Hemisphere GNSS has announced two low profile, multipurpose antennas that it says will exceed expectations in all GNSS applications. With unique filtering patterns and precise attention paid to mitigation of multipath and interference, the A25 and A45 antennas complement all GNSS products, from L1 GPS to multi-frequency, multi-constellation.
The A25 and A45 have been designed to support millimeter accuracy for land and marine applications. Both antennas support present and future GNSS signals, including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS, and Galileo. The A25 supports the previously mentioned signals at a single-frequency level, while the A45 supports these signals at a multi-frequency level.
“We’ve designed these antennas to excel in challenging environments such as near buildings or under foliage,” said Lyle Geck, senior manager of product marketing at Hemisphere GNSS. “They have superior multipath mitigation, stable phase centers and strong SNR’s, even at low elevations.”
The ruggedized housing used by both antennas is made of an aluminum base that has been pretreated for the marine environment and will withstand salt, fog, and spray. The antennas pass the two-meter pole drop test.
The A25 is a multi-GNSS precision antenna, designed for a variety of applications including GIS, single-frequency RTK positioning and navigation, and precision guidance. The A45 is a survey-grade, multi-GNSS precision antenna for a variety of applications including surveying, RTK positioning and navigation, precision guidance, and machine control.
GPS World staff will be reporting from InterGeo October 7-9. The massive trade show, held this year in Berlin, is considered the world’s leading conference trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. With more than 16,000 visitors from 80 countries, it is one of the key platforms for industry dialogue.
Staff members attending include GPS World Editor and Publisher Alan Cameron, Survey/GIS Editor Eric Gakstatter, and Digital Editor Joelle Harms. All three are accepting meeting invitations for companies interested in discussing their products and services. Contact [email protected].
VIDEO PLAYLIST
PHOTOS
Photo: GPS World
Topcon demonstrates its LN-100W, an update to its line of 3D positioning systems designed for one-operator layout. Photo: GPS World
German-based Multirotor by servicedrone is a UAV for professional 3D orthography. Photo: GPS World
Attendees listen to a presentation on the show floor at InterGeo held October 7-9 in Berlin. Photo: GPS World
Attendees watch UAV demonstrations at the conference’s flight zone. Photo: GPS World
Attendees take a look at one of the many UAVs seen at InterGeo 2014 in Berlin. Photo: GPS World
German-based Moskito GIS GmbH displayed a model from its 5 Power GIS. Photo: GPS World
BRS Motorsport Formula Students from Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences showcase their simulator, sponsored by CPA ReDev. Photo: GPS World
Riegl debuted and demonstrated its RiCOPTER UAV with LiDAR Integration. Photo: GPS World
At dusk the night before the conference the moon overlooks the Brandenburg Gate, an 18th century arch in Berlin and one of its most well-known landmarks. Photo: GPS World
Summary: UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are taking over the surveying industry, thanks to their ever-improving sensors and the fact that they are getting lighter and can therefore remain in the air for longer. They complete surveying and inspection tasks that would otherwise be difficult to tackle, and do so with impressive cost-efficiency. UAV trends and technology will be among the focal points at the InterGeo conference in Berlin in early October.
Our correspondents will return with a fresh report, moderated by GPS World Editor and Publisher Alan Cameron and Survey Scene Editor Eric Gakstatter.
Soil Instruments Limited has partnered with Juniper Systems Limited to provide a geotechnical monitoring system using rugged computers and geotechnical engineering instrumentation to improve field activities in the structural and earthworks industry.
Soil Instruments’ Digital Bluetooth Inclinometer Systems are now exclusively using Juniper Systems’ Archer 2 rugged computer, which provides superior readings and data capture, Soil Instruments said. Soil Instruments’ inclinometers are specially designed instruments that provide high accuracy and resolution measurement for the monitoring of structural and earth deformations, movements or settlement.
“The rugged Archer 2 handheld computer pairs beautifully with Soil Instruments’ Digital Inclinometers, providing more accurate readings and data capture than could ever be achieved previously in this industry,” said Simon Bowe, general manager of Juniper Systems Limited.
Juniper Systems’ Archer 2 rugged computer is connected to the inclinometer system via Bluetooth wireless technology. Within the borehole an angular reading is produced by the engineer via the Read button on the Archer 2 screen, which triggers the inclinometer sensors to take the reading.
