GPS World

Tag: GSS

  • CompassTools Installs Base Station for GPS Correction in Four Corners Region

    CompassTools Inc., a distributor of mapping and GIS products for field data collection, has installed a GPS reference station in Durango, Colorado, to provide freely available differential correction data to GPS users in the Four Corners area of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. The correction data can significantly enhance the accuracy of location coordinates captured by GPS receivers used in mapping and surveying applications.

    “We have many clients involved in GIS mapping projects for energy development, utility asset location and local government applications in the Four Corners region,” said CompassTools CEO Steve Chiles. “CompassTools set up the Durango reference station to help them complete their mapping projects with greater efficiency and accuracy and at less expense.”

    CompassTools is a value-added reseller of hardware and software mapping solutions from Trimble, Laser Technology, Ricoh, GeoSpatial Experts, Esri, and CartoPac. Since 1994, CompassTools has sold, leased, repaired, and offered training on the latest GPS and GIS mapping products in an eight-state region that includes Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Minnesota, Nebraska, the Dakotas and parts of Texas. In addition, the firm provides expert GPS/GIS consulting and creates customized bundled packages to meet the specific needs of complex data collection projects.

    The Trimble NetR9 GNSS reference station installed by CompassTools in Durango is capable of receiving location signals from GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. CompassTools established the unit as a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) accepted by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and part of Mesa County Colorado’s Real Time Virtual Reference Network.

    “The Trimble NetR9 broadcasts differential correction data in real time via a cellular signal,” said Chiles. “And the correction data is also posted automatically to the CompassTools website for post-processing.”

    Chiles explained that this means the GPS user has the option — usually depending on the capabilities of their portable GPS receiver — to correct their location data and improve its accuracy in real time as they collect it in the field. Or the GPS user can download the correction data from the CompassTools website when they return to the office and process the data after the fact. An advantage of real-time correction is the user knows the accuracy of the GPS data being collected while still in the field.

    “The ultimate accuracy of the collected location data depends on the quality of GPS receiver being used,” said Chiles. “We have many clients in Durango using mapping-grade handheld GPS data collection devices achieving accuracy better than 10 centimeters using the reference station data.”

  • Esri Launches Geotrigger Service for Mobile Developers

    esri-logoEsri announced today that its cloud-based Geotrigger Service is now available, making it easier for developers to add location awareness and messaging to their iPhone and Android apps. With the Geotrigger Software Development Kit (SDK), mobile apps can send custom messages when a user enters or leaves locations specified by the application developer.

    “The Esri location platform currently offers many services for developers, from geocoding and geoenrichment to routing and maps,” said Johan Herrlin, Esri senior business strategist. “Geotrigger boosts these existing services with location awareness and location-based alerts.”

    Esri’s Geotrigger Service expands on the native geofencing features available within iOS and Android, including the ability to create complex polygon geofences and notify other servers or services when triggers are fired. Geotrigger Service also adds additional logic to reduce the battery drain when using location services on mobile devices. Geotrigger SDKs provide a consistent interface supporting faster development of apps for both iOS and Android.

    Developers can add the following location-based functions to apps with Geotrigger Service:

    • Notify citizens about road closures, emergencies, or public safety warnings based on their past or current location.
    • Inform tourists about interesting places as they explore your city, theme park, and so forth.
    • Engage customers with personalized content or deals the moment they enter a store­or a set amount of time later.
    • Optimize customer service by notifying employees when a customer who just ordered something arrives at your store.

    Esri’s Geotrigger Service is the new and improved version of Geoloqi’s original technology. Esri acquired Geoloqi in 2012, and its team formed Esri’s R&D Center in Portland, Oregon. Since joining the company, the team has improved existing core location technology and added to the Esri suite of tools for developers on the newly launched developers.arcgis.com.

    Current Geoloqi customers are encouraged to migrate to Esri’s Geotrigger Service to take advantage of the easier-to-use SDKs, improved tools, overall increased performance, and lower pricing. The original service will retire 18 months after the launch of Geotrigger Service. Migration tools will be provided to existing Geoloqi customers.

