Time has great impact in the enterprise mobility continuum. Developing tools for mobile workers has long been the sole province of IT, but the demand for mobile apps is stretching IT to the breaking point. Demand for mobile apps is five times greater than IT capacity, according to one market study.
This makes many organizations reluctant to jump in to mobile development or to change traditional processes that aren’t broke — so why fix them? The trend also explains the emergence of zero-code app development platforms that can reduce a one-year IT backlog to a few hours. The equation changes when end users become “citizen developers,” allowed to create the custom apps by selecting features, interfaces from a menu of capabilities.
Zero code is being called both a game-changer and disruptive technology because it offers a new approach to mobile data collection, with new, easy-to-use technology to develop tools.
One such example is Terrago’s Magic, a zero-code development studio, which is growing both vertically and horizontally, with both directions responding to customer input.
GPS World readers and all other interested parties have an opportunity to learn more about these time-saving tools in a free webinar on May 25: How to Build Custom Trimble Apps for Any Industry with Zero-Code. See env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar for further details and immediate registration.
Participants will learn how to:
Create custom mobile apps with your branding and selected features using a click-not-code app studio;
Integrate your custom mobile app with Trimble GNSS and many other enterprise platforms;
Publish to the AppStore, Google Play and the Cloud with the click of a button;
Deploy cloud-based or private-hosted enterprise servers; and
Reduce development costs by 90 percent.
Vertical growth comes through a software development process that generates a new version every 4-6 weeks, each with new features. Magic custom app development basically involves selecting workflow elements from a menu. Since anything with a menu is limiting by definition, TerraGo does not claim that Magic can be all things to all people. But as limitations are reduced with each version’s new menu, Magic is becoming more things to more people – and can complement less-limiting (if more time and money consuming) low-code app development organizations by reducing the strain on their IT departments.
Horizontal growth is coming through partnerships with companies such as CompassTools and Duncan-Parnell. These firms have the vertical expertise to customize and deploy tailored solutions at speeds not achievable with traditional approaches.
CompassTools, headquartered in Denver, serves eight Midwestern states from Canada to Mexico with high-precision field data collection solutions. For many years Compass offered handheld GPS devices as the foundation of those solutions with great success. Still, the data typically required manual processing once the devices were returned from the field, introducing expensive delays. Now positioning, mobile and cloud innovations are reducing that time.
“We really believe that TerraGo’s approach represents an important part of the future data collection tools that our customers are going to need in the field,” said Andew Carey, an account manager with CompassTools.
“Because TerraGo apps provide direct integration with Trimble receivers, they can help us deliver the best of both worlds for customers with easy-to-use field apps and proven Trimble accuracy,” said York Grow, MGIS solutions manager at Duncan-Parnell.
Ask anyone what time means to them, and they will give you a different answer. Benjamin Franklin famously stated that “time is money.” Time for the surveyor can mean being out in the field retracing a boundary, drafting a plat or working with a client to help them see their goals achieved. Just like any other profession, time can be a friend or foe for the surveyor. We seem to run out of it more than we have an excess of it. Either way, time marches on as we go about our business.
Time, however, is changing the surveyor’s world and how we go about our methods of measurement. While it seems like a crazy concept, time is the major component requiring changes to geodetic procedural processes and how we will determine our locations in the future.
We will continue to see advances in hardware and software along with new interfaces and ways to collect and display survey data almost daily, and we will continue to deal with adaptation. However, surveyors must be ready for the next big challenge: a national horizontal and vertical adjustment of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) into a new standard. The North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 (NATRF2022.) is currently being developed by NGS and will replace NAD83 and NAVD88. Most surveyors will ask why we are getting ready for a historic change in datums. Easy — it’s all about time.
Expanded Variables
Just as early travelers thought the Earth was flat and learned it wasn’t through exploration and science, we are learning more everyday regarding how our world is changing. To get a better understanding of how our world is changing, NGS and the geodesy community have expanded the environmental variables of geographic location to areas including gravity, geoid undulations and geopotential data, plate tectonics and crustal evolution, and additional GNSS data analysis through satellites and continuously operating reference station (CORS) installations.
By introducing new attributes affecting coordinate data, including horizontal motions induced directly or indirectly by adjoining tectonic plates, horizontal motions induced by Global Isostatic Adjustment, other horizontal motions and all vertical motions in their entirety (per NGS NOAA Technical Report NOS NGS 62), data captured will be used to create an Intra-Frame Velocity Model (IFVM). Data following this format will be now be used to monitor the movement of survey positions from implementation forward. The key factor in which all the data is centralized is time.
My GPS World colleague David Zilkoski presented a thorough explanation (“NGS to Replace NAVD88 in 2022: What GNSS Users Need To Know) of the nuts and bolts behind the changes. Here are the basic reasons behind the new adjustment as provided by NGS:
NAD 83 and NAVD 88, although still the official horizontal and vertical datums of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), have been identified as having shortcomings that are best addressed through defining new horizontal and vertical datums.
Specifically, NAD 83 is non-geocentric by about 2.2 meters. Secondly, NAVD 88 is both biased (by about one-half meter) and tilted (about 1 meter coast to coast) relative to the best global geoid models available today. Both of these issues derive from the fact that both datums were defined primarily using terrestrial surveying techniques at passive geodetic survey marks. This network of survey marks deteriorate over time (both through unchecked physical movement and simple removal), and resources are not available to maintain them.
The new reference frames (geometric and geopotential) will rely primarily Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as an updated and time-tracked geoid model. This paradigm will be easier and more cost-effective to maintain.
Plate tectonics
These proposed changes to the NSRS, however, are based upon how much we have learned about our changing Earth using GNSS equipment and data collection. Time, as it turns out, is a big factor in how we measure and document locations. A point that is determined exactly here on this day at a specific moment will have moved due to plate tectonics and other variables to there over a period of time.
New Vertical Component
Another aspect of the datum change will be the definition of a new vertical component. Surveyors are familiar with the establishment of NGVD29 based upon mean sea level, and also NAVD88 being based upon the benchmark at Father Point/Rimouski, Quebec, Canada with reference to the International Great Lakes Datum of 1985. What science has taught us in the years beyond NAVD88 is that there is a greater force at play when it comes to the vertical piece of geolocation: gravity.
