Aqua Map is an iOS and Android app for GPS marine navigation, aimed at boaters and fishermen.
The app integrates official nautical charts for many areas in the world, including the NOAA, CHS (Canadian Hydrographic Service), British Admiralty and Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie as well as S-57 and raster cartography.
The app provides users with a clear chart using the full power of the Retina display, intuitive realistic symbols and colors. No experience in water navigation is needed.
Most of the functions are accessible with simple gestures on the map, and all are clearly described in the Aqua Map Tutorial and Help.
TerraGo has joined Trimble’s Developer Partner Program, bringing Trimble GNSS Direct SDK to TerraGo’s mobile solutions. TerraGo Edge and TerraGo Magic now include Direct SDK to deliver high-accuracy positioning data from Trimble survey-grade receivers to iOS and Android mobile devices.
“We are excited that TerraGo is now part of our developer program. This relationship will enable TerraGo to embed Trimble technology into their products, and deliver GNSS position data that is fully integrated with TerraGo applications,” said Dan Colbert, manager of Partner Programs at Trimble. “The goal of this partnership is to create new opportunities and added value for TerraGo customers desiring to seamlessly bring Trimble GNSS receivers into their existing workflows by providing any level of accuracy they need for the job at hand.”
“This is great news for customers, resellers and integration partners that want the highest levels of GNSS performance from Trimble combined with the ease of use of TerraGo’s iOS and Android apps,” said Dave Basil, vice president of Product Development at TerraGo. “Many TerraGo Edge customers need better accuracy and richer positioning data than can be achieved with consumer devices. Now they can get the best of both worlds with ‘out-of-the-box’ survey-grade accuracy for all types of demanding applications including survey, utilities, energy and engineering work. At the same time, TerraGo Magic enables organizations to build their own branded, customized apps in minutes that integrate with Trimble GNSS devices, without writing any code.”
TerraGo Edge and TerraGo Magic including the Trimble GNSS Direct SDK are available today. Download the free iOS or Android app.
TerraGo is offering a live demonstration of the Trimble GNSS Direct SDK with TerraGo Edge in a Dec. 13 webinar.
Avenza Systems has announced that its mobile mapping app, Avenza Maps, will now come in a Pro version. Avenza Maps Pro is an annual subscription designed to meet the needs of professionals of businesses, government agencies and educational institutions.
Avenza Maps Pro is the most powerful version to date of the application. It benefits from years of development and commitment to the mapping community, Avenza said.
Features of the Pro subscription include commercial, government and other professional use rights (not available with other versions), allowing an unlimited number of maps to be imported, Shapefile import and export, data collection and management and enhanced support.
The subscription also allows for enterprise-level management of the Avenza Maps app across mobile devices for organizations of any size using a new subscription management system.
“We have plans to build out additional professional features to increase the value proposition of Avenza Maps to the professional community,” said Doug Smith, sales director of Avenza Systems.
The Avenza Maps app is an all-inclusive mapping platform for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices. Consumers can download the app for free, get georeferenced maps from the Avenza Map Store, and use them completely offline with a variety of tools. Map publishers can register as a vendor in the Avenza Map Store and generate revenue by pricing their maps and making them available for purchase. Businesses and organizations can upgrade to a cost-effective Avenza Maps Pro subscription which allows for commercial use, includes enhanced tools and features, and enhanced support.
Trimble’s TX6 and improved TX8 high-performance 3D laser scanning solutions offer a fully integrated high-dynamic range (HDR) camera and Wi-Fi remote control. The high-speed 3D laser scanners provide increased productivity and versatility for users.
The TX6 and the TX8 leverage Trimble’s patented technology, combining microsecond time-of-flight distance measurement with advanced on-board signal and 3D data processing, designed to provide the best combination of productivity, range and accuracy in all conditions.
TX8 3D laster scannr by Trimble.
Integration with Trimble RealWorks allows geospatial professionals to produce high-quality deliverables to pair with CAD software or Trimble SketchUp and EdgeWise for advanced point cloud modeling solutions.
