-resolution RGB (red, green, blue) camera, dramatically increasing the precision, efficiency and cost effectiveness of surveying and 3D mapping.
The Delair DT26X lidar drone combines lidar sensing with RGB camera data to enable highly accurate and high-resolution 3D representation and measurement over large areas with minimal flights and in challenging environments. (Image: Delair)
Details of the new model, which builds on Delair’s proven expertise in long distance, beyond visual line of sight UAV operations, were revealed at the International Lidar Mapping Forum in Denver.
Aerial-based lidar allows for extremely detailed and accurate collection of elevation data of the ground, even in large and vegetated areas, but is typically performed with specialized, single function platforms or expensive manned aircraft surveys with long lead times.
Camera-enabled drones offer a complementary solution for collecting imagery that can augment the lidar-based models. Most projects therefore require multiple mapping flights and separate UAVs, with initial missions using lidar sensors and subsequent flights equipped with RGB-cameras to enhance the digital rendering.
The Delair DT26X lidar’s combined payload of a lightweight sensor and integrated camera allows the acquisition of lidar and photogrammetry data in a single flight, which drastically reduces cost and immediately provides an extremely detailed digital model of the inspected assets.
The lidar sensor is specifically designed for UAV use, adding little weight or bulk to the Delair frame. The fully-integrated smart RGB camera enables real-time camera sensor control and in-flight photo review with automated quality checks.
The new platform delivers increased accuracy in 3D mapping and modeling of terrain and corridors in challenging physical environments (e.g. mountainous, inaccessible by road or foot, dense vegetation) and with difficult visibility, lighting or weighting conditions.
Its long range flying capabilities — allowing coverage of up to 2,400 square acres, communication range of 30 kilometers and 100 minutes of flight time — improve the efficiency of aerial mapping operations over large areas. As a result, the Delair DT26X lidar is well suited for uses such as environmental and land surveys, forestry monitoring, infrastructure surveillance, powerline and pipeline inspections, and road and rail construction.
“The combination of a sophisticated lidar sensor and an industrial grade RGB camera removes the ‘either/or’ decision of choosing between lidar and imagery data acquisition for geospatial professionals,” said Chase Fly, geospatial product manager at Delair. “This is the most versatile and cost-effective UAV solution for large area, long range mapping and surveying where accuracy and detail are required. It provides the precision and visibility required by the most demanding use cases and allows data acquisition and advanced digitization not possible through terrain-based or satellite 3D mapping techniques, or with limited short-range UAVs. With this configuration, users can acquire all the data required for a colorized point cloud from a single flight, which eases the point cloud classification process back in the office, saving significant time and money.”
New lidar sensor for more accurate mapping. TheDelair DT26X lidar fixed-wing UAV incorporates the new RIEGL miniVUX-1DL lidar sensor, a specially designed device for the needs of UAV use.
The small form factor sensor includes a downward looking and optimized field of view specifically geared for corridor mapping tasks. The wedge prism scanner construction produces a field of view of 46 degrees, and the circular scan pattern provides a very high point density and point distribution.
It offers a high scan speed of up to 150 scans per second and a measurement rate of up to 100,000 measurements per second. It is effective in penetrating poor lighting conditions or dense foliage. The lidar sensor makes use of RIEGL’s Waveform-lidar technology, allowing echo digitization and online waveform processing. It supports multiple-target resolution of up to five target echoes per laser shot.
“The new Delair UAV is typically the type of drone RIEGL had in mind when designing the RIEGL miniVUX-1DL, and represents another step toward completing our UAV lidar equipment product portfolio. The scanner’s specific wedge prism scanning mechanism generates a circular scan pattern, resulting in high point densities and therefore is especially well suited when deploying the scanner from fast moving acquisition platforms such as fixed-wing UAVs. The FOV (field of view) of the miniVUX-1DL is 46deg, resulting in optimized efficiency for downward-looking, linear acquisition set-ups like corridor mapping applications, for example. We are pleased to have such an innovative company like Delair as an esteemed OEM integration partner, bringing our sensing technology to key market sectors that require a flexible lidar solution,” commented Michael Mayer, managing director, RiCOPTER UAV GmbH.
RiCOPTER UAV GmbH is a subsidiary of RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH, an international provider of technology in airborne, mobile, terrestrial, industrial and unmanned laser-scanning solutions. RiCOPTER UAV GmbH commercializes RIEGL’s turnkey lidar UAV solution and laser-scanning payloads dedicated for UAV integration.
