GPS World

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  • Zimmerman Tracked with GPS While out on Bond

    GPS tracking devices have been used for several years by law enforcement professionals. In the high-profile case of George Zimmerman, his whereabouts while out on bond are being continuously monitored by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, though he has gone into hiding.

    After Zimmerman was released on bond on Monday from a Florida jail, the ankle-bracelet GPS device pinpoints his location and will alert authorities if he drifts even a few feet away from where he is allowed, according to the Associated Press via Yahoo! News. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. He must pay an $8-a-day fee to use the device, which is often used to track people charged in domestic violence cases.

    Seminole County Sheriff’s officials are offering few details on how Zimmerman will be specifically monitored, other than to say the GPS device he is wearing has the same 24/7 capabilities it uses to track accused domestic violence offenders. Zimmerman may be residing outside of Florida for safety reasons, but the device is capable of monitoring anywhere in the U.S.

    Computer software synced to the device enables “inclusionary zones” to establish where a person can go, AP reported. It also can report whether the user is being compliant with release conditions like curfews. Zimmerman has been asked to observe a curfew between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

    The monitoring program has been in use since 2003 in Seminole, according to the sheriff’s office. In 2009, using the devices saved $950,000 by keeping people out of jail, the office said.

  • SpectraTime Awarded Contract to Improve Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standards

    SpectraTime, a business of the Orolia Group, today announced it has been awarded a 1M€ contract to improve rubidium atomic frequency standards (RAFS) as part of the European Global Navigation Satellite System Evolution Program.

    Pascal Rochat, SpectraTime Managing director and founder, said, “We are pleased to continue to push the performance limits of space-based precision clock technologies to enable new applications in the future. The knowledge gained through this investigation will be invaluable. As a result we expect all our customers to benefit from this work as our commercial products are derived from the same design and manufacturing process as our space-based clocks.”

    Atomic clock standards are critical for high-precision applications such as global navigation satellite systems. While the current Rubidium-based atomic frequency standards meet the requirements of current systems, future applications will demand a higher level of performance for short-term and long-term stability, SpectraTime said. Recognizing the need to continue to extend this technology to new performance levels, the European Space Agency (ESA) has turned to SpectraTime, the existing supplier of atomic clocks for the Galileo satellites and other GNSS satellite systems.

    “The award of this new development contract illustrates the European Space Agency’s confidence in our technology and confirms our global leadership role in the supply of precision atomic clocks for navigation applications,” said Jean-Yves Courtois, CEO of the Orolia Group. “Not only will this ensure our competitiveness into the future for the European space market, it will benefit our entire portfolio of programs and customers and secures our leading position in navigation applications.”

    The contract is for a detailed investigation of the current design, manufacturing, assembly and test techniques for fully integrated rubidium clocks in order to achieve a new standard for space within two years. It adds to SpectraTime’s wide portfolio of space-based precision timing projects.

     

  • Gartner Says Worldwide Media Tablets Sales to Reach 119M Units in 2012, 369M Units in 2016

    Worldwide media tablet sales to end users are forecast to total 118.9 million units in 2012, a 98 percent increase from 2011 sales of 60 million units, according to Gartner, Inc.

    According to the announcement, Apple’s iOS continues to be the dominant media tablet operating system (OS), as it is projected to account for 61.4 percent of worldwide media tablet sales to end users in 2012 (see Table 1). Despite the arrival of Microsoft-based devices to this market, and the expected international rollout of the Kindle Fire, Apple will continue to be the market leader through the forecast period.

    “Despite PC vendors and phone manufacturers wanting a piece of the pie and launching themselves into the media tablet market, so far, we have seen very limited success outside of Apple with its iPad,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. “As vendors struggled to compete on price and differentiate enough on either the hardware or ecosystem, inventories were built and only 60 million units actually reached the hands of consumers across the world. The situation has not improved in early 2012, when the arrival of the new iPad has reset the benchmark for the product to beat.”

    “It appears that this year competitors have waited to see what Apple would bring out — because there were very few announcements of new media tablets at either the Consumer Electronics Show or Mobile World Congress. Many vendors will wait for Windows 8 to be ready and will try to enter the market with a dual-platform approach, hoping that the Microsoft brand could help them in both the enterprise and consumer markets.”