    “Geotrigger Service opens up a whole world of use cases, from stores wanting to engage customers to cities wanting to release an app to send civic alerts, local event information, or tourism info,” said Amber Case, director of Esri’s R&D Center in Portland. “Create an invisible button on a map, and when your phone gets within that button ­that invisible region ­something will happen. Your phone could even turn the lights on in your home as you pull into the driveway, and turn them off when you leave. When you combine Geotrigger Service with the other capabilities of the Esri developer platform, such as geocoding, data visualization, and demographics, developers can create powerful solutions.”

    For more information on the Geotrigger service, visit developers.arcgis.com/features/geotrigger-service or visit esri.com/events/developers/main for additional information on Esri’s comprehensive program for developers.

  • Trimble Launches New Airborne LiDAR Systems

    Trimble's AX60i aerial imaging system.
    Trimble’s AX60i aerial imaging system.

    Trimble is adding to its airborne LiDAR portfolio with the Trimble AX60i and AX80. Both are highly capable, versatile systems that meet the demands of aerial survey operators for corridor and wide area mapping projects, Trimble said.

    The new airborne systems, together with flight planning and analysis software tools, have been designed to provide rapid and efficient point cloud capture as well as high-resolution images and proven workflows with high productivity. The systems can be installed on either fixed wing or rotary aircraft.

    Designed for low-altitude corridor mapping applications, the Trimble AX60i is an entry-level LiDAR system built on the same versatile platform as the high-altitude AX60 system, Trimble said. The platform allows AX60i users to upgrade to an AX60 in the future. The AX60i can be operated up to 5,000 feet above ground level (AGL) while offering a 400-kHz laser pulse repetition rate (PRR) with a single-channel, downward-looking laser.

    The Trimble AX80 is a dual-channel LiDAR system that can be operated up to 15,500 feet AGL and is designed for the most demanding survey applications from high-altitude wide area mapping to detailed low-altitude corridor mapping. The AX80 offers an 800-kHz PRR with revolutionary forward- and backward-looking capability to enhance point density on the ground and improve image resolution. This two-dimensional oblique view offers unparalleled scanning of vertical facades of structures.

    Trimble's AX80 aerial imaging system.
    Trimble’s AX80 aerial imaging system.

    An optional, fully-calibrated 80-Megapixel camera with forward motion compensation can be added to the AX60i and AX80 systems. The camera is integrated into the sensor head package and harmonized with the laser sub-system so that it does not need re-calibration each time the system is fitted to an aircraft.

    These systems are optimized for precision applications, providing a uniform distribution of laser points across the entire field-of-view to widen the usable swath width. Operators can reduce track overlap or duplication, or fly at higher altitudes to achieve a given resolution. Together with a high-precision positioning system, integral power supplies and an in-flight monitoring tool, the Trimble AX60i and AX80 can allow operators to lower the complexity of airborne LIDAR surveys while increasing the quality of the output.

    “The Trimble AX60i and AX80 systems extend our portfolio of aerial imaging solutions to meet a variety of mapping applications,” said Phil Sawarynski, business area director of Imaging Solutions for Trimble’s Geospatial Division. “They have been designed as true end-to-end solutions and are delivered with Trimble flight planning software and Trimble Inpho analysis software. Because everything is supplied by Trimble, operators can have confidence that the complete solution works together properly, and that the flight planning and post-mission analysis suites will enable them to provide a high-quality service to their customers.”

  • USGS Releases First-Ever National Map of Wind Turbines

    Wind generates electricity by turning the blades of turbines. Individual turbines can range in height from several dozen to several hundred meters tall, with blade lengths measuring several dozen meters. Image credit: USGS
    Wind generates electricity by turning the blades of turbines. Individual turbines can range in height from several dozen to several hundred meters tall, with blade lengths measuring several dozen meters. Image credit: USGS

    Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors of renewable energy in the United States.  About 3% of the total electricity in the United States was generated by wind turbines in 2012 (according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration), which is equivalent to the annual electricity use for about 12 million households. The amount of electricity generated by wind has increased from about 6 billion kilowatt hours (kwh) in 2000 to 140 billion kwh in 2012.

    In response to the Department of Interior’s Powering Our Future initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has begun investigating how to assess the impacts of wind energy development on wildlife at a national scale.

