GeoComm’s GIS Data Hub is being used by more than 1,500 jurisdictions across the country as a part of their public safety GIS data management processes. The GeoComm Data Hub allows users to measure progress toward development and maintaining public safety grade GIS.
According to the company, the system quickly validates GIS data and related data against industry standards, as well as provides GIS data insights through quality control and reporting processes. The system allows GIS data organizers to work in their native data schemas and, upon submission, transform disparate GIS datasets into a common schema.
In addition, it aggregates multiple GIS datasets into a seamless coverage area, prepares map packages for provisioning to 911 applications, and leverages and extends the current Esri GIS data environment.
“GIS Data Hub is an integral part of our monthly processes,” said Vanessa Feagins, GIS supervisor, Denco Area 911 District. “It creates a central location for cities (with GIS departments) in our district to submit their GIS data which is then returned to our office as a single dataset. GIS Data Hub helps our office and our partner agencies identify possible errors in our datasets, which helps our district prepare for next generation 911 deployment. This would have been a difficult task without GIS Data Hub.”
Founded in 1995, GeoComm provides county governments with turnkey emergency 911 development services.
GeoComm is now a Select Technology Partner in the Amazon Web Services Partner Network (APN). The APN is a global program for technology and consulting customers who leverage Amazon Web Services to build solutions and services for customers.
As an APN Select Technology Partner, GeoComm will leverage Amazon Web Services to bring benefits to its customers, including security to protect the infrastructure that runs GeoComm’s cloud-based public safety GIS solutions.
In order to join the APN, GeoComm had to complete and satisfy several technical and business criteria for providing solutions and services in the APN.
According to GeoComm, this partnership will heighten its capabilities to provide easy and secure customer GIS data uploading, as well as an increased speed of GIS data updates within its customers’ dispatch mapping applications.
“Joining the APN to utilize AWS to protect the critical infrastructure of our customers mission critical solutions is a priority for GeoComm,” said Ryan Thomas, vice president of engineering and technology at GeoComm. “The APN designation exemplifies our desire to protect privacy and data security by providing cloud-based public safety GIS solutions with the highest standards.”
Founded in 1995, GeoComm provides public safety GIS software and solutions. Its GIS Data Hub solution is currently listed in the Amazon Web Services Marketplace. A number of other GeoComm solutions are being built to utilize the advanced levels of security, reliability, and scalability AWS provides, GeoComm added.
New hyperlocal business directory ZoomBusiness designed to help Main Street businesses across North America engage with local residents
GIS Planning has launched an online tool that enables local businesses across North America to communicate with customers for free in real time.
ZoomBusiness, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is an interactive, mobile-responsive mapping directory for communities that ensures customers can find open restaurants, stores and services in their region at no charge.
Businesses can list themselves for free on their local ZoomBusiness site, hosted by economic development organizations like cities, towns, counties or chambers of commerce. The businesses can provide customized details including websites, modified hours, delivery or curbside pickup options, promotions and gift card stimulus programs.
Residents can search for area businesses by categories, including grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, health facilities, hardware stores, pet stores and automotive shops, among others.
North America deployment
Local ZoomBusiness sites have already been deployed in more than 20 communities across North America during its soft launch, including regions of eastern Pennsylvania;, the City of Columbia, South Carolina; the state of Wyoming (which has listed more than 600 businesses on the directory); and Abbotsford, British Columbia.
“We created ZoomBusiness after realizing that small businesses need new, accurate ways to communicate that they are still open to their customers, given that social distancing requirements, product availability and operating hours are changing by the day,” said Pablo Monzon, managing director and co-founder, GIS Planning. “Our development team has created an intuitive tool to index and map business information across North America in real-time, and we believe it will be an enormous resource for the communities we serve.”
ZoomBusiness is a simple-to-use data tool, powered by Google Maps, using various layers for precise queries. Businesses are prompted to directly enter information on their current status and the content is verified by the organization hosting the GIS tool.
GIS Planning also added free map layers, including a COVID-19 case map updated daily by the New York Times, and a job-loss vulnerability index using recent employment data from Chmura.