Yes, gravity keeps us on the ground and causes water to flow downhill, but the development of gravitational studies has led to incredible discoveries of how gravity affects elevation. It was always assumed that the gravitational pull on the earth was uniform worldwide, but with the development of instruments that can measure and map the variations in gravity, NGS will be redefining the vertical datum through a program called GRAV-D. NGS is currently flying in various portions of the U.S. and is scheduled to be completed by 2021 in order to roll out with the new horizontal program in 2022.
So, it turns out that time has been affecting not just our productivity but also our positions on the earth. Another famous quote by Paulo Coelho does hold true: “Time neither moves nor is stationary. Time changes.” Time has passed since this article began; did you feel the earth move?
What about our survey monuments and state plane coordinates?
For many surveyors, the main question is simple: why now? What is so bad with our existing NAD83 and NAVD88 datums?
Map courtesy of GISGeography, at http://gisgeography.com/state-plane-coordinate-system-spcs/
The reason is very simple; staying current with our favorite tool in the toolbox: GNSS. Surveyors have always been about “monuments” and perpetuation of data from established points located on the face of the Earth with published and/or known values. This concept has become even more important to the surveying community once the proliferation of geographic-based and state plane coordinate data was published for all to utilize. I touched on the surveyor’s use and data collection/perpetuation of location values in a past column (GPS World November 2016). As long as NGS updated the national database with more information and a simple adjustment every so often, life was good and simple.
But now we have worlds colliding; static monuments with published horizontal and vertical values in one corner, while in the other corner is the new paradigm of ever shifting crustal plates and changing positional values monitored by GNSS data through satellites and a network of CORS located worldwide.
This situation makes me harken back to one of my favorite “Ghostbusters” lines from Bill Murray’s character, Dr. Peter Venkman: “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together – mass hysteria…”
Okay, maybe it won’t be quite that bad but there will be many surveyors that will have trouble wrapping their minds around the new concept of “moving monuments.” Our reliance on state plane coordinate systems (SPCS) is at an all-time high with the sharing of data by various parties being more seamless than ever. The notion that a permanent monument’s positional values will be constantly changing is a head-spinner to most.
NGS has also stated that their new system and procedures will not maintain data values for SPCS (see NGS State Plane Flyer). There are currently 125 SPCS zones and 3235 county systems throughout the US and territories in place that rely on NGS data as the main framework, so having tools for reference and conversion in place will be crucial. Thus, it will be a herculean task to create a procedure/process to easily pass coordinate values between our many static systems worldwide and the new dynamic but very robust system underway from NGS.
Based upon information currently available about the NAD2022 system, it would be more efficient for all those who use geolocation data to modify their thinking to adapt to a dynamic coordinate system. However, this is a similar situation to early scientists and geographers throwing out all references to flat-earth maps and atlases. For surveyors in the twilight of their careers, these are radical items to consider and a far cry from the standardized chain and theodolite. (Maybe there will be mass hysteria…)
The good news is that we have very intelligent people in the surveying and geodetic community who are working on solutions for the masses. The beauty of newer technology is how quickly hardware and software can be adapted to fit these new data conditions. Getting the word out on these changes and educating our profession will be a key factor to its success.
Further Refinement of Coordinate Systems
While the use of GNSS has enabled the discovery of time as a significant variable in geolocation, it has also expanded out coverage area of coordinate systems to much larger areas. Distances that could not be computed prior to GNSS are now easily attained and large projects can be managed within a common coordinate system. County, regional and state agencies can now create large-scale GIS databases that utilize a single coordinate system as well.
However, there are two differing tracks being formed with the continued development of the new datum by NGS. While the new datum will become more precise and predictable, there are movements in opposing camps to make changes in user coordinate in the furthest possible ways: statewide single zone system versus county/regional low distortion projection (LDP) systems. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, and will depend on the application of the user to choose the appropriate system.
Most states currently have two or more zones so there potential to combine all zones into one, but a major drawback will be the loss of accuracy away from the defining points. For GIS users, this accuracy will more than adequate and will allow the merging of data from across the state into one unified system.
Surveyors, however, are an interesting bunch in that they accept only the most accurate AND precise measurements. The growing use of LDP is rapidly changing the implementation and management of coordinate system in smaller areas such as counties and regional DOT districts.
However, both systems have a place in our surveying and mapping world. NGS has stated that while they will help with transformation software and apps, it will leave the decision of legislative standards to each state. It will be paramount that each state study what makes the most sense for its users and pass the appropriate legislation.
“The days are long but the years are short”
As I look back and realize how much has changed with modern technology and overall knowledge of our profession, it is with much anticipation how much more will change with advancements we don’t even know about yet. The electronic distance meter (EDM) was revolutionary for many surveyors and I’ve waxed poetic about my feelings regarding RTK GNSS in past columns (GPS World May 2016). Once again, however, technology and information based upon its use has revolutionized our data system.
As a profession, surveyors have embraced GNSS use and data collection from the early implementation of the system. And while the advances of UAV use, laser scanners and LiDAR along with software improvements have revolutionized data collection, these proposed coordinate improvements by NGS will bring more potential quality information into the surveyor’s hands.
And while time is money as Mr. Franklin famously stated, 2022 is just around the corner. A good friend of mine is famous for saying: “Good coordination begins with good coordinates.” The work performed by NGS is helping us do just that. The entire surveying, mapping and geodetic community has lots to accomplish to be ready for the changes from NGS. Let’s get to work.
The TruPoint 300 total station by Laser Technology.
Laser Technology Inc. (LTI) has released its TruPoint 300 for field data collection and mapping, as well as producing +/–1 millimeter range accuracy. It is a fully integrated laser with vertical and horizontal angle encoders capable of producing 3D, survey-grade measurements.
The TruPoint 300 is LTI’s first phase-technology product with a laser diode that emits light pulses with a distinct wavelength and pulse repetition frequency that obtains millimeter accuracy.
The fully integrated MapStar Angle Technology make the Trupoint 300 suitable for GIS, incident mapping, crush analysis, surveying, electric utilities, architecture and construction.
It will measure the distance between two remote points and has onboard solutions for volume, height, and 2D and 3D area, the company said. Professionals can navigate through measured data, routines, and menus with a full-color touchscreen.
In addition, the laser features an integrated red-dot visual indicator and crosshair with four-power zoom camera, which makes taking measurements easier, especially indoors, LTI said. The unit will also capture a photo of every shot taken that includes raw measurement values and onboard calculations.
Both photos and data can be stored in a CAD-friendly format for professional documentation. With Bluetooth and WLAN, professionals can communicate with apps and transfer X-, Y-, Z-point data files with images.