    Assessment Experience

    The USGS has extensive experience assessing energy resources, and it’s that expertise that makes the USGS qualified to assess nationwide impacts of wind energy development. One of the major reasons behind the success of USGS energy resource assessments is the scientifically robust methodology that underpins them.

    USGS energy resource assessment methodologies are publicly available and are technically peer reviewed externally, and just as importantly, are used consistently in every assessment. That means that a USGS oil and gas assessment in Alaska provides comparable information to a USGS oil and gas assessment in Texas, or that a USGS geothermal assessment in California is comparable to a USGS geothermal assessment in Nevada.

    A Different Kind of Assessment

    USGS has recently undertaken a project to develop a methodology for assessing wind energy impacts on wildlife at a national scale. This research is different from previous USGS energy assessments. Instead of looking at technically recoverable resources of oil, gas, geothermal or coal, or even technically accessible storage areas for carbon sequestration, the USGS is developing a method for determining the impacts of a type of energy production. This work will merge the experience the USGS has creating assessment methodologies with its expertise in wildlife ecology and wind-wildlife research, as well as in land change science.

    Wind turbines are often grouped together in facilities to maximize electricity-generating capacity. This image shows a wind farm on BLM land in California. Image credit: BLM
    Wind turbines are often grouped together in facilities to maximize electricity-generating capacity. This image shows a wind farm on BLM land in California. Image credit: BLM

    Wind energy can impact both wildlife and their habitats. Wildlife impacts include potential bird and bat mortality from collisions with turbine blades, and in some cases, species avoidance of habitat near turbines. Habitat impacts include the turbine pads in addition to service roads, transmission lines, substations, meteorological towers, and other structures associated with wind energy siting, generation, and transmission.

    Turbine Locations

    The first step in understanding the impact of wind energy development is to determine where the wind turbines are located. Prior to this study, there was no publicly available national-level data set of wind turbines. There were maps that showed turbines locations in a few states, and there were national-level maps that showed wind power facilities, but not individual turbines, or information about  those turbines, such as height, blade length, or energy producing capacity.

    A screenshot of the USGS WindFarm Mapping Application, which allows users to access the more than 47,000 individual wind turbines contained within the national wind turbine database. This view shows facilities in Southern California, color-coded for their wind-generating capacity. The red and yellow turbines have a higher electricity-generating capacity than the green and blue turbines do.
    A screenshot of the USGS WindFarm Mapping Application, which allows users to access the more than 47,000 individual wind turbines contained within the national wind turbine database. This view shows facilities in Southern California, color-coded for their wind-generating capacity. The red and yellow turbines have a higher electricity-generating capacity than the green and blue turbines do.

    To remedy the lack of information, the USGS created this publicly available national dataset and interactive mapping application of wind turbines. This dataset is built with publicly available data, as well as searching for and identifying individual wind turbines using satellite imagery. The locations of all wind turbines, including the publicly available datasets, were visually verified with high-resolution remote imagery to within plus or minus 10 meters.

    Knowing the location of individual turbines, as well as information such as the make, model, height, area of the turbine blades, and capacity creates new opportunities for research, and important information for land and resource management. For example, turbine-level data will improve scientists’ ability to study wildlife collisions, the wakes causes by wind turbines, the interaction between wind turbines and ground based radar, and how wind energy facilities overlap with migratory flyways.

    Next Steps

    In addition to the value this powerful tool has to Federal and State land managers, non-governmental organizations, the energy industry, scientists, and the public, it will be a useful component in the methodology that the USGS is developing for assessing wind energy impacts. The USGS is bringing together scientists with expertise in landscape-level science, wildlife biology, and other associated disciplines to create the methodology. Once developed, the methodology will be externally peer-reviewed and tested with pilot-level data projects. Once peer reviewed, the revised methodology will be published for others to understand and use.

  • FAA Cracks Down on Beer Delivery Drone

    The Federal Aviation Administration has ruled that a beer delivery drone service of Lakemaid Beer to ice fishermen cannot go forward. Lakemaid, brewed in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, had hoped to use drones to deliver its beer from bait shops to anglers in ice shacks. But the government says the brewer’s next test — which Lakemaid managing partner Jack Supple says was tentatively set for Minnesota’s Lake Mille Lacs and the Twin Pines resort — cannot proceed.