The Trimble TX6 is a medium-range 3D scanning solution designed to quickly capture detail in applications such as public safety, forensics, building for as-builts, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP), Building Information Modeling (BIM) and quality control during construction.
The Trimble TX8 is designed best-in-class for geospatial professionals that require enhanced versatility and longer ranges to effectively support a variety of applications in urban environments, civil infrastructures and challenging terrains.
“The new TX6 and improved TX8 3D laser scanners provide our customers with a range of options to fit their application needs without compromising data quality, accuracy or efficiency,” said Ron Bisio, vice president of Trimble’s Geospatial Division. “The power and versatility of Trimble’s scanning solutions allow construction, surveying and geospatial professionals to meet the needs of even their most demanding clients.”
If you are responding to a disaster that may have destroyed cell phone towers, and you have no power or otherwise limited connectivity, how will you work GIS data and imagery under these seemingly impossible conditions? Every map query, location shift, every zoom in/out requires a fresh query of the data from the server — precisely what you can no longer do. Now an inventor has come forward with a device that can provide phone or internet connectivity in environments that would be impossible for traditional equipment.
As a frame of reference for this disaster scenario, five years ago when I was still working for Pictometry, I participated in a large DHS disaster response exercise in New York City. This was a full blown NIMS exercise that included more than 250 local, state and federal participants at the command center with even more personnel in the field. The exercise simulated a massive oil spill between Staten Island and Bayonne and was a full mobilization of personnel and equipment including the Coast Guard and related commercial businesses just as if it was a real event.
The ad hoc command center was set up in a large ballroom of a Staten Island hotel and was organized and operated in accordance with “National Incident Management System” (NIMS) guidance. The Incident Command and Control Center was laid out as recommended by the Incident Command System (ICS). Standard NIMS procedures and communications were followed as the exercise ramped up with participants arriving at the hotel setting up their equipment. Most had cell phones, laptops and other communications devices.
For my part I had a computer and large LCD projector to display GIS data and high resolution oblique imagery of the disaster location on a large screen for all participants to see. I was getting a lot of oohs and aahs as the measureable high resolution imagery hit the screen. For a while I was the center of attention as everyone became familiar with the visual details of the disaster site and surrounding locations. I was using a an online capability developed by Pictometry and Lockheed Martin called Intelligence On Demand (IOD). The system accessed Pictometry servers containing over 4 petabytes of measureable ortho and oblique imagery overlaid with multiple layers of GIS vector and raster data. The system was very robust and was able to help participants build a common operational picture of the unfolding scenario. But my glory was short-lived since IOD had an Achilles heel.
NEW YORK – U.S. Coast Guard is responding to fuel oil discharged from a barge in Kill Van Kull at Mariner’s Harbor, Staten Island N.Y., Dec. 15, 2012. The barge’s tank holds approximately 147,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil. Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Jetta H. Disco
IOD relied on a continuous connection to the server. Every map query, location shift, every zoom in/out required a fresh query of the data from the server. This was no problem with a fast connection but as the number of participants grew the internet connection slowed to a crawl even with a T1 line serving the facility. With more than 250 participants all crowding the line, it was difficult to send even a simple email. I was dead in the water and learned a painful lesson.
A had a similar experience several years ago during the multiple tornado outbreaks in northeast Alabama. With power out for over a week we experienced our own isolation with no cable service, limited TV and spotty sporadic cell phone service. We had to charge our phones using our cars but had to be frugal with that since area gas pumps were also out of commission.
I had numerous discussions with the Pictometry engineers asking if there was some way that at the start of an event, when we identify a disaster location, that we could cache the needed imagery of the location negating the need to keep hitting the server. Not sure if that’s been done yet.
The engineers kept referring to new methods in the works to provide connectivity in lean environments. I’ve seen some of them ranging from portable towers, overhead aircraft, satellites and even aerostats but most are not cheap or quickly available. Two month ago at a geospatial technology showcase I saw a device that may provide the answer: the Plum Case.