Screenshot: GIS Planning
Columbia, South Carolina
The city of Columbia features 180 businesses on ZoomBusiness, helping residents discover delivery and curbside food options. That number is expected to quickly rise to more than 300 as business owners input data. Columbia will continue to promote safe and responsible “Shop Local” practices, Coleman added, in hopes that residents will take advantage of the service and support local businesses.
“Through our work with GIS Planning, we’ve been able to take our list of open restaurants and businesses and integrate it into the available properties map on our website,” said Ryan Coleman, director of the City of Columbia Office of Economic Development. “During this crisis, local businesses need every advantage we can give them, and this is another tool in their arsenal in helping to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19.”
Abbotsford, British Columbia
The new solution has also made an impact in Canada, including the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia, which is promoting 130 businesses ranging from grocers to auto shops and medical suppliers.
“This is a resource that fills an urgent need. The long-term health and security of our businesses depend, in part, on the decisions we’re making right now,” said Kim O’Sullivan, City of Abbotsford’s economic development coordinator. “ZoomBusiness allows owners to communicate directly with their customers, many of whom would frequent these businesses, even online, if they knew they were able to do so.”
ZoomBusiness clients are given a unique link to their region which is then shared across organizational websites and social media to reach residents.
“Main Street businesses are truly the lifeblood of a community,” said Alissa Sklar, vice president of marketing for GIS Planning. “According to FEMA, up to 40% of small businesses never reopen after a major disaster. With ZoomBusiness, we want to help make sure the local restaurants, retailers and service providers that define local communities are still there to serve area residents when this pandemic is over.”
GIS Planning has made its ZoomBusiness tool free for its existing economic development clients (those using its investment attraction map, ZoomProspector); it is also available to new clients for a nominal fee. Prices are indexed to population size to keep them affordable for all communities. New clients can also be set up and ready to launch the tool within one day.
Following the COVID-19 recovery, data experts at GIS Planning forecast continued use of the directory to promote small and medium-sized businesses across North America.
Sand Studio, a mobile device management (MDM) solution provider, is offering AirDroid Business Geofencing, a location-based solution for businesses to monitor and track device location, automate tasks and receive notification alerts in one place.
With geofencing, organizations that have vehicles, personnel or valuable assets in the field can use tracking data and workflows to enhance security and optimize operational efficiency.
Geofencing integrates seamlessly with AirDroid Business’ easy-to-use yet powerful device management solution, enabling IT managers to apply different configurations to existing or newly created device groups at any time.
Adding to the existing location tracking feature, AirDroid Business Geofencing brings new capabilities like geofencing, path tracking, automated workflow, logs, and notification management.
Geofencing: Location-based technology where a customizable virtual fencing zone can be created for devices that are coming in and out of a predefined area on a map. Single devices or groups of devices can be added to multiple profile zones for different scenarios, which provides flexibility and more control over deployed devices.
Path Tracking: Admins can track a device and see its extensive path history. This allows for an in-depth analysis by combining time and location. For instance, admins can track a delivery truck and see if it has deviated from the assigned route, analyze the data, and improve operational efficiency.
Workflow, Logs and Notifications: Workflows work together with geofences. Triggered by a device entering or exiting a geofence, workflow will activate automated tasks such as device locking and factory reset. Working side-by-side with workflow is log management, where point of time, device activity, device status and events can be filtered to spot abnormal activities or insights for improvements.
“With mobile transformation continuing to take place in every industry, more businesses and organizations are deploying mobile devices in the field. However, they are also faced with the challenge of managing these devices,” said Anson Shiong, CEO of Sand Studio. “To help with this transition, AirDroid Business’ focus on remote device management and the new geofencing solution will help businesses maintain security and operational efficiency. These new features are designed to monitor and track remote devices with precision from anywhere in the world.”
Geofencing is beneficial to a range of industries such as medical and health institutions, public agencies who need to track people at risk in situations like the coronavirus outbreak, transportation and logistics companies that need specific details on fleet activity, corporations that disseminate company devices with confidential information, food delivery services and more.
The new tracking capabilities ensure consistent employee productivity levels as well as enhance security by knowing where the employees and devices are while also enabling confidential materials to be remotely wiped from a device when outside of the safety zone.