Several measurement and mapping apps designed by LTI are expected to be released in the coming months. Besides professional-grade lasers for mapping, LTI also provides a line of recreational rangefinders by Bushnell for golfing and hunting.
Ultra stable for low jitter and phase noise applications
The RHT1490 series of high-frequency and low-jitter ultra-stable TCXOs are available in frequencies from 50 MHz to 204.8 MHz. It delivers telecommunications-grade stability with a low real mean squared (rms) phase jitter of <200 fs (12 kHz–20 MHz). The platform’s frequency output enables lower system jitter, allowing communication system architects to optimize noise budget and performance. It can serve as a reference clock for SyncE and packet clock requirements (ITU-T G.826x and G.827x). It works with both discrete and integrated IEEE 1588 solutions, providing medium-term stability for low loop bandwidth applications. Its ultra-low noise floor performance, combined with system phase locked loop filtering, helps achieve very low system clock rms jitter numbers required by reference clocks of physical layer devices for high -speed interfaces (40 G and 100 G applications).
The 50-channel 8835 GPS reference clock serves satellite communications, defense and wireless applications. It has extreme power and interoperability options while maintaining GPS accuracy and reliability. Tracking GPS, the clock exhibits a frequency accuracy of <1 x 10-12 and a 1 PPS accuracy with <50 nanoseconds real mean squared. The proprietary oscillator steering discipline algorithm can enhance the rms accuracy of either the double-oven crystal oscillator or optional enhanced rubidium oscillator for greater depths of accuracy. It operates from –30° C to +60° C with a terminal node controller GPS receiver port.
The Algiz 8X ultra-rugged tablet computer is built for field workers who require a powerful, portable computer for mobile tasks. It offers communication features such as LTE and dual-band WLAN, along with an 8-inch projective capacitive touchscreen for outdoor use. Enabling glove mode or rain mode allows for operation in changing weather. The chemically strengthened glass survives an impact test in which a 64-gram steel ball is dropped on the screen 10 times from a height of 1.2 meters. The Algiz 8X has optional active capacitive stylus. Built-in features include Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB; u-blox GPS and GLONASS; WLAN a/b/g/n/ac; BT 4.2 LE; a rear-facing 8-MP camera with autofocus and LED flash; and 4G/LTE.
The X-52 entry-level machine control system for excavation features the new intuitive MC-X1 controller, compatible with all brands and models of excavators. Its reliable and rugged TS-i3 tilt sensors detect the precise positioning of the boom, stick and bucket at all times. Later this year, the X-52 will be upgradeable to a full 3D system with GNSS. The X-52 not only allows operators to work faster and with better accuracy, but also promotes a safer work site by keeping grade checkers out of the trenches. The system is designed to pair with the GX-55 touchscreen control box to offer sunlight-readable indicate grade reference in any climate.
Integrated display and keypad for configuration without controller
The Precis-TX204 receiver is a light-weight, rugged, all-in-one GNSS receiver with a built-in centimeter-accuracy RTK engine, onboard storage and versatile connectivity. The built-in battery can support up to 10 hours of continuous field work. Up to 16-GB SD card support makes field work easier, and the rugged enclosure enables the receiver to work in harsh environment. The receiver is designed for infrastructure applications such as providing differential data or logging observations; centimeter-level position and velocity information; precise tracking for internet of things; precise navigation for UAV and robotics. It supports GPS L1 and L2, and BDS B1 and B2.
The CMA-6024 aviation GPS/SBAS/GBAS sensor, featuring an embedded VHF data broadcast (VDB) receiver, is a complete, self-contained, fully certified, precision approach and navigation solution certified to Design Assurance Level A (DAL-A). Designed as an easy-to-integrate solution for all aircraft, the plug-and-play standalone unit requires no specialized installation or integration support. The new CMA-6024 provides a navigation solution that is fully compliant with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). The CMA-6024 includes SBAS Localizer Performance/Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LP/LPV) and GBAS GNSS Landing System (GLS) GAST-C/D precision approach guidance for all aircraft. Built on the success of the CMA-5024, the CMA-6024 is the next step forward, adding a complete GBAS/GLS solution. All CMA-5024 receivers can be upgraded to a CMA-6024.
Alternative to paper logs streamlines fleet management
The GPS Insight Hours of Service solution has a feature set designed to streamline fleet management and ensure Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance. Hours of Service bundles an Android tablet hardwired to a GPS tracking device. The ruggedized Electronic Logging Device (ELD) tablet features an intuitive user interface to ensure ease of use for all drivers. The management portal is web-based, secure and accessible via PC, tablet and smartphone. Features include messaging between drivers and dispatch; audible and visual directions using designated truck-specific routes; and e-logs combined with GPS monitoring, alerting and reporting. The GPS Insight Hours of Service Solution offers a simple alternative to paper logs and provides many benefits beyond compliance.
Rugged platform designed for aerial inspection, data collection
The Matrice 200 drone series (M200) is built for professional users to perform aerial inspections and collect data. The folding body is easy to carry and set up, with a weather- and water-resistant body for field operations. It offers DJI’s first upward-facing gimbal mount, for inspecting the undersides of bridges, towers and other structure. It is compatible with DJI’s X4S and X5S cameras, the high-powered Z30 zoom camera and the XT camera for thermal imaging. A forward-facing first-person-view camera allows a pilot and camera operator to monitor separate images on dual controllers. Obstacle avoidance sensors face forward and up and down, and it has an ADS-B receiver for advisory traffic information from nearby manned aircraft.
PCI Geomatics’ STAX UAV image alignment and analysis tool.
Designed to ease image alignment
The STAX UAV image alignment and analysis tool provides automated tools for aligning and analyzing UAV imagery without a full photogrammetric software suite. STAX was built to address the challenges of collecting and aligning multiple UAV surveys of the same location over time. By automating the alignment process, UAV operators can reduce or eliminate the use of ground control points that are traditionally installed and measured in survey sites. Relative corrections can be applied by using one of the surveys in a stack as a reference. Alternately, a highly accurate reference image of similar resolution over the area of interest can be used to automate the image alignment process. Once multi-pass UAV surveys have been aligned, customers can accurately make comparisons between surveys to measure changes over time or perform feature extraction. STAX provides tools to calculate vegetation indices as well as visualization and basic cartographic capability. Stacked data sets
can be exported for deeper analysis.