    “We were a little surprised at the FAA interest in this since we thought we were operating under the 400-foot limit,” Supple told NPR via email. He adds that the beer-makers “figured a vast frozen lake was a lot safer place than [what] Amazon was showing on 60 Minutes.”

    FAA rules don’t currently allow drones to be used for commercial delivery. The agency has scheduled reviews of its rules on drones.

    The FAA told Lakemaid that its plan broke at least four regulations, ranging from the operator’s rating to the use of airspace. The FAA told Lakemaid that it “recognizes that people and companies other than modelers might be flying UAS with the mistaken understanding” that their actions are legal. But the rules and guidelines used in such cases apply only to people flying model airplanes, the FAA added.

  • CycloMedia: Geo-Referenced Measurable Street-Level Imagery

    Over the past decade, there have been numerous efforts to capture and deliver street-level imagery of major urban areas. The big players, Google Street View and Bing Map Streetside, are well accepted, and most of us use them regularly to get around. But as both indicate in their user agreements, they are for entertainment and marketing and not intended for critical applications. Other than geo-referencing the camera location, there is no metadata and no measurement capability.

    More serious users such as tax assessors, transportation planners and emergency responders look to companies like iLookAbout, Facet, Tyler Technologies (formerly Yotta MVS), Geospan and others for imagery that is geo-referenced, measurable with good metadata. IMTS has even been used in overseas combat areas to gather baseline data for intelligence and tactical planning. Its accurately positioned imagery has been used to fill in detail and occluded areas of 3D models derived from aerial imagery.

    Although most of the above systems produce excellent geo-referenced imagery, the imagery is not geo-referenced to the pixel, and measurements are generally derived from linked ortho, oblique or LiDAR data. The exceptions are earthmine of Berkley California and a Dutch firm called CycloMedia, which has been in the imagery business for more than 30 years. Both have similar technology, but CycloMedia seems to have significantly more coverage and a more refined toolset.

    The patented CycloMedia system uses a process that captures overlapping ground-level 360° panoramic images, called Cycloramas, at 5-meter intervals. The company initially tried merging its imagery with LiDAR data to derive point locations, but that method proved cumbersome and not very accurate, so CycloMedia developed a system that used only its images. Using its system of stereo pair analysis, CycloMedia is able to derive 3D location information with accuracies of 10 cm. The automated system is fast enough to collect those 5-meter interval images at speeds up to 70 mph.

    car

    The car-mounted system simultaneously collects accurate location information for the camera system using IMUs, RTK GPS, temperature sensors and precise ground-tracking odometers. The detailed location information combined with imagery from high-resolution cameras then forms the basis of an accurate three-axis location and measurement system. Although this is a very sophisticated system, no special vehicle modifications are needed, and the entire equipment package can be installed and removed when not in use. The system can even be installed on boats and compensates for the boat’s motion.

    Once captured, CycloMedia then uses its GlobeSpotter viewing software to accurately locate and measure features in the imagery. The system uses two or more Cycloramas to determine the location of any point in 3D space using geometry between different views and achieving 10-cm accuracy. Earlier versions of GlobeSpotter required the user to identify corresponding spots on two or more Cycloramas to accomplish the point location calculations. That process has now been streamlined with the single spot “Smart Click” selection tool and process. When a user clicks on an object or spot in a Cyclorama, algorithms identify the same spot in adjacent Cycloramas. This facilitates the geometric calculation of the spot in 3D space. The software can then calculate distance measurements in 3D space between the accurately located points.

    There is a very good video that shows the process better than I can explain it in this short article. The video shows how the images are organized and accessed in an ArcGIS Desktop integration including measurements, GIS data overlay and polygon creation from the imagery. The creation of these precision 3D environments then opens the door to other capabilities such as 3D model creation and the ability to accurately overlay GIS vector data. Note this example of the Cyclorama footprint locations with planimetric data overlaid on this road and overpass. The same system accuracy also facilitates very accurate edge matching of imagery as a user moves along a road.

    overpass

    CycloMedia and GlobeSpotter are designed to operate as a web service with all imagery stored in the cloud, but the system can also be run as a thick client with the imagery stored on local media. GlobeSpotter integrates Cycloramas, aerial imagery, GIS vector data and documents. It performs the calculations and builds the visualizations. Currently, all leading GIS software suppliers including Esri have built interfaces that allow for the integration of CycloMedia’s GlobeSpotter software with their solutions.

