GPS World

Category: Mobile

  • Public-sector provider partners with NextNav for vertical location

    Public-sector provider partners with NextNav for vertical location

    Photo: LeoPatrizi/E+/Getty Images
    Photo: LeoPatrizi/E+/Getty Images

    NextNav is partnering with CentralSquare Technologies, a public-sector technology company, to integrate z-axis vertical location capabilities into its computer-aided dispatch products and mobile suite of public safety software solutions.

    CentralSquare works with more than 75% of public safety agencies nationwide, including first responders, law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services and local governments, equipping them with real-time data and situational awareness to decrease emergency response times.

    By tapping into NextNav’s Pinnacle network, CentralSquare will be able to provide public safety agencies with critical vertical location data needed to precisely pinpoint the location of civilians in need of assistance during an emergency.

    The integration of Pinnacle into CentralSquare’s product suite will provide users with enhanced knowledge of the most efficient routes within multi-story buildings to further reduce response times.

    “Together with NextNav, we’re helping public safety agencies meet the needs of today’s dynamic world, particularly in densely populated urban cities,” said David Zolet, CEO of CentralSquare. “Adding z-axis enables our systems to not only derive location (x-axis and y-axis) but height (z-axis). This capability is the next logical step, decreasing emergency response times and ultimately helping to protect our communities and those that serve them.”

    CentralSquare’s partnership with NextNav further establishes the company as the market leader in public safety dispatch solutions with the addition of floor-level accurate z-axis location. Once deployed, CentralSquare will deliver z-axis visualization in a 3D view, bringing visualization to their agencies and clients’ first responders. Field trials of the technology will begin towards the end of the summer, with an initial rollout anticipated in the fall.

    The Pinnacle network delivers precise vertical location in 4,400 cities and towns, covering more than 90% of buildings greater than three stories in the United States, enabling better situational awareness for first responders. Earlier this year, a tier-one wireless carrier selected NextNav Pinnacle to bring z-axis capabilities to wireless 9-1-1 phone calls to enhance caller geolocation and emergency response outcomes.

    “Expanding access to the life-saving z-axis capabilities our Pinnacle network provides is a top priority for us. Partnering with CentralSquare allows us to use this technology to positively impact the lives of the majority of public safety workers in the United States,” said Ganesh Pattabiraman, CEO and co-founder of NextNav. “CentralSquare is the largest provider for dispatch solutions signed to our ecosystem to date, bringing actionable floor-level insights to a vast number of individuals and scenarios. We’re growing our user base significantly, and along with it bolstering public safety and saving lives.”

  • Move-X offers LoRa/GNSS board with u-blox module for tracking

    Move-X offers LoRa/GNSS board with u-blox module for tracking

    Photo: Move-X
    Photo: Move-X

    Telecommunication electronics company Move-X is offering a new LoRa/GNSS board. The Cicerone LoRa/GNSS board is a high-performance, low-power, Arduino MKR-compatible development board based on the u-blox MAX-M10S GNSS module and the MAMWLE LoRa module.

    The Cicerone board delivers high-performance GNSS, long-range wireless connection, and high-performance MCU processing in a low-power solution for optimal battery life.

    The board allows users to build tracking applications worldwide with meter-level accuracy and to communicate long-range, low-power data via LoRaWAN. The integrated Li-Po charging circuit enables the Cicerone board to manage battery charging through the USB port.

    The Move-X Cicerone LoRa/GNSS board has a compact 63 x 25 mm form factor and is compatible with all Arduino MKR shield boards. These boards all share a common pinout to enable developers to easily add expansions with minimal software changes.

  • L5-based oneNav outperforms Android smartwatch

    L5-based oneNav outperforms Android smartwatch

    OneNav’s pureL5 more accurate in urban testing without sensor augmentation

    Image: OneNav
    Image: OneNav

    OneNav is sharing side-by-side test results comparing its pureL5 GNSS receiver customer evaluation system to a leading Android smartwatch.