Those readings are then instantly transmitted via the Bluetooth connection to the Archer 2, captured on-screen and saved in the Archer 2’s database, to be reviewed for accuracy or other needed data measurements. Long days of field work remain productive because of the 512MB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage in the Archer 2.
Data can also be transmitted back to base quickly and accurately via the 3.75G modem in the Archer 2, an action which many other inclinometers cannot complete. At the end of the day, data can be downloaded or transmitted for subsequent comparison against all previous borehole runs, allowing analysis of lateral ground movements over time.
“Soil Instruments has found the perfect field computer to match with our Digital Inclinometer Systems”, said Mike Ziolek, sales and marketing director for Soil Instruments. “The Archer 2 really gives our customers an edge by providing field readings more quickly and clearly than any other inclinometer system.”
The physical features of the Archer 2 and the Inclinometer Systems are highly compatible. The Archer 2’s IllumiView high-visibility display is extra large, incredibly bright, and overpowers glaring sunlight. The backlit LCD easily adjusts to either portrait or landscape orientation, and is glove-friendly and extremely scratch-resistant.
The Archer 2 has ultra-rugged construction with IP68 protection against water and dust, and is shockproof against multiple drops. The intelligent Li-ion battery can operate up to 20 hours on one charge and is hot-swappable in the field. The high-sensitivity GPS/GLONASS/SBAS receiver is highly useful for field work.
The ruggedness of the Archer 2 compliments the secure connections on Soil Instruments’ Inclinometer Systems. The inclinometer probes are mounted to a cable using an advanced waterproof moulding compound, which eliminates field connectors. This means that no on-site connectors get broken or contaminated while working in the field.
Juniper Systems Limited will be demonstrating its superior, rugged handheld computers at InterGeo at Messe Berlin, Germany, October 7-9, in Hall 2.1 on Stand A2.039.
In September, I attended the Institute of Navigation (ION) GNSS+ conference in Tampa, Florida.
Downtown Tampa, location of the 2014 ION GNSS+. Photo: GPS World
The ION GNSS+ conference is a gathering where many of the GNSS scientists from around the world come to share their successes, trials and tribulations. It gives one a view into the future of where GNSS positioning might go. Granted, most of the ideas and concepts presented won’t ever be introduced in a commercial product, but it’s great to see that engineers are pushing the technology envelope to see how much they can squeeze from receivers.
As I was perusing the ION GNSS+ conference agenda, I was looking for presentations and other subject matter relevant to RTK GNSS technology. (Yes, I’ve been obsessed with low-cost RTK receivers this past year, if you haven’t been following).
I’d like to tell you about two presentations I attended. The first was sort of unexpected, and the second was every bit of what I hoped it would be.
The first was a presentation by SubCarrier Systems Corp (SCSC), a small consultancy focused on ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) technology. It just so happens, according to David Kelley of SCSC, that RTK receivers and RTK networks will play a critical role in the future of ITS and, as a result, help drive down the cost of RTK technology.
How is RTK relevant to ITS?
In ITS, I’ve been told there are three levels of accuracy that drive particular ITS applications. The accuracy terms are expressed in transportation terms:
Which Road?, Which Lane? and Where in the Lane?
Translated into GPS accuracy terms:
Which Road? = Autonomous GPS — 5-meter accuracy
Which Lane? = WAAS (or SBAS)-corrected GPS — 1-meter accuracy
Where in the Lane? = RTK — 2-cm accuracy
Mr. Kelley further presented that transportation applications of RTK technology will drive mass-market adoption (commoditization) of RTK technology and into the millions of units sold.
Lastly, he discussed the strain that such massive deployment of RTK technology in transportation might place on existing RTK networks run by state agencies.
To view the entire presentation from Mr. Kelley, you can click here.
The second RTK-centric presentation I attended at the conference was a moderated discussion panel entitled “High-Precision GNSS — What Will It Look Like in 2020?”
Discussion Panel Members: High Precision GNSS – What will it Look Like in 2020? Photo: GPS World
The discussion panel members were (from right to left):
Gian Gherardo Calini – European GNSS Agency
Ivan Di Federico, Chief Strategy Office and EVP, Topcon Positioning
Bernhard Richter, GNSS Business Director, Leica Geosystems, Switzerland
Elmar H. Lenz, General Manager – Geospatial GNSS, Geospatial Division, Trimble Navigation Ltd.
