GPS World

Category: Transportation

  • DoT Disses DoD’s GPS Chops

    The departing Deputy Secretary of Transportation, John Porcari, wrote a letter in the closing days of 2013 opposing the U.S. Air Force’s announced plans to begin broadcasting Civil Navigation (CNAV) message-populated L2C and L5 signals as early as April 2014. Military personnel are incensed over what they see as Porcari’s impugning, when not ignoring, the Air Force 35-year track record of broadcasting the gold standard of global navigation satellite signals — something in which Transportation has zero experience.

    Porcari alludes in his December 27 letter to “non-standard engineering tools” and “non-standard operations” that he believes would come into play for early CNAV broadcast. “These have the potential to inject human error, which may result in unacceptable GPS constellation operation.”

    What Porcari means by “non-standard” he does not specify, although he confesses to unease as “the ability to monitor these signals, [without which] the system will not know if the L2C and LS signals are within specification. Given these risks, DOT is concerned that the CNAV messages could provide hazardously misleading information, impacting GPS safety-of-life, protection of property, and economic security applications.” The full text of the Porcari letter is available here.

    In addition to questioning Air Force 2 SOPS ability to broadcast an accurate, compliant signal containing CNAV, the letter appears to ignore — or be ignorant of — the 17 official U.S. government/military monitoring sites for GPS distributed around the world, not to mention thousands of other monitoring sites run by government agencies such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and by many universities such as Stanford, Ohio State, Cal Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and many other international institutions around the world. Many of these sites collaborate under the rubric of the International GNSS Service.

    Finally, two private corporations monitor and correct all GPS signals both from space and on the ground: John Deere and Trimble Navigation. Both companies run commercial, automated GPS signal monitoring systems that that report any glitch, change, power fluctuation, or anomaly in the navigation message for all GPS signals with an average two-second notification time.

    “This letter is so much BS,” fumed one source who wished to remain anonymous, “coming from an agency that is in arrears in its GPS payments to the tune of more than $70 million and has no clue how to represent the global GPS user. GPS is a ubiquitous system, not just a tool for the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration. GPS needs to implement these signals for all users and as a modernization program that was promised to be in place years ago.”

    Porcari is leaving for the private sector.

     

  • Galileo Achieves First Airborne Tracking

    Galileo Achieves First Airborne Tracking

    Aircraft position as obtained by Galileo-only receiver during Netherlands flight.
    Aircraft position as obtained by Galileo-only receiver during Netherlands flight.

    The European Space Agency’s Galileo satellites have achieved their first aerial fix of longitude, latitude and altitude, enabling the inflight tracking of a test aircraft. ESA’s four Galileo satellites in orbit have supported months of positioning tests on the ground across Europe since the first fix in March.

    Now the first aerial tracking using Galileo has taken place, marking the first time that Europe has been able to determine the position of an aircraft using only its own independent navigation system. The milestone took place on a Fairchild Metro-II above Gilze-Rijen Air Force Base in the Netherlands at 12:38 GMT on November 12. It was part of an aerial campaign overseen jointly by ESA and the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands, NLR, with the support of Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, and LVNL, the Dutch Air Navigation Service Provider.

    A pair of Galileo test receivers was used aboard the aircraft, the same kind employed for Galileo testing in the field and in labs across Europe. They were connected to an aeronautical-certified triple-frequency Galileo-ready antenna mounted on top of the aircraft.

    Fairchild Metro-II aircraft used for Galileo airborne testing.
    Fairchild Metro-II aircraft used for Galileo airborne testing.

    Tests were scheduled during periods when all four Galileo satellites were visible in the sky – four being the minimum needed for positioning fixes. The receivers fixed the plane’s position and, as well as determining key variables such as the position, velocity and timing accuracy; time to first fix; signal-to-noise ratio; range error; and range–rate error.

    Testing covered both Galileo’s publicly available Open Service and the more precise, encrypted Public Regulated Service, whose availability is limited to governmental entities.

    Flights covered all major phases: take off, straight and level flight with constant speed, orbit, straight and level flight with alternating speeds, turns with a maximum bank angle of 60º, pull-ups and push-overs, approaches and landings.