The National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) has released a joint statement on the value of GIS in the pandemic, alongside its partners the MidAmerica GIS Consortium (MAGIC), Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), and American Association of Geographers (AAG).
Joint Statement on the Value of GIS in the Pandemic
The spread and effects of COVID-19 can be best understood considering space and time.
As governments are responding to COVID-19, more leaders are recognizing the value of “knowing the where.” The importance of knowing where the outbreak is growing, where high risk populations are, where the hospital beds and important medical resources are, and where to deploy resources is essential. “Knowing the where” informs better decision-making.
In an effort to better understand the where, governments are recognizing the value of geospatial information and technologies and are engaging geospatial professionals to help them better understand the where to help them in their decision-making and response.
Geospatial professionals bring unique analytical and visualization skills to the table that help responders and decision-makers visualize where the pandemic is spreading more quickly and can make the important decisions regarding where response and resource needs need to be focused. The value of telling the story through a map coupled with a geospatial dashboard provides a view of the event not readily seen in a table such as a spreadsheet.
Beyond visualizing existing data, we can connect data from a location perspective, which enhances the value of the data sources being integrated. Equally important in this event is data on COVID-19 cases and testing packaged and shared in a way useful to scientists.
GIS (geographic information systems) is experiencing an unprecedented level of use. Historically, GIS was deployed following a disaster to help respond and recover. Today, GIS is used as a disaster is unfolding. The COVID-19 event is an outstanding example of how effective GIS is when robust data is available. Governments are realizing the value of investing in these systems and the people who run them.
The information necessary to empower all partners already exists.
Current nationwide models and response efforts may not benefit from the details of local geographic parameters. Local or statewide models and response efforts may not fully take advantage of the data from other areas of the country. Hospitals are surveyed by both federal and state agencies, and the results of those surveys are not readily available to the hospitals working together to care for patients. Nationwide geospatial data will empower a coalition of participants with a better understanding of the spread and impacts of COVID-19 and improve mitigation actions.
The same data can be made available in different forms to empower people playing different roles in the response. Researchers — epidemiologists — will benefit from nationwide COVID-19 testing data and data describing factors impacting the spread. This data needs to be as disaggregated as permissible under HIPAA and in a form readily digestible in models.
The case data could be aggregated to the same units of geography as a wealth of existing demographic data (Census tracts), which could explain and quantify local variances in the spread. Policy makers and those in emergency management can benefit from map and tabular dashboards, harnessing the power of the where by integrating data for analytics.
The emergency response, public health and geospatial communities must come together to understand COVID-19 in the U.S. and mitigate its spread and overall impact.
By geo-enabling public health and emergency response data, we can better:
understand the spread — with COVID case data, movements of people, and symptoms
understand the impact on individuals — with data including age, disease, obesity, and medical treatments
understand how to tailor outreach — by age, language, engagement with government, and lifestyle choices
understand the needs of the healthcare industry — by facility, day, bed capacity, type of care, ventilators, and PPE
understand the impact on the local economy — by county, day, unemployment, and bankruptcies
understand the societal impacts — by census tract, domestic violence, alcohol consumption, child abuse, animal abuse, elder abuse, mental health crises, 3-1-1 calls and firearm sales
We are committed to beginning the national conversation about leveraging the best available data to better understand the spread and impacts of COVID-19.
Over the last few weeks, many organizations have transitioned their workforce to remote work environments. At the same time, the demand for geographic information systems (GIS) products and skilled GIS professionals is high.
Esri announces that all of its instructor-led courses are available in its instructor-led online classroom, which is calls “an engaging learning environment that offers convenience and interactivity.”
The company lists these features:
Instructors and course attendees use the phone, chat, and virtual whiteboards to talk and collaborate in real time.
Group breakout sessions and content reviews support peer-to-peer learning and knowledge retention.
Attendees access all Esri software needed to complete course exercises through virtual machines.
“We understand that sustaining business operations and achieving your organization’s mission remains critical,” the Esri Training Team said in an email. “As always, we’re committed to helping you build the skills needed to apply ArcGIS best practices, fuel efficiencies and make the best decisions based on data.”
Esri offers the Esri Training Pass to streamline access to its online instructor-led classes. Users can pre-purchase training days to simplify training registration and approval processes throughout the year.