    Table 1

    Worldwide Sales of Media Tablets to End Users by OS (Thousands of Units)
    OS 2011 2012 2013 2016
    iOS 39,998 72,988 99,553 169,652
    Android 17,292 37,878 61,684 137,657
    Microsoft 0 4,863 14,547 43,648
    QNX (RIM) 807 2,643 6,036 17,836
    Other OS 1,919 510 637 464
    Total 60,017 118,883 182,457 369,258

     

    Microsoft tablets are projected to account for 4.1 percent of media tablet sales this year, and grow to 11.8 percent of sales by the end of 2016. Windows 8 is Microsoft’s official entrance into the media tablet market.

    “IT departments will see Windows 8 as the opportunity to deploy tablets on an OS that is familiar to them and with devices offered by many enterprise-class suppliers,” Ms. Milanesi said. “This means that we see Windows 8 as a strong IT-supplied offering more so than an OS with a strong consumer appeal.”

    Gartner analysts said enterprise sales of media tablets will account for about 35 percent of total tablet sales sold in 2015. These sales will not be clearly defined as enterprise purchases. Gartner expects enterprises to allow tablets as part of their buy your own device (BYOD) program. More of these tablets will be owned by consumers who use them at work.

    “This poses a big threat to vendors that thought about focusing on the enterprise market who will now have to become appealing to consumers as well,” Ms. Milanesi said. “This is exactly the same trend that vendors such as RIM had to face in the smartphone market. The difference here is that tablets have been created for consumers first and then relied on an ecosystem of apps and services that make them more manageable in the enterprise. When the deployment will come from the IT department we believe that operating systems such as Windows 8 will have an advantage as long as they are not seen as a compromise in usability for the users.”

    Android tablets are forecast to account for 31.9 percent of media tablet sales in 2012. Gartner analysts said the main issue with Android tablets has been the lack of applications that are dedicated to tablets and therefore take advantage of their capabilities. Gartner’s consumer survey data shows that consumers are running many of their apps on their mobile phones and their tablets.

    Gartner’s detailed market forecast data is available in the report, “Forecast: Media Tablets by Operating System, Worldwide, 2010-2016, 1Q12 Update.”

    Gartner’s Special Report, “iPad and Beyond: The Future of the Tablet Market,” provides insight into what consumers, enterprises and vendors can expect as the market continues to unfold. More than 20 reports examine the tablet marketplace, as well as video commentary.

  • Launch of Two Beidou-2/Compass Satellites Could Be April 23

    News courtesy of CANSPACE listserv.

     

    Web chatter indicates that the launch of a pair of BeiDou-2/Compass medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center will take place around April 23. This will be the first time that a pair of BeiDou-2/Compass satellites is launched on a single rocket. The satellites are designated M3 and M4. M1 is already in orbit, and M2 and M5 are expected to be launched in June.

     

  • Safe Software Announces FME Store

    Safe Software announced the creation of the FME Store, a online portal for access to specialized FME components that increase workflow efficiency and broaden the possibilities of what can be achieved with the software in the use and distribution of spatial data.

     

    Available through the FME Store, either for free or licensed, are Custom Transformers, Workspace Templates, and Custom Formats that can give users a head start with specific data transformation projects.

    According to the announcement, the components are supplied by Safe Software, and also by third party partners wanting to share or license their achievements in developing with FME with the user community.

    “We look forward to seeing how the components available in the FME Store are used to expedite setting up data transformation workflows, saving users time and ultimately increasing productivity,” says Dale Lutz, Vice-President of Development at Safe Software. “We anticipate some exciting announcements regarding FME innovations from several partners in the weeks ahead.”

    The FME Store can be accessed within FME Workbench or through the Safe Software website. Parties interested in showcasing their own components through the FME Store can contact [email protected].

  • ESA Launches Navipedia, a Sat-Nav Wiki

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has introduced a wiki-based information source, Navipedia, a technical wiki open to the public. Written and reviewed by experts, there are more than 400 articles on the site covering the fundamental principles of satellite navigation, how receivers operate, the various systems in current or future operation around the globe, and GNSS-related services and applications.

    “GNSS information on the Internet is scattered widely and not always technically correct,” commented Guenter Hein, ESA’s Head of Galileo Operations and Evolution. “We also noticed many GNSS books were quickly outdated. So, considering the extremely dynamic nature of the GNSS world today, we decided that having a duly updated single entry point GNSS wiki could be extremely beneficial for the entire GNSS community.”