I’m not a communications/internet expert so I’m relying on third party experiences and opinions that the Plum Case, developed by a retired communications CEO, seems to be a solution for many applications. It simply is a “network in a box” that can deliver cell phone service and fast internet connectivity in locations that may have weak or seemingly no service. It does that using an array of very sensitive antennas that nurse even the weakest signals and boost them to usable connectivity for the local users.
Below is a video clip of the Plum Case being demonstrated at the recent TechVet conference.
The inventor, Lee Williams, said he named it a Plum because Apple was taken. Simply put, the Plum Case is a network in a box with GPS. It can provide phone or internet connectivity in environments that would be impossible for traditional devices. It does that by jumping between four wireless services and choosing the best one or MU-MIMO (Multiple User – Multiple Inputs/Multiple Outputs).
It can provide phone or internet connectivity in environments that would be impossible for traditional devices. It does that by using highly sensitive vertical polarity antennas spaced in a specific arrangement that far exceeds most antenna systems such as those found in smartphones, wireless cards or dongles. As a result, this “hyper-sensitive” receiving system can extract connectivity when all other equipment indicates “no signal. Additionally, the very robust connections result in very high data transmission rates.
What this means is that if you are responding to a disaster that may have destroyed cell phone towers, no power or otherwise limited connectivity, the Plum Case will extract connectivity under seemingly impossible conditions. Contact the people at Plum Laboratories for additional information and current user experience and testimonies.
DT Research has released the DT395CR and DT395GS rugged tablets. While designed for field professionals, the tablets cost less than consumer-grade tablets over the lifetime of the product, DT Research said.
The DT395GS rugged tablet by DT Research.
Both DT395 tablets are highly durable to withstand extreme environments, designed with fully integrated options to eliminate easily broken attachments in mission-critical scenarios, and include security, privacy and productivity settings.
The DT395GS tablet is designed for field applications with a high-accuracy GNSS module that is compatible with existing GIS software for mapping applications and brings together the advanced workflow for GIS data capture, accurate positioning and data transmission. The u-blox M8 GNSS module is capable of concurrent reception of GPS and GLONASS for up to 2-meter accuracy.
“Many businesses have adopted mobile tablets with the goal of increasing productivity by leveraging the versatile tablet form-factor,” said Daw Tsai, president of DT Research. “But companies within construction, field service, logistics, manufacturing and warehousing have found that consumer-grade tablets are too fragile for their environment — requiring costly repairs and replacements that introduce expensive downtime. Our new DT395 rugged tablets give vertical industries exactly what they need with high reliability and lower TCO (total cost of ownership) over the lifetime of the product.”
According to a VDC Research study, the average annual TCO of a ruggedized tablet is 22 percent lower than the average annual TCO of a non-rugged tablet. The study found average failure rates for non-rugged tablets is 15.2 percent compared to 6.9 percent for rugged tablets. Lost productivity, as a result of mobile device failure, was a leading contributor to higher TCO for non-rugged tablets. Mobile workers lost an average of 52-80 minutes of productivity when their mobile device failed. (Source: VDC Research, “Total Cost of Ownership Models for Mobile Computing and Wireless Platforms,” Third Edition.)
Unlike consumer-grade tablets, the DT395CR and DT395GS ruggedized tablets are designed to be used in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments with full HD anti-reflection outdoor viewable displays. The tablets are IP65 and MIL-STD-810G rated to withstand 4-foot drops and extreme temperatures (-4° F to 140° F), and resist water, dust and humidity.
“We tried iPads, but they were not suited for our environment,” said Marty Phillips, director of engineering at Murray Equipment, Inc. “Our customers do millions of dollars of fertilizer loading within an eight-week window in a broad range of weather conditions. If a remote control tablet is down for even an hour, it’s a significant revenue loss. We have used DT Research rugged tablets in our automated liquid-handling facilities across the U.S. for more than three years with no downtime or repair/replacement costs. The reliability of DT Research’s rugged tablets is unmatched.”
Both the DT395CR and DT395GS have an 8.9-inch display with 1920 x 1200 resolution and capacitive touch, and weigh 2.87 pounds. The tablets run on an Intel Atom Quad Core CPU with 4GB RAM running Microsoft Windows 10 IoT Enterprise OS.