Enables long-endurance missions for very small UAVs
The miniature, lightweight BlackRay 72Ka terminal enables long-endurance missions for very small UAVs. The ultra-compact airborne SATCOM terminal for unmanned aircraft systems delivers exceptional throughput for its size. Tactical, long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are commonly used to gather and send intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to ground stations in real time. Reliable, high-performance satellite communications are crucial for ensuring uninterrupted broadband connectivity in beyond line-of-sight missions. Weighing less than 5 Kg, the BlackRay 72Ka combines high performance and throughput with minimal footprint.
Long endurance aircraft equipped for military applications
The carbon-fiber HyDrone 1800 is designed for use in tough conditions. The drone is wind-resistant, rain-resistant, cold-resistant and lightweight. Its hydrogen fuel-cell technology provides a flight endurance of 4 hours — 50+ hours when combined with MMC tethered technology. The HyDrone 1800 achieves extended flight time while maintaining altitude limits of 4,500 meters with a payload capacity of up to 5 kg. Constructed for safety and durability, an auxiliary lithium battery starts the fuel cell and provides a backup power source. Hydrogen drones can be flown in extreme temperatures from –10° C to 40° C. Payloads include a thermal imaging camera, low light camera, laser equipment or zoom camera, making the system suitable for many military applications such as intelligence gathering, border patrol, aerial fire support, laser designation or battle management services to tactical military operators. MMC also offers packaged solutions in target acquisition and reconnaissance technology (ISTAR).
French space agency CNES has made available two applications on the Google Play store for Android apps. Both are compatible with Android N (Nougat).
RTCM Converter: This app aims to convert the smartphone GNSS raw measurements to Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM message type 1077) and send them to a caster, for use by third-party software.
PPP WizzLite: This app is a port of the CNES PPP client (code and Doppler only, light version) on Android. Accuracies of 1-2 meters can be reached in kinematic mode, and sub-meter in static mode (using external SBAS data). To do so, users need to pull external RTCM streams for orbits/clocks corrections and broadcasts, such as ones available from the International GNSS Service Real-Time Service (IGS RTS).
Both apps have been validated on a Nexus 5X device with no phase support.
One-third of GPS World readers who responded to the latest poll think air traffic control and the FAA regulatory environment constitute the biggest challenges facing the UAV industry today. Other answers receiving top votes, from 10 to 27 percent of the total, included
Better, smaller, more lightweight sensors: inertial, Lidar, infrared, spectral, etc. (16 percent)
Integration of other sensors with GPS/GNSS. (10 percent)
Competition from satellite and aircraft imagery/mapping. (9.8 percent)
Definition of sensor performance specifications for navigation, in particular GNSS & SBAS MOPS-like standardisation.
Something simple that will make it visible on primary radar
Longer flight time
To learn more about overcoming such challenges, tune into the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing ease of use for the user in business applications. The webinar will cover a broad range of issues concerning sensor integration aboard a flying platform, and in particular their use for commercial purposes. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.
Speakers
Gustavo Lopez, product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications, Septentrio
Jan Leyssens , managing director, Sales and Business Development, Airobot
Francois Gervaix, product manager – Surveying, senseFly SA
Zak Kassas, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside
The European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) — the largest international competition for the commercial use of satellite navigation — is once again in search of outstanding ideas and business models for accelerating Galileo applications.
Renowned institutions and regional partners are set to award prizes worth a total of more than €1 million in more than 20 categories.
Submissions are due June 30.
Innovation Network for Satellite Navigation
Satellite navigation is indispensable when it comes to accurate, reliable and continuous localization, according to the ESNC. This technology is fundamental to a variety of current trends, including multimodal logistics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and smart cities.
First held in 2004, the ESNC has evolved into the leading innovation scouting mechanism in terms of Galileo-related applications across Europe and beyond. Moreover, the ESNC promotes the transformation of groundbreaking business ideas into market-ready products and new ventures.
Each year, the competition offers advantages to more than 400 business ideas. It has awarded prizes to more than 300 winners, which represent just a fraction of the 3,700 innovative concepts submitted by 11,000 participants. Through its network — including the ESA Business Incubation Centres, other incubators across Europe and the new E-GNSS Accelerator co-funded by the European Commission — the ESNC plays a decisive role in the realization of promising ideas by supporting the foundation of startups and creating high-tech jobs.
One of the main objectives of the ESNC is fostering the European space sector’s competitiveness globally by boosting the development of commercial space applications, especially for startups, SMEs and young entrepreneurs. Advancing Europe’s space programs and meeting user needs, especially when it comes to space data access to encourage alternative business models and technological progress, represent major goals of this strategy.
The involvement of the pan-European spirit within the EU Space Strategy is realized in the ESNC by engaging multiple regions across Europe with their own dedicated prizes.
“The investment in space technologies and applications as well as the support of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and startups ensure Europe’s increased competitiveness,” said Elżbieta Bieńkowska, commissioner for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs. “To achieve this ultimate goal, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) and the Copernicus Masters are a proven platform for trendsetting technologies and business models based on Galileo and Copernicus to implement the new EU Space Strategy.”
Within this context, this year’s ESNC patronage taken over by Markku Markkula, president of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), sets the tone for the innovation competition’s pan-European mission of uniting the European regions and cities through the support of space-related businesses and future-oriented entrepreneurs, increasing the market and user uptake of Galileo.
“The European Committee of the Regions attaches great importance to the new opportunities linked to the involvement of European regions in innovation networks, such as the European Satellite Navigation Competition,” Markkula said. “I have therefore gladly taken on the role of patron for the ESNC as of 2017.”
E-GNSS Accelerator
As the high-tech platform for pioneering satellite navigation applications, the ESNC is now additionally equipped with the new E-GNSS Accelerator. This program is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups to accelerate their business case on a broad scale and bring their products and services to market.
The E-GNSS Accelerator will run for three years and will directly support the winners of the ESNC 2017, 2018 and 2019. Thereby, the participants await even more prizes, services and three further business incubations worth an additional value of EUR 500,000.
ESNC Partners
In the ESNC 2017, special prizes are to be offered in partnership with the following institutions: the European GNSS Agency (GSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).
Prototypes can also be entered into the GNSS Living Lab Challenge.
The University Challenge, meanwhile, is explicitly designed for students and research associates.
In addition, participants choose from this year’s confirmed partner regions: Asia, Austria, Baden-Württemberg / Germany, Basque Country / Spain, Bavaria / Germany, Catalonia / Spain, Estonia, France, Hesse / Germany, Ireland, Madrid / Spain, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, United Kingdom, and the Valencian Community / Spain.