    “This new website is intended to serve a wide range of users from GNSS institutions and industry to academia and the public interested in knowing more,” said Javier Ventura-Traveset, responsible for the development of Navipedia and in charge of managing GNSS education activities for ESA. “Navipedia articles have therefore been classified into three categories: basic, medium, and advanced, with target audiences ranging from highly knowledgeable GNSS specialists to the general public. I am convinced Navipedia will be an excellent tool for promoting and supporting GNSS education in Europe.”

    The initial version of Navipedia was produced with contributions from GNSS experts at the GMV company — formally contracted for the task — as well as several European universities, notably the University Polytechnic of Catalonia, and an internal team of ESA navigation experts.

    Following the wiki template, the website is now being made editable also by outside contributors.

    “We have now reached a sufficient critical mass of technical content so that we can open Navipedia to the external public,” Javier said. “We expect contributions from GNSS experts around the world, which will then be duly reviewed by an ESA technical editorial board, to ensure that the technical information provided is always reliable and sound.”

    The beta version of Navipedia was launched at the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit on March 14.

    “ESA has been involved in GNSS technologies for more than a quarter of a century and today is serving as the design and procurement agent for both EGNOS and Galileo,” concluded Guenter. “This provides ESA with unique technical knowledge that Navipedia allows us to share, to help support GNSS education across Europe.”

  • Spirent E911 and LBS Testing Keeps Pace with Evolving Wireless Networks

    Noting that the arena in which cellular emergency calling (E911) and location-based services (LBS) must be delivered has grown significantly more complex, Spirent Communications has expanded its LBS LTE test solution to support long-term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) and observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA). The deployment of wireless LTE networks enables the introduction of new positioning technologies and protocols for communicating location information between the main network with exciting consequences for the mobile device entities, and new services they can enable.

    “In 2911, we launched the secure user plane location (SUPL) 2.0 test capabilities on our LTE test solution for successful deployments of LTE SUPL positioning.” said Robb Van Brunt, vice president oaf Spirent’s Wireless business. “Our latest enhancements include extensive test coverage for SUPL 2.0/LPP and a fully automated system for testing user equipment performance for LPP and OTDOA. With our unique e understanding of the importance and complexity of these technologies, Spirent can assist customers in expediting the delivery of new location-based devices for the growing number of LTE networks.”

    OTDOA is an LTE positioning technology that allows for an enhanced user experience of LBS indoors or in other areas where GNSS do not work well, and in doing so also serves assa key component for supporting E911.   Based on timing measurements from multiple base stations signals, OTDOA can also be combined with GNSS measurements, creating a hybrid approach to deliver an even more significant LBS performance improvement.

    LPP is the positioning protocol that enables OTDOA along with numerous other positioning technologies on the LTE network.  LPP is a control plane protocol that can also be used for user plane positioning, in conjunction with SUPL 2.0.

    Spirent’s expansion to its LTE LBS Test Solution supports LPP minimum performance testing, as well as a completely automated system for testing UE positioning performance, including OTDOA accuracy measurement analysis.

  • CAST Navigation Introduces Handheld Simulator

    CAST Navigation of Tewksbury, Massachusetts introduced its SGX GPS Satellite Simulator. With its compact size — 7 × 11× 3 inches — and weighing in at just over 4 pounds, the SGX is CAST’s newest and smallest fully capable simulator to date.

    The new SGX replaces the CAST-SIMCOM Simulator which was a 17-inch, 50-pound simulator. The SGX lightweight portability operates on AC or battery power, features 16 channels of L1 C/A and P codes, and is extremely accurate and repeatable, according to the company.

    Features include touch screen, individual satellite power control, and start and stop scenarios with a touch of a button.

    The CAST-SGX is portable, affordable, lightweight and utilizes CAST long standing proven technology.

    CAST has been in the GPS simulation and support business for more than 25 years, designing, developing, manufacturing, and integrating innovative GPS/INS simulators and associated equipment for government, military, prime vendor, and consumer markets.

  • Safe Software Commences FME 2012 World Tour

    Safe Software announced is kicked off its FME 2012 World Tour on April 4th in Paris, France, and continues on to 30+ cities worldwide. The series of free, one-day events aims to educate and empower users by introducing the advancements in FME 2012, and by providing them with the opportunity to further develop their FME skills through technical sessions and interaction with FME experts and fellow users.