    They also allowed positioning to be carried out during a wide variety of conditions, such as vibrations, speeds up to 456 km/h, accelerations up to 2 ghorizontal and 0.5–1.5 gvertical, and rapid jerks. The maximum altitude reached during the flights were 3000 m.

    NLR’s Fairchild Metro-II has previously performed initial European GPS testing in the 1980s, and the first tests of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, EGNOS, which sharpens GPS accuracy and monitors its reliability over Europe for high-accuracy or even safety-of-life uses.

    The definition and development of Galileo’s in-orbit validation phase were carried out by ESA and co-funded by ESA and the EU.

    The Full Operational Capability phase is managed and fully funded by the European Commission. The Commission and ESA have signed a delegation agreement by which ESA acts as design and procurement agent on behalf of the Commission.

  • Loctronix Ships ASR-2300 Software-Defined Radio Module for Indoor/Outdoor Positioning

    Loctronix Ships ASR-2300 Software-Defined Radio Module for Indoor/Outdoor Positioning

    Loctronix ASR2300 module.
    Loctronix ASR-2300 module.

    Loctronix Corporation, a provider of unified positioning solutions for GNSS-challenged environments, announced that it has begun shipments of its new software-defined radio (SDR) module, the ASR-2300, for developing high-performance positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), and communication applications.

    “The ASR-2300 delivers advanced SDR capabilities in a small, mobile form-factor enabling developers to readily create and field complex SDR-based solutions. Featuring a 2×2 multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) RF transceiver and an array of inertial sensors, the open-source ASR-2300 is an ideal platform for tapping advanced, multi-sensor/signals of opportunity for high-performance PNT,” said Michael Mathews, Loctronix’ CEO and founder.

    Loctronix ASR-2300 kit.
    Loctronix ASR-2300 kit.

    “Unique amongst the growing number of SDRs, Loctronix’ ASR-2300 provides multiple, fully-integrated RF paths supporting reception of GNSS, cellular, ISM band, and UHF signals of opportunity, making it well-suited for demanding scientific, military, aerospace and commercial/industrial applications, such as UAV/UAS navigation, GPS-challenged or -denied tracking and navigation, combined communications and navigation radios, and GPS integrity monitoring and validation,” Mathews noted.

    The MIMO transceiver module incorporates two wideband Field Programmable RF (FPRF) transceivers (300 MHz to 3.8 GHz), 10-axis accelerometer/gyro/compass/barometer sensors, and a large programmable FPGA capable of over 300 MiB/sec sustained communications with a host processor via USB 3.0 interface.  The module’s nine integrated RF path options and low size, weight, and power characteristics contribute to ease of integration and portability, Loctronix said.  Accommodating both internal 1 PPM TCXO or external frequency reference, multiple ASR-2300s can be inter-connected via an expansion port and/or UART interface, supporting real-time reception / transmission of 4, 6, 8 or more signals without the need for significant additional hardware.

    Developers looking to create solutions for demanding military, scientific and industrial applications will realize greater functionality with the ASR-2300, thanks to its multiple sensor and multiple frequency capabilities, Loctronix said. Additionally, access to a variety of user-friendly development tools facilitates waveform experimentation and helps speed the creation of these new solutions, resulting in shorter development times and lower development costs for high-performance PNT applications.

    Bundled kits, which include the module, housing, and power/data communications/RF interfaces, are priced at $1,600 with a special educational discount available for qualified institutions.  The ASR-2300 SDR is available directly from Loctronix.

  • Navtech Partners with DW International on GNSS Coverage for Flight Planning

    Navtech, Inc., a Toronto-based provider of flight operations services, has entered a partnership with DW International (DWI). The UK-based aviation consultancy will provide Navtech Flight Plan (NFP) customers with GNSS RAIM/RNP Prediction Services. This service, required to meet FAA Performance Based Navigation (PBN) guidelines and state requirements, fits into Navtech’s current suite and provides GPS coverage information for routes and airports as part of the flight planning process.