    Note this screenshot of an ArcGIS Online session showing the Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue. You can view the same site and try navigating it yourself. Search for Washington, DC, and zoom in far enough to see and click on the silver balls linking to CycloMedia images.

    ArcGIS

    Uses

    The very robust and accurate thre-axis measurement capabilities of CycloMedia make it a natural for tax appraisers as well as a tool for city planning work. Features such as street lighting, road markings, bus stops, benches and other infrastructure are easily viewed, measured and inventoried. The extensive metadata, including location and date of capture, will help anyone needing accurate historic data or images for forensic work.

    An especially strong capability of CycloMedia is signage inspection and inventory. When I was with the Atlanta Regional Commission, we spent considerable time and effort working with the Georgia Tech Research Institute to develop an automated video street sign identification and inventory system. The ability of CycloMedia to display each sign with high-resolution imagery, facilitate accurate measurements, and easily geo-locate and link each sign to a GIS database makes the system a powerful tool for transportation managers. The same capabilities could prove invaluable for firefighter pre-plans as well as police tactical planning.

    Additionally, extensive work is underway to use the data rich imagery provided by CycloMedia to create photo-realistic and photo-accurate 3D models that could be interactively navigated. See more here.

    CycloMedia seems to be a significant improvement in street-level imagery capture. The accurate geo-referencing combined with strong metric tools and the ability to build 3D models could prove especially valuable for military applications as well as disaster response and recovery. My thoughts jump back to Katrina recovery efforts. CycloMedia could have inventoried affected areas by car or boat. The resultant imagery could have been annotated and exported as a GIS layer. It would be interesting to measure the cost vs. benefits of CycloMedia compared to other technology and delivery platforms.

  • LizardTech Launches Express Server 9 Image-Delivery Software

    LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, has launched Express Server 9 software. Express Server is am image-delivery software for compressed raster imagery, including multispectral imagery. It uses patented technology to reduce storage costs, decrease image loading times and handle thousands of image requests without sacrificing visual quality, LizardTech said.

    The latest version of Express Server comes equipped with the ExpressZip web application for exporting imagery straight from the web browser. Now, users can view all of their collections and query by location, by keyword, by projection, and more. If users need to take their imagery on the go, they can use the built-in selection tools to export their regions of interest. The entire ExpressZip application is open source and completely customizable.

    “Express Server is the fastest, most stable, and easiest way to distribute compressed, high-resolution raster imagery via standard protocols,” said Jon Skiffington, director of product management. “And now with ExpressZip, our customers will be able to access all of their collections in one place and export imagery straight from the web browser.”

    In addition, the improved upgrade functionality automates the process of migrating all image catalogs so users don’t need to manually update thousands of catalogs when installing a new version of Express Server. There’s no need to recreate existing image catalogs; instead, administrators just point Express Server to the existing catalog database and click Upgrade.

    Both the ExpressZip application and the improved upgrade process mark a continuation in LizardTech’s commitment to creating accessible and easy-to-use software. Other easy-to-use features from recent releases include the Express Server Manager, a simple web interface for configuring and managing Express Server, and the free 30-day Express Server trial.

  • Telenav Acquires skobbler to Tap into the ‘Wikipedia of Maps’

    skobbler_logoTelenav, Inc., announced today that it has acquired skobbler GmbH, the European-based navigation company with the highest rated OpenStreetMap (OSM)-based GPS navigation apps in the world. With this acquisition, Telenav brings the most successful OSM navigation experts in the world together as one team — including the founder of OSM, Steve Coast, who joined Telenav in 2013 — and becomes a major contributor to the creation of the open-sourced and most comprehensive map of the world, according to the announcement.

    The acquisition closed on January 29 for consideration of approximately $19.2 million in cash and $4.6 million of company common stock.