Enables building stakeholders to take accurate measurements based on point clouds
The latest release of the NavVis IndoorViewer 3D building visualization software features a new tool that lets building stakeholders take highly accurate measurements based on point clouds in the realistic 360° image view.
NavVis, global provider of indoor spatial intelligence technology and enterprise solutions, announces the release of NavVis IndoorViewer 2.6. This major software release includes a new measurement tool that lets users take highly accurate measurements based on point clouds in realistic browser-based digital buildings.
This release also makes additional features available to structured e57 point cloud files, including automatically generating highly detailed floor plans and routing.
NavVis IndoorViewer is a popular deliverable among building stakeholders without the technical expertise to work with point clouds and modeling software, thanks to the realistic digital buildings and intuitive interface.
One of the features that has proven to be useful among users across multiple industries is the measurement tool. It enables users to take measurements remotely on any device, saving time otherwise spent traveling to the site.
The release of version 2.6 of NavVis IndoorViewer marks a major advance in the accuracy of virtual measurement tools. The tool has been redesigned to overcome two of the biggest problems with virtual measurement tools – accuracy and usability.
On the one hand, point cloud measurements are quite accurate. But often these software tools are not accessible or even usable for a wide range of building stakeholders who lack the expertise in working with point clouds. If, on the other hand, the tool uses images or even meshes, which are much more user-friendly than point clouds, the tools are usually not reliable enough to produce accurate results.
The new measurement tool in NavVis IndoorViewer combines the best of both worlds, thanks to a patent-pending magnifying feature that appears when taking measurements in the realistic 360° view. The magnifying feature reveals the exact section of the point cloud behind the image and lets users pick the point cloud point as the basis for a measurement while benefiting from the intuitive interface of the fully immersive walkthrough.
“When redesigning the measurement tool in NavVis IndoorViewer, we wanted to make sure that a wide range of stakeholders in every industry that works with built environments could benefit from the accuracy of point clouds when taking virtual measurements,” said Georg Schroth, NavVis CTO. “We are confident that the new magnifying feature in NavVis IndoorViewer achieves our goal. Now even stakeholders that are unfamiliar with point clouds have an easy, intuitive way to take measurements based on this highly accurate real world data.”
In addition to making strides in the accuracy of remote measurements, the interface of the tool has also been fully redesigned. This includes a new slider function that lets users view the 2D floor plan and 3D walkthrough side-by-side or move from one view to the other.
The dual view provides an overview of the entire building so that users can easily locate an asset or area while also viewing the location in the realistic 360° view. The fully immersive walkthrough makes it possible to virtually move through the area being measured or inspect the asset, as if the user were on site. Measurements being taken show up in both views.
The release of NavVis IndoorViewer 2.6 also introduces new feature support for e57 point cloud files captured by static scanners. Previous NavVis IndoorViewer releases have included a popular feature that lets laser scanning professionals upload structured e57 point cloud files and automatically generate realistic, fully immersive 360° walkthroughs that can be published and shared with clients as a web-based link.
With the release of NavVis IndoorViewer 2.6, two popular features that were previously only compatible with scan data captured by NavVis hardware are now available for point clouds uploaded as structured e57 files. The first is the generation of a navigation graph, which makes it possible to turn static scans into a fully immersive indoor routing tool. The second is the automatic generation of highly detailed floor plans. Now point cloud files uploaded as structured e57 files can be turned into digital floor plans in a few clicks.
The Maptitude 2020 U.S. Census Blocks Groups data is now available for the entire United States, according to software provider Caliper.
The small-area Census Summary Level is packed with neighborhood information essential for making accurate geography-based decisions. Maptitude users can explore locations by income, income growth, daytime population, age, race, gender, ethnicity, buying power, occupation, employment status, housing characteristics, citizenship counts and more.
The wealth of data can be leveraged by data scientists and market research analysts using Maptitude mapping software, a comprehensive application for data exploration.
The 2020 Block Groups are priced at US$250 on the Caliper Store, and are also available as shapefile, KML, KMZ or GeoJSON for an additional fee. If you have any questions about Maptitude or data availability contact the Maptitude team.
A roundup of recent products in the GNSS and inertial positioning industry from the April 2020 issue of GPS World magazine.
