GPS World

Category: Transportation

  • Swift Navigation, Taiwan Mobile advance centimeter-accurate positioning for autonomy

    Swift Navigation, Taiwan Mobile advance centimeter-accurate positioning for autonomy

    Swift Navigation has partnered with Taiwan Mobile, a major telecommunications company in Taiwan, to introduce the Skylark Precise Positioning Service to the Taiwanese market. This collaboration aims to meet the increasing demand for high-accuracy positioning solutions across various industries.

    Skylark is a real-time GNSS correction service that enhances positioning precision to the centimeter level by correcting signal errors from GNSS. It is the first cloud-based precise positioning service developed specifically for large-scale applications, designed to deliver accuracy, reliability, and safety worldwide. The service utilizes advanced atmospheric modeling to reduce errors from ionospheric disturbances, clock drift and satellite orbit inaccuracies, improving location accuracy from several meters to just a few centimeters.

    The service is supported by a carrier-grade network consisting of modern ground reference stations, which have been designed and operated collaboratively by Taiwan Mobile and other mobile network operators globally. Skylark’s highly reliable and precise positioning capabilities are expected to support emerging applications in automotive, robotics, and fleet management sectors. In automotive applications, it is the first and only automotive safety integrity level (ASIL) certified, real-time cloud-based positioning service compliant with ISO 26262:2018, enabling safe operation of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles.

    For robotics, Skylark’s proprietary atmospheric modeling offers centimeter-level accuracy with extended baselines and automatic failover, ensuring reliable performance for devices such as robotic lawnmowers and surveying drones. In fleet management, the service provides a cost-effective, dependable positioning solution optimized for battery-powered devices, facilitating efficient last-mile and final-inch logistics, and integrating with a broad range of compatible GNSS hardware.

  • Swift Navigation secures funding for its Skylark cm positioning service

    Swift Navigation secures funding for its Skylark cm positioning service

    Swift Navigation has completed another funding round to fuel its centimeter-level precision service. The Skylark Precise Positioning Service is a cloud-based service that corrects errors in GNSS signals, improving accuracy to centimeter level and enabling mass-market adoption of applications in autonomous driving, robotics, precision logistics, and V2X communication.

    Skylark is a real-time, cloud-based service that meets ISO 26262:2018 functional safety standards for road vehicles. Unlike ASIL-certified positioning solutions that rely on costly physical data centers, Skylark operates entirely in the cloud.

    Skylark powers more than 10 million ADAS-enabled and autonomous vehicles worldwide and supports global programs for 20+ automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, top robotics companies, and a large commercial fleet operator.

    This latest financing reflects strong market demand for Swift’s approach to precise positioning. Unlike traditional precise positioning technologies, Skylark leverages advanced atmospheric modeling, cloud-based architecture and carrier-grade networks to deliver unmatched reliability, safety and cost efficiency at scale.

    The $50 million Series E financing round was led by Crosslink Capital. The round saw strong participation from existing investors New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Eclipse Ventures, EPIQ Capital Group, First Round Capital, TELUS Global Ventures, and Potentum Partners alongside new investors Niterra Ventures, AlTi Tiedemann Global, GRIDS Capital, Essentia Ventures, Shea Ventures, and EnerTech Capital. This funding brings Swift Navigation’s total capital raised to over $250 million.

  • Companies partner on resilient navigation for commercial ships

    Companies partner on resilient navigation for commercial ships

    NAL Research is partnering with SGM Technology, a maritime technology company, and Tschudi Shipping, a maritime logistics company, to deliver a resilient navigation and tracking product line for the commercial shipping industry enabled by Iridium’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network.

    NAL Research is a U.S.-based firm specializing in assured positioning, navigation and timing (APNT) solutions.

    The partnership aims to provide reliable asset tracking and assured navigation in high-risk maritime environments. Threats to GPS and GNSS signals —  such as jamming, spoofing and interference —  are reaching unprecedented levels worldwide. In some regions, maritime authorities reported a 350% increase in affected vessels over the past six months, according to NorthStandard. These disruptions are leading to serious consequences, including collisions, delays, financial impacts on global trade, and heightened security risks for crews at sea.

    Under the partnership agreement, the companies are leveraging NAL Research’s 25+ years of expertise in APNT, tracking, and connectivity to develop solutions built on the Iridium PNT service, a powerful and fully authenticated L-band signal resilient to spoofing and jamming.