Jan Van Hees, Director of Business Development, Altus Positioning Systems
Shaowei Han, Co-founder and CEO/President, Wuhan Navigation and LBS, Inc., China
The discussion began with a short presentation by Gavin Schrock, who, among other things, administers the Washington State Reference Network, a state-wide RTK network, to frame the discussion.
Next, each panel member commented on the presentation and provided some of their own thoughts. The thoughts by the mainstream manufacturers were largely what you’d expect, since they do not look forward to the day that RTK technology becomes a commodity.
I’ll cut to the chase and just say that the gentleman from China, Dr. Han, stunned the audience with his claim that RTK GNSS chips will eventually be sold for $20 each. OK, to be fair, he also said RTK GNSS modules (an RTK GNSS chip on a circuit board with supporting components) will sell for $100. At first, these numbers seemed somewhat shocking to the audience, and one might dismiss it as being a speculative pipe-dream to disrupt the current RTK receiver competitive landscape. But then, when questioned, he dropped the reality bomb with a sort of puzzling look at the audience, being a little surprised why they didn’t understand. He said, and I’m paraphrasing, that $100 for an RTK module in 2020 doesn’t seem to be a stretch at all if you consider that RTK GNSS modules in China are selling for only $400 today. BOOM! He dropped the hammer. I admit, the $400 number even surprised me a bit. I thought it was more like $800.
The reason for the low price is the number of RTK GNSS receivers sold in China is more than 100,000 per year now, and growing. That’s more than the rest of the world combined. What’s driving the demand for RTK GNSS receivers? You guessed it — transportation. While the mainstream RTK GNSS manufacturers are still talking about RTK GNSS technology for niche markets like surveying, engineering, GIS, construction, and agriculture, Dr. Han was talking about RTK GNSS technology being used by everyday consumers for everyday activities. He’s talking about the commoditization of RTK GNSS, and he’s right. The only question that remains is how soon it will arrive.
Figure 1. Mammograms in last two years; percent of respondents, by counties.
Trends Discerned in the National Cancer Institute’s Geospatial Databases Carry the Fight Forward
Location matters in cancer, as in many other things. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recognized this fact more than 40 years ago, and its researchers have been investigating striking geographic differences in many cancers ever since. Most studies have found that these differences were due to lifestyle differences, such as levels of smoking and diet, although research into possible environmental causes are hampered by a lack of exposure data during the relevant period, 20–30 years prior to diagnosis.
Geospatial tools serve NCI in a variety of applications, including:
the identification and display of the geographic patterns of cancer incidence and mortality rates in the U.S. and their change over time,
the creation of complex databases for the study of cancer screening, diagnosis, and survival at the community level,
environmental exposure assessment through satellite imagery,
spatial statistical models to estimate cancer incidence, prevalence, and survival for every U.S. state,
communication of local cancer information to the public and public health professionals through interactive web-based tools,
the identification of health disparities at the local level through the comparison of cancer outcomes across demographic subgroups, and
development of new methods of displaying geospatial data for clear communication to the public and for examination of complex multivariate data by researchers.
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
The Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP) and the Surveillance Research Program (SRP) support grant research to use GIS in cancer research and the development of methodologies to accomplish this research. EGRP also funded the development and maintenance of a geographic information system for breast-cancer studies on Long Island (LI GIS). The LI GIS is available to researchers and can be used to study other types of cancer and conditions as well.
Surveillance Research Program
The Statistical Methodology and Applications Branch (SMAB) contributes to GIS research by developing statistical methods for the analysis, display, and web-based communication of geo-referenced cancer data.
The Surveillance Systems Branch (SSB) oversees the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, an integrated, comprehensive, multiple population-based reporting system of cancer registries covering 26% of the U.S. population. Cancer incidence information is provided at the state, county, and census-tract level. Investigators in SEER’s Rapid Response Surveillance Studies (RRSS) are exploring and applying GIS technology in several areas.
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program (EBP) has a long history of publishing the NCI cancer atlases.
The Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch (OEEB) has an active research program in using satellite imagery to estimate the potential exposure to cancer-causing environmental agents by individuals living in agricultural areas.
As to the finer granularity customarily seen in GIS databases by professionals using them in mapping, natural resource and asset management, utilities, and other sectors, researcher Linda Pickle of Pennsyslvania State University and StatNet Consulting comments:
“The SEER program at NCI does get the census-tract identification from the registries, but you have to get permission to use it. Mortality is only reported to NCHS at the county level. Therefore, all nationwide maps of cancer rates (incidence or mortality) must be at the geographic level available for all states, that is, county. Each state has the option to present its own data at smaller levels.
“Figure 2 gives an example of sub-county maps published by California Cancer registries. California is densely populated in many counties, and so the state has defined aggregations of census tracts for their maps. Some of California is in the SEER program; other parts have registries funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).”
Figure 2. Breast cancer data for Los Angeles County.
“Another state example: the Kentucky SEER registry has developed a useful online tool to explore Kentucky cancer patterns,” Pickle said. “See Figure 3. This design has been used by CDC for an online U.S. cancer atlas and by other states.”
Figure 3. Cancer incidence rates in Kentucky.
FURTHER READING
Visualizing Data Patterns with Micromaps By Daniel B. Carr and Lindia Williams Pickle
Cancer surveillance — an assessment of the number and type of cancer cases that occur in an area and in a specified population — provides critically important information needed for determining geographic variations in cancer rates and for planning cancer control intervention programs.
By Li Zhu, Linda W. Pickle, Zhaohui Zou, and James Cucinelli
This article is about projecting from the data that were available from surveillance/data-collection efforts to get estimates of the number of new cancer cases that would occur in the upcoming calendar year. That is, we used data from up to four years previous (because of the time it takes to find cases, process data, and so on) to get a current estimate of the number of cases.
We developed the statistical model to do this in 2006, then validated it, modifying the temporal projection method a few years ago. This method was then adopted by the American Cancer Society to produce the numbers of new cases published in their annual Cancer Facts & Figures reports, the most cited cancer reference in the world.
Since the models did not break out childhood cancers, we repeated the modeling process to do that, resulting in the paper cited here.
The method requires first a spatiotemporal prediction across the extensive years of data, since not all cancer registries have data for every year, and secondly a four-year temporal projection from the most current data point to the current calendar year. Here we use this same process applied only to childhood cancer data.
The generalized linear mixed effects model is applied to observed childhood cancer case counts reported to the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries over 1995– 2006 to predict case counts and incidence rates for every U.S. state and the U.S. total (for patients aged 0 to 19 and for major cancers among childhood). Covariates included in the model are measures of income, education, housing, urban/rural status, health insurance coverage, smoking, obesity, and cancer screening. Temporal trends and spatial distribution patterns are compared among childhood cancers for males and females.
Results. A total of 15,168 new cancer cases was projected for the 0–19 age group, with 10,032 childhood cancer cases younger than age 15, and 5,136 cases in the 15–19 age group, in the United States for 2010. There are more male cancer cases than female cases in all three age groups for most cancer sites. The order for the most common malignancies diagnosed in children differs by age group and sex. The study also identifies differences in the geograhic patterns at a small geographic area level by gender, and temporal trends by gender and subsites of childhood cancer incidence.
Conclusions. The resulting set of predictions provides annual estimates for states that did not provide data at all, and projections ahead in time to the current calendar year for every U.S. state and the United States in total. These projections fill in the data gaps for recent years of diagnosis and state registries to provide complete count and rate estimates for childhood cancers for all states, regions, and the U.S. in total for the current calendar year.
(The full article, “Trends and patterns of childhood cancer incidence in the United States, 1995–2010,” appears in Statistics and Its Interface, Volume 7 (2014), pp. 121-134.)
Figure 1. Rates, Ages 0–19 of All Childhood Cancers at HSA Level, 1995–2006, Female. From lightest to darkest: 10.0–14.5,14.6–15.5,15.6–16.5,16.6–17.5,17.6–22.2 per 100,00.Figure 2. Rates, Ages 0–19 of All Childhood Cancers at HSA Level, 1995–2006, Male;
Urban Sprawl, Obesity, and Cancer Mortality
Cross-Sectional Analysis and Methodological Challenges
By David Berrigan, Zaria Tatalovich, Linda W. Pickle, Reid Ewing, and Rachel Ballard-Barbash
Urban sprawl has the potential to influence cancer mortality via direct and indirect effects on obesity, access to health services, physical activity, transportation choices, and other correlates of sprawl and urbanization.