    OneNav is a Silicon Valley, California-based technology company designed to power high-performance positioning for location-dependent mobile services.

    In a challenging urban environment, oneNav averaged six times better accuracy than the smartwatch. Both units used commercial-wearable antennas for testing. While the oneNav system used only GNSS measurements, the smartwatch GNSS results were augmented by inertial sensors.

    At the 95th percentile, the pureL5 unit reported 8-meter accuracy compared to nearly 29-meter accuracy for the smartwatch; pureL5 accuracy includes artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms that improve the system over time.

    “The L5 signal is more accurate and reliable than L1, it has higher power and wider bandwidth, and it is less jammable,” said Steve Poizner, co-founder and CEO of oneNav. “We looked at where the market is heading, with the wearables and tracking device markets exploding and the demand for higher accuracy increasing, and we asked, ‘Why keep two bands/two RF chains/two antennas when you can get superior performance with just L5?’”

    The oneNav team comprises top GNSS experts from Qualcomm, Apple, Intel, SnapTrack, SiRF, Trimble and eRide who have decades of GNSS and mobile industry experience. The team has expertise in GNSS system architecture, multipath mitigation, signal processing, ASIC design and AI/machine learning, and collectively has filed more than 300 career GNSS patents.

    Investors include Google Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners and GSR Ventures.

  • Qualcomm launches Snapdragon W5+ and W5 platforms for wearables

    Qualcomm launches Snapdragon W5+ and W5 platforms for wearables

    Image: Qualcomm
    Image: Qualcomm

    Qualcomm Technologies has unveiled new wearable platforms, the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 and Snapdragon W5 Gen 1.

    The platforms are designed to advance ultra-low power and breakthrough performance for next-generation connected wearables with a focus on extended battery life and premium user experiences. They incorporate a series of innovations including low power islands for GNSS, Wi-Fi and audio; ultra-low power Bluetooth 5.3 architecture; and low power states such as Deep Sleep and Hibernate.

    New enhancements to the flagship Snapdragon W5+ platform offer 50% lower power, 2X higher performance, 2X richer features, and 30% smaller size, compared to our previous generation, enabling wearable manufacturers to deliver the differentiated experiences consumers demand. Based on the hybrid architecture, the purpose-built platform is comprised of a 4 nm-based system-on-chip and 22 nm-based highly integrated always-on co-processor.

    By using these platforms, manufacturers can scale, differentiate and develop products faster in the continuously growing and segmenting wearables industry, Qualcomm said.

    Qualcomm  also announced two reference designs from Compal and Pegatron, which showcase the capabilities of the platform and the company’s collaboration with ecosystem partners, helping customers develop products faster.

    Image: Qualcomm
    Image: Qualcomm
  • Polaris Wireless provides E911 z-axis for Schok flip phones

    Polaris Wireless provides E911 z-axis for Schok flip phones

    Image: Polaris
    Image: Polaris

    Phone users can now be located by emergency responders within one floor level inside multi-story buildings 

    Polaris Wireless, an innovator of high-accuracy software-based wireless location solutions, announces the company’s Z-axis location solution is commercially available nationwide.

    The technology — demonstrated to meet the 3-meter vertical location accuracy requirement of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — is integrated into Schok Gear’s newly released flip phones.

    Schok’s flip phones are typically used by consumers looking for a simple, yet powerful flip phone, that can now be accurately located in emergencies. Adding indoor and vertical location to these devices enables first responders to locate all wireless 911 callers with floor-level accuracy in multi-story buildings.

    “This is a major milestone for the 911 industry to deliver FCC-compliant Z-axis emergency location technology for users of feature phones” said Manlio Allegra, CEO and Founder of Polaris Wireless. “Working with Schok and their partners has been straightforward and it’s exciting to see for the first time the complete Z-axis solution commercially available in a flip phone.”

    “The Polaris Wireless location software was seamlessly integrated with our existing location and chipset vendors” said Samuel Gutiérrez, chairman and CEO, Schok, LLC. “Our Schok flip feature phone passed Tier I carrier acceptance testing, which for the first time included Z-axis location. Now our customers can be assured their accurate vertical location will enable first responders to find them faster in an emergency.”