    Navtech serves more than 350 airlines and aviation services customers. Its product suite includes aeronautical charts, navigation data solutions, flight planning, aircraft performance software (take-off/landing, weight and balance), and crew planning solutions.  Many of Navtech’s products can be configured as part of an EFB solution, including take-off data calculation, weight and balance, and aeronautical charts.

    DWI is an independent consultancy which provides technical support in the fields of air navigation, civil air communications and air traffic management. The company also develops and maintains bespoke (custom) software and manages websites that support air operations. The company has access to a wide range of experienced technical experts including airworthiness and operational approvals inspectors, aviation safety engineers and air traffic management consultants.

    “The relationship with DWI will strengthen the Navtech Flight Plan product,” said Bill Macey, Product Director, Flight Planning at Navtech. “We are continuously motivated to provide our customers with superior quality offerings, especially when they are supported by a partnership with a reputable aviation firm like DWI. Their reliable 24/7 service along with their initial help desk support will afford our users peace of mind.”

    The GRPS service allows operators to comply with all FAA, European, ICAO and other worldwide RAIM requirements and guidelines. Specifically, real-time tailored RAIM predictions for RNAV and RNP operations are delivered through NFP via the internet to NFP users.

    The service is fully automated for dispatchers/flight planners to obtain their predictions as they plan their route and the service allows dispatchers/flight planners and crew to plan around periods of reduced GNSS availability by taking all route details from the flight plan and calculating RAIM availability for all route types (such as enroute, terminal, approach) on a leg-by-leg basis. Destination and alternate airports for RNAV and RNP around the world are included. GRPS also processes GPS NANUs, evaluating and interpreting them in view of establishing their relevance to the RAIM availability.

    “DWI is pleased to be working with Navtech to provide their customers with the RAIM predictions they need for GNSS-based operations,” said John Wilde, CEO of DWI. “The consistency and availability of our service provides the reliability NFP users require.”

  • Thursday’s Webinar Focuses on Explosive UAV Market Growth

    Explosive growth in the UAV market is the focus of a free GPS World webinar this Thursday. Most on-board navigation systems in UAVs — unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — rely on GNSS or GNSS with inertial aiding.

    As military budgets decline, interest in civilian commercial applications is growing rapidly. The FAA recently awarded special type certification to two UAVs for commercial Arctic operations, and the industry is now poised for the opening of the regulation floodgates to address a growing commercial demand.

    In Thursday’s webcast, “Unmanned Aircraft Navigation,” participants will hear from industry leaders in GNSS-based navigation for UAVs, in both the military and civilian sectors: they will tell us what they are doing in UAV navigation and where they see this exciting market going.

    Webinar moderator Tony Murfin, editor of the Professional OEM newsletter, focused on the new FAA roadmap in his latest column.

    The webinar will be held Thursday, November 21, 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. GMT. Registration is free.

    Guest Speakers

    olivier-casabiancaOlivier Casabianca, Business Area Manager, Trimble GNSS OEM

    Casabianca works on the Trimble GNSS OEM portfolio which includes both the Trimble and Ashtech receiver module product lines. He joined Trimble in 2011 with the Ashtech acquisition where he was driving the Ashtech GNSS Technology roadmap and OEM portfolio. He has worked in the GNSS industry since 1997 and has held various positions in Engineering (RTK, GNSS Heading and Attitude firmware engineer, program management, engineering manager) and Marketing. He is located in Nantes area of France.

    HalAdams_125Hal Adams, Chief Operating Officer, Accord Technology

    Hal Adams is founder and Managing Director of AvValues LLC which partnered with Accord Software & Systems, Bangalore, India to form Accord Technology LLC of Phoenix, Arizona USA. Adams has more than 35 years of civil and military aerospace and avionics experience in the aerospace industry, including senior leadership positions in general management, product and business strategies, development activities with Northwest Airlines, Lockheed-Martin, Litton Aero Products (now Northrop Grumman), Rockwell Collins Avionics, Thales Avionics and Aviation Communications and Surveillance Systems (ACSS – an L-3 Communications and Thales Joint Venture). As a co-founder of Phoenix Aerospace Consulting Group, Adams’ oversight responsibility was leading the NexNav business area which provided the industry’s first certified GPS WAAS Beta-3 sensors to the commercial aviation marketplace.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANeil Gerein, Defense Product Manager, NovAtel