    “Crowdsourced OSM can power personalized navigation services like Scout — with highly detailed maps on a global scale,” said HP Jin, Telenav’s chairman and CEO. “We plan to offer Scout with OSM for much of the world. We have already made significant headway toward this goal in the U.S., including using OSM for our HTML5 version of Scout.”

    OSM is the only crowdsourced and open-sourced map of the globe and, for many developers, it has become a clear alternative to Google Maps.

    “Waze and Google — or, just Google now — provide similar mechanisms to improve their maps, based mostly on OSM’s innovations. With one big catch. It is very much their map. Not yours,” said Coast in his blog commentary today regarding the acquisition. “OpenStreetMap is different. All of the quality data contributed is openly available — just like Wikipedia. So, anyone can download, experiment and play with it freely. It’s not locked up beyond your reach.”

    Since Coast founded OSM, the community has doubled year over year to more than 1.5 million registered editors, becoming a global community of local editors in every corner of the world. Its crowdsourced model publishes edits every minute on openstreetmap.org, resulting in maps that are detailed and up to date. For example, newly laid streets and newly developed areas can be updated on a regular basis and in real time. In addition, OSM allows for greater map detail for pedestrians such as alleys, sidewalks, parks, hiking trails, zoos, and even city trees.

    Telenav has been an active contributor to OSM for more than three years, working closely with the community to enhance specific features needed for navigation, traffic and other future location-based services.

    With offices in Germany and Romania, skobbler was the first company to launch a commercial navigation app using OSM (in 2010) for both Android and iOS devices and is available in app stores in 49 regions with worldwide map coverage. In order to do this, skobbler developed sophisticated algorithms that evolved OSM data from a display map to a navigable map.

    skobbler’s apps are top ranked and highly rated in multiple countries including Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. skobbler’s CEO, Peter Scheufen, previously served as the CEO of Navigon, which became a leading GPS device manufacturer in Europe and was eventually purchased by Garmin. The other skobbler founders also held senior roles at Navigon before founding skobbler. Telenav expects that all skobbler employees will join Telenav as part of its OSM team, bringing significant industry-leading software expertise in location-based services, navigation and mapping.

    “By joining our efforts with skobbler, we will build on our combined successes to bring the best mapping and navigation services to our customers around the world,” said Jin. “The benefits of an open source model will provide an enormous opportunity to change the economic models of navigation and other location-based services.”

    “OSM is currently one of the most active and dynamic crowdsourcing communities and is growing at an explosive rate,” said Scheufen. “Our team lives and breathes OSM and so we are excited to join forces with Telenav to create the largest, most sophisticated, and smartest OSM navigation team in the world.”

    In connection with the acquisition and in accordance with NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5635(c), Telenav granted four employees of skobbler and its subsidiaries, upon the closing of the acquisition, restricted stock units for an aggregate of 634,920 shares of common stock.

    These RSUs were granted outside of the existing Telenav stock plans and without stockholder approval pursuant to NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5635(c)(4) with the following terms: each RSU vests as to 50% of the award on the anniversary of Acquisition and as to 50% of the award on the second anniversary of the Acquisition, subject to continued employment through each relevant date.

  • GeoSpatial Experts Launches GeoJot+ for Windows Mobile

    GeoSpatial Experts’ GeoJot+ field data collection system now runs on Windows Mobile devices.  According to GeoSpatial Experts, companies can seamlessly transfer GeoJot’s app component across Apple, Android, and now Windows Mobile 6.x devices such as Trimble and Juniper handheld GPS units.

    GeoJot+ enables users to capture geotagged photos on mobile devices along with descriptive attribute information for each photo. The data is then automatically uploaded to the cloud and processed back in the office.

    Using GeoJot+, organizations create reports and ArcGIS or Google Earth maps for managers and clients.  GeoJot+ data is fed into a company’s backend database for further analysis and archiving. The system provides functionality from field data collection to final reports.

    One subscription can now cover all Android, Apple, and Windows Mobile devices. Licenses can easily be transferred across operating systems using the GeoJot Administrator’s Dashboard, as they are not tied to specific devices.