Stay tuned for more updates on additional ESNC regions.
Obtain more information at the official website, www.esnc.eu, comprising all relevant information on prizes, partners, and terms of participation involved in the ESNC.
Prizes for the Best Applications
This year’s winners will take home prizes worth a more than EUR 1 million and be welcomed into the ESNC’s leading innovation network for global satellite navigation systems.
Along with cash, the various prize categories offer primarily technical, business-related and legal support in realizing the winning business models. A jury of international experts from the realms of research and industry will also evaluate the winners of all the categories to select an overall winner, who will be revealed at the festive Awards Ceremony in early November 2017.
Furthermore, three additional incubations, supported by the European Commission, will be awarded in front of a high-ranking audience.
Those who enter the ESNC also stand to benefit greatly from the opportunity to work closely with leading institutions and regional partners. The ESNC is geared towards individuals and teams from companies, research facilities and universities around the world.
Awards Ceremony and Space Conference
A partner program, the Copernicus Masters (Earth observation), also kicked off on April 5 in Brussels.
The Awards Ceremony for both the ESNC and the Copernicus Masters takes place in early November. The event brings together industry, politics, entrepreneurship and research to showcase the most disruptive space applications and discuss trendsetting developments in the satellite downstream sector and its various application fields.
Leica Geosystems has introduced the Leica Zeno GG04 smart antenna, enabling a flexible solution to improve mobile devices’ GNSS accuracy with real-time kinematic (RTK) and precise point positioning (PPP).
Paired with the Zeno GG04, any Zeno or third-party mobile device with Android or Windows OS can now collect highly precise positioning data with Leica Geosystems’ GNSS technology and 555-channel tracking performance. With PPP, users can collect data in areas without cellular coverage. The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) functionality enables any smart device to collect survey-grade data, delivering centimeter results.
“We’re excited to hear about the new Zeno Connect for Android. Being able to connect any Android device to the new GG04 antenna and use it for field data capture is a real game-changer,” said Zenny Chareas, project manager at PeopleGIS, a firm that builds web-based database applications for field collection currently using the Leica Zeno GG03. “Our clients have been eagerly anticipating this type of functionality, and it’s pretty cool that we now have a solution for them.”
With the Zeno Connect app, any third-party app is compatible with the Zeno GG04 smart antenna. The Zeno Mobile, Zeno Connect or Esri’s Collector for ArcGIS apps provide an easy and familiar platform for non-surveying professionals to collect and analyze data. Organizations can integrate and enrich data in real time from different sources to collect all details of any project from anywhere in the world, regardless of how remote.
“Wherever users are working, despite, how rough the environment, the Zeno GG04 ensures all needed data is easily and accurately collected,” said Alexander Fischer, Leica Geosystems Zeno product manager. “The flexibility offered by turning our most common devices into precise instruments increases access to the geopositioning world, and this is certainly an exciting advancement to share technology and information with new segments.”
The last column, February 2017, focused on addressing the following questions: (1) Is the large GPS on benchmarks residual due to an issue with the NAVD 88 orthometric height or the NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height? and (2) Should stations with large GPS on benchmarks residuals be included in the development of NGS’ hybrid geoid models? The column provided suggestions on how users can assist NGS in determining the reason for the large difference between the modeled hybrid geoid value and computed GNSS/leveling geoid computed value. It was mentioned that this information will be useful to NGS when developing hybrid geoid models and the 2022 Vertical Transformation model. My previous columns have focused on the conterminous United States. This column is going to discuss the GPS on benchmarks residuals for the state of Alaska.
The February 2017 column noted that many of these large GPS on BM residuals could be due to an invalid NAVD 88 published height because the benchmark moved since the last time the height of the benchmark was adjusted and published, and/or an undetected error in an ellipsoid height due to a weak GNSS project design. The State of Alaska is very large; it has a sparse leveling network, and benchmarks are subject to movement due to ground conditions, isostatic effects, and seismic activity. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbank, has a lot of interesting reports on the movement in Alaska. Many of these stations would be identified as benchmarks with invalid heights when users follow Federal geodetic survey guidelines, procedures, and specifications. Benchmarks with invalid heights would not be used in controlling geodetic surveys and, in my opinion, should not be used in the hybrid geoid model. As I mentioned in my previous columns, this is not meant to be a criticism of NGS process for creating their hybrid geoid model. NGS’ goal is to create a hybrid geoid model that is consistent with published NAVD 88 values. I believe NGS is using all the data and information available to them. A goal of my last column was to emphasize to users the importance to strategically occupy stations to help support the GPS on benchmarks program which will result in the creation of a hybrid geoid model that accurately represents the current NAVD 88.
First, let’s look at the leveling network design of Alaska. Figure 1 depicts the leveling network design used to establish heights in the NAVD 88. The figure indicates that most of the leveling data used in NAVD 88 was between 1965 and 1975. It should be noted that a major releveling project was performed in 1965 after the 1964 Good Friday Alaska Earthquake. There were some short leveling lines performed in the late 1980s and early 1991s. These data are now old and the question about whether the NAVD 88 height of the benchmark is still valid must be addressed.
Figure 1 – Vertical Control used to establish heights in the NAVD 88 General Adjustment – It should be noted that nearly all of the leveling in the 1960s were performed after the 1964 earthquake (figure from a presentation titled “Achieving Great Heights: Toward a Better Vertical Reference System in Alaska” by Michael Dennis (National Geodetic Survey) and David B. Zilkoski (Geospatial Solutions by DBZ), March 28, 2014, 48th Annual Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference, Fairbanks, Alaska)
Alaska is prone to both episodic crustal motion (i.e. earthquakes) and the effects of long-term isostatic adjustment, which makes maintaining accurate vertical control difficult at best. (See figure 2 for a plot of earthquakes in Alaska). The 1964 Good Friday Alaska Earthquake, a magnitude of 9.2, changed heights as much as 8 feet. In addition to the initial damage at the time of the earthquake, there’s a post seismic vertical deformation movement that occurred. Suito and Freymueller (2009) provided a postseismic deformation model predictions for the 1964 earthquake [see box titled “Postseismic Velocity Predictions from Suito and Freymueller (2009)]”. An ArcGIS raster layer was developed using the grid values obtained from the website. Figure 3 is a plot of the vertical deformation model using Suito and Freymueller’s gridded dataset.