Security, privacy and productivity settings
“Security, privacy and productivity are a growing concern in many organizations,” Helen Fanucci, GM of Americas Device IoT Experience, Microsoft. “We are pleased to see DT Research utilize the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise-grade security to support mission-critical rugged tablets for customers and deliver a safer device experience, which enhances productivity for a variety of mobile scenarios in manufacturing, field service, logistics and other industries.”
The DT395 tablets leverage advanced Windows 10 IoT Enterprise OS security including Device Guard, combining hardware and software security to lock down a device so that it can only run trusted applications. The DT395 also includes lock-down features to protect against malicious users while providing a custom-defined user experience.
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID can pose a security issue when using consumer-grade tablets within a business environment. DT Research DT395 rugged tablets can be purpose-built with a camera privacy mode and
preconfigured with Bluetooth, RFID and Wi-Fi disable functions. The DT395 rugged tablets can also eliminate access to internet or social media applications to address productivity challenges.
Customizable options
DT Research offers customizable options for the DT395CR and DT395GS including an optimized OS and BIOS. Customers can choose to have the options below fully-integrated.
3G WWAN or 4G LTE
2D Barcode Scanner
Class 1 Bluetooth (1000 feet)
Camera (5 Megapixel back camera)
GNSS Module (u-blox M8)
HF/RFID 13.56MHz reader
HDMI-in and Ethernet port
Six-pin push/pull connector for EIA/RS-232/485/422, USB port and Ethernet port
The iX series of robotic total stations uses ultrasonic technology.
Sokkia has introduced a new line of robotic total stations. Featuring ultrasonic technology, the iX series is designed to provide smooth, accurate prism-tracking and is “lighter and faster,” according to a Sokkia news release.
“Ultrasonic technology is the driving force for the iX series,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global surveying products. “The Ultrasonic motors are the thinnest, lightest and most reliable on the market. With a rotation speed of 150 degrees per second, the iX series offers the efficiency of a single-operator robotic system and the power of long-range reflectorless measurements of up to 800 meters and 6,000 meters with a reflector.
“Our new UltraTrac technology gives you increased prism-tracking strength in all conditions. Advanced instrument algorithms deliver the confidence you need to move ahead,” he said.
The system is designed to be a compact solution and is a third smaller and lighter than previous robotic Sokkia instruments.
Along with complementing Sokkia products, the instrument is designed with an open platform for additional compatibility with non-proprietary software and controllers. The iX series also features a five-year motor warranty.
Pokévision, a third-party app for the viral mobile game Pokémon Go, uses Esri’s location-based data and mapping platform ArcGIS to help players of the game find Pokémon around them.
Pokévision helps Pokémon Go players hunt more strategically by displaying location changes and time spent in each place; the length of time in a given location depends on the rarity of the character.
A web map powered by ArcGIS services, Pokévision shows all Pokémon near user-requested locations. When visitors type an address or drop a pin on the map, Pokémon are displayed in real time.
“When we created Pokévision, we chose Esri ArcGIS almost immediately because it was the only option that was able to scale at the rate we were growing,” said the Pokévision founder Y. Liu. “Using Esri alleviated many of the concerns we had with scaling, and helped us to quickly and seamlessly keep pace with our growing user base.”
Pokévision had 20 million unique users in the first five days and is growing. Its peak usage exceeded 320,000 visitors with map requests reaching into the tens of millions.
Pokévision developers chose Esri for its open-source, mobile-friendly interactive mapping capabilities. The developers first built the locator for a few friends, but the tool was so popular it quickly went viral. Within hours of creation, Esri experienced double the normal hit rates, and use of interactive maps used to display Pokémon rose by more than 30 percent.
“The ArcGIS Online platform is designed to scale in high-performance, high-growth environments,” said Paul Ross, product manager for ArcGIS Online at Esri. “Even large data sets at high volume can be handled in real or near real time, as happened with the Pokévision locator.”
