GPS World

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  • PrecisionHawk launches free PrecisionMapper software for drone mapping

    PrecisionMapper-analysis-O

    Commercial drone and data company PrecisionHawk has opened access to its professional mapping and analytics software, PrecisionMapper, for free.

    With the software, drone operators can snap an unlimited number of photos, create maps without resolution limits, and run algorithms to analyze their data.

    PrecisionHawk announced the launch of the free version of PrecisionMapper today at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems conference.

    Drone operators can use PrecisionMapper to generate aerial data using their own drones.

    “Drones have the potential to capture more high-resolution data than any other technology, but we believe that drones are being under-utilized because of the cost barriers around processing, analytics and storage,” said PrecisionHawk CEO Michael Chasen. “Users should be able to walk into any store, buy a drone and use that drone to generate business insights for free.”

    “We believe that this move allows more innovation from more people,” Chasen continued. “PrecisionHawk has gained a lot from the advanced thinking of this community, and this is our way of giving back.”

    By providing this software for free, PrecisionHawk is giving operators of drones with visual cameras the capability to explore the financial value of aerial data in any industry and is encouraging further use and adoption of drone technology.

    Operators can quickly and easily upload imagery collected from a drone to PrecisionMapper. Using GPS information embedded within images, the software automatically stitches together a complete map, viewable in both 2D and 3D. Free users of PrecisionMapper can create up to 60 surveys a year without resolution or export limits.

    In addition, users can add ground control points and access free analysis tools for construction, agriculture, insurance, and energy including:

    • volume calculations
    • 3D models
    • contour maps
    • multiple crop health indices, including visual-NDVI

    “When professionals have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with PrecisionMapper, they will be able to better understand the power of aerial data and how it can be best incorporated into their existing businesses,” Chasen said.

     

  • How soon a driverless car? You be the judge

    How soon will driverless cars achieve 20 percent market share in the United States?

    This is the question in GPS World’s Readers Poll for May.

    In 2020? 2022? 2025?

    Or 2028? Maybe 2030.

    Road-Driverless-WHow about 2032?  2035 or after?

    Finally, the ever-popular “Other (please specify).”

    Go to gpsworld.com/17maypoll and fill in your answer by May 12.

    See results in the June issue.

    All poll takers will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card.

    ____________

    Meanwhile, here’s a preview of the V2V Countdown article from the May issue, introduced by Chaminda Basnyake, an engineer at Locata Corporation:

    The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in December 2016 for the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications as part of the connected vehicles (CV) and automated vehicles (AV) initiative. If all goes well, this mean a V2V deployment mandate for new passenger vehicles likely starting in 2021 and reaching all new vehicles within 2–3 years.

    Standards required for V2V deployment were published in 2016 or before, including the V2V Minimum Performance Requirements SAE 2945/1, leading the way for commercial product development. The USDOT, which has been the catalyst behind V2V industry R&D starting from the automaker collaboration CAMP (Crash Avoidance Metrix Partnership) in 2001, is conducting CV Pilot programs in New York, Wyoming and Florida. These offer the opportunity for state DOTs, vendors and all other stakeholders to test the technology in real-life scenarios.

    Automotive OEMs have been developing this technology for more than a decade, and the NPRM is the beginning of a race toward integrating V2V to production vehicles. Deploying V2V technology requires the close cooperation of OEMs, their suppliers and many other stakeholders.

    This article captures the views of major players in the CV marketplace on expected deployment timelines, remaining challenges such as reliable positioning technology, integration with existing systems, and the implications on AV technology.

  • Smart cartography mapped out for Intergeo

    Smart cartography mapped out for Intergeo

    “Smart cartography” is the top theme at the 65th Cartography Conference, which will take place Sept. 26-28 in conjunction with Intergeo in Berlin, Germany. Numerous examples at the conference and trade fair will reveal smart cartography’s wealth of potential.

    The latest smart maps are as far removed from their 2D relatives on paper as is the state-of-the-art GIS platform from the analog planning basics of bygone years. But just what is so smart about these cutting-edge maps? Here’s a handful of examples of smart cartography.