    The vertical component of wireless location is critical in today’s environment when most 911 calls are placed by mobile phones and increasingly indoors, where location determination is particularly challenging. Accurate indoor wireless location is a game-changer for first responders to quickly get to where they are needed, regardless of the phone being used by callers. The Polaris Wireless Z-axis service is available seamlessly nationwide for public safety and commercial deployments.

  • Semtech launches LoRa Cloud Locator service for asset tracking

    Semtech launches LoRa Cloud Locator service for asset tracking

    New service demonstrates the asset-tracking capabilities of LoRa Edge ultra low-power geolocation platform

    Image: Semtech
    Image: Semtech

    Semtech Corp. has announced its LoRa Cloud Locator service, which uses Semtech’s LoRa Cloud modem and geolocation services.

    The new service gives customers the opportunity to experience devices powered by LoRa Edge and evaluate the accuracy and power consumption of the LoRa Edge platform, which offers an ultra-low power and cost-effective solution for indoor/outdoor asset tracking.

    LoRa Cloud Locator features built-in serverless technology and delivers a simple end-to-end experience for customers to evaluate LoRa Edge implemented in various ecosystem trackers, either on a private or public LoRaWAN network.

    “Asset tracking is one of the most common use cases across industry verticals,” said Karthik Ranjan, LoRa Cloud solutions and partnerships leader in Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “Whether it’s tracking wheelchairs in a hospital, shopping carts in retail, pallets in supply chain, cattle in agriculture, or pets around a home, asset tracking can be found everywhere. Semtech’s LoRa Cloud Locator is the fastest way for customers to easily see for themselves the benefits offered by purchasing trackers with LoRa Edge, provisioning them onto the application and seeing their location on the map.”

    LoRa Cloud Locator is designed specifically to work with trackers using Semtech’s LoRa Edge LR-series chips with minimal effort. Once configured on the service, together with Semtech’s LoRa wireless radio frequency technology for transmission to the cloud, customers can view the tracker location on the map in less than 15 minutes.

    “Semtech’s LoRa Cloud Locator is the most efficient and fast way to evaluate the LoRa Edge platform as it can measure the performance of the technology and differentiate when a device is tracked by GNSS or Wi-Fi,” said Maximiliano Ruiz, founder and CEO at Galileo RTLS. “With the Wi-Fi location feature, we can now receive GNSS signals without paying for the prohibitive power consumption of traditional GNSS technologies. Through leveraging LoRa Edge, locating assets around the world is much simpler with the unprecedented years of battery life.”

  • Swift Navigation to provide South Korean telecom with precision positioning

    Swift Navigation to provide South Korean telecom with precision positioning

    Swift Navigation logoKT Corp., a major South Korean telecommunications company, has partnered with Swift Navigation Co., a San Francisco-based technology firm, to commercialize an ultra-precision location data service, reports The Korea Economic Daily.

    The companies on June 29 signed a precise-positioning business partnership agreement that KT hopes will enable precision location services for autonomous vehicles, drones and urban air mobility.

    Swift Navigation’s precise-positioning platform improves location accuracy from several meters to centimeters, enabling safer driving, improved efficiency for last-mile delivery and commercial transport operations, and enhanced accuracy for mobile devices.

  • OxTS: Meeting accuracy demands

    OxTS: Meeting accuracy demands

    Mobile mapping using an OxTS xNAV650 INS and lidar sensor. Photo: OxTS
    Mobile mapping using an OxTS xNAV650 INS and lidar sensor. Photo: OxTS

    We discussed mobile mapping with Jacob Amacker, application engineer, OxTS.

    How do you define “mobile mapping” as opposed to “surveying”?

    We use the two terms interchangeably. Each one has a different connotation depending on where you are in the world and both can be useful. We use them to cover a broad range of use cases, but “mobile mapping” is used more specifically for land-based mapping of the environment. A typical application might be a van equipped with an INS [inertial navigation system] and lidar sensors.