OEM
LPWA module
Collaborative IoT solution
Photo: Quectel
Quectel Wireless Solutions’ LPWA module BG95 is being integrated with Microsoft’s Azure Device software development kit (SDK). The BG95 cellular module is based on the Qualcomm 9205 LTE modem. The integration will provide direct and secure connections to the Azure IoT Hub and provide full support for Azure device management. Customers can connect their BG95 devices to the Microsoft Azure cloud where they can build, manage and deploy internet of things (IoT) solutions at scale, significantly accelerating time to market. The BG95 module is a highly integrated variant supporting integrated GNSS, Cat M1, Cat NB2 and EGPRS (also called edge). The module complies with 3GPP Release 14 and delivers improved capabilities in power consumption, data rates and hardware-based security.
The SARA-R422 product series of LTE-M/NB-IoT and EGPRS cellular modules now include GNSS variants for internet of things (IoT) data, devices and ecosystems. The SARA-R422M8S module is pre-integrated with the u-blox M8 GNSS receiver and a separate GNSS antenna interface. This provides highly reliable, accurate positioning data simultaneously with LTE communications. The module also supports hybrid positioning strategies, in which positioning data provided by satellite constellations is enhanced with data from the u-blox CellLocate service, ensuring that location data is always available everywhere. The SARA-R4 series is designed for a wide range of mission-critical IoT solutions such as connected healthcare, industrial monitoring, point of sale and vending terminals, tracking and telematics devices, as well as smart lighting solutions and building automation.
The new line of Sarbe search and rescue beacons. (Photo: Orolia)
Orolia has improved its Sarbe Evo search-and-rescue (SAR) beacon range line to deliver upgraded operational capabilities. The line offers new operational improvements to meet revised Cospas-Sarsat requirements in operating lifetime, location accuracy, voice signal management, integrated protocols, testability and maintenance. Also a focus of the upgrade was more robust and frequent GPS/GNSS position acquisition with the GPS, Galileo and GLONASS satellite constellations.
ADVA’s GNSS assurance solution could help companies dependent on satellite-based timing. (Photo: Business Wire)
ADVA’s GNSS assurance solution helps companies dependent on satellite-based timing. The centralized GNSS monitoring and assurance tool uses artificial intelligence and machine learning for comprehensive predictive maintenance. The customer-owned tool enables users to collect and analyze huge amounts of information from across the network to remotely identify issues and protect networks from GNSS vulnerabilities, including jamming and spoofing attacks. It also helps to identify GNSS obstruction issues, detect blind/poor spots that appear over time, and enable optimal antenna positioning. Built into ADVA’s Ensemble Controller network management suite with Sync Director, the solution enables customers to detect potential problems in advance and maintain the highest quality of network synchronization. It complements the limited distributed approach to GNSS assurance with a centralized global system, providing a boost to critical infrastructure now dependent on satellite-based timing.
The Locosys MC-1612-DG is a single-band multi-system with an ARM-based processor that supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and SBAS. The embedded micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor is equipped with dead-reckoning software and provides six-axis accelerometer and gyroscope data. The extended Kalman filter algorithm combines GNSS and MEMS sensor data with a weighting function that relies on GNSS signal quality. In adverse GNSS conditions such as urban canyons, tunnels or parking garages, the dead-reckoning features boost accuracy with the software filling the gaps. It supports three-dimensional dead-reckoning and standard NMEA output, and has Flash memory, TCXO, RTC crystal, LNA and SAW filter.
The automotive-grade solid-state RS-LiDAR-M1 family has the performance advantages of traditional mechanical lidar, while meeting requirements for mass-produced vehicles. The RS-LiDAR-M1Smart is embedded with an artificial intelligence perception algorithm that transforms conventional 3D lidar sensors into a full data analysis and comprehension system, outputting semantic-level structured environment information in real time for autonomous vehicle decision making. The RS-LiDAR-M1Smart outputs two redundant channels of data: the original point cloud and the object list. The redundacy provides vehicles with a range of sensing results — dynamic, static, inside and outside the road. Also available is the RS-LiDAR-M1Simple.