    The partnership will also benefit from SGM’s 15+ years of experience delivering technology to the commercial maritime sector and Tschudi Shipping Company’s global presence and 140+ years in commercial shipping and logistics. Together, the collaboration aims to provide maritime users with unmatched resilience and reliable navigation for GPS/GNSS-compromised environments. Trials of this state-of-the-art solution are underway.

  • AI maps: The digital infrastructure driving autonomous systems

    AI maps: The digital infrastructure driving autonomous systems

    Each day, millions of transportation decisions are made without a driver manually choosing a route or reacting to road signs. Trucks are rerouted around traffic hours before a jam appears. A vehicle slows down in a school zone, even without seeing a sign. A delivery service dynamically dispatches drivers based on weather and wait times.

    These are not just conveniences; they are outcomes of location intelligence working behind the scenes, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time mapping.

    At the heart of these systems lies a fundamental shift: maps are no longer static guides for humans. AI is unlocking a new era of computing and autonomous systems that will drive industry innovation and reinvention for years to come. Maps have become live, machine-readable software that enables automation at scale. Accenture’s Technology Vision 2025 report found large-language models (LLMs) are giving machines and robots more autonomy in the physical world, allowing them to better understand the physics of their environments, have spatial awareness, interact with people and understand complex instructions. This evolving autonomy is critical for autonomous vehicles, smart logistics and other systems that rely on real-time, AI-powered mapping to sense, decide and act.

    Whether it’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), predictive logistics, EV range optimization or smart city operations, AI-powered mapping is fast becoming the connective tissue between sensing, decision-making, and action. It all begins with location data that is collected, interpreted and delivered in real time.

    From Navigation to Infrastructure: The Evolution of the Map

    Throughout the past two decades, digital maps have evolved from a novelty to a necessity. The early wave of turn-by-turn GPS tools was designed for humans — to get us from one point to another using the shortest or fastest route.

    Today, we are witnessing a new paradigm. As autonomy becomes embedded in vehicles, delivery operations, and mobile robotics, we need a new kind of map — one built for machines.

    These maps must be able to see, react and even predict. They must be continuously updated with real-time inputs, capable of interpreting events and structured in a way that allows for automation logic. In other words, they must be intelligent; and that intelligence comes from AI.

    AI-Powered Maps: What Makes Them Different?

    A live, AI-powered map is far more than a digital representation of roads and intersections. It begins with a foundational base layer — detailed information about road geometry, lanes, speed limits, signage and more. However, what sets these maps apart is how they evolve in real-time to reflect the dynamic nature of the world around us.

    They incorporate constantly changing inputs like traffic flow, construction activity, road closures and weather conditions — data streams that traditional static maps cannot accommodate. Beyond reacting to real-time events, AI maps also understand context. They may recognize nuances such as school zones that change by time of day, hazardous intersections, low-clearance bridges, and the availability or compatibility of EV chargers at nearby locations.

    Crucially, AI-powered maps don’t just describe what’s happening – they anticipate what might happen next. Fueled by billions of data points collected from vehicles, sensors, satellite imagery and crowdsourced sources, these systems use predictive modeling to foresee traffic build-ups, potential hazards or shifts in road accessibility.

    The result is a map that doesn’t merely guide but thinks — a constantly updating model of the world designed not for human eyes alone, but for machines that need to make decisions in real-time.

    AI fuses these elements, constantly recalculating and enriching the map to reflect what’s happening now and what might happen next.

    For this to work, mapping platforms must ingest the billions of data inputs. AI models then validate, filter and extract insight from this data — turning raw input into actionable intelligence and guidance.

    Why AI Maps Matter in the Vehicle

    Modern vehicles are increasingly defined by software, and that software needs a constant, reliable connection to the outside world.

    ADAS features, such as intelligent speed assistance (ISA), lane keeping and predictive cruise control, depend not only on sensors like cameras or radar, but also on high-quality map data to anticipate what’s ahead.

    For example, speed limit detection based solely on onboard vision can fail in poor weather or when signs are obscured. But when paired with verified, map-based data, continuously updated by AI, vehicles can make safer, more consistent decisions. As regulators in the EU and beyond mandate ISA systems in new vehicles, AI-enhanced maps are becoming a tool for regulatory compliance, not just convenience.

    As OEMs continue their shift toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs), they increasingly treat maps as a core software module, critical to the operation of the vehicle itself, not just a navigation layer.

