GPS World

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  • Joint U.S./China Engineering Report on GNSS Now Available

    The National Academies Press has released Global Navigation Satellite Systems, the report of a joint workshop of the National Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Engineering held in Shanghai,  China, on May 24 and 25, 2011.

    According to the NAP, “The workshop featured presentations chosen based on the following criteria: they must have relevant engineering/technical content or usefulness; be of mutual interest; offer the opportunity for enhancing GNSS availability, accuracy, integrity, and/or continuity; and offer the possibility of recommendations for further actions and discussions. Global Navigation Satellite Systems is an essential report for engineers, workshop attendees, policy makers, educators, and relevant government agencies.”

    The 268-page report is available in both printed and electronic form. One may download either individual chapters or the complete report for personal use free of charge.

  • OriginGPS Releases Receiver with Integrated Antenna

     

    OriginGPS is making available the first samples of its OriginGPS 1410 GPS receiver. The OriginGPS 1410 is 10 x 10 millimeters in size and has an active integrated antenna. The ORG1410 is a complete GPS System–in–Package (SiP), which allows high-volume, cost-sensitive applications to achieve high levels of integration and sensitivity, combined with low power consumption and an ultra-compact footprint, OriginGPS said.

    OriginGPS is able to offer the first samples and development kits for this benchmark product through its representatives across the world. These representatives support customers with design support and manufacturing services that will allow customers to push their products’ GPS capabilities to new levels of performance and functionality, OriginGPS said.

    The integration of a SiRFstarIV GPS processor enables the ORG1410 to operate in challenging GPS environments, such as tracking indoors or when the end-user is on the move. This high level of GPS performance is achieved by using GPS firmware that can detect changes in context, temperature, and satellite signals, and opportunistically update its internal parameters that enable the ORG1410 to deliver near-continuous navigation, the company said.

    Within its 10 x 10 millimeter package, the ORG1410 integrates an active antenna; RF shield; TCXO and RTC crystal; LNA and SAW filters; and UART, SPI or I2C host interfaces, while achieving ultra-low power consumption of less than 15mW and a fast position fix of under 1 second and sensitivity of –163dBm.

    A limited number of ORG1410 samples, in addition to development kits for leadcustomers, are available immediately.

  • The Business — April 2012

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  • DigitalGlobe Providing Broader Content Across Microsoft Bing Maps and XBOX

    DigitalGlobe announced two licensing agreements with Microsoft.

     

    According to the announcement, the first agreement more than doubles the volume of high-resolution imagery DigitalGlobe delivers to Microsoft for use in its Bing Maps service. The imagery, delivered on a quarterly basis, will provide refreshed content covering millions of square kilometers of the earth’s surface, including up-to-date imagery for the world’s highest-density urban areas.

    “We’ve chosen to expand the use of DigitalGlobe satellite imagery to provide broader global coverage in Bing Maps,” said Steve Stanzel, general manager at Microsoft. “With this increase and our continued work with DigitalGlobe for the collection of high-definition aerial imagery, we are improving our maps worldwide to offer a more comprehensive, consistent and functional mapping experience.”

    DigitalGlobe reports the second agreement enabled Microsoft Studios to extensively feature DigitalGlobe imagery in the recently launched Forza Motorsport 4 racing game for the Xbox 360. The Forza Motorsport series is one of the world’s most realistic and successful racing franchises. The latest installment, Forza Motorsport 4, features the first-ever combination of DigitalGlobe satellite and Microsoft aerial imagery into a seamless gaming experience, resulting in unprecedented, true-to-life detail.

    Forza 4 game designers selected many high altitude and low altitude images for each track region featured in the game and combined them into a seamless animation sequence, using advanced memory management techniques. The result gives players the experience of travelling across the globe in Forza Motorsport 4’s World Tour mode.

    Both agreements took effect in the fourth quarter of 2011.

    “We are proud to know that DigitalGlobe content plays a valuable role in helping Microsoft achieve its business objectives and deliver a superior, photo-realistic experience for its end-users,” said Rafay Kahn, senior vice president at DigitalGlobe. “We look forward to a successful, ongoing relationship with Microsoft in order to support the millions who use their products and services every day for insight, understanding and entertainment.”