    Neil Gerein joined NovAtel Inc. as a GPS Software Engineer in 2001. Since 2009 he has worked as the Defense Product Manager for NovAtel. He is responsible for the navigation warfare product lines, including the GAJT GPS Anti-Jam antenna and OEM625S SAASM receiver used in unmanned vehicle systems. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, where he specialized in digital signal processing. Neil currently serves on the Council of the Institute of Navigation, as well as on the executive of the Alberta regional section of the Institute of Navigation.

    EricBrewer_125Eric Brewer, Senior Systems Engineer, Rockwell Collins
    Eric develops and tests guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for unmanned and optionally piloted aircraft. He was a key contributor to Rockwell Collins’ damage tolerance program, which successfully recovered a sub-scale F18 after simulated battle damage ejecting more than 75% of the right wing. As lead systems engineer, Eric spearheaded the successful integration of SAASM RTK on the STUAS program. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State in 2008, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering specializing in autonomous rotorcraft from Virginia Tech in 2009. When he’s not programming away in MATLAB, Eric enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and testing the damage tolerance capabilities of R/C airplanes and helicopters.

    Loewen_Howard01_125Howard William Loewen, President, MicroPilot Inc.
    Howard is the president of MicroPilot Inc. Howard has a degree in Electrical Engineering with an option in Computer Science and a Masters degree in Computer Science both from the University of Waterloo. Howard has been involved in the UAV industry since 1994 when he started MicroPilot. Under Howard’s leadership, MicroPilot was the first to introduce a single board, fully integrated UAV autopilot into the market, the first to introduce ultra lightweight autopilots, the first to introduce a triple redundant UAV autopilot among others. MicroPilot has continued this tradition of leadership with its recent introduction of XTENDERvalidate a requirements management tool designed specifically for UAV system integrators.

  • GPSTrackIt.com Adds Hard Turns to Driver Safety Alerts

    GPSTrackIt.com has introduced a new Driver Safety Alert that tracks hard turns. Driver Safety Alerts already track and report driving behaviors like rapid acceleration, hard braking, and seatbelt usage. GPSTrackIt engineers have now added the ability to identify “hard turns” to the alert list.

    Driver Safety Alerts are used by businesses across the country to help dispatchers and managers understand how drivers are doing in the field.  Businesses ranging from small-to-medium sized service companies to large transportation companies with fleets of hundreds of vehicles are able to help drivers understand the importance of safe driving behaviors.

    “Drivers represent their employers to the public,” said Eddie Bermudez, GPSTrackit.com’s product development manager.  “A vehicle that is driven badly or, more to the point, dangerously, does not reflect well on that employer.  These alerts notify managers and dispatchers via email or SMS text messages when their drivers are driving in a potentially aggressive manner.”

    Rapid acceleration and hard braking are indicators of bad driving behaviors that also impact a vehicle’s mileage.  Seat belt alerts indicate that the vehicle is moving while the driver’s seat belt is unfastened.  Statistics show that wearing a seatbelt dramatically reduces deaths and injuries from collisions.

    “Hard turns are another driving behavior that puts the driver and vehicle at additional risk,” continued Bermudez.  “It also puts additional wear on a vehicle.  We were able to utilize the accelerometer and gyroscope technologies built into the GPS tracking devices in a similar manner to the hard braking alert.”

    According to the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration’s 2008 report to Congress, “National Motor Vehicle Causation Crash Survey,” about 36 percent of vehicles involved in collisions were turning or crossing at intersections just prior to the crashes.

    “When we’re making a turn, we become more vulnerable,” added Bermudez. “Clearly in a left turn situation you’re putting your vehicle in the path of oncoming traffic.  But right turns can be hazardous as well to both pedestrians and drivers. Turn too soon and you clip the curb, which doesn’t do much for your wheel alignment.  Turn too late and you could end up making a wide turn.  If the device on the vehicle transmits a hard turn event, Fleet Manager checks if an alert is configured for that vehicle.  If so, it sends the time, date, and location information to the email and/or text recipients.”