    In the era of SDVs, maps are evolving into a foundational software service used not just to get somewhere, but to determine how and when it is safe to drive.

    How AI Maps Support the EV Transition

    One of the most significant barriers to widespread EV adoption is range anxiety: the fear that a driver won’t reach a charger in time, or that the charger will be in use or out of order. AI-powered maps help directly address this.

    By combining real-time charger availability, plug compatibility, dynamic traffic conditions, topography, and vehicle battery status, intelligent routing systems can not only suggest optimal charging points, but also reroute on the fly as conditions change.

    This level of intelligence is essential for EV fleet operators, especially those in logistics, ride-hailing or municipal transit.

    AI-powered maps also leverage charger usage patterns, traffic flows and gaps in the network to help cities plan where to place new charging infrastructure.

    In this way, location intelligence doesn’t just support EVs on the road but helps accelerate adoption.

    Why AI Maps Matter in the Supply Chain

    A HERE Technologies ‘On the Move’ survey found only 25% of transportation and logistics professionals are leveraging AI in supply chain management. Yet, the use cases for AI-powered mapping are plentiful.

    Fleet operators face daily challenges: delays, emissions targets, labor shortages and delivery windows that shift by the hour. They’re actively seeking technology-based solutions. McKinsey projects the autonomous heavy-duty trucking market could reach an aggregated $616 billion in 2035 in China, the United States and Europe.

    AI-powered maps help address many of these challenges. By combining real-time traffic information, road restrictions (e.g., weight limits, low bridges), and predictive analytics, intelligent maps help logistics operators optimize every mile.

    For example, dynamic routing can avoid areas of congestion hours before they peak, based on machine learning models trained on historical and live data. AI can prioritize delivery orders based on customer availability, time-of-day restrictions or weather disruptions.

    Beyond routing, maps also assist in asset tracking and risk management. Telematics systems that combine GNSS positioning with AI-based location intelligence can detect anomalies in driving behavior, flag out-of-route events and improve operational safety.

    The results are evident and tangible: lower fuel consumption, reduced delivery times and higher fleet utilization.

    GNSS and Geospatial Foundations

    It’s important to underscore that these intelligent maps still depend on foundational technologies like GNSS. Without reliable satellite-based positioning, none of these applications (ADAS, EV routing or predictive logistics) would be possible.

    But GNSS alone isn’t enough. Real-time location must be contextualized. An accurate lat/long fix is powerful, but the system needs to know: What road is that on? What’s the speed limit? Are there known hazards? What time of day is it? Is it raining?

    This is where geospatial data, fused with AI and layered into live maps, becomes transformational. The future isn’t about replacing GNSS — it’s about expanding what’s possible when GNSS is augmented with AI, context and prediction.

    Looking Ahead: Mapping as Mission-Critical Infrastructure

    As autonomy increases across industries — from fully autonomous vehicles to self-driving delivery trucks to smart city systems — AI-powered maps will underpin critical operations.

    AI-powered maps will be essential to the flow of goods, the safety of passengers and the predictability of city infrastructure. These systems must be continuously updated, machine-readable, context-aware, predictive and scalable. They also must be built with privacy, security and compatibility in mind. Governments, automotive manufacturers, technology providers and mapping platforms will need to collaborate — not just on data collection, but on standards, governance and interoperability.

    Quiet Engine of Autonomy

    We often focus on the visible outputs of automation: the driverless shuttle, the drone delivery, the smart traffic signal. However, none of these can function without a live map underneath, enabling every decision, in every moment.

    Digital maps have become the quiet engine of autonomy. With the power of AI, they’re becoming smarter, faster and more essential every day.

    For professionals in GNSS, geospatial intelligence, and positioning systems, this shift opens new territory where location isn’t just about where things are, but also about what’s happening, why it matters and what should happen next.

    In this world, AI-powered maps are no longer a tool. They’re infrastructure.

  • SouthPAN satnav program for Australia passes Critical Design Review milestone

    SouthPAN satnav program for Australia passes Critical Design Review milestone

    SouthPAN includes Safety-of-Life L1 SBAS for civil aviation and open services for precise point positioning and next-generation SBAS.

    The Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN) has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR), marking a pivotal milestone towards delivering advanced satellite-based augmentation services (SBAS) across Australia and New Zealand. 