The Vsx7 multi-frequency position and heading receiver is designed specifically for machine control and can be mounted by bolts or with magnets on heavy equipment. Paired with the Carlson A45 antennas, the Vsx7 features high-precision positioning in Athena RTK, Atlas L-band and SBAS and heading accuracy of up to .01 degrees. The whole Vsx7 system is designed to operate in harsh conditions from –40° F to +158° F. The Vsx7 is primarily used in the mining and construction industries, but can be used in similar industries with companion software, Carlson Grade. Field data can be collected and viewed in real time both at the machine with either the MC8 or MC10 control box as well as in the office with Carlson Command.
Trimble WorksOS is a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) operating system. The cloud-based system will integrate data from Trimble and third-party providers across the entire civil construction project lifecycle, including estimating, scheduling, designs and the field. Currently, site supervisors and project managers jump between multiple systems to keep track of daily production quantities, labor/equipment hours and equipment maintenance schedules. Works OS is designed to bring real-time visibility into jobsite progress, schedule and cost. Users will be able to log into a single application to view real-time visibility of cut, fill, volume and compaction data to maximize jobsite productivity. Site supervisors will see daily volume calculations and compaction quality metrics, and be able to monitor progress and schedules.
Komatsu’s Smart Construction dashboard includes the 3D visualization power and geospatial accuracy of Cesium, a platform to visualize, analyze and share 3D data. The dashboard enables users to monitor a construction site from anywhere in the world, see how it changes over time, and compare architectural plans with real-world data. It is compatible with data from sensors on construction machines, drone surveys, or computer-generated files like BIM/CAD models . It allows users to visualize projects in a single scene within a web browser, as well as calculate precise measurements for cut and fill, slope, contours and more.
Cesium, cesium.com
The TopoGrafi app has been updated to allow for display of 3D data in real-world models. With enhanced 3D data-processing capabilities, TopoGrafi is an end-to-end platform for capturing buried asset data and processing it for augmented reality visualizations. Designed to be used alongside apps such as Esri Collector for ArcGIS, the TopoGrafi platform uses GNSS data. It applies near-real-time conversions, transforming the recorded positions to local reference systems and aligning it with high-accuracy mapping including Ordnance Survey MasterMap. The TopoGrafi toolkit also includes functionality to snap 3D features to each other and to other spatially referenced data to create a 3D model that can then be used to create augmented reality visualizations accessible from the desktop or in the field.
WingtraOne drone data can now be directly imported into the Trimble Business Center (TBC). The new integration combines WingtraOne high-accuracy drone data within TBC, optimizing drone mapping workflows for survey and construction projects within a single software platform. After dragging and dropping the JobXML data file, automated point cloud tools, such as classification and feature extraction, can quickly generate surface models, topographic plans and as-built deliverables. Also new: high-altitude flight capabilities, longer flight times and more intuitive battery-level readings in-flight.
The Snoopy CL-360 lidar scanner. (Photo: Lidar USA)
The Snoopy CL-360 has been meticulously designed for integration on backpack, vehicle and UAV applications. Weighing 5 kilograms fully assembled, the Snoopy CL-360 is capable of delivering highly accurate results, up to +/-0.01 feet on paved surfaces from a vehicle. The system has a scan line rate of 250 Hz with a 500-kHz data rate, giving a uniform result along and across track. The system is easily configurable with multiple scanners (similar to internet of things applications) to avoid occlusions. A UAV deployment achieves scans with usable data as much as 60 degrees off nadir (widths of more than 1,100 feet while scanning at the 400-foot ceiling). The small beam size of 0.3 mrad allows the CL-series to reliably collect ground points (such as on or near the dirt through vegetation) while also providing better detection of fine linear features such as power lines and railroad tracks.
The E300 Pro receiver tracks GNSS with 700 channels and fully supports BDS-3 signals. It supports 31 frequency points, using all GNSS constellations and frequency bands. The E300 interface has a concealed design for better protection. USB type-C charging and transmitting is a two-in-one function. The magnesium-alloy body is rugged, and the battery level can be checked with a unique LED power indicator. The weight of the whole receiver is 940 grams. The E300 Pro supports satellite station differential and satellite chain life, quick connection, intelligent voice and tilt compensation. It integrates multiple sensors including GNSS, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a magnetometer and a thermometer. With the help of a Kalman filter algorithm, the device can dynamically output position, speed and attitude information. It can measure and make real-time dynamic sampling without the need for leveling. For better radio signal quality, the E300 Pro integrates GNSS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G main and auxiliary antennas on the top of the receiver to ensure the best reception in all directions. An RF connector improves connection reliability while reducing loss of gain.