This page provides access to postseismic deformation model predictions for the 1964 earthquake. The model includes afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation (including the viscoelastic response to the afterslip), for the best-fit model derived by Suito and Freymueller (2009). That model includes a realistic slab geometry and a uniform asthenospheric relaxation time of 20 years. The full reference for the paper and the model is given below:
Suito, H., and J. T. Freymueller, A viscoelastic and afterslip postseismic deformation model for the 1964 Alaska earthquake, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/ 2008JB005954, 2009.
The model predictions are available in three different formats:
1. A text file, Suito_vel.enu.txt with east, north and vertical model predictions evaluated on a 0.25 degree grid covering all of Alaska.
2. A set of three netcdf grid files for use with GMT, for the east, north and vertical components. Interpolated values for any location can be generated easily with the GMT grdtrack program.
o East component: Suito_east.grd.
o North component: Suito_north.grd.
o Vertical component: Suito_vert.grd.
3. A MATLAB .mat file, visco_1964_SF2009.mat containing a structure with model velocity predictions at GPS sites in Alaska and the surrounding area.
Figure 3 – Post seismic Vertical Deformation Movement after the 1964 Alaska Earthquake (Suito, H., and J.T. Freymueller, “A viscoelastic and afterslip postseismic deformation model for the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, J. Geophy. Res,” ArcGIS raster layer was developed using grid values obtained from this website.The NGS (formally the Coast and Geodetic Survey) releveled the area effected by the earthquake in 1965. Today, leveling is very expensive so estimating new heights of benchmarks after earthquakes really needs to be accomplished using GNSS surveys. However, as stated in my first column, June 2015, GNSS surveys provide accurate ellipsoid height when the appropriate procedures are followed, but an accurate geoid height is required to estimate an accurate GNSS-derived orthometric heights. Therefore, the question that needs to be addressed is how accurate is the geoid model in Alaska. As described in the last column, the GPS on benchmarks program is one method of evaluating the GNSS/Leveling/Geoid combined system.
Saying that, Alaska’s system of NAVD88 benchmarks is based on old leveling data and, due to ground ice conditions and crustal movement, are subject to changes in heights. This makes it difficult to evaluate the geoid model in Alaska using published NAVD 88 heights. However, NGS’ GPS on benchmarks program can help to identify outliers and long wavelength trends between NAVD 88 heights and GNSS-derived orthometric heights. GPS on BMs residuals using the published GEOID12B values in the State of Alaska were generated using the data from the NGS’ website. I described these data and the process in my February 2017 column. Figures 4 through 6 depict the GPS on benchmarks residuals using the hybrid geoid model GEOID12B for stations in Alaska. It should be noted that only bench marks that had NAD 83 (2011) published coordinates and NAVD 88 published heights with the attribute of “Adjusted” were used in this analysis. This analysis does not include any OPUS results.
Figure 4 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using Geoid12B in the State of Alaska – {GPS on BMs Residual = [GEOID12B value – (NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. The Residuals are Depicted by Symbols (units = cm)Figure 5 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using Geoid12B in the State of Alaska –{GPS on BMs Residual = [GEOID12B value – (NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. The Value of the Residuals are Labeled (units = cm)Figure 6 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using Geoid12B in the Haines and Skagway, Alaska, Region {GPS on BMs Residual = [GEOID12B value – (NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units= cm)Looking at figures 4-6, most of the GPS on BMs residuals using GEOID12B appear to be less than a couple of centimeters. There are several stations that have large outliers but this is seen in every State in the conterminous United States. The small residuals using GEOID12B doesn’t really tell us much because the large threshold level used by the NGS Geoid Team can mask some issues. This was demonstrated in my last column. Notice that figure 6 only shows two GPS on BMs residuals in the Haines and Skagway area of Alaska. This is an area where more GPS on BMs would be helpful to evaluate the geoid model.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous columns, the user should analyze the GPS on BMs stations using the latest experimental gravimetric geoid that includes the new airborne GRAV-D data, e.g. xGeoid16b. NGS has a website that enables users to compute geoid height values using the latest experimental gravimetric geoid model. All benchmarks in Alaska that had NAD 83 (2011) published coordinates were submitted as input to the NGS’ xGeoid16 website and the results were used to create a file of GPS on BMs residuals for the State of Alaska. An example of the output from the xGeoid16 website is provided in the box titled “Output from xGeoid16 Website.” NGS’ experimental geoid website was described in my October 2015 column.
It should be noted that the input to the xGeoid16 website was NAD 83 (2011) coordinates and the output was provided in the IGS08 reference frame; therefore, the xGeoid16b geoid heights are referenced to IGS08. The GPS on BMs residuals was computed using the formula GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]. Figure 7 is a plot of the GPS on BMs residuals computed using xGeoid16b geoid values, IGS08 ellipsoid heights, and NAVD 88 orthometric heights.
Figure 7 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska – Referenced to IGS08 (units = cm) – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. Green Line Represents the Leveling LinesFigure 7 indicates that there is an obvious bias of about a meter between the GNSS-derived orthometric heights referenced to IGS08 and the NAVD 88. This bias is expected since these GPS on BMs residuals are referenced with respect to IGS08. This has been described in more detail in my December 2016 column, and depicted in a figure on the NGS website. A bias and trend from the GPS on BMs residuals was removed by performing a least squares best fit planar surface of the differences (basically solving for a bias and a North-South and East-West tilt). Figure 8 is a plot of the GPS on BMs residuals using xGeoid16b in Alaska were a bias and trend was removed from the original computed GPS on BMs residuals that are depicted in figure 7. These GPS on BMs residuals will be used to identify outliers and will be referred to as GPS on BMs residuals (with a trend removed) in the reminder of this column.
Figure 8 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska – Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed– {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm) – Green Line Represents the Leveling LinesThe large absolute difference and tilt are not concerning, it’s the large relative differences between closely-spaced stations that need to be identified and explained. Removing the bias and trend in the GPS on BMs residuals is useful in identifying large relative differences between neighboring stations.
Figure 9 is another plot of the GPS on BMs residuals using xGeoid16b with the trend removed using different symbology. The “up” blue arrows indicated a positive residual and a “down” red arrow indicates a negative residual. It’s not surprising to see both positive and negative residuals because a trend was removed from the residuals.
Figure 9 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed (units = cm) – “up” blue arrows indicated a positive residual and a “down” red arrow indicates a negative residualWhat should be noticed is that there are a lot of large negative and positive residuals. Figure 10 is a plot of the GPS on BMs residuals (with a trend removed) with residuals greater than +/- 20 cm labeled. It may be difficult to see in the plot but there are two residuals in the Hains and Skagway, Alaska, region (see right corner of figure 10). Both stations have large positive GPS on BMs residuals. What is important is that the relative difference between the two stations is also large, i.e., 42 cm (80.4 cm – 38.4 cm). We will address this difference later in this column.