  • GeoSpatial Experts Announces Hamilton County Implements GeoJot iPad Data Collection App

    GeoExperts announced that Hamilton County, Ill., is using GeoSpatial Experts’ GeoJot field data collection app on an iPad to correlate street addresses with parcel coordinates. Initiated for tax assessment and E911 purposes, this photo project is creating the rural county’s first digital map database that matches property addresses to their correct geographic locations.

    “Most houses have been assigned streets addresses, but they’ve never been correlated to our county parcel database,” said Mark Becker, Hamilton County Supervisor of Assessments. “People still have to give their address verbally when they call 911 for assistance.”

    Hamilton County is rapidly updating its address and property database to meet E911 standards using the iPad and GeoSpatial Experts’ GeoJot application, according to Becker. GeoJot is an easy-to-use app that converts an iPad or iPhone into a field data collection device. Available from the Apple App Store, GeoJot is a companion application created for exclusive use with the PC-based GPS-Photo Link photo-mapping software. GPS-Photo Link is able to map photographs and accompanying attribute information captured with a GPS camera, smartphone with GPS, or any digital camera used in conjunction with any GPS unit. Digital map output includes Esri shapefiles and geodatabases as well as Google Earth files.

    In Hamilton County, college interns walk from house to house taking photos of each one with the iPad 2. They then key in the house number, street name and street direction to keep the Assessor’s tax database up to date. These attributes – along with the GPS coordinates – are permanently linked to the correct property photo by GeoJot. Back at the Assessor’s Office, the GeoJot files are uploaded to the GPS-Photo Link photo-mapping software running on a PC.

    “Mapping addresses will save money for Hamilton County by making its assessment activities more efficient,” said GeoSpatial Experts’ President Rick Bobbitt. “More importantly, an accurate address map is a necessity for timely E911 response to emergency calls.”

    In 2011, GeoSpatial Experts introduced GeoJot to leverage and maximize the built-in geotagging capabilities of the camera-equipped iPad and iPhone. These mobile devices use internal GPS chips to stamp each photo with location coordinates where the photo was taken. GeoJot maximizes the geotagging accuracy of the internal GPS chips by up to four times – putting it well within the accuracy specifications of many business-related photo-mapping applications.

  • Esri Announces Technology Used to View How Climate Change Impacts African Populations

    Esri announced that the Strauss Center’s Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program has implemented Esri technology to view how climate change impacts vulnerable populations in Africa. CCAPS created the dynamic mapping tool in partnership with AidData for use by researchers, policy makers, journalists, and citizens. Users can visualize any combination of CCAPS data on climate change, conflict, and aid on a map to discover how different forces overlap or intersect.

     

    “This mapping tool allows policy makers to analyze data from multiple sources at once, providing integrated analysis of the drivers and responses related to security risks stemming from climate change,” said Francis J. Gavin, director of the Strauss Center.

    According to the announcement, the tool is already being used in the country of Malawi for a solution that tracks and reports on the country’s external funding. Aid information is mapped along with data on climate change vulnerability and incidents of conflict. This sheds light on whether aid is effectively targeting regions where climate change or conflict poses the most significant risk to the sustainable development and political stability of the country.

    “Climate change poses an enormous threat to the livelihoods of millions of Africans,” said Jean-Louis Sarbib, CEO of Development Gateway. “The level of risk, however, is not evenly spread and certainly doesn’t respect national boundaries. To ask critical questions about how development assistance can reduce vulnerability, you need hyperlocal data on climate and also on aid-funded interventions. This is what the new CCAPS mapping tool shows in a digestible, interactive way.”

    Esri reported that by integrating CCAPS research on climate change, along with existing datasets such as topographic maps, imagery, and thematic information on conflicts, the CCAPS mapping tool aims to provide the most comprehensive view possible of climate change and security in Africa.

    “The great work of these organizations is a real game changer for the development community,” said Jack Dangermond, president of Esri. “Being able to create a tool that allows people to communicate with others all over the world using maps is powerful. I am impressed with the work being done and excited to see what they will think of next.”

  • Broadcom Introduces New Location Architecture with Advanced Multi-Constellation and Indoor Positioning Support

    Broadcom Corporation, maker of semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, has introduced a new location architecture to provide more responsive outdoor and indoor positioning capabilities for smartphone devices. With proven third-generation multi-constellation support and tight integration with sensor components and Broadcom’s connectivity sub-system, the new solution opens the door to innovative applications, such as indoor positioning and place-based mobile commerce, Broadcom said.