  • Navman Wireless Expands Construction/Mining Fleet Tracking Coverage with Satellite Communications Option

    Navman Wireless Expands Construction/Mining Fleet Tracking Coverage with Satellite Communications Option

    Photo: Navman Wireless USANavman Wireless USA today announced a new satellite communications option for its OnlineAVL2 fleet tracking platform, enabling continuous visibility of both heavy equipment and on-road vehicles even when assets are out of cellular coverage. Designed for construction, surface mining, mining and oil and gas exploration, and other environments with remote location work, the new solution includes the ability to minimize data charges by transmitting only the most critical event information via satellite.

    Satellite connectivity is provided via a small modem that plugs into the serial port on Navman Wireless’ Qube on-highway or ruggedized Qtanium off-highway GPS tracking devices. The system automatically switches between cellular and satellite transmission with intelligent least-cost routing, using the global Iridium satellite network when fleet assets move out of cellular range. Benefits include:

    • Uninterrupted real-time fleet tracking without losing visibility of equipment location and other status information when assets are beyond the reach of cell towers.
    • Increased employee safety because equipment and vehicles are never out of sight of the fleet tracking system, even if they are working in cellular dead zones.
    • No missed engine alerts, potentially preventing costly machine repairs and downtime by ensuring that job supervisors are promptly informed when engine, coolant, transmission or air filter sensors connected to GPS tracking devices exceed pre-defined thresholds.
    • Cost-saving configurability, with the option to limit satellite transmissions to priority events (panic messages, rollover alerts, engine overheating, speed or geofence violations, etc.) and delay the transfer of low-priority event data until cellular coverage is restored.

    “If a machine or vehicle in your fleet is operating outside of cell coverage and you have critical communications that need to take place for safety or operations reasons, it can be a problem to wait until the asset gets back into cell range,” said Davis Gammage, VP Product Management, Navman Wireless. “Temporarily switching to satellite communication solves the problem and ensures 100% visibility of your equipment as well as your field staff.”

    The new satellite communications option marks the latest expansion of Navman Wireless’ fleet tracking portfolio for the construction, mining, and oil and gas industries. The company’s OnlineAVL2 fleet tracking platform provides location, operations and performance data for both on-highway vehicles and construction heavy equipment from a single interface. The back-end OnlineAVL2 application — delivered under the software-as-a-service model — includes industry-specific reporting such as jobsite utilization reports that break down equipment use by project, facilitate proper cost accounting, reduce writeoffs for unallocated asset hours, and aid in the development of future job bids for construction customers.

  • Linx Releases RM Series GPS Module for Economical Positioning

    Linx Releases RM Series GPS Module for Economical Positioning

    Photo: Linx Technologies Linx Technologies announces its launch of the high-performance, low-cost RM GPS receiver modules. Using the built-in MediaTek MT3337 chipset, the RM module can simultaneously acquire on 66 channels and track on up to 22 channels, providing standard NMEA data messages through a UART interface. A simple serial command set can be used to configure optional features.

    According to the company, the RM receiver module is a cost-effective GPS solution that offers no-frills, basic operation in a compact 15 x 13 millimeter package. The MediaTek MT3337-based RM Series is self-contained and only requires an antenna. It powers up and outputs position data without any software set-up or configuration, making the RM Series easy to integrate, the company said.

    The company also recently released the FM receiver module.

    The receiver operates down to 3.0 volts and has a low tracking current of 12mA. The module has built-in receiver duty cycling that can be configured to periodically turn off the module for added power savings. This low-power consumption helps maximize runtimes in battery powered applications, such as consumer recreational positioning, marine, location and tracking, cargo tracking, and other asset monitoring systems.

    In addition, the available GPS Master Development System connects a RM Series Evaluation Module to a prototyping board with a color display that shows coordinates, a speedometer and compass for mobile evaluation. A USB interface allows simple viewing of satellite data and Internet mapping, as well as custom software application development.