    “While smartphones and tablets are opening GIS mobile data collection to a larger audience, there are still many circumstances where people need higher GPS accuracy,” said John Clark, GeoSpatial Experts’ Director of Business Development. “With an intuitive interface and minimal training requirements, GeoJot+ now makes high-end GPS equipment more accessible to people outside of the GIS department.”

    GeoJot+ meets a need for any organization requiring field asset inventory, proof of performance, compliance documentation, site assessments, situational awareness, or damage assessment. GeoJot+ captures location, condition and other data about real world conditions at a specific place and time.
    This information helps companies solve business problems, gain competitive advantage, speed cash flow, and reduce expenses.

  • Arcturus UAV and Urban Robotics Fly 3D Imager

    Arcturus T-20 unmanned aerial vehicle with 3D imaging pods on a recent test flight at a Southern California test range. (PRNewsFoto/Arcturus UAV)
    Arcturus T-20 unmanned aerial vehicle with 3D imaging pods on a recent test flight at a Southern California test range. (PRNewsFoto/Arcturus UAV)

    The GeoDragon sensor system by Urban Robotics has been integrated and flown on an Arcturus UAV T-20 Tier II unmanned aerial vehicle. The sensor system is enclosed in a wing-mounted pod and is capable of high-resolution 2D and 3D image capture.

    GeoDragon adds significant 3D imaging and mapping capabilities to the T-20 UAV. The GeoDragon system can create 3D reconstructions in near-real time and output high-resolution digital elevation models, LIDAR-like datasets, and wide area maps. The system will be released in mid-2014.

    The sensor was designed by Urban Robotics in Portland, Oregon. The aircraft was built by Arcturus UAV in Rohnert Park, California.

    According to Arcturus, the unique aspects of the system are low weight (equating to longer endurance and loiter time,) small operational footprint on the ground (1 or 2 full size pick-up trucks,) a quick mount/dismount pod, quiet operation (the T-20 utilizes a modified four-stroke engine), and the ability to fly simultaneously with other payloads on the T-20, such as EO/IR.

    GeoDragon imagery is post-processed using automated 3D algorithms to rapidly generate large mapping and modeling datasets. Urban Robotics develops software and hardware solutions for 3D ISR, remote sensing and geospatial applications, including collection, post-processing, and data management.

    The T-20 is a runway independent, Tier II class, small tactical unmanned aerial vehicle with a technical readiness level (TRL) 9.  The primary mission of the Arcturus UAV is intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Typical missions include aerial mapping, drug interdiction, fire-fighting, border patrol, force protection, search and rescue, as well as military ISR. Payloads include full motion video from daylight and infrared cameras. Video is then transmitted by secure data link to mission commanders on the ground. An onboard GPS autopilot with waypoint navigation accepts multiple flight plans from the Ground Control Station, allowing the T-20 to return to a specified location autonomously after up to 16 hours of flight.

    The T-20 is powered by a 190cc an air-cooled, four-stroke, fuel injected engine. Carbon fiber composite construction used in the T-20 airframe allows for payloads up to 65 lbs.

  • Trimble Adds Unmanned Aircraft System to Ag Portfolio for Aerial Mapping

    Trimble UX5 Mapping UAS
    Trimble UX5 Mapping UAS

    Trimble has added its Trimble UX5 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to its agriculture product portfolio for aerial imaging and mapping. The Trimble UX5 system can enable ag service providers to capture aerial images for scouting and monitoring crop health such as detecting pests, weeds and nitrogen deficiencies.

    The system also can locate cattle and their available forage over large areas, measure crop height, and generate topographic maps and models for land leveling and drainage applications.

    As a result, the system provides farmers’ advisors — agronomists, Trimble resellers, and other ag service providers — with a powerful data collection tool that can aid with recommendations to improve farming operations.

    The UX5 system flies at 80 kilometers/hour (50 mph) and is stable in significant crosswinds and light rain. In a single 50-minute flight, the system can cover a two square kilometer (0.8 square mile) area at five centimeter (two-inch) image resolution. It comes with a camera modified to capture the near-infrared spectrum, which helps in deducing vegetation indexes for crop health assessment. The UX5 system can capture a variety of images to be processed post flight. The output of a single flight provides geo-referenced precision images, a digital surface model (DSM) showing elevations as a color image, and a dense 3D point cloud that includes elevations.