    The architecture features a new GNSS chip that significantly reduces time-to-first-fix (TTFF) for outdoor positioning applications, cutting the time smartphone users have to wait when first checking their position, Broadcom said. The platform solution also uses data from inertial sensors, Wi-Fi access points (including those based on recently announced 5G Wi-Fi), and future technologies such as Bluetooth beacons to enable ground-breaking indoor positioning capabilities, such as “personal shopper” applications that can direct users to specific stores within shopping malls, and even specific shelves within those stores. In addition, platform integration with NFC enables smarter, more secure mobile payments, with users able to specify countries, cities or even stores where digital wallets can be used, Broadcom said.

    The BCM4752 GNSS chip provides advanced multi-constellation support by simultaneously collecting data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, and SBAS) and using the best received signals, resulting in faster searches and more accurate real-time navigation. Building on the success of previous GNSS chips, Broadcom’s multi-constellation technology, coupled with advanced signal processing, provides faster positioning performance for improved user experience, especially in challenging urban environments where buildings and obstructions can dramatically impact accuracy and time-to-fix, Broadcom said.

    The new chip and accompanying software are tightly integrated with Broadcom’s InConcert wireless connectivity sub-system, featuring the most advanced and complete technology offering in the industry. By developing its various connectivity components to operate as a unified system, Broadcom can offer more expansive location features that extend beyond GNSS capabilities, the company said.

    Key Features and Benefits:

    • Enhances performance and reliability:
      • Acquisition engine with advanced multipath mitigation techniques provides faster time-to-first-fix performance in challenging environments, as well as a more accurate urban navigation experience.
      • Multi-constellation capability collects data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, and SBAS) simultaneously and uses the best received signals, resulting in faster signal searches and more accurate real-time navigation.
    • Low board space, power consumption, and cost:
      • Fabricated in 40-nm process, the BCM4752 is tiny, occupying 44 percent less board space in a device.
      • Integration of key components such a low noise amplifier (LNA) enables low bill of materials cost.
      • The BCM4752 uses 50 percent less power than previous generations, allowing location-aware applications to remain active for longer periods of time.
      • New applications such as geofencing that provide alerts or services based on location can be completely off-loaded from the smartphone’s CPU for ultra-low system power operation.
    • Opens doors to new applications, with a proven software platform capable of:
      • Ground-breaking indoor positioning through integration of Wi-Fi (including 5G Wi-Fi), Bluetooth low energy, NFC and handset inertial sensor data into positioning applications.
      • Urban navigation by applying handset inertial sensor readings into the position computation.
      • Assisted GNSS (AGNSS) with both GPS and GLONASS assistance data available worldwide from Broadcom’s hosted reference network.

    Availability

    The BCM4752 is production ready and shipping to early access partners.

  • New CoreLogic Report Shows Tornado and Hail Risk Extends Far Beyond Great Plains States

    CoreLogic announced the release of its Tornado and Hail Risk Beyond Tornado Alley report. The new research findings from CoreLogic, based on historical weather patterns, reveal that severe weather risk extends far outside the narrow eight-state corridor in the U.S. Midwest, commonly known as “Tornado Alley,” traditionally considered to be the area in which tornado and severe hail risk is highly concentrated.

    U.S Tornado Risk (Source: CoreLogic, 2012)

    According to CoreLogic, the report was developed to provide the insurance industry additional insight into the true extent of tornado and hail risk in the U.S. following a record-breaking year of weather related disasters in 2011 and has been released in tandem with the launch of two new CoreLogic risk assessment products, Wind Probability and Hail Probability. These data layers will provide insurers with a unique level of spatial and content granularity to assess property level wind and hail risk.

    “The extensive destruction wrought by convective storms in 2011, which produce hail, strong winds and tornados, captured the attention of the public and forced many insurance companies to rethink the way they assess natural hazard risk,” said Dr. Howard Botts, vice president and director of database development for CoreLogic Spatial Solutions. “The apparent increase in the number of incidents and shift in geographic distribution of losses that occurred last year in the U.S. called the long-held notion of risk concentration in Tornado Alley into question, and is leading to changes in risk management policy and procedure.”