    1. Smart maps are intuitive and attractive

    Maps have always been used to represent relationships and make sense of our surroundings. More often than not, they achieve this far better these days than ever before. Maps have become more accessible to their target groups and more intuitively understandable. You rarely need instructions on how to read a map nowadays. A prime example of innovative design is the widely discussed and highly praised new plan of Berlin’s public transport network. Architect Jug Cerovic uses his own special standard to translate complex public transport systems into both functional and aesthetically appealing maps. (http://www.jugcerovic.com/maps/inat-metro-mapping-standard/)

    1. Smart maps provide customized information

    Smart maps provide customized information right where it is needed. This might be the optimum route for mountain bikers or hobby cyclists (www.bikemap.net) or for navigating stress-free through the city using whichever mode of transport you like (https://wego.here.com/). While in the past, maps flattened reality into 2D, nowadays 3D is the norm. Not only that, but the fourth dimension of time is becoming increasingly prominent in digital maps. (http://360.here.com/2017/03/28/4d-mapping-can-change-world/)

    1. Smart maps capture the moment – right now

    Today’s smart maps are a dynamic product. They don’t lead to dead-ends, but instead simply keep on evolving. In the Internet of Things, where vehicles, mobile objects and sensor data gather and network millions of items of information, companies are working on creating living maps that constantly display real-time status. These form the basis for the self-driving vehicles of the future, on the streets and in the air close overhead. (https://here.com/en)

    1. Smart maps reveal new insights

    Whether you’re interested in commuter flows or refugee accommodation (https://www.findingplaces.hamburg/), smart maps are the number-one tool for planners and are now being used by politicians and citizens alike as the basis for political debate. The ability to explore visual representations turns raw data into a practical basis for making decisions. In Hamburg, for example, smart maps have become a game-changer in the search for locations for refugee accommodation and also help plot the most suitable corridors for projected commuter flows.

    1. Multi-sensory maps
    Click on a street to see how it sounds, at goodcitylife.org
    Click on a street to see how it sounds, at goodcitylife.org

    Acoustic maps have been able for some time to visually represent “soundscapes” or add sound with the aid of audio files (http://www.life-dynamap.eu/). What’s new is the addition of olfactory elements. Researchers at Goodcitylife are working on capturing the “smellscape” of cities. And their Happymaps offer a completely new slant on the city – for those who are not as much bothered about getting from A to B as “enjoying the ride”. (http://goodcitylife.org/index.html)

    1. Virtual and augmented reality

    No one can fail to have noticed the craze whipped up by the AR application Pokémon Go (http://www.pokemongo.com/de-de/). This plainly revealed the potential that lies in virtually embellished maps. VR and AR map applications now liven up tours of museums and churches (http://dom360.wdr.de/) and are being used as planning and information tools.

     

     

  • MMC strings mountain power lines using UAVs

    MMC strings mountain power lines using UAVs

    MMC-power-line-stringing-WOn March 15, drone-maker MMC strung power lines across the Ragged Mountain in Thailand using its Spider drone and specialized wire-pulling tools.

    The project was carried out for EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) and served as a transnational demonstration for MMC. By cooperating with MMC, EGAT hopes to use professional drones to string more lines helps the nation in its quest for 100 percent electrification in Thailand.

    In recent years, the Thai government has increased the investment in the development of power projects to meet the requirement of its rapid economic growth. The traditional method of stringing power lines using human labor doesn’t fit with the green economy and humanism, wasting time, human resources and sacrificing the environment, EGAT said.

    Learn more about the project here.

  • TUV India completes drone assessment on solar project

    Using UAVs, TUV India, under TÜV Nord Group, is conducting an assessment of a 25-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power project 160 kilometers from Bengaluru spread across 90 acres. TÜV Nord Group is a technical service provider working in 70 countries.

    For the Indian solar project, the first phase involved a site assessment, flight planning, undertaking drone flights, uploading data from the drone to advanced software, data processing, analysis, documentation, interpretation and delivering the final report. The second phase will take place after installation of solar modules and operation of PV power projects for at least six months.

    Having executing this solar PV power project successfully with the drone, TUV India is confident it can use UAV technology for assessment, surveillance and inspection of infrastructure projects such as rail, roads, seaporta, airports and utilities.

  • FAA evaluates drone detection dystems at DFW

    This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its partners are conducting detection research on unmanned aircraft (UAS) at Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport.

    The DFW evaluation is the latest in a series of detection system evaluations that began in February 2016. Previous evaluations took place at Atlantic City International Airport; John F. Kennedy International Airport; Eglin Air Force Base; Helsinki, Finland Airport; and Denver International Airport.