Methods. This paper presents a cross-sectional analysis of associations between urban sprawl and cancer mortality in urban and suburban counties of the United States.
A major focus of our analyses was to adequately account for spatial heterogeneity in mortality. Therefore, we fit a series of regression models, stratified by gender, successively testing for the presence of spatial heterogeneity. Our resulting models included county-level variables related to race, smoking, obesity, access to health services, insurance status, socioeconomic position, and broad geographic region, as well as a measure of urban sprawl and several interactions.
Results. Total cancer mortality rates were higher in less sprawling areas and contrary to our initial hypothesis; this was also true of obesity-related cancers in six of seven U.S. regions (census divisions) where there were statistically significant associations between the sprawl index and mortality. We also found significant interactions between region and urban sprawl for total and obesity-related cancer mortality in both sexes.
Conclusions. Despite higher levels of obesity in more sprawling counties in the U.S., mortality from obesity-related cancer was not greater in such counties. Identification of disparities in cancer mortality within and between geographic regions is an ongoing public health challenge and an opportunity for further analytical work identifying potential causes of these disparities. Future analyses of urban sprawl and health outcomes should consider exploring regional and international variation in associations between sprawl and health.
“Urban sprawl, obesity, and cancer mortality in the U.S.: cross-sectional analysis and methodological challenges,” in International Journal of Health Geographics, January 2014.)
GPS-Measured Physical Activity in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
By C.L. Granger, L. Denehy, C.F. McDonald, L. Irving, R.A. Clark
Physical activity (PA) is increasingly recognized as an important outcome in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated PA using GPS, tracking individuals with NSCLC and similar-aged healthy individuals.
Methods. Fifty individuals with NSCLC and 35 similar-aged healthy individuals without cancer were included. Primary measures were triaxial accelerometery (steps/day) and GPS tracking (outdoor PA behavior). Secondary measures were questionnaires assessing depression, motivation to exercise, and environmental barriers to PA.
Results. Individuals with NSCLC engaged in significantly less PA than similar-aged healthy individuals and had higher levels of depression and lower motivation to exercise. Daily outdoor walking time and distance traveled away from home were not different between groups. Individuals with NSCLC spent less time outdoors in their local neighborhood area. A greater number of steps per day was seen in patients who were less depressed or had better access to nonresidential destinations such as shopping centers.
(The full article, “Physical Activity Measured Using Global Positioning System Tracking in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Observational Study,” appears in Integrative Cancer Therapies, July 2014.)
Rugged handheld manufacturer Juniper Systems and Effigis, a geomatics solutions provider, have partnered to provide a powerful solution to capture and post-process GPS data to attain sub-meter accuracy.
Effigis’ OnPOZ Precision Positioning Software suite takes advantage of the superior GNSS performance of Juniper Systems’ Archer 2 rugged handheld to collect high-accuracy GPS data. First, EZTag CE software is used on the Archer 2 to capture GPS field data points. The data is then sent to a desktop computer, where EZSurvPost-Processing Software automatically post-processes the data to achieve results with sub-meter accuracy. EZSurv removes the hassle of post-processing, requiring the click of a button to run, the companies said.
Juniper Systems’ Archer 2 is ruggedized, enabling it to perform well as a data-collection tool in any environment, while the enhanced GNSS receiver provides a reliable signal, even in heavy tree canopy.
“Achieving sub-meter GPS accuracy typically has two barriers in people’s minds. One, the hardware and software are usually expensive. And two, the thought of post-processing makes a lot of people cringe. The OnPOZ suite, on the other hand, is powerful, yet comes at a price people are comfortable with, and it takes care of all the post-processing for you,” said Jim Benson, Utilities & Public Services Market Manager at Juniper Systems. “The Archer 2 handheld really finishes off the whole package. Its GNSS receiver is outstanding, performing reliably even under trees, and the handheld is so well designed, you can count on it to work well in any environment.”
To learn more about the Archer 2 and OnPOZ Precision Positioning Software suite, download the brochure.