     

    The Tornado and Hail Risk Beyond Tornado Alley report analyzes hazard risk at the state-level across the U.S using the new CoreLogic wind and hail data layers. Key findings include:

    • Tornado risk actually extends across most of the eastern half of the U.S. rather than being confined to the Midwest.
    • According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), of the top ten states with the highest number of tornado touchdowns between 1980 and 2009, only three actually fell within Tornado Alley.
    • At least 26 states have some area facing extreme tornado risk.
    • At least 11 states have significant areas facing extreme hail risk, and almost every state east of the Rocky Mountains has some area facing a moderate or higher level of hail risk.
    • The area of highest hail risk extends outward from the central Great Plains to include states as far east as Georgia and the Carolinas.

    U.S. Damaging Hail Risk (Source: CoreLogic, 2012)

    CoreLogic reports that unlike most generalized wind and hail data, which provide a risk rating for large geographical areas, the new CoreLogic risk assessment products pinpoint and predict the probability of a wind or hail event using 10 x 10-meter property-level grid cells. Developed using highly scientific models, these new data layers are much more precise than the more traditional calculations based on ZIP codes or counties. Using a probabilistic rating in addition to a general risk rating allows users a more precise understanding of the risk of damaging winds and hail for properties in question. Individual addresses or a complete portfolio can be evaluated and the usual ranges of “high” or “medium” risk are now broken down into specific probability ranges.

    “Insurers cannot afford to rely on inprecise data,” said Botts. “Decision-making based on general risk rating over large geographic areas is little more than a best guess and can lead to common errors, such as incorrectly identifying properties or assigning risk to the wrong property. The additional precision of the products CoreLogic is introducing today provides insurers with the information necessary to better assess wind and hail risk, minimize loss and maximize underwriting profits.”

    According to the announcement, the new CoreLogic Wind Probability product predicts the likelihood of multiple damaging wind events including tornadoes, hurricanes, straight-line winds striking an individual property and takes into account special wind areas (isolated areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in which the magnitude of the local wind speeds is affected by local conditions). Additionally, the model used to derive both the wind and hail data layers also factors in short-run randomness of events. Used together, the wind and hail data layers offer an industry-leading level of accuracy and the most complete picture of the risk that is inherent in these weather related events. Both of the wind and hail products offer nationwide coverage and can be integrated directly into existing geospatial or underwriting systems, or can be accessed via the Xiance™ Desktop, a platform that CoreLogic recently introduced to provide insurers easy access to precise hazard risk and premium tax data.

    For a complete copy of the Tornado and Hail Risk Beyond Tornado Alley report, which includes charts, images and risk maps for the top 16 states outside of the traditional Tornado Alley corridor with the greatest exposure to tornado and hail disasters, visit www.corelogic.com/about-us/researchtrends/tornado-hail-research-report.aspx.  For more information regarding the CoreLogic Wind Probability and Hail Probability products visit www.corelogic.com/products/wind-and-hail-risk.aspx.

  • Green Dot to Acquire Loopt

    Green Dot Corporation, a provider of banking and payment solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Loopt, a social location-based service that connects people.

    Green Dot indicated that the acquisition will provide a number of key strategic benefits that are expected to improve customer acquisition and retention of its current prepaid debit card products, drive the adoption of new banking and payment products targeted to new segments of consumers, and provide the opportunity for Green Dot to become a leader in mobile wallets, rewards and payment solutions at retailers nationwide, the company said.

    Furthermore, Loopt holds several patents that are applicable to mobile marketing in the context of location-based messaging delivered real-time to a mobile handset. Green Dot believes that these patents will be important strategic assets as it pursues its mobile business opportunities.

    “We believe that mobile phones have the potential to change the way people interact with their bank, control their money and pay for goods and services,” said Steve Streit, Chairman and CEO of Green Dot. “Loopt has innovative mobile technology, market leading mobile programming capabilities and compelling intellectual property. Meanwhile, Green Dot has a large customer base, a robust enterprise-level financial services infrastructure and retail point-of-sale financial transaction capabilities deployed at major retailers nationwide. When Loopt’s assets are layered into Green Dot’s platform, we believe that a significant opportunity emerges for Green Dot to become a large-scale player in mobile technology solutions at the retail point of sale.”

    Loopt co-founder and CEO Sam Altman stated, “It’s been exhilarating to see mobile become such a critical part of our collective daily lives. As this technology truly reaches the masses, I believe we’re going to see the banking and payments industry fundamentally reshaped in a way that’s better for everyone. My team and I look forward to being part of this transformation and are eager to bring cutting edge mobile banking and payment solutions to Green Dot’s retail partners and Green Dot’s millions of current and future customers.”