    Drones that enter the airspace around airports can pose serious safety threats. The FAA is coordinating with government and industry partners to evaluate technologies that could be used to detect drones in and around airports. This effort complies with congressional language directing the FAA to evaluate UAS detection systems at airports and other critical infrastructure sites.

    At DFW, the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi UAS test site is performing the flight operations using multiple drones. Gryphon Sensors is the participating industry partner. The company’s drone detection technologies include radar, radio frequency and electro-optical systems.

    The FAA’s federal partners in the overall drone detection evaluation effort include the Department of Homeland Security; the Department of Defense; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Communications Commission; Customs and Border Protection; the Department of the Interior; the Department of Energy; NASA; the Department of Justice; the Bureau of Prisons; the U.S. Secret Service; a and the U.S. Capitol Police; and the Department of Transportation. The work is part of the FAA’s Pathfinder Program for UAS detection at airports.

    The FAA intends to use the information gathered during this assessment and other previous evaluations to develop minimum performance standards for any UAS detection technology that may be deployed in or around U.S. airports. These standards are expected to facilitate a consistent and safe approach to UAS detection at U.S. airports.

  • China Eagle builds production base for industrial drones

    China Eagle builds production base for industrial drones

    China Eagle’s Sharp Sword is in prototype testing.
    China Eagle’s Sharp Sword is in prototype testing.

    China Eagle is building the country’s largest production base for industrial drones.

    A Beijing-based UAV developer, China Eagle is maker of the Divine Eagle and the Sharp Sword stealth drones. The firm also works with the state oceanic administration to produce drones for shore patrols.

    The production base in Jingjiang’s economic and technological development zone in east China’s Jiangsu province is expected to produce its first industrial UAV this month. The drones will be designed for mapping, aerial inspection and unmanned cargo transport.

    With an investment of 510 million yuan ($74 million), China Eagle’s new production base is designed with an annual production capacity of 5,000 units. Its total output value is estimated at 3 billion yuan a year. Analysts say the general aviation sector is unable to meet the needs of industrial customers in China, where demand is high.

  • Research Online: GPS UTC anomaly, spatial reference system access

    Research Online: GPS UTC anomaly, spatial reference system access

    Click to enlarge.
    Click to enlarge.
    Click to enlarge.
    Click to enlarge.

    Impact of January 2016 GPS UTC Anomaly

    By Charles Curry / Presented at ION ITM, January 2017

    On Jan. 26, 2016 alarms occurred on GPS timing receivers around the globe. This article tells the story as experienced by the Chronos support team over a four-day period, dealing with nearly 5,000 alarm events from many different GPS timing receivers worldwide. It examines whether the alarms were service-affecting or if the equipment switched to a resilient fallback status. This event was not without precedent. The last time such an event happened to the GPS transmission was Jan. 1, 2004, and coincidentally SVN23 was also to blame then. A major network event happened to GLONASS on April 1, 2014. These qualify as “Black Swan Events” first proposed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2001 book, Fooled by Randomness. This was a unique event with unique impact across the globe. Chronos supports many thousands of GPS-based timing receivers for more than 100 clients in more than 50 countries. This article also reviews more recent work to understand what caused the event and how it manifested itself.

    National Spatial Reference System Access in 2022

    By Daniel Roman, NOAA / Presented at ION ITM, Jan 2017

    In 2022, the National Geodetic Survey will implement a new datum to replace both the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). This datum will provide the primary access to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) through GNSS and a geopotential model. Foundation CORS sites will provide a backbone network to ensure that the U.S. contributions to the ITRF solutions remain robust. In turn, these sites will also provide the connection to the densified network of CORS stations to provide local access. RTN and RTK surveys will provide an additional layer of access for improved local resolution. Velocities will be taken into account to provide tie back to survey points. Passive control (benchmarks) will become secondary access to the NSRS with conversion models being provided to ensure backward compatibility to NAD 83 and NAVD 88.

  • NAVMAR and UAVT plan to demonstrate turboprop engine for drones

    Navmar Applied Sciences Corp. (NASC) and UAV Turbines Inc. (UAVT) have announced plans for a joint flight demonstration of NASC’s TigerShark aircraft with a UAVT micro-turboprop propulsion system.