Figure 10 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska –– [GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]. Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed (units = cm) – Residuals greater than 20 cm are labeled.As previously mentioned, investigating GPS on BMs with large relative differences between closely-spaced stations helps to identify outliers. Figure 11 is a plot of the GPS on BMs residual (with a trend removed) in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, region. There are several stations that are relatively close to each other (TT2213, TT2332, and TT2299) and have large relative GPS on BMs residuals. That is, the relative difference in GPS on BMs residuals between stations TT2313 and TT2332, 24 km apart, is -9.9 cm (-6.3 cm – 3.6 cm), and between stations TT2332 and TT2299, 19 km apart, the difference in GPS on BMs residual is -26.3 cm [-32.6 cm – (-6.3 cm)]. These stations have published NAVD 88 heights but should stations with large GPS on BM residuals be included in the development of NGS’ hybrid geoid models? At a minimum, other stations near these stations should be occupied with GNSS to help determine if other monuments in the area have moved in the similar manner.
Figure 11 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Region – Large Difference between two relatively closely spaced stations (TT2313 and TT2332) – Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)Figure 2, a USGS plot of earthquakes in Alaska, highlighted the problems with maintaining reliable, accurate NAVD 88 orthometric heights in Alaska. Figure 12 is a plot of GPS on BMs residuals (with a trend removed) using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska with an overlay of fault lines. The ArcGIS layer of fault lines was obtained from ArcGIS online layers. Looking at figure 12, it’s obvious that the heights of benchmarks in Alaska are probably being influenced by seismic activity. Figure 13 is a plot of the vertical velocity values at GNSS stations generated by UNAVCO’s GPS Velocity Viewer Program at this website.
Figure 12 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska with an Overlay of Fault Lines – Residuals are referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)Looking at figure 13, it is obvious that benchmarks that haven’t been releveled in the past 30 years could have been significantly influenced by crustal movement.
Figure 13 – Vertical Velocity estimated at GNSS Station in Alaska using UNAVCO’s GPS Velocity-Viewer Program: Figure generated from this website.
Figure 14 is the same plot as figure 11 with an overlay of the fault lines. Are these stations being influenced by crustal motion? Repeat measurements are needed to address this issue. There is a great opportunity to assist in the development and assessment of hybrid geoid models if researchers and others that are conducting campaign GNSS surveys with long static occupations share their results with NGS. NGS has a Regional Geodetic Advisory in Alaska that could help facilitate getting the appropriate information to NGS’ geoid team. Nicole Kinsman is the NGS Regional Geodetic Advisor for Alaska. Ms. Kinsman is very knowledgeable on National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) issues in Alaska. She was very helpful to me as I was preparing this column.
Figure 14 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Region with an overlay of Fault Lines – Large Difference between two relatively closely spaced stations (TT2313 and TT2332) – Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)Figure 15 is a plot of GPS on BMs residuals in the Yukon-Koyukuk borough, Alaska, region. Notice that there’s a large difference between relatively closely-spaced stations TT3571 and TT3555, 22.6 cm (31.7 cm – 9.1 cm). Saying that, the plot also depicts all the fault lines around these stations. This is another example of how difficult it is to maintain reliable orthometric heights in Alaska.
Figure 15 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in Yukon-Koyukuk Borough, Alaska, region with an Overlay of Fault Lines – Large Difference between two relatively closely spaced stations (TT3571 and TT3557) – Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)Figure 16 is a plot of GPS on BMs residuals in the Haines and Skagway, Alaska, region, with an overlay of fault lines. Figure 10 highlighted that the two stations, TT0118 and TT8080, have a large relative difference (42 cm) but figure 16 indicates that the two stations lie between a couple of fault lines.
Figure 16 – GPS on Benchmark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the Skagway, Alaska, Region with an Overlay of Fault Lines – Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)What does this mean to surveyors and mappers in Alaska? In my opinion, the new 2022 Vertical Reference Datum, denoted as the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022 (NAPGD 2022) will help Alaskans maintain a vertical reference frame that’s reliable and traceable. Saying that, it is extremely important to know the relative accuracy of the geoid model used to establish GNSS-derived orthometric heights in NAPGD2022. NGS is performing projects to evaluate the relative accuracy of the gravimetric geoid model. The projects are known as Geoid Slope Validation Surveys. I would encourage the Alaska surveying and mapping community to develop plans to transition to the new NAPGD2022. Evaluation of the experimental gravimetric geoid model is critical to the implementation of the new 2022 datum and should be part of a transition plan. Performing a geoid slope validation project similar to NGS may be too expensive to be performed by Alaskans. However, Alaskans may be able to perform low budget geoid slope evaluation surveys. These surveys could include performing combined GNSS and leveling surveys to evaluate the relative accuracy of the gravimetric geoid model in areas that require accurate orthometric heights. Performing several of the gravimetric geoid evaluation surveys in major cities and/or areas that require accurate heights would help to facilitate the implementation of NAPGD2022.
These types of geoid evaluation surveys should also be performed in other areas of the country that are influenced by crustal movement. For example, the published NAVD 88 heights in southern Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast of the United States are influenced by subsidence. NAPGD2022 will provide a more efficient and cost-effective way to maintain consistent orthometric heights. Once again, evaluating the relative accuracy of the gravimetric geoid model is critical to the implementation of NAPGD2022.
A speaker from UAV manufacturer senseFly will appear on the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing ease of use for the user in business applications. The Switzerland-based company specializes in professional-grade UAVs for survey, mapping, precision agriculture and asset inspection. The company recently became the first drone operator to be granted anytime Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) authorization in Switzerland.
Photo: senseFly
The webinar will cover a broad range of issues concerning sensor integration aboard a flying platform, and in particular their use for commercial purposes. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.
The senseFly speaker (name to be announced soon) will join a panel that consists of:
Gustavo Lopez, Product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications, Septentrio; Jan Leyssens , Managing Director, Sales & Business Development, Airobot; and Zak Kassas, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Riverside.