    Upon closing of the transaction, Loopt’s current headquarters in Mountain View, California, will become the new Silicon Valley hub for Green Dot’s mobile technology and product development team.

    Green Dot will pay total consideration of $43.4 million in cash for the company, which includes approximately $9.8 million to be set aside as a retention pool for key Loopt employees. Green Dot expects this transaction will result in approximately $14 million of incremental operating expenses during the remainder of this year which will reduce the Company’s previously guided 2012 full year adjusted EBITDA accordingly. This amount includes the above mentioned retention payments, ongoing salaries and benefits for retained Loopt employees, wind-down expenses of current Loopt services and other expenses associated with the costs of integrating Loopt’s technology into Green Dot’s operating infrastructure.

  • Facebook Extends Status Update Features to Third-Party Apps

     

    Facebook is opening new APIs and documentation to developers, enabling the creation of third-party applications that allow consumers to add friends and location data directly from whichever app they’re currently using. “We’re introducing several improvements to the Facebook Platform that allow people to do all of the things they can do in a status update,” software engineer Alex Wyler writes on the Facebook Developer Blog.

    Location and friends information can now be added as properties to any photo, link, or status written from an app, which Wyler calls “similar to the functionality a user has when they add a photo or updates their status.” To enable the new features, Facebook is issuing APIs and documentation to set location and tag friends on posts via Open Graph social discovery loop actions or with stream publish stories; apps can also leverage improved search for places, including optional latitude, longitude and distance parameters as well as support for finding posts from friends around a place.

    “We have added familiar controls for managing tags,” Wyler adds. “New users select the audience they would like to share their app activity within the app permissions dialog. Users can choose to feature, hide, or route these stories for tag review.”

    In addition, developers working with Facebook Open Graph can now build apps that display large, user-generated photos and playback video in a user’s Newsfeed and Timeline.

    Since the Facebook Platform developer toolset expanded to mobile devices late last year, recommendation tools and Newsfeed updates are responsible for sending more than 60 million visitors every month to apps and games. Mobile visitors were responsible for more than 320 million visits to mobile apps in January 2012, Facebook adds. At February’s Mobile World Congress 2012 event, Facebook CTO Bret Taylor announced the social networking giant is now partnering with mobile operators across the globe to introduce streamlined billing practices enabling users to charge mobile web application transactions to their monthly wireless bill.

    “Facebook and mobile phones were made for each other,” Taylor said. “At Facebook, we don’t think of our mobile products as an alternative interface. We think of [mobile] as the natural Facebook experience.” Taylor added that Facebook’s mobile experience is “the platform [co-founder and CEO] Mark Zuckerberg would have built” if today’s devices and networks had been available when Zuckerberg began constructing the social network in his Harvard University dorm room eight years ago.

  • UrsaNav Testing Wide-Area Timing Alternative

    As a result of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the U.S. Coast Guard and UrsaNav, Inc., on-air tests are being conducted from the former Loran Support Unit site in New Jersey.

    One of the CRADA’s goals is to research, evaluate, and document a wireless technical approach as an alternative to GPS for providing precise time. The ability to obtain precise time to at least one microsecond is necessary for the proper operation and functioning of many critical industries and systems. Examples include telecommunications networks, banking and finance, energy and power delivery, emergency services, transportation systems, and military and homeland security systems.

    Additional on-air tests are planned at various sites throughout the United States. Broadcasts will test several different frequencies, waveforms, and modulation techniques using evolutionary, state-of-the-art technology. Reception of these broadcasts are planned at both on-shore and off-shore locations, and will include advanced LF data delivery techniques. The results of these trials will be presented at national and international conferences. Any party interested in any part of the trial, or interested in doing their own measurements, are invited to contact us.

    UrsaNav provides advanced solutions for Low Frequency Alternative Positioning, Navigation, Timing, and Data, including high-performance eLoran Timing Receivers. The company has partnered with precise-time synchronization company Symmetricom and Nautel, supplier of high-power RF transmitters. According to UrsaNav, this “alliance of expertise” provides the foundation technology for a wide-area, terrestrial-based alternative to satellite systems such as GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo.

  • The Business — March 2012

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