  • Volvo and Mercedes-Benz Driving Roll Out of ADAS as Standard Equipment in Cars

    ABI Research forecasts that the global market for Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) will reach 64.8 million units by the end of 2020 with the majority of shipments being accounted for in vehicles sold in the Asia-Pacific region. These findings are part of ABI Research’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Service and includes detailed installed base and forecasts of ADAS systems [‪advanced driver assistance systems‬] by regions.

    Driver Monitoring Systems were first introduced as far back as 2006 when Toyota launched its innovative Driver Attention Monitor system. Toyota’s system functions by directly monitoring the driver’s face using a discrete in-dash camera and was initially offered as an option in the company’s luxury Lexus models. Other OEMs soon followed suit and announced their own DMS systems which were typically based on monitoring the vehicle rather than the driver’s face.

    “DMS systems such as Mercedes-Benz’s ’Attention Assist’ and Volvo and Volkswagen’s ’Driver Alert’ systems were the first ADAS systems to be offered as standard equipment by OEMs, albeit only in a small selection of models,” comments Gareth Owen, principal analyst at ABI Research.

    Today, an increasing number of ADAS systems are gradually becoming standard equipment in new cars, particularly in some European and Japanese brands such as Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan Infiniti, Lexus, and Mazda, and more are being offered as options. Although some of the big U.S. brands offer ADAS features in their European models, they typically do not offer the same features in their U.S. models, although this is beginning to change. Ford is a good example of this with its Ford Focus model.

    “Another very observable trend in 2013 is that ADAS features are migrating from the luxury brands into B, C, and even A segment cars. Typically, the focus here is on offering ADAS systems, mostly as options, designed specifically for low-speed urban driving,” adds Owen.

    Prices are decreasing, too. For example, the European Ford Focus offers an emergency braking system plus lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, driver alert, and blind spot monitoring as an optional package for £550 ($880) in the UK. Meanwhile, Volkswagen offers its City Emergency Braking System for £225-£405 ($360-$648), depending on model, on its budget A segment Up! car. This uses a laser sensor to detect the risk of an imminent collision and is active at speeds under 30 km/hr (18 mph).

  • Northrop Grumman Offers Open Architecture Solutions for Enhanced Avionics Capabilities

    Northrop Grumman Offers Open Architecture Solutions for Enhanced Avionics Capabilities

    Logo: FACENorthrop Grumman Corporation is applying a modular, open architecture approach throughout its product portfolio, allowing for rapid addition of new avionics capabilities for warfighters. Northrop Grumman is already applying the FACE Reference Architecture and interfaces to existing programs and products, including an embedded GPS/inertial navigation system for the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System and a highly adaptable mission equipment package.

    As a founding principal member of The Open Group Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Consortium, Northrop Grumman was an early advocate of establishing open architecture standards to support software portability and interoperability across avionics systems.

    Northrop Grumman will leverage the corporation’s expertise in open architecture to implement FACE requirements for both current and future programs, including the Black Hawk H-60L Digital Performance Plan program and Tech-Refresh Mission Computers for the H-1 Upgrade program.

    The company plans to participate in demonstrations that will promote maturation of the FACE Reference Architecture by enabling companies to deploy their products in a functional, standardized FACE software environment.

    Also, the company’s Transport Services Segment aligns with the FACE Technical Standard requirements and provides a standard interface that allows portable avionics applications to be integrated with a variety of architectures and aviation platforms.

    “An open architecture approach is critical to the affordability, innovation and effectiveness of avionics systems,” said Ike Song, vice president of Northrop Grumman’s Situational Awareness Systems business unit. “We are using performance-proven solutions from across our corporation to offer highly flexible, affordable products that support reuse on various platforms.”

    Northrop Grumman’s Common Mission Management System (CMMS) establishes a common foundation for affordable control systems to support a variety of the company’s unmanned products. Based upon open architecture standards and standard off-the-shelf commercial hardware and software infrastructures, the Northrop Grumman CMMS product line avoids the need for dedicated, custom-built command and control systems for individual platforms. Also, the Northrop Grumman CMMS product line enables pilots to operate a variety of dissimilar unmanned platforms using the same informational displays and control features, thereby improving mission effectiveness while reducing training requirements.