The Nova MS60 MultiStation combines upgraded, fast 3D laser-scanning capabilities, GNSS connectivity and digital imaging with a high-end total station. It features a fast laser-scanning speed of up to 30,000 points per second, optimized scan area definitions, adapted scan managements, and an improved scanning path for zenith scans. Professionals can perform point-cloud analysis in the field. Scan data is combined with traditionally measured points from GNSS receivers to graphically show locations the same day it is collected.
CP Aeronautics, a new division of CP Technologies, has launched integrated turn-key solutions based on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) platforms, payloads, data links, ground control stations (GCS) and communications for defense and civil applications. The systems offer operationally proven solutions for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems requirements. Its broad product portfolio has demonstrated excellent performance and operability in demanding environments, the company stated in a press release. Backed by continuous research and development, the systems are built on three decades of technological and operational experience. Systems include Orbiter 2 Small UAS, Orbiter 3 Small Tactical UAS, Orbiter 4 Small Tactical UAS (pictured), Aerostar Tactical UAS, Dominator XP (medium-altitude long-endurance) and Pegasus 120 (vertical takeoff and landing).
A new flight control system (FCS) fits and leverages multi-mission, multi-domain UAV platforms. Using the FCS, the new Saker-1B Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV performs with fully autonomous online and offline operation, from takeoff to landing. Testing included more than 500 hours of day and night test missions under various weather conditions, including extremes of dust and heat. A total of 1,000 hours of take-off and landing test missions were successfully performed, with long-endurance flights lasting up to 19 hours. The Saker-1B is equipped with a satellite communication data link for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operation. The FCS provides sustainability to jamming attacks and advanced data security.
VigilAir is an RF-based system of deployed sensors able to accurately detect, geolocate and track commercial drones and their operators in different environments, including dense urban environments. VigilAir provides extremely sensitive detection and highly accurate geolocation and tracking over very large areas, with virtually zero false-alarms. Being a passive, receive-only system, VigilAir can easily be installed and operated without regulatory or legal limitations. The VigilAir version 2.0 C-UAS (counter unmanned aerial system) is certified by the United Kingdom Center for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) under the CPNI’s Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Detect, Track and Identify (DTI) testing and evaluation standard. VigilAir generates a comprehensive drone situational awareness which enables users to proactively and intelligently match correct mitigation actions with actual drone threats, on time and with minimal collateral effects.
Xpeller Rapid — the mobile version of the counter UAV solution Xpeller — uses a combination of radar, electro-optical sensors, rangefinders and jammers to protect against threats posed by over-the-counter drones. Xpeller Rapid is either integrated into a vehicle (mast solution) or comes in transport boxes and can be easily set up on tripods. Based on the Xpeller toolkit, the components follow the detect, identify, control and act workflow, defeating hostile drones at ranges up to several kilometers. The system can locate and classify even small hobby drones at a range of several kilometers. High-resolution cameras make it possible to decide whether there is a serious threat so that it can be countered with appropriate countermeasures.
Kinetica simplifies active analytics with Kinetica Cloud
Kinetica, provider of the Kinetica Active Analytics Platform, has unveiled the Kinetica Cloud. Enterprises can use the full capabilities of the Kinetica platform in an optimal cloud environment, which includes historical data analytics, streaming data analytics, location intelligence and machine learning.
Kinetica Cloud was adopted by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), which used the platform to detect trash in San Francisco Bay.
“The San Francisco Estuary Institute uses Kinetica Cloud for high-performance computing and to manage thousands of high-definition images of the landscape, which our machine learning algorithm studies to detect trash,” said Tony Hale, program director for Environmental Informatics, SFEI.
Photo: Thinkstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images
“With this more systematic way of monitoring when trash enters the landscape in uncontrolled ways, cities and governments that really care about the environment gain a remarkable resource to help them very quickly and effectively make decisions,” Hale said.