     

    According to the announcement, attendees of FME 2012 World Tour events will discover how the new capabilities of FME 2012, such as real time data delivery, enhance the user experience by providing faster and simpler ways to use and share their spatial data. The events will feature how-to and best practice sessions that will allow participants to build upon their FME skills.

    The tour will have an interactive element, giving attendees access to assistance from FME Certified Professionals, as well as a platform to network with FME users from other organizations.

    “As a company we are committed to equipping our clients with the skills they need to use FME to overcome data challenges,” says Dale Lutz, Vice-President of Development at Safe Software. “FME 2012 features usability enhancements, speed improvements, and real time data delivery to enable more efficient data transformation and easier sharing of the most up-to-date data.”

    Those unable to attend an event in person can sign up to participate in an interactive live stream of the FME User Meeting being held in Vancouver on April 27th, where they can watch the presentations and ask questions directly. The FME 2011 World Tour held a similar live stream event that was well received by participants.

    The theme of the tour centers around attendees joining Geography Jones, a data adventurer, on a journey to overcome spatial data interoperability obstacles and unleash the power within their “Temple of Data”.

    The tour appears in 17 cities across North America and will touch down in close to 20 locations throughout South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The events are free and are open to both current FME users and those interested in learning more about FME technology. Those interested in more information on locations, dates and registration, click here.

  • King County GIS Reports Significant Return on Investment

    King County announced that twenty years ago geographic information services were in the proposal and planning stage in King County, Washington. Today King County’s geographic information system (GIS) includes integrated spatial databases, mapping and analysis software, information technology, and professional GIS staff. King County’s GIS was developed to meet the business needs of county users, and it also provides free data and online mapping capability to the public.

     

    According to announcement, in March 2012 a return-on-investment (ROI) report issued by Professor Richard Zerbe and Associates showed that use of the King County Geographic Information System has resulted in at least $775 million in net benefits to the county over the eighteen-year period from 1992 to 2010. While ROI estimates are often developed as part of a proposal to develop a geographic information system, it is believed that this is the first study by independent economic consultants to examine and measure the actual benefits realized by a city or county from the internal agency use of GIS.

    King County reported that the study methodology looked at the cost to perform county agency business functions both with and without GIS. For example, county permit technicians were asked how much time it takes to pull together all the maps and spatial data needed to assist a permit applicant now with GIS, versus the time it would take the technician to perform the same business function without GIS tools and data. The methodology included detailed interviews of 30 key county staff and then an online survey to county GIS users that was completed by 175 respondents. Interview and survey responses were analyzed to compare both with-GIS and without-GIS level of effort. The results were then compiled and monetized by output type and agency to measure cost savings and productivity benefits.

    The total cost for King County GIS, including capital development, central GIS operations and maintenance, and agency GIS end-user costs from 1992 to 2010 is over $201 million. In 2010 alone these county GIS costs were $14.6 million, but for the same year the Zerbe report measured benefits from GIS of $180 million, with a lower estimate of $87 million. So the benefits over a single year far outweigh the costs for the year, and if repeated for 2011 and 2012, the benefits realized over just two years could eclipse the costs of the previous twenty.

    This project was partly funded by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, Geospatial Enterprise Office.

    Dr. Richard O. Zerbe, Jr. is the Daniel J. Evans Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, where he is Director of the Center for Benefit-Cost Analysis.

     

    The King County GIS Center is a part of King County Information Technology, chartered as an internal service fund to provide GIS services to county agencies and external customers. The King County GIS Center operates King County’s enterprise GIS and provides data, services, and training to help put GIS to work. For more information, contact Greg Babinski at the King County GIS Center (206-263-3753).

  • Accela Announces Accela Automation 7.2

    Accela, Inc. launched Accela Automation 7.2, the latest version of its market-leading software platform for government automation and civic engagement. The new release incorporates mobile application development tools, new social media features, and an expanded selection of deployment and licensing options—all designed to make the procurement, implementation, and daily use of online automated government services easier, faster and more accessible to agencies of all sizes and budgets.

     

    According to the announcement, the latest advancements in Accela Automation 7.2 include: a suite of Best Practices Templates to streamline implementations; the addition of the Accela Mobile™ Software Development Kit (SDK) to enable easy development of m-government apps; functionality to spur government-citizen interaction; and a range of user-experience enhancements that benefit government administrators, office and mobile workers, and citizens.