    With its expertise in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), the Northrop Grumman team was instrumental in leading the FACE Consortium’s effort to align with the UAS Control Segment (UCS) information model, establishing a common conceptual data model and metamodel as a framework that defines rules and conventions for developing interoperable software components for unmanned aerial system ground control stations. Further collaboration under the UCS/FACE Memorandum of Agreement is anticipated in aligning the FACE and UCS standards.

    Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.

  • Roadnet Releases Proof-of-Delivery App on iOS for Fleet Tracking

    Roadnet Technologies, the Baltimore-based transportation logistics software firm, announced today that the MobileCast Proof-of-Delivery application is now available in Apple’s iTunes App Store. The introduction of the proof-of-delivery application for Roadnet customers using Apple products allows the ability to integrate delivery services into a single mobile platform.

    The MobileCast Proof-of-Delivery app includes:

    • GPS Tracking
    • Manual Arrive/Depart to track accurate service times
    • Text Messaging within the application to streamline communications
    • Dynamic Dispatch of stops to driver’s mobile device
    • In-Field Geocoding to ensure accurate delivery locations
    • Store and Forward so that when a coverage issue is experienced all information will be saved and transmitted later
    • Driver Re-Sequencing of stops to allow control over reordering stops when necessary
    • Order Summary to quickly view what is being delivery
    • Apple Maps integration to provide delivery driving directions (does not include truck restrictions)
    • Apple Voice Navigation provides audible directions to a requested location
    • Apple Live Traffic overlays to provide traffic information for the route
    • On Track, the sales and merchandiser tracking application that accurately records mileage and time spent with a customer, is also available within the MobileCast app.

    The MobileCast phone solution is a proof-of-delivery application. Proof-of-delivery systems not only let management track their vehicles in real time, but they also notify employees in the back office when issues arise that may prohibit a route from being completed as planned. The historical data collected through a proof-of-delivery application can also be used to evaluate trends and determine alternative solutions for route execution.

  • Applanix Adds High-Performance POS Systems to Air and Land Portfolios

    Applanix Adds High-Performance POS Systems to Air and Land Portfolios

    Photo: Applanix
    Photo: Applanix

    Applanix, a mobile mapping and positioning company, has introduced new versions of its positioning and orientation systems for airborne and land-based mapping — the POS AV 610 and POS LV 610.  Delivering the same industry-leading performance as previous versions of POS AV and LV, the new systems use next-generation commercial inertial technologies that are offered globally.

    Applanix POS AV and LV products integrate precision GNSS with advanced inertial technology (accelerometers and gyroscopes) to provide uninterrupted measurements of the position, roll, pitch and true heading of moving vehicles.  Geospatial projects using POS can be completed more efficiently, effectively and economically. The POS AV 610 and POS LV 610 offer new advantages to customers:

    • Global availability: commercial technology.
    • Smaller and lighter: achieved by integrating a new state-of-the-art FOG (Fiber Optic Gyro) based Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).
    • Exceptional performance with Applanix SmartCalTM software:  SmartCal is a new compensation technology designed to achieve unrivalled performance from IMUs manufactured specifically for mobile mapping applications.
    • Cost efficiency: exceptional accuracy, even in demanding conditions, at unprecedented price points.

    POS LV 610 and AV 610 are also available to systems integrators in the form of an OEM board set called the Trimble AP60. The Trimble AP is a series of embedded GNSS-Inertial OEM boards that provide both continuous mobile positioning in poor signal environments and high-accuracy direct georeferencing of imaging sensors.  The AP series is ideal for a variety of commercial mobile positioning and orientation applications including airborne and terrestrial mapping and guidance for unmanned vehicles.

    “The latest versions of POS LV and POS AV take Applanix’ state-of-the-art positioning technologies worldwide for land and air applications,” said Steve Woolven, President of Applanix. “Wherever mobile mappers operate, the new POS technology provides users with  accurate, reliable and robust position and orientation solutions.”

    POS AV 610, POS LV 610 and Trimble AP60 are available now through the Applanix sales network.