Developers can bring the Pokévision location to their apps using ArcGIS regardless of their experience in creating geospatial applications. Web, mobile, and desktop apps can incorporate the same mapping, visualization, and analysis that hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world rely on every day.
what3word’s three-word addressing system has been integrated into numerous mapping and navigation services ahead of the Summer Olympics, being held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Aug. 5-21.
what3words is used in the RioGo app (which won the Rio Olympics Transport Challenge) and Navmii, an offline satnav app.
what3words makes it easy to find and get to any location in the world, the company explains. The service works both online and offline, and is based on a location reference platform that uses a global grid of 57 trillion 3 x 3-meter squares. Each square has a unique pre-assigned three-word address, no matter how remote. This makes it easy to both pinpoint an address and communicate it — in whichever of its nine different languages travelers prefer, including Brazil’s national tongue Portuguese.
At the Olympics, specifying exactly where to meet or where to go can be difficult. For example, there are four entrances to the Aquatic stadium: expired.stud.cucumber, carbon.padding.puddles, ducks.hillside.frocks and saying.rosette.slogged.
Meeting friends or family in the Olympic Park is easy — meeting at forgiven.milder.dragon (the handball entrance in the Future Arena). If medical attention is needed, tourists can navigate offline to the Jacarepagua Pharmacy is at hint.laws.squares, while the Victoria Hospital is at reheat.admit.take
Outside of the Olympic Park, tourists can park near the Christ the Redeemer statue at puff.goggles.really, or find the start of the walking trail to Sugar Loaf at replays.chain.assist.
Getting around with what3words
There are many different ways what3words will be used during the Olympics. what3words is in RioGo, the official Olympics public transit app — so visitors can use multi-modal journeys (bus, bike hire, walking, taxi…) to navigate around the city.
For navigation when walking or driving, users can type in three-word addresses into Navmii for offline routing to and from three-word addresses.
PocketEarth, an app available on Apple OS, lets users view worldwide street maps and key locations of hostels, cafés, bars, hiking trails and more. Guests simply download the offline map for Brazil and they can navigate the entire country simply, using 3 word addresses for every location.
When planning their trip, visitors can use TripUGo’s travel guide to find museums, swimming spots, adventure playgrounds, hiking and biking trails and much more. Every TripUGo location has its 3 word address listed — from the skatepark at akward.tilting.beams or the Casa do Pontal Museum at owner.includes.solo to the surf spot at Saquarema beach.
Guest houses are now listing their three-word addresses to make sure travelers can find them, even offline. Brazilrentmyhouse.com, for example, set up by entrepreneur Matthew Parker to help visitors find local accommodation during the Rio Games, lists three-word addresses for each rental.
Rio Security
DigitalGlobe has developed an extensive security package to ensure the safety of guests and athletes during Rio 2016. Using its fleet of WorldView satellites, DigitalGlobe’s package that detects disruptions to infrastructure, identifies high-crime zones and offers the most up-to-date imagery of Rio as seen from space, providing security officials with the information needed to formulate comprehensive security planning. It also will help people avoid mosquito zones (Brazil is facing a servere Zika virus outbreak).
what3words has been integrated into the platform. While GPS coordinates are accurate, communicating long strings of numbers between humans is prone to error. With what3words, security teams and those on the ground can quickly identify and easily communicate incidents, team rallying points, helicopter landing sites or temporary triage tents. They can share an accurate location with a paramedic, a security team member or even with civilians and guests.
The DigitalGlobe Rio Olympics security package consists of more than 100 geospatial layers containing over 80,000 features and 1.25 million building footprints, extracted and compiled from DigitalGlobe imagery and publicly available data.
Brazil doesn’t track addresses for its favelas, such as Rio’s largest, Rocinha.
what3words in the favelas
The residents of Rio’s largest favela, Rocinha, already know all about the efficiency of what3words. According to many official maps, Rocinha is just an empty space. More than 3,000 streets and the homes of more than 70,000 residents are invisible.
The Brazilian post office does not deliver in favelas, but a local co-operative, Carteiro Amigo, is using what3words to address every single house in the teeming favela to safely deliver letters and parcels.