Further speaker details:
Lopez: Septentrio is an leader in bringing high end GNSS technology when accuracy and reliability matters. Gustavo Lopez is Product manager for UAS applications at Septentrio. Since joining the company, he has held a number of R&D and product management roles. Gustavo holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Monterrey’s Technology Institute and an MBA from United Business Institute
Leyssens: Airobot specializes in meeting safety demands for UAVs by providing intelligent safety components, specifically designed for drones, and in facilitating end-users’ success in completing their missions. Leyssens has Masters’ degrees in avionics, electrical engineering and business administration.
Kassas will present the research material from his cover story in the April issue of GPS World: “LTE Steers UAV — No GPS? No Problem! Signals of Opportunity Work in Challenged Environments.” Long-term evolution cellular can be exploited for accurate and resilient autonomous vehicle navigation in the absence of clear GNSS signals. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that GPS-like performance can be achieved in the absence of GPS signals when cellular pseudoranges aid an inertial navigation system.
NovAtel, the OEM supplier of high-precision GNSS positioning technology, unveiled its Oceanix Nearshore correction service at the Ocean Business show in Southampton, U.K.
Oceanix Nearshore, a subscription-based GNSS correction service for Precise Point Positioning (PPP), provides exceptionally reliable subdecimeter positioning for marine applications such as dredging, hydrographic survey, mapping and coastal patrolling.
The robustness of Oceanix infrastructure sets it apart from the competition. Oceanix precise corrections data is generated utilizing a network of over 80 strategically located GNSS reference stations globally.
Oceanix’ high-rate corrections ensure the full accuracy of carrier phase is gained for enhanced solution accuracy. Oceanix corrections are delivered via geostationary satellites over L-band directly to the enduser, providing reliable high accuracy positioning worldwide.
“NovAtel is in the unique position to have control over the entire PPP data generation process as well as the positioning algorithms that drive GNSS receiver performance, delivering the best user experience for our marine customers,” said Miguel Amor, chief marketing officer for Hexagon Positioning Intelligence. “With the launch of Oceanix Nearshore, our customers now have the ability to obtain not only world-leading GNSS technology, but also a truly robust correction service and integrated support all from a single vendor.”
Oceanix offers multiple subscription durations so that our clients can obtain the service that best fits with the needs of their application. Driven by the NovAtel CORRECT positioning engine, Oceanix Nearshore delivers 4 cm horizontal and 6 cm vertical accuracy rms. Algorithms proprietary to NovAtel CORRECT greatly enhance the accuracy and recovery speed from GNSS signal interruptions.
Qinertia, SBG Systems’ new in-house post-processing software, gives access to offline real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections, and processes inertial and GNSS raw data to further enhance accuracy and secure a survey.
SBG Systems will unveil new software for the surveying industry at the Ocean Business show, held in Southamptom, United Kingdom, April 4-6.
For more than 10 years, SBG Systems has been designing inertial navigation systems from the internal inertial measurement unit (IMU) to filtering with GNSS data. Expert in real-time data fusion, the company takes another step in the surveying industry by unveiling Qinertia, a fully in-house post-processing kinematic (PPK) software. Whether the survey is made from a car, a UAV, a plane or a vessel, Qinertia will secure and enhance the acquisition.
Virtual Base Station
After the mission, Qinertia gives access to offline RTK corrections from more than 7,000 base stations in 164 countries. By creating a virtual base station near your project, the software delivers the highest level of accuracy without having to set up a base station, the company said.
Trajectory and orientation are then greatly improved by processing inertial data and raw GNSS observables in forward and backward directions. Qinertia also secures the survey by fixing afterwards lever arms or sensor misalignment.
Qinertia has been designed to help surveyors get the most of their surveys with simplicity. Surveyors can begin a project with a step-by step wizard, access an always up-to-date reference station database, and consult advanced quality indicators. With 64 bits and a multi-core design, Qinertia is fast processing software.
Qinertia will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. A public beta test program will begin early this summer.
Our reliance on state plane coordinate systems (SPCS) is at an all-time high with the sharing of data by various parties being more seamless than ever. The notion that a permanent monument’s positional values will be constantly changing is a head-spinner to most.
![[INSERT FIGURE 3] Figure 3 – Post seismic Vertical Deformation Movement after the 1964 Alaska Earthquake (Suito, H., and J.T. Freymueller, “A viscoelastic and afterslip postseismic deformation model for the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, J. Geophy. Res,” ArcGIS raster layer was developed using grid values obtained from website: http://www.gps.alaska.edu/jeff/SF2009_postseismic.html)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_3.jpg)
![Figure 4 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using Geoid12B in the State of Alaska – {GPS on BMs Residual = [GEOID12B value – (NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. The Residuals are Depicted by Symbols (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_4.jpg)
![Figure 5 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using Geoid12B in the State of Alaska –{GPS on BMs Residual = [GEOID12B value – (NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. The Value of the Residuals are Labeled (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_5.jpg)
![Figure 6 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using Geoid12B in the Haines and Skagway, Alaska, Region {GPS on BMs Residual = [GEOID12B value – (NAD 83 (2011) ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units= cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_6.jpg)
![Figure 7 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska – Referenced to IGS08 (units = cm) – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. Green Line Represents the Leveling Lines](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_7.jpg)
![Figure 8 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska – Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed– {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm) – Green Line Represents the Leveling Lines](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_8.jpg)
![Figure 9 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska - {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed (units = cm) - “up” blue arrows indicated a positive residual and a “down” red arrow indicates a negative residual](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_9.jpg)
![Figure 10 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska –– [GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]. Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed (units = cm) – Residuals greater than 20 cm are labeled.](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_10.jpg)
![Figure 11 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Region – Large Difference between two relatively closely spaced stations (TT2313 and TT2332) - Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_11.jpg)
![Figure 12 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the State of Alaska with an Overlay of Fault Lines – Residuals are referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_12.jpg)
![Figure 14 - GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Region with an overlay of Fault Lines – Large Difference between two relatively closely spaced stations (TT2313 and TT2332) - Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_14.jpg)
![Figure 15 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in Yukon-Koyukuk Borough, Alaska, region with an Overlay of Fault Lines – Large Difference between two relatively closely spaced stations (TT3571 and TT3557) - Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_15.jpg)
![Figure 16 – GPS on Bench Mark Residuals Using xGeoid16b in the Skagway, Alaska, Region with an Overlay of Fault Lines - Referenced to IGS08 with a trend removed – {GPS on BMs Residual = [xGEOID16b value – (IGS08 ellipsoid height value – NAVD 88 orthometric height value)]}. (units = cm)](https://stage.globalpositioningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPS_World_Newsletter_12_Fig_16.jpg)