    “Internet-based commerce long ago stopped being a nice-to-have option for government agencies, since the public and businesses now expect to interact with government anytime and anywhere, just as they do with other service providers in their lives,” noted Maury Blackman President and CEO of Accela. “At the same time, public-sector agencies are increasingly looking for easy-to-implement, cost-effective automation solutions. Accela continues to lead the way with a platform that provides the features and tools they need—whether deploying on premise or in the Accela Cloud.”

    Best Practices Templates Boost Productivity

    New Best Practice Templates make it easier and faster than ever for governments to deploy Accela Automation as their enterprise solution. Included in Accela Automation at no additional charge, the Templates provide complete turnkey configurations, which agencies can immediately use for rapid deployment—gleaned from Accela’s more than 30 years of experience serving over 500 agencies of all kinds. Accela Automation 7.2 incorporates nearly 100 templates for Permitting, Planning, Code Enforcement, Licensing and Case Management, Service Request, and Asset Management.

    SDK to Fuel Rapid Expansion of Accela Automation for m-Government and Citizen Engagement

    An additional component of the Accela Automation ecosystem, the new Accela Mobile SDK extends the functionality of Accela Automation to foster development of m-government and civic-engagement apps by third-party developers and agencies themselves. Accela’s current iOS apps, Accela Mobile Inspector™  and Accela Analytics™, were developed using the SDK. The Accela Mobile SDK is free to download, after registration with the Accela Developer Program.

    Features Meet Changing Needs of Governments and Citizens

    Further innovations in Accela Automation 7.2 have been designed to advance the burgeoning revolution in government/citizen interaction happening today, through social media, mobile devices, and the web.

    • Social Media: Integration with Twitter enables agencies to automatically tweet when new records—for anything from a new building permit to an agency update—are created within Accela Automation. Agencies with a Facebook page can also forward the Tweet to their followers and spread the word.
    • QR Codes: Accela Automation 7.2 supports the scanning of QR (quick response) codes to access permits and related documents online. The QR system has become a popular way to access web-based details, due to its standardization and embedded information capacity, compared to standard UPC barcodes. For example, if a permit is posted on a jobsite, a registered user can scan the QR code and will be directed to a secure Accela Citizen Accesswebsite to schedule or update an inspection.
    • Custom Web Portals: New features in Accela Citizen Access empower agencies to easily configure and design web page flows that are easy-to-use and come with agency-defined, context-specific options. This makes it even easier for the public to engage and connect with their local government, anytime from anywhere.

    Other advancements in Accela Automation 7.2 include a graphical workflow designer for the creation of visual workflow processes, built-in capabilities for online scheduling and management examinations for licenses and certifications, and much more. A more complete list of Accela Automation 7.2 features may be found at: www.accela.com/accela-automation/whats-new.

    Licensing options provide flexibility for today’s economy

    With the goal of delivering Accela Automation’s robust capabilities to agencies of all sizes and budgets, Accela offers a subscription model, licensing the software for a low per-user fee. The new subscription model provides a turnkey solution, including:

    • the Best Practices Templates;
    • access to the complete Accela Automation Land Management, Licensing, and Asset Management applications;
    • an optional mobile license with access to the complete library of Accela’s growing roster of task-centric and role-specific mobile apps; and
    • an optional population-based license for use of Accela Citizen Access, which provides the public with an online mechanism for applying, paying and tracking their applications from their home, office or mobile device.

     

  • Leap Year Confuses TomTom PNDs

    A leap-year bug caused some TomTom satellite navigation devices to malfunction, reports BBC News.

    TomTom posted an information page on its website, offering a software update. “Some customers have been experiencing GPS positioning issues since 31st March,” TomTom said. “The issue is caused by a ‘leap year’ bug in the software of the GPS receiver provided by a third party.”

    TomTom said that a problem with its global positioning system firmware had caused models worldwide to fail to identify their location, BBC News said.

    The TomTom devices affected are:

    • Start 20/25
    • Via 110/120/125
    • Via LIVE 120/125
    • GO LIVE 820/825
    • GO LIVE 1000/1005/1005 World
    • Blue & Me TomTom 2
    • TomTom Connect

    To download the firmware to their device, users will need to set up an account at the TomTom site if they don’t already have one.

    Users are discussing the issue on the TomTom message board.