Septentrio subsidiary Altus Positioning Systems is now shipping demo units of its latest GNSS RTK receiver, the APS-NR2. The high-performance receiver incorporates GNSS and wireless technology into a sleek and compact design to provide an intelligent network rover with on-board configuration and extended operation time, the company said.
Based on a low-power and small-footprint OEM GNSS receiver, the APS-NR2 offers robust RTK while consuming less power for longer operation time on battery power.
For easy configuration and status monitoring, the APS-NR2 features an on-board web interface accessible via Wi-Fi. This makes the APS-NR2 configurable from any device that has a browser and Wi-Fi, and with any operating system. Real-time data is streamed over Bluetooth for a completely cable-free operation.
A 3.5G Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE + HSPA cellular modem supports reliable RTK network connectivity with an intelligent reconnect feature. In addition to standard Li-Ion battery chargers and USB cable interface, the design includes on-board USB battery recharge. At 1.5 lbs., the APS-NR2 weighs the same as a dozen glazed doughnuts.
“It all adds up to the world’s most versatile RTK rover that provides more productivity and less downtime in the field,” said Vancans. “The APS-NR2 raises the bar and sets a new standard for the state-of-the-art in high-precision surveying and geolocation, leveraging the power and convenience of mobile tablet platforms.” Units are expected to ship starting October 20.
GPS World/Geospatial Solutionsstaff will be reporting from InterGeo October 7-9. The massive trade show, held this year in Berlin, is considered the world’s leading conference trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. With more than 16,000 visitors from 80 countries, it is one of the key platforms for industry dialogue.
Staff members attending include GPS World Editor and Publisher Alan Cameron, Survey/GIS Editor Eric Gakstatter, and Digital Editor Joelle Harms. All three are accepting meeting invitations for companies interested in discussing their products and services. Contact [email protected].
Handheld Group, a manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, has launched the Nautiz X8 rugged PDA. The Nautiz X8 is a handheld computer with superior processing power, screen performance and battery life, the company said. It is built for tough field conditions primarily in GIS, land surveying, public safety, forestry and the military.
Photo: Handheld Group
The Nautiz X8 is built to enable efficient and reliable data collection in tough environments. It has an IP67 ingress protection rating, which means it offers complete protection against dust and sand and can withstand immersion in water. It also meets stringent MIL-STD-810G military test standards for overall durability and resistance to humidity, shock, vibration, drops, salt and extreme temperatures.
The Nautiz X8 features a high-performance Texas Instruments 4470 dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. It has 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of iNAND Flash and a 5200 mAh Li-ion battery that lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge. It comes with a choice of operating systems — Android 4.2.2 or Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5.3.
The device has a large 4.7-inch ultra-bright capacitive multi-touch screen with chemically strengthened Asahi Dragontrail glass, offering users brightness and protection in any field condition. The unit has an ergonomic design and weighs 490 grams (17.3 ounces).
The Nautiz X8 has a dedicated u-blox GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g/n WLAN functionality, as well as connectivity through GSM/UMTS or CDMA phone data transmission. A built-in 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash lets users capture visual data quickly and easily. This handheld also features an open architecture and an extension cap system that allows for additional hardware connections such as sensors, radios and other add-ons.
Orders for the new Nautiz X8 can be placed immediately. First deliveries will begin in November.
The Nautiz X8 rugged handheld will be shown first at WEFTEC in New Orleans, followed by InterGeo in Berlin.
The International GNSS Service (IGS) has published a new version of the Open Source BKG NTRIP Client (BNC) for real-time GNSS applications and RINEX3 QC.
Follow this IGS link to download precompiled binaries for Linux and Windows systems. Version 2.11.0 includes a bug fix for GLONASS code biases as well as RTCM SSR message updates for PPP. The maximum number of GNSS observations has been increased and the loss of lock handling modified. Also, BNC now supports raw stream output through TCP/IP port.
The source code is available via SVN software archive. A Mac binary is under preparation.
The announcement is notable in that it expands the relationship formed in June 2011 between Septentrio and Altus, with Septentrio more closely integrating the Altus subsidiary. Additionally, Septentrio is now manufacturing Altus GNSS RTK receivers at its factory in Belgium while Septentrio is closing its separate sales office in the U.S., merging that functionality into Altus, according a spokesman.