    Led by Lockheed Martin Australia, with GMV as a key strategic partner, SouthPAN is jointly supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments to provide satellite navigation and precise positioning services throughout Australasia.

    The Critical Design Review represents a vital checkpoint in the lifecycle of a safety-critical system such as SouthPAN, validating that the design meets stringent performance, safety and security requirements necessary for civil aviation operations. As part of this milestone, the SouthPAN team provided comprehensive certification artifacts aligned with international aviation standards, including ARP 4754A for systems development processes, DO-254 for hardware, and DO-278A for software assurance.

    The successful completion of the CDR demonstrates that the system’s architecture and implementation will satisfy the rigorous design assurance levels mandated for safety-of-life applications.  Achieving this milestone confirms the readiness of the system’s design for operational deployment and marks a critical step forward towards its future certification for safety‑of-life services in the aviation sector.

    SouthPAN is notable as the first SBAS globally designed from its inception as a service rather than as a conventional turnkey system. This service-oriented approach enables scalability and potential expansion into other regions, while establishing clear customer-provider interactions governed by service-level agreements (SLAs) and adherence to defined key performance indicators (KPIs).

    Early open services have been provided since September 2022, demonstrating immediate benefits to users across Australasia. Moving forward, the SouthPAN service will fully deliver safety‑of-life L1 SBAS critical for aviation operations, significantly enhancing flight safety through precise runway approaches and superior navigation accuracy.

    Additionally, SouthPAN has integrated cutting-edge dual-frequency multi-constellation (DFMC) SBAS and precise point positioning (PPP) through SBAS as open services available to diverse users, including the agriculture, maritime, rail, road transport and geomatics sectors. The DFMC SBAS capability is designed to support an effortless transition to future safety-of-life services through engineering updates and software modifications, without necessitating costly hardware replacements.

    GMV is responsible for two core elements of the SouthPAN project: the Corrections Processing Facility (CPF) and the Ground Control Center (GCC). These facilities will ensure that SouthPAN consistently meets stringent performance benchmarks by generating precise corrections for navigation signals and promptly identifying and reporting anomalies critical for safety-of-life aviation services. GMV also leads the navigation performance engineering activities and continuous performance monitoring, ensuring the system reliably fulfills its specified operational criteria.

  • Australian Navy trials validate quantum solution for GPS denial at sea

    Australian Navy trials validate quantum solution for GPS denial at sea

    Q-CTRL has completed a major field trial with Australian Defence on board the Royal Australian Navy’s Multi-role Aviation Training Vessel (MATV), the MV Sycamore. The results of the trial demonstrated advancements in software-ruggedized quantum sensing for navigation.

    In the trials, Q-CTRL field deployed a quantum dual gravimeter, which measures tiny variations in Earth’s gravity as part of a next-generation quantum-assured positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) system operable when GPS is unavailable or untrusted.

    This first trial saw over 144 hours of continuous operation and successful data collection with no human intervention during real maritime operations. 

    “Quantum sensors provide a near-term opportunity to achieve transformational defense capabilities, but previous deployments in the field have struggled to deliver defense-relevant performance,” said Q-CTRL CEO and founder Michael J. Biercuk. “Operating on a real moving vehicle is just not the same as conducting a science experiment; at Q-CTRL, we’ve taken a different approach to getting quantum sensors out of the lab, focusing on software as the critical enabler of performance in the real world.”

    Earlier this year, Q-CTRL announced successful airborne field trials of a new generation of quantum-magnetic navigation solutions, Ironstone Opal, validated for the first time to outperform comparable conventional alternatives in challenging real-world settings by 50 times. 

    Developed and fielded in 14 months, the dual gravimeter was installed in a “strapdown” configuration (bolted to the floor) in the space of a single server rack in a communications room onboard MV Sycamore. The sensor consumed only 180W of power – about 10 times less than a household toaster.(Photo: Q-CTRL)
    Developed and fielded in 14 months, the dual gravimeter was installed in a “strapdown” configuration (bolted to the floor) in the space of a single server rack in a communications room onboard MV Sycamore. The sensor consumed only 180W of power – about 10 times less than a household toaster.(Photo: Q-CTRL)

    The newly announced trials of Q-CTRL’s gravimetric navigation technology open opportunities to bring quantum-assured navigation to maritime vessels where magnetic navigation can be less effective. 

    GPS denial has become one of the most pressing strategic challenges in both defense and commercial settings, risking major disruptions to civilian and military operations. Quantum navigation promises a robust and reliable GPS backup that cannot be jammed or spoofed. 