    “Surveying” can be used a bit more generally, applying to aerial or pedestrian-based mapping, but it does have the connotation of static mapping, which we do not typically handle.

    What are your main markets for mobile mapping?

    It is very hard to say. The world of mobile mapping is so diverse. However, lidar mapping could be seen as both the largest and the fastest-growing market in the surveying world as lidar has become widely affordable. Although our technology can be used with any surveying devices, at OxTS we particularly like to use lidar and are focusing on getting the best results from lidar data. This has included making our own point-cloud georeferencing software to maximize the potential of our navigation data in making point clouds.

    What are the main differences between your devices for aerial mapping and for ground-based mapping?

    We use the same INS device for both ground and aerial mapping. For use on manned aircraft, we would always recommend our highest accuracy system with the best IMU, the Survey+. The main source of inaccuracy in survey data will come from the IMU error over the range to the objects. Because most of this range is the aircraft’s altitude, this error is quite significant. For land-based mapping work, the measurements provided by the lighter and smaller xNAV650 are still suitable for many high-precision applications.

    GNSS-INS integration has been done for decades. What is new and what are the remaining challenges?

    It is now much more affordable to have very high-grade IMUs and GNSS receivers. Nevertheless, there will always be further improvements to be made to how the data streams are combined. On a similar note, other navigation aiding sources are increasingly being considered to supplement the IMU and the GNSS receiver — such as wheel speed sensors, lidar, camera odometry and others that can also be integrated to stabilize and improve the navigation data. Overall, it is very exciting what is yet to come out of INS technology. In recent years, it has become so good that people expect more and more from it, and this demand must be met. What happens when GNSS drops out? We are seeing increasing development to make the navigation data robust against challenges of any environment.

    Given the IMU’s drift, for how long can your system function at an acceptable level in case of a GNSS outage?

    It is difficult to put a number on what kind of drift is acceptable, as it depends on the application and the end-user requirements. Typically, half a meter of drift in one minute of GNSS-outage might be the goal for some of the higher-grade surveyors. Still others might only be satisfied with negligible drift.

    What keeps the INS and the lidar unit synchronized during a GNSS outage?

    The INS has an internal clock to keep the timing during a GNSS outage. Of course, this will not be as accurate as the atomic clocks on the satellites, but it is quite adequate to maintain survey-grade accuracy during GNSS outages. GNSS is still necessary to get the timing information in the first place, and this is a reliance that INS devices will want to remove in the future.

  • Garmin’s latest bike GPS device features solar charging

    Garmin’s latest bike GPS device features solar charging

    Photo: Garmin
    Photo: Garmin

    The Edge 1040 Solar has breakthrough solar charging and multi-band GNSS technology

    Garmin International has announced the Edge 1040 Solar, a GPS-based bike computer featuring solar charging and multi-band GNSS technology.

    Photo: Garmin
    Photo: Garmin

    The Edge 1040 has a Power Glass-branded solar charging lens, giving cyclists more ride time between charges – up to 100 hours in battery saver mode – while multi-band GNSS technology provides more accurate positioning in challenging ride environments, such as dense urban areas or under deep tree cover.

    The 3.5-inch touchscreen also features a refreshed, modernized user experience, giving cyclists easier access to key information, the ability to customize the home page and an improved ride summary view.

    Its innovative advancements include:

    • Solar charging: The Power Glass solar charging lens extends battery life to up to 100 hours in battery saver mode, giving cyclists an additional 42 minutes per hour during daytime riding.
    • Multi-band GNSS technology: Provides better positional accuracy and coverage, even in challenging environments.
    • Cycling ability and course demands: The device can classify a cyclist’s strengths and weaknesses, focus on improvement and prepare for the demands of a specific course.
    • Power guide: Recommended power targets make it easier to manage efforts throughout a course.
    • Real-time stamina insights: Cyclists can monitor and track exertion levels in real-time during a ride.
    • Simple setup: Custom ride profiles prepopulate based on previous Edge data, ride types and sensors. From there, cycling activity profiles can be managed directly on a compatible smartphone from the Garmin Connect smart device app.
  • U-blox announces full-featured platform to test IoT solutions