“With Kinetica Cloud, organizations across industries gain invaluable business flexibility and agility to direct their mission-critical initiatives,” said Paul Appleby, CEO, Kinetica. “Kinetica Cloud gives customers the ultimate flexibility in a hybrid, multi-cloud environment, empowering them to determine where it is optimal to deploy Kinetica.”
Organizations can use the Kinetica Active Analytics Platform on Kinetica Cloud without the complexity and wait times of deploying hardware systems and software.
“As customers adopt active analytics, they want to start their initiatives quickly to gain insight from their data,” said Karan Batta, senior director, Product Management, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “We are very pleased that Kinetica Cloud is available for Oracle Cloud, allowing organizations to shift their focus away from infrastructure and towards bringing smart analytical applications to market faster.”
Communities in need of resources can access location intelligence technology at no cost with six-month trial
Location intelligence company Esri is making its software available to public and private sector organizations fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The COVID-19 outbreak has escalated rapidly across the globe, and with municipalities struggling to respond, Esri has built out resources to help organizations understand the potential impact of the disease on public health, as well as potential community risk areas and their capacity to respond.
A COVID-19 GIS Hub site provides much of this essential data, including case locations and social vulnerability, that communities and health organizations can use to inform their response.
To help public health agencies and other organizations jump-start their response, Esri is providing the ArcGIS Hub Coronavirus Response template at no cost through a complimentary six-month ArcGIS Online subscription with ArcGIS Hub. The template includes examples, materials, and configurations to rapidly deploy a local ArcGIS Hub environment. ArcGIS Hub is a framework to build a website to visualize and analyze the crisis in the context of an organization’s or community’s population and assets.
“Esri has always prioritized assisting communities during large-scale emergencies and natural disasters,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “For the past 25 years, our Disaster Response Program provides data, software, configurable applications, and technical support for emergency operations. We consider it part of our mission to provide these services free of cost during this time of national crisis.”
For more information on the complimentary software and the disaster relief support, visit esri.com/disaster.
Streaming 3D geospatial technology company Cesium will support the Smithsonian Institution by streaming 3D models of massive objects in its collection, such as the Space Shuttle Discovery. The models will be streamed over the internet in high resolution for the first time.
The collaboration is part of the Smithsonian’s Open Access Initiative. Through the initiative, the Smithsonian will release about 2.8 million 2D and 3D images, public collections metadata, and institutional research data sets as Creative Commons (CCo) for any purpose, such as education, research, commercial endeavors, creative reuse, computational analysis, and innovative explorations.
“The Smithsonian Open Access Initiative aligns perfectly with Cesium’s vision to make the world’s collection of data more useful and accessible,” said Cesium CEO Patrick Cozzi. “We are proud that our technology will give researchers, educators, and the public the ability to study 3D models in the Smithsonian’s collection in the highest resolution detail from anywhere in the world.”
Cesium Stories enable 3D storytelling
Cesium Stories enable creation and sharing of 3D geospatial presentations on the web, without requiring any writing of code. An intuitive interface enables story creation using Cesium’s 3D world terrain basemap, the user’s own 3D data, or a combination of multiple datasets, fused into interactive scenes. Learn more here.
Making massive high-resolution 3D models shareable begins at the intersection of Cesium’s core competencies of computer graphics, 3D data and open standards. With Cesium, glTF models are converted to 3D Tiles, an open specification developed by the company and adopted by the Open Geospatial Consortium (“OGC”) to make sharing massive amounts of 3D data as simple as sending a link.
Cesium develops, supports, and promotes open standards with organizations like the OGC and The Khronos Group to advance technology, encourage collaboration and fuel cross-disciplinary innovation.
The Space Shuttle Discovery — on display at the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia — is one of the largest objects in the Smithsonian’s collection. It is more than 122 feet long and weighs more than 4.5 million pounds.
Now, a shareable, high-resolution 3D rendering will enable anyone to rotate, zoom in, and study its details from anywhere in the world.
a Hub is being used by more than 1,500 jurisdictions across the country as a part of their public safety GIS data management processes. The GeoComm Data Hub allows users to measure progress toward development and maintaining public safety grade GIS.