    Q-CTRL’s navigation capability is urgently needed in contested maritime environments, as instances of spoofed signals caused significant disruptions to ships in the Middle East waterways as recently as June 23. This causes not only critical logistical issues but disrupts collision avoidance efforts, revealing major safety implications.

    In quantum gravimetric navigation, the quantum gravimeter continuously “sees” the otherwise invisible hills and valleys in Earth’s gravity, allowing a navigation computer to compare its observations against known gravity maps. This is similar to orienteering, where one can position oneself on a map by identifying landmarks like valleys, mountains, rivers, or roads.  GPS is not needed, making it a robust backup in contested regions.

    Q-CTRL’s demonstration with the Royal Australian Navy departs from most previous quantum sensing field trials in that these tests mandated peak performance with full autonomy and without the addition of any special infrastructure. The sensor had to operate as a real navigation system would operate during a defense mission. 

    The ship’s motion and engine vibrations were sufficient to cause total loss of signal using conventional operating techniques typically employed in research experiments. To address these losses, Q-CTRL’s software-ruggedization strategies recovered operation even while MV Sycamore was underway.

    Quantum sensing leverages the physics of light and matter on the smallest scales to enable the detection of tiny signals. Because these devices work based on the fundamental laws of physics and are not affected by drift like other GPS alternatives, their outputs do not change over time, enabling new opportunities where long-term stability is essential. Generally, however, these devices are significantly degraded when taken from a research laboratory into the real world, an issue addressed by Q-CTRL’s software-ruggedization technology.

    For more on Q-CTRL’s software-ruggedized quantum sensing technology, read their peer-reviewed technical demonstration published in Nature.

  • SandboxAQ and Acubed advance magnetic navigation 

    SandboxAQ and Acubed advance magnetic navigation 

    As GNSS denial, jamming and spoofing threaten aviation safety, SandboxAQ and Acubed, the Silicon Valley innovation center for Airbus, have released real-world test results from a five-month, nationwide project designed to test the accuracy of AQNav.

    AQNav is an artificial intelligence-driven magnetic navigation (MagNav) system. AQNav uses advanced quantum magnometers to read Earth’s crustal magnetic anomalies, like a geoohysical fingerprint, then employs large quantitative models (LQMs) to filter out electromagnetic interference and precisely determine an aircraft’s position without relying on satellite signals.

    These new results come from a nationwide initiative with Acubed’s Flight Lab to test the navigational accuracy of AQNav. Meeting the aviation industry’s Required Navigation Performance (RNP) standards is necessary for deploying the system on military, commercial and civilian aircraft.

    AQNav’s performance was tested under various opertional scenarios and demonstrated advanced precision, accoding to SandboxAQ. The goal was to determine whether magnetic anomaly-aided navigation could broadly meet navigation requirements for commercial aircraft. AQNav’s capabilities exceeded the accuracy required for en route travel between airports — even on the program’s longest flight.

      Accuracy

      RNP StandardRequired Accuracy (meters)% of Flight Time Met
      RNP 0.355064%
      RNP 11,85295%
      RNP 23,704100%

      To demonstrate how the real-time capable system would operate in real-world conditions, flight data was collected, reprocessed, and streamed in real time to produce statistical insights, offering representative capability data for joint team evaluation. 

      Real-World Impact

      SandboxAQ and Acubed focused on designing tests to mirror authentic, real-world aviation scenarios. For example: 

      • Standard aircraft platform: AQNav was tested using publicly available magnetic maps aboard a standard Beechcraft Baron 58 – rather than a compensated geosurvey platform. This aircraft was modified only to accommodate the additional AQNav instrumentation – no extensive electromagnetic shielding or specialized noise isolation were used. All sensors were positioned inside the aircraft, powered by AQNav’s software to deliver a clean magnetic signal. 
      • Use of a publicly available map. For all flights, AQNav researchers used the publicly available North American Magnetic Anomaly Map (NAMAM), which covers the U.S., Canada, parts of Mexico and surrounding oceanic regions. 
      • Unfiltered flight paths: Flight operations spanned diverse, operationally relevant routes between 200 airports across the entire continental U.S. (Fig. 1), without filtering based on magnetic anomaly strength, magnetic map quality, or favorable geomagnetic gradients. More than 150 hours of flight data was collected.
      • Diverse geophysical environments: Data was collected over a full range of conditions, from magnetically-rich mountains to sparsely featured plains, reflecting real-world geographies where aircraft might operate without GNSS. 
      • True operational noise: Onboard, AQNav successfully filtered out the real-world interference generated by the aircraft, including electromagnetic, vibrational and other airframe-induced noise. 
      Fig. 1: Acubed Flights with AQNav (Credit: AQNav
      Fig. 1: Acubed Flights with AQNav (Credit: AQNav