    U-blox announces full-featured platform to test IoT solutions

    Featuring the full gamut of u-blox technologies and services, the XPLR-IOT-1 enables end-to-end proofs of concepts for IoT products and applications

    The u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 IoT explorer kit. (Image: u-blox)
    The u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 IoT explorer kit. (Image: u-blox)

    U-blox has announced the u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 IoT explorer kit, an all-in-one package to test, evaluate and validate applications for the internet of things (IoT).

    The board hosts an ultra-low-power MAX-M10S positioning module capable of concurrently tracking four GNSS constellations, delivering highly reliable location data wherever GNSS coverage is available.

    Integrating all relevant u-blox technologies and services into a capable prototyping platform with a vast selection of sensors and interfaces as well as cloud connectivity, XPLR-IOT-1 makes it easier to explore the potential of IoT applications.

    The increasing complexity of IoT devices, which often require satellite-based positioning, Bluetooth low energy, Wi-Fi, and cellular connectivity via, for example, LTE-M is raising the importance of prototyping and validating ideas before bringing them to production. This trend is driving demand for multifunctional application boards like the u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 over evaluation kits (EVKs), intended to comprehensively test a product’s entire feature set.

    Prototyping platform

    The XPLR-IOT-1 gives users everything they need to prototype low-power IoT use cases such as logistics container trackers, industrial automation, sensor-to-cloud applications, and fleet management solutions. Besides the MAX-M10S positioning module, the board has a u-blox NORA-B106 Bluetooth LE 5.2 radio module that doubles as its main MCU, hosting the application software and controlling the other modules.

    Other modules include a u-blox SARA-R510S for LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular connectivity with built-in cloud security, as well as a u-blox NINA-W156 for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.

    The hardware is complemented by a broad selection of sensors commonly used in IoT applications, including accelerometers and gyroscopes, a magnetometer, and temperature, humidity, pressure and ambient light sensors. A power-on switch, LEDs and user buttons make it easy for users to interact with the device.

    The NORA-B106’s powerful Arm Cortex M33 MCU is solely dedicated to running the application software. Clocked at 128 MHz, with 1 MB of embedded flash and 512 kB of RAM, and 8 MB of external flash memory, it offers a solid foundation for development of highly capable solutions.

    Integrated antennas for featured technologies, a USB interface and USB charging, a Sparkfun Qwiic I2C connector, and a debug interface contribute to a smooth product development experience, u-blox said.

    Native support for u-blox services

    The XPLR-IOT-1 offers engineers an easy way to start working with u-blox’s services offering. Included with the kit is a trial of MQTT Anywhere, which delivers ultra-low power by communicating data between the device and the enterprise using the MQTT-SN (MQTT for sensor networks) protocol.

    Tracking applications with the most stringent power requirements such as freight container trackers can realize four times longer battery life with u-blox’s positioning in cloud service, CloudLocate, while the CellLocate mobile-network-based location service extends tracking beyond the reach of GNSS signals.

    A starting point for commercial end-products

    Developers working with XPLR-IOT-1 can use code from u-blox’s ubxlib GitHub repository, a library of software examples for key use cases, to speed up the prototyping of solutions, which can range from wireless sensor networks to indoor and outdoor tracking solutions to industrial or smart building gateways.

    Because all hardware design files, software, smartphone app, and online dashboard source code are shared, the XPLR-IOT-1 can also serve as a starting point for commercial end-product design.

    “The XPLR-IOT-1 is fully geared towards rapid development, testing, and validation of IoT solutions,” said Pelle Svensson, senior principal, Product Strategy Short Range Radio, u-blox. “Offering a single platform to develop a variety of IoT use cases, the versatile explorer kit reduces the expertise required for hardware, software, and service integration and code development.”