    First flights are scheduled before the end of the year. This will mark the first time that a Group 3 UAV (medium endurance and size) is powered by a micro-turboprop engine with a new recuperator design that significantly increases engine efficiency, the companies said.

    CAD Representation of the UAVT UTP50R Turbobrop Propulsion system to be demonstrated in flight in the NASC TigerShark XP. (Credit: UAV Turbines, Inc.)
    CAD Representation of the UAVT UTP50R Turbobrop Propulsion system to be demonstrated in flight in the NASC TigerShark XP. (Credit: UAV Turbines Inc.)

    “We are delighted to partner with one of the leading UAV aircraft system developers and be able to access their expertise on these first flights of our proprietary micro-turboprop propulsion technology,” said UAVT President Kirk Warshaw. “The opportunity to work with NASC’s TigerShark speeds development significantly, and we look forward to the time when the technology itself becomes the standard propulsion system for Group 3 and 4 UAVs.”

    “Where many major companies have tried and failed, we were pleasantly surprised at the significant engineering milestones achieved by the UAVT team, technical coordination between our teams and the ability to monitor UAVT’s prototypes in operation during the past year were instrumental in giving us confidence to participate in the flight demonstration program using the TigerShark aircraft,” said NASC president Tom Fenerty. “This first step is a big one, but as micro-turbine technology becomes the standard for UAVs, the missions will change and the support provided to our warfighters will be greatly enhanced.”

    “The benefits of turbines were clear to the air transport industry when turbojets first came into service in 1958, and they quickly dominated the industry,” Warshaw said. “The same advantages of high reliability, long life, smooth quiet operation, and the use of safe heavy JP fuel have long made turbine propulsion desirable for UAVs, although no one until now has produced a viable system. Development of turboprops for UAVs presented extreme challenges due to the high temperatures and physical forces involved in obtaining sufficient power from very small systems. UAVT has spent seventeen years and tens of millions of dollars to overcome these challenges and achieve reliable solutions.”

    Both Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation and UAV Turbines Inc. are privately held. This joint project is funded by NASC and UAVT outside of any government program or agency affiliation.

  • Topcon’s new GNSS receiver boards have expanded constellation tracking

    Topcon’s new GNSS receiver boards have expanded constellation tracking

    Topcon Positioning Group has launched two new full constellation GNSS receivers for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market. The new B111 and B125 boards are designed for use with a broad range of positioning applications.

    Topcon_B125_Receiver-WThe boards utilize the GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo constellations with the B111 tracking signals in the L1 and L2 frequency band, while the B125 adds signals in the L5 band. Both boards are designed to provide scalable positioning from sub-meter DGPS positioning to sub-centimeter RTK positioning.

    “The new boards both include 226-channel Vanguard Technology with Universal Tracking Channels, for reliable ‘all-in-view’ and ‘future-proof’ tracking,” said Jason Hallett, vice president of Topcon global product management. “The addition of BeiDou and Galileo constellation tracking along with GPS, GLONASS, SBAS and QZSS functionality ensures the boards provide the best performance available.

    “The dual-frequency B111 board has very low-power consumption and flexible communication interfaces, making it easy for OEMs to integrate the compact board into any precise positioning application, reducing their time to market,” Hallett said. “The B111 is also form, fit and function compatible with its predecessor, the B110, allowing a plug-and-play upgrade option to track BeiDou and Galileo.”

    The board also includes an SD-card interface designed to provide quick and easy support for datalogging in addition to Quartz Lock Loop technology for superior GNSS tracking in high-vibration environments.

    “The B125 board offers Ethernet connectivity for options for advanced OEM integration,” Hallett said.

  • Octopus ISR Systems integrates VectorNav INS on new gimbal series

    Octopus ISR Systems integrates VectorNav INS on new gimbal series

    Octopus ISR Systems, a division of UAV Factory Ltd., has released a precision geo-pointing feature for its miniature Epsilon series of gyro-stabilized gimbals. The feature, Precision Geo-Lock, combines a GPS-aided inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) with dedicated software algorithms and payload operator software.

    Octopus ISR Systems’ Epsilon 140z gyro-stabilized gimbal.
    Octopus ISR Systems’ Epsilon 140z gyro-stabilized gimbal.

    To guarantee the successful implementation of the Precision Geo-Lock feature, UAV Factory partnered with VectorNav Technologies of Dallas.