      Elijha Williams, AQNav’s technical engagement manager, said: “Our campaign was not about demonstrating proof of concept performance under ideal conditions, it was about proving AQNav’s viability under the noisy, messy, and unpredictable environments real pilots face every day.” 

      During test flights exceeding two hours, AQNav outperformed the Inertial Navigation System (INS) without GNSS 100% of the time. During a one-hour flight over the challenging mountainous and forested terrain of California, AQNav achieved its best-observed accuracy of less than 74 meters, or roughly two-thirds the length of an American football field. 

      Precision, Scale and Autonomy for the Future 

      This campaign marks a significant step toward widespread adoption of AQNav in aviation. By consistently maintaining accuracy in an uncontrolled, national testbed, SandboxAQ demonstrated AQNav’s operational robustness under real-world conditions.

      Andrew Sosa Sosanya, a quantum navigation machine learning engineer at SandboxAQ, highlighted the impact of the data collected: “Thanks to Acubed, the U.S. Air Force, and other partners, we’ve accumulated a highly relevant MagNav dataset. This creates a flywheel effect—the more data we gather, the faster we can improve model accuracy across diverse mission profiles.”

      AQNav is also undergoing testing with Boeing, a U.S.-allied air force, and as part of NATO’s 2025 DIANA cohort.

    • VertiGIS launches AI-powered cloud solution for spatial asset management

      VertiGIS launches AI-powered cloud solution for spatial asset management

      VertiGIS has introduced VertiGIS Neo, a secure, cloud-based platform designed to improve sector-specific workflows through artificial intelligence (AI).

      According to the company, VertiGIS Neo aims to accelerate business operations, streamline problem-solving and boost productivity by delivering modern web and mobile user experiences across its suite of solutions, including VertiGIS Studio, VertiGIS FM, VertiGIS Networks and VertiGIS ConnectMaster.

      The platform incorporates embedded AI to drive innovation for both end users and application development teams. VertiGIS Neo enhances workflow processes in three key areas:

      • End-user assistants: AI-powered assistants and a low-code/no-code interface help users complete tasks more efficiently in web and mobile applications.
      • Application builder productivity: AI co-pilots enable administrators to configure and customize solutions with less effort.
      • Process transformation: AI capabilities fundamentally change how work is performed, from field operations to back-office tasks.

      Flexible Cloud Deployments

      VertiGIS Neo is built on a cloud-first infrastructure that supports fully managed, private, or hybrid cloud environments, offering operational flexibility, scalability and enhanced security. The platform supports rapid deployment within CI/CD pipelines and provides predictable pricing models for customers.

      VertiGIS Neo offers three deployment options:

      • Cloud managed services: Complete cloud-based solution delivery, including data, infrastructure and applications.
      • Private cloud: Turnkey deployment into customer environments using prescribed hardware and containers.
      • Hybrid cloud: Multi-tenant and single-tenant SaaS applications accessing customer data within their environment.

      Industry Solutions

      VertiGIS Neo is designed to address business challenges across several sectors:

      • Utilities: Enables customers to model physical network infrastructure as digital twins and manage millions of service points, supporting the entire asset lifecycle from planning to decommissioning.
      • Telecommunications: Streamlines management of FTTx services and oversees both physical assets and logical circuits for communications providers.
      • Local Government: Helps build transparent, engaged and sustainable smart cities, improving engagement for both citizens and staff.
      • Enterprise: Integrates IoT and AI for real-time intelligence, remote sensing and asset tracking, fostering innovation in the private sector.

      VertiGIS Neo’s features include dynamic attribute analysis with natural language queries, voice-to-prompt interfaces for map queries and automatic asset inspection and damage assessment using image recognition. The platform also allows users to create intelligent workflows from text prompts and automates the digitization of paper forms into digital records.

    • Research exposes Russia as jamming culprit

      Research exposes Russia as jamming culprit

      Radio waves emanating from secretive facilities run by Russia’s military are the culprit behind GNSS jamming in the Baltic Sea, according to Defense News.