    Once launched in June 2022, the XPLR-IOT-1 will initially be sold via Digi-Key.

  • Companies join on E112 caller location compliance for Europe

    Companies join on E112 caller location compliance for Europe

    Collaboration supports emergency services across the European Union

    Galileo-supported E112 will result in faster response times and more lives saved. (Image: EUSPA)
    Galileo-supported E112 will result in faster response times and more lives saved. (Image: EUSPA)

    Keysight Technologies Inc. is collaborating with DEKRA to ensure that chipset and device vendors can validate E112 caller location (universal European emergency number) functionality in compliance to a new European Union (EU) regulation.

    The collaboration leverages GNSS and c (LBS) to verify E112 regulatory test cases used to validate mobile phones sold into the European market. The new regulation supports emergency services across the European Union by reducing response times from rescue services to save more lives.

    “Keysight is pleased to expand the company’s collaboration with DEKRA,” said Muthu Kumaran, general manager of Keysight’s Device Validation Solutions business. “With Keysight’s test solutions, DEKRA supports a global ecosystem of smartphone vendors by validating that their products are in compliance to the new regulation, newly created to improve emergency services’ ability to locate individuals in need of assistance from the fire brigade, medical teams or the police.”

    Keysight’s network emulation solutions enable DEKRA to validate E112-related test cases regulated by an EU-issued guideline document to assist notified bodies in the assessment of E112 compliance. The new EU regulation (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/320) went into effect on March 17, 2022. It mandates that all new mobile phones sold in the EU need to support GNSS technology based on the Galileo constellation, advanced mobile location (AML) protocol and Wi-Fi communications technology. As a result, emergency response call centers can accurately pinpoint the caller’s location.

    “DEKRA is founded on the principles of safeguarding human interaction with technology and environment,” said Juan Carlos Mora, vice president, Business Line Connectivity of Service Division, Product Testing at DEKRA. “This is why we are pleased to extend our collaboration with Keysight, which offers DEKRA the regulatory device test solutions needed to quickly and confidently validate E112 caller location functionality per the EU’s latest mandatory requirements.”

    Keysight’s device test solutions for regulatory and conformance validation are based on common hardware and software platforms for comprehensive test-case coverage. Keysight’s LBS solutions also support assisted GNSS (A-GNSS) test functionality. This enables users to comprehensively address 5G new radio (NR) conformance requirements mandated by the Global Certification Forum (GCF) and PTCRB, an organization comprised of North American mobile operators.

    DEKRA uses Keysight’s RF/RRM DVT & Conformance Toolset, RF Automation Toolset and Wireless IoT Regulatory Test Solution to address 5G and internet of things (IoT) device regulatory requirements and SA8700A C-V2X Test Solution to certify cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) devices.

  • Nestwave white paper considers power consumption for IoT devices

    Nestwave white paper considers power consumption for IoT devices

    Nestwave logoNestwave has released a white paper that considers the challenges associated with integrating accurate geolocation into compact, battery-powered, low-cost internet of things (IoT) nodes.

    The technical paper “Minimizing Power Budgets to Enable Geolocation on Every IoT Device” is targeted at engineers and developers looking to add accurate positioning functionality to IoT technologies where power requirements must be kept to an absolute minimum.

    Topics covered include:

    • why conventional tracking architectures are not suitable for many IoT implementations
    • the importance of factors such as time-to-first-fix (TTFF)
    • the number of fixes and levels of integration in determining power consumption.

    The paper introduces new ways of handling positioning signal acquisition, ranging and tracking, and proposes solutions that eliminate the need for a separate GNSS-integrated circuit and that offload energy-intensive computation to the cloud.

    “Tracking will be an important element in the evolution of the IoT, which means making accurate geolocation viable for every single IoT node is absolutely critical,” said Ambroise Popper, Nestwave CEO. “This paper explains why traditional solutions are too power-hungry, too large and too expensive to meet the energy, form factor and cost constraints of most IoT devices and introduces solutions for addressing the challenge.”