    “The addition of the Trimble UX5 system strengthens our agriculture product portfolio and enables us to provide a solution that benefits a broad range of customers including growers, ranchers, water management contractors, agronomists and other ag service providers,” said Joe Denniston, vice president of Trimble’s Agriculture Division. “High-speed aerial imaging is a powerful tool that can quickly and easily locate problem areas to be addressed. The faster a problem area is discovered, the better the chance it can be evaluated and resolved before crop yield is impacted.”

    Trimble provides training for system operators and their observers, which focuses on safety precautions and the application of the Trimble UX5 system for maximum success. The Trimble UX5 system is available from authorized agriculture distribution partners and is subject to regulations and restrictions defined by local civil aviation authorities. Unmanned aircraft systems are not allowed to be flown in some regions or for certain applications.

  • New U.S. Topo Maps for Idaho, New Mexico, Feature Public Land Survey System

    2013 U.S. Topo quadrangle, with orthoimage off.
    2013 U.S. Topo quadrangle, with orthoimage off.

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with other federal agencies, has posted new Idaho U.S. Topo quadrangles (1,193) and New Mexico quads (1,980 maps), which include the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). These are added to the growing list of states west of the Mississippi River to have PLSS data added to U.S. Topo maps.

    The PLSS is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. All lands in the public domain are subject to subdivision by this rectangular system of surveys, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Other selected states will begin getting PLSS map data during the next respective revision cycle.

    The new design for U.S. Topo maps improves readability of maps for online and printed use, while retaining the look and feel of the traditional USGS topo map. Map symbols are easy to read when the digital aerial photograph layer imagery is turned on.

    Santa Fe, New Mexico 2013 US Topo quadrangle, showing PLSS data with contour, orthoimage and woodland layers off. Note: "US Topo maps are not legal documents. The PLSS information shown on these maps is for general reference purposes only, and should not be used to determine legal boundaries or land ownership. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the authoritative source for PLSS information at the federal level, and the US Topo representation is derived from BLM GIS data files. The management of these data is not completely uniform throughout the country."
    Santa Fe, New Mexico 2013 U.S. Topo quadrangle, showing PLSS data with contour, orthoimage and woodland layers off. Note: “US Topo maps are not legal documents. The PLSS information shown on these maps is for general reference purposes only, and should not be used to determine legal boundaries or land ownership. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the authoritative source for PLSS information at the federal level, and the US Topo representation is derived from BLM GIS data files. The management of these data is not completely uniform throughout the country.

    “It is a privilege to support production of the U.S. Topo maps, as I am an extensive user of these products,” said Kristin Fishburn, a geographer with the USGS. “The capability to turn layers on and off combined with the continuous enhancements in content makes the maps particularly useful for a recreational user. I’m excited to peruse the new Idaho and New Mexico maps.”

    Other re-design enhancements and new features include:

    • New shaded relief layer for enhanced view of the terrain
    • Military installation boundaries, post offices and cemeteries
    • New road classification
    • A slight screening (transparency) has been applied to some features to enhance visibility of multiple competing layers
    • New PDF legend attachment
    • Metadata formatted to support multiple browsers

    U.S. Topo maps are created from geographic datasets in The National Map, and deliver visible content such as high-resolution aerial photography, which was not available on older paper-based topographic maps. The new maps provide modern technical advantages that support wider and faster public distribution and on-screen geographic analysis tools for users.

    The digital topographic maps are PDF documents with geospatial extensions (GeoPDF) image software format and may be viewed using Adobe Reader, available as a no-cost download.

    These new quads replace the first-edition U.S. Topo maps for Idaho and New Mexico. The replaced maps will be added to the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, which are also available for free download from The National Map and the USGS Map Locator & Downloader website.

    US Topo maps are updated every three years. The initial round of the 48 conterminous state coverage was completed in September of 2012.  Hawaii and Puerto Rico maps have recently been added. More than 400 new US Topo maps for Alaska have been added to the USGS Map Locator & Downloader, but will take several years to complete.