      The news outlet reports that Polish researchers collected jamming and spoofing information on incidents covering the Gdansk airport, shipping lanes, and the airspaces of Estonia and Finland. The interference has been recorded almost daily since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, resulting in flight cancellations, airport closures and commercial ships steering off track.

      In March, eight European countries, including the Baltic states, Finland, Poland, France, the Netherlands and Ukraine, lodged a complaint with the UN about the practice. Several UN agencies have also taken up the issue, including the International Maritime Organization, the civil aviation authority ICAO and the International Telecommunications Union.

      Russia, itself a Baltic Sea country, has not responded to the charges of interference. Likely origin spots include Kaliningrad, which is between Poland and Lithuania, and the St. Petersburg area. Both regions are known to have a heavy Russian military presence, including divisions specialized in electronic warfare.

    • PPP GNSS delivers real-time positioning with centimeter accuracy

      PPP GNSS delivers real-time positioning with centimeter accuracy

      Precise Point Positioning (PPP) has long held promise as a standalone, high-accuracy positioning technique, but its slow convergence and complexity in ambiguity resolution have limited widespread use. Over the past decade, GNSS modernization (GPS, Galileo and BeiDou) has introduced multi-frequency, high-precision signals, enhancements that expand opportunities for precise positioning.

      Yet challenges remain, especially in environments with obstructed views or fast-changing motion. High-fidelity corrections and real-time performance are critical for sectors like smart transportation, robotics and disaster response.

      Further in-depth research is needed to refine PPP solutions and meet the demands of real-world, dynamic applications.

      A collaborative research team from Wuhan University and affiliated institutions has published a major study in the July 2025 issue of Satellite Navigation. The team developed and validated an enhanced PPP and PPP-RTK framework using next-generation GNSS signals and satellite augmentation services.

      The study evaluated the performance of BDS-3’s PPP-B2b and Galileo’s HAS services across a variety of experimental settings, revealing dramatic improvements in positioning accuracy, convergence time, and reliability.

      These breakthroughs offer a practical roadmap for deploying real-time high-precision navigation at global scale.

      The researchers constructed an integrated precise point positioning with real-time kinematic (PPP-RTK) system incorporating real-time atmospheric corrections, observable-specific bias (OSB) products, and multi-constellation satellite data. Through extensive global experiments, they demonstrated that a combined GPS/Galileo/BeiDou configuration reduced static convergence time to under 5 minutes while achieving horizontal accuracy below 2 cm. In dynamic tests — including a real-world vehicular trial in Wuhan — PPP-RTK achieved sub-5 cm accuracy with instant or near-instant convergence, even under rapidly changing observation environments.

      These systems proved especially effective when paired with atmospheric modeling techniques like Kriging and distance interpolation. With fix rates exceeding 98%, the results underscore PPP-RTK’s readiness for mission-critical applications in rapidly changing environments.

      Additionally, the study evaluated augmentation services: the BeiDou PPP-B2b and Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS). Both were found to significantly accelerate convergence (to under 15 minutes and 100 seconds, respectively) and deliver decimeter-level accuracy in kinematic scenarios.

      “This study marks a turning point in the quest for real-time, high-accuracy positioning,” said Xiaodong Ren, lead author and professor at Wuhan University. “By merging advanced GNSS signals, atmospheric corrections, and real-world testing, we’ve demonstrated that PPP-RTK can deliver fast, stable and highly accurate results — even in the most demanding environments. These capabilities are essential for the next generation of autonomous systems, from self-driving cars to drones and beyond.”

      The ability to achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy quickly and without reliance on dense base station networks opens doors for a wide range of smart technologies, Xiaodong said. PPP-RTK has the potential to reshape industries such as precision agriculture, surveying, transportation logistics, and unmanned systems.

      This study provides a robust framework and empirical validation for real-world adoption of high-precision GNSS applications, according to the authors. “As satellite constellations and augmentation services continue to evolve, PPP-RTK is poised to become the foundation of global positioning solutions — reliable, scalable, and ready for deployment in tomorrow’s connected world,” Xiaodong said.