    Precision Geo-Lock provides the user with highly accurate target geo-location, range-to-target, as well as Geo-Lock functionality and moving map user interface.

    Equipping a miniature airborne gimbal with precision geo-location presents a multitude of challenges. The gimbal operates in a high vibration environment and is subjected to high accelerations and extreme ranges in temperature. In addition, small size and low power consumption are significant factors for miniature gyro-stabilized gimbals which are often used in unmanned aircraft.

    The attitude solutions commonly available onboard unmanned aircraft typically do not present a reliable solution.

    “Traditionally, small gyro-stabilized gimbals use an external heading source to estimate the geo-location of the target,” said UAV Factory CEO Konstantins Popiks. “Onboard the unmanned aircraft, the attitude data is usually supplied by an autopilot, and the estimate accuracy is not very precise due to the nature of low-cost sensors used in miniature autopilots. Miniature autopilots simply do not need the precise heading data required by the gimbal, and as a result, the heading error generates large geo-location errors and provides little to no use for the unmanned aircraft operator. There are also additional errors due to misalignment of the gimbal and autopilot, as these are separate subsystems mounted in different locations on individual soft vibration mounts.”

    VectorNav's VN-200 surface mount GPS/INS.
    VectorNav’s VN-200 surface mount GPS/INS.

    To enable the Geo-Lock feature, an external GPS/INS needed to be integrated, and such a GPS/INS needed to provide a high level of accuracy.

    “Today, the state- of-the-art miniature gyro-stabilized gimbals have a narrow field of view of less than 1.3 degrees; therefore, the accuracy of the pointing should be significantly better than 1.3 degrees to prevent the target pointing location from going out of the video frame,” Popiks said.

    VectorNav is a developer and manufacturer of high-performance inertial navigation systems using the latest in MEMS sensor and GPS/GNSS technology. VectorNav’s industrial series line of inertial navigation solutions provide small, light and low-power consumption solutions in the industrial-grade inertial navigation performance category (attitude accuracy 0.1-0.3).

    “VectorNav’s VN-200 was the only product on the market that offered a high-level of performance but small enough form factor that it could be integrated directly into the optical bench of the gimbal,” Popiks said. “When the product delivered that level of accuracy despite the high vibrations, accelerations and temperature fluctuations of our application the choice was obvious.”

    UAV Factory’s Precision Geo-Lock provides better than 0.3 degree accuracy and is plug-and-play, so the customer can install the Epsilon gimbal and get accurate results on any platform and in a high-vibration environment.

    Epsilon gyro-stabilized turrets will be available with both VectorNav’s VN-200 single GPS-based INS solution, as well as the VN-300 dual GPS-based INS. A single GPS/INS solution is suitable for dynamic platforms such as manned and unmanned aircraft, while dual GPS/INS is a necessity for platforms with low dynamics, such as aerostats, ships and helicopters.

  • Business benefits of high-precision GNSS in UAV surveys

    Business benefits of high-precision GNSS in UAV surveys

    Francois Gervaix
    Francois Gervaix

    A fourth speaker has joined the panel of the free April 20 webinar, “From Flying Drones to Doing Business,” addressing UAVs in business applications. Francois Gervaix, product manager of surveying for senseFly, will address the business benefits of high precision GNSS, covering: high precision in photogrammetry drones, survey-grade accuracy, workflow flexibility and time/cost savings.

    Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to ask direct questions of the speakers, both upon registration and during the live event. Register for free at env-gpsworld-integration.kinsta.cloud/webinar.

    Gervaix joins a panel consisting of Gustavo Lopez, product manager GNSS solutions for UAV applications for Septentrio; Jan Leyssens, 
managing director of sales and business development for Airobot; and Zak Kassas, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Riverside.

    Other subtopics to be covered include the integration of various surveying and mapping sensors aboard a UAV platform; meeting safety demands for UAVs by providing intelligent safety components, specifically designed for drones, and in facilitating end-users’ success in completing their missions; and exploiting long-term evolution cellular signals for accurate and resilient autonomous vehicle navigation in the absence of clear GNSS signals.

    Gervaix is a qualified geomatics engineer who has worked for Leica Geosystems and as a professor at the Technical University for Applied Sciences Western Switzerland. In 2010, he launched project R-Pod, Photogrammetry on Demand, before founding Easy2map, a drone-based photogrammetry service provider. He joined senseFly in February 2016. He is also president of the Swiss Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.