The Torrance, California-based Altus, started by Vancans in 2007, has long focused on the surveying sector. Vancans himself is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in the U.K.
“Ten years ago 90% of the high-precision GPS market was survey or survey-related. But survey is not a high-growth market. Today survey is probably 20% of the market and that’s doing things like putting a $10,000 receiver on a $4,000 lawn mower,” Vancans explains. “The growth market outside that (in consumer wireless) is huge, and it offers many new opportunities and will continue to grow.”
The survey market will continue to be in the Altus and Septentrio strategy, particularly leveraging Altus products with Septentrio’s advanced receiver technology experience in the OEM market.
Vancans has watched for two decades as use in emerging Asian economies has increased demand for surveying equipment and speculates what’s happening in the U.S. and other Western markets with OEM growth will eventually be mirrored there. He estimates the Chinese receiver market alone has grown ten-fold since he worked as president of Leica GPS nearly 20 years ago.
“What’s interesting and exciting is that it will be a big growth market for OEM or non-survey applications based on domestic Asian manufacturers using Western and increasingly Asian OEM,” Vancans says.
“If you can master the distribution capabilities in the OEM market in North America in the next couple of years, that will form the foundation of what happens in Asia in the future.”
Altus’ announcement also came with news the company hired Mo Kapila as OEM sales manager for Septentrio products. Kapila’s background is in embedded wireless, according to Vancans.
Vancans, who spent two days on the CTIA show floor, says the consumer wireless industry is on Altus’ radar, although he is still “very wary” of that side of the business. As general manager of Thales Navigation (which later re-merged as Magellan) in the early-2000s the company worked on a GPS attachment for Palm and integration into other consumer devices.
“The professional high-precision market is stable and products have a long shelf life,” he says. “On the other hand, the good thing with the consumer market is the constant changes in devices, the churning. As consumer markets take up high-precision GNSS products , they will be embedded in products which are rapidly outdated.”
Altus is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to professional-grade receivers for the consumer market.
“If the price lowers, the longevity will too,” he says. “The high end will likely go down to meet the low end – the cheap and easy, changeable model.”
Vancans says Septentrio will continue to differentiate itself from competitors based on its low power consumption relative to the functionality and size of the device, and robust positioning, whether it’s for professionals or consumers.
“If you look to the future and think of how much satellites will proliferate and signal availability will open,” he says, “it’s a good position for us to be in with the continuous consumerization of high-precision GPS and GNSS.”
Topcon Positioning Group and MAVinci GmbH have released the latest version of the Sirius Pro surveying UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) program, designed to be compatible with existing RTK (real-time kinematic) base stations or NTRIP (network transport of RTCM data over IP).
“By connecting an external base station, Sirius Pro will receive the RTCM correction signals and deliver 2-5 centimeter accuracy without using ground control points,” said Eduardo Falcon, executive vice president and general manager for the Topcon GeoPositioning Solutions Group. “When you have mobile Internet on your site, you can achieve the same accuracy even without a local base station using NTRIP.”
Sirius Pro is designed to deliver orthofotos and three-dimensional elevation models with a high absolute accuracy of 2-5 centimeters without using ground control points. “Combining MAVinci‘s precision timing technology with Topcon sub-centimeter grade L1/L2 GPS/GLONASS RTK receivers, this robust system stands up with a clever solution that helps in the realizing of projects in a better and faster way,” said Johanna Claussen, CEO at MAVinci.
For users who do not have an RTK base station, an internal base station add-on for the Sirius Pro is available. “It upgrades the Sirius Pro to its full functionality: Use of an internal or external base station depending on your needs,” Claussen said. “This add-on is available anytime via Internet without changing your hardware.”
Sirius Basic is an entry-level solution for UAS surveying, and delivers orthofotos and 3-D elevation models. The system is designed to offer high-accuracy when using ground control points. “Sirius Basic offers you full flexibility,” said Falcon. “It can be upgraded to Sirius Pro via an Internet update later on — no hardware change is necessary.”
The system will be available at the Intergeo trade show for geodesy in October and thereon. The Topcon and MAVinci UAS was first introduced at Intergeo 2013 for the European market and was recently made available in the North American market.