      DOI: 10.1186/s43020-025-00169-6

    • Taoglas launches antenna for connected vehicle fleets

      Taoglas launches antenna for connected vehicle fleets

      Taoglas has introduced the Patriot series, a compact, multi-function combination roof mount antenna designed for connected vehicle fleets in emergency services, utilities and commercial sectors. The Patriot integrates up to 18 antenna elements within a single low-profile enclosure, aiming to provide robust multi-network connectivity while reducing vehicle roof clutter and simplifying installation processes

      The antenna was originally developed for the Ford Interceptor, allowing for a direct replacement of the vehicle’s OEM antenna. This approach maintains the original antenna’s functionality and adds multi-radio connectivity, eliminating the need for additional holes to be drilled in the vehicle roof. The design is intended to streamline and reduce installation time and costs for upfitters, offering public departments potential savings on antenna-related expenses and removing the requirement to fill in roof holes when vehicles are resold.

      The Patriot supports 5G and 4G cellular networks across the 600–6000 MHz range, dual-band GNSS (L1 and L1/L5) with a secondary GNSS (L1), Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz and 7.1 GHz, SDARS at 2.3 GHz, and LMR/TETRA at 380 MHz to 400 MHz and 700 MHz to 900 MHz. This enables the antenna to deliver concurrent broadband, navigation, telemetry and voice services. A dedicated whip element with full P25 VHF/UHF/700-900 MHz support is available in multiple lengths to meet various frequency requirements.

      The platform is flexible and scalable, with the patent-pending design allowing for customization to specific application needs. Full 17- and 18-in-1 configurations are currently available, and additional variants with up to 18 integrated elements are planned based on customer requirements. This modular approach enables organizations to match antenna performance and connectivity with operational needs while maintaining a consistent mechanical design.

      The Patriot’s housing is rated IK08 and IP69K for impact and water resistance, measuring 205 mm in length by 180 mm in width, with a variable whip height between 60 mm and 164 mm. The enclosure is designed to fit between vehicle roof ribs and uses the existing OEM mounting hole. A custom-engineered foam gasket ensures a secure and interference-free installation on curved vehicle roofs. The aerodynamic design is intended to enhance vehicle aesthetics and reduce wind resistance, and the antenna is available in black, white and other colors to match vehicle exteriors.

      Signal performance is engineered for optimal gain, isolation and efficiency across all supported frequency bands. Cable types, lengths and connector options are customizable to suit specific installation requirements.

    • Kongsberg provides maritime gyro compasses for independence from GNSS

      Kongsberg provides maritime gyro compasses for independence from GNSS

      With real-world disruptions increasingly affecting shipping and aviation safety, Kongsberg Discovery’s MGCs (motion gyro compasses) deliver an alternative for reliability, accuracy and resilience in contested environments, according to the company.

      Although traditional gyrocompasses are immune to GNSS signal-based attacks by design, many modern navigation systems incorporate GNSS data to enhance positioning accuracy. For maritime operators, having an autonomous and reliable source of heading and positioning data ensures safety and maintains operational continuity in contested or signal-denied environments. 

      Kongsberg’s MGCs offer resilience, using high-grade strap-down inertial sensors that detect the Earth’s rotation without the need of external input. This allows them to determine true north and maintain precise heading without relying on GNSS. Unlike traditional mechanical gyros, Kongsberg’s MGCs can estimate latitude internally. This ensures consistent accuracy from equatorial regions to the poles. 

      The system also supports Doppler-based seabed and water-column tracking to determine vessel velocity, eliminating the need for satellite-derived speed data.

      MGC Highlights

      Kongsberg’s MGCs provide resilient navigation with advanced inertial technology and motion reference capabilities that enable:

      Photo: Kongsberg
      Photo: Kongsberg
      • Continuous latitude estimation from Earth’s rotation measurements
      • Accurate heading, roll, pitch and heave without GNSS
      • Versatile support for velocity tracking and input

      This robust combination ensures that even when GNSS signals are lost or manipulated by spoofing or jamming, the MGC continues to operate with high precision – offering a resilient navigation backbone when it’s most needed.

      Kongsberg’s MGCs are designed to be maintenance-free, eliminating the need for frequent calibration or mechanical upkeep. Other features include:

      • IMO type-approved: Fully compliant with global navigation standards
      • Maintenance-free design: No spinning parts and no mechanical drift
      • Versatile integration: Can be used standalone or seamlessly incorporated into an INS (inertial navigation system)

      According to Kongsberg, these attributes make the MGCs suitable for commercial and passenger vessels, offshore platforms and naval ships operating in challenging environments.