Handheld Group has launched the new Nautiz X2 enterprise handheld, which integrates a high-quality scanner, camera and mobile phone.
The rugged Nautiz X2, available now, can be used in challenging outdoor environments with moisture, dust, extreme temperatures and potential drops, the company says.
The Nautiz X2 features include:
Computing power from a quad-core processor and Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.
High-quality, high-speed scanners with 1D or 2D capability.
An integrated camera with8-megapixel clarity, autofocus and flash.
4G/LTE Android phone functionality.
Google GMS, which gives users access to Google Maps and Play Store apps.
A sunlight-readable, 4.7-inch capacitive display with multi-touch sensitivity.
“The challenge in designing market-leading devices in a given product category is to balance key factors like technology, design, materials and general usability as well as keeping the cost in mind,” says Johan Hed, Handheld Group director of product management. “The brilliance of the Nautiz X2 is that it has that tangible in-the-hand sense of form and fit of a high-end technology device, and we are still able to offer it at an impressive value.”
The Nautiz X2 measures 150 millimeters by 73.5 millimeters, is 16 millimeters deep at the keyboard and weighs 230 grams.
It has an IP65 ingress protection rating against dust, sand and water immersion, the company says. The handleld also meets stringent MIL-STD-810G military test standards for overall durability and resistance to humidity, shock, vibrations, drop, salt and extreme temperatures, and the touchscreen is made of Gorilla Glass for durability.
GammaTech Computer Corp.is offering a new all-in-one computer, the Durabook V10BB. The unit is a highly customizable, ultra-rugged, all-in-one computer designed specifically for military and homeland security applications.
The unit is compliant with multiple military standards and IP67 specification to meet extremely harsh conditions while providing highly reliable CCCI and battle management capabilities.
The V10BB can be tailored to meet specific applications or requirements through optional military connectors, programmable function buttons, and various military I/O interfaces.
“When it comes to engineering and manufacturing computer devices that can withstand the most hostile, toughest military applications, GammaTech stands head and shoulders above the competition,” said Tom Wang, GammaTech president. “The rugged Durabook V10BB all-in-one computer provides our military and homeland defense personnel with the accuracy, efficiency, reliability, and durability they deserve and need, whether in actual combat or preparing for it.”
The Durabook V10BB is compliant with multiple military standards, including:
MIL-STD-461F for control of electromagnetic interference (EMI)
MIL-STD-810G for vibration, water, temperature, shock and dust proofing
MIL-STD-1250 for corrosion prevention and deterioration control
MIL-STD-1275 for military ground vehicles (Optional)
Because of its functionality and safety features, the Durabook V10BB is designed for combat or non-combat military operations in extremely harsh environments.
Other key features of the Durabook V10BB include:
Multi-function display withspecial night mode; and optical bonding with EMI mesh to optimize direct sunlight readability
Intel Broadwell MCP processor which supports both 4 GB or 8 GB onboard memory and a 2.5-inch wide temperature 500-GB SATA SSD
TomTom has entered a technology collaboration with sensewhere, a provider of indoor positioning technology. According to the companies, the collaboration will enable the two companies to conquer GPS black spots and bring location-based services indoors.
TomTom Indoor delivers accurate customized indoor maps of public and private venues for site operators and other partners that enable increased efficiency, cost savings and an improved customer experience.
sensewhere has developed a proprietary and patented positioning solution for mobile devices. The combination of TomTom’s maps — both indoor and traditional navigation maps — and sensewhere’s accurate indoor positioning will enable a seamless navigation experience indoors and outdoors.
sensewhere algorithms enable location for indoor locations such as shopping malls, using sensors such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
“Access to indoor positioning technology, coupled with highly accurate indoor maps, means that guidance can be integrated into the day-to-day operations of a wide variety of venues, including enterprise facilities, shopping malls, airports, hospitals and more,” said Pieter Gillegot-Vergauwen, vice president, Maps Product Management, TomTom. “With the explosion of the Internet of Things, we believe that by partnering with sensewhere our customers will not only be able to gain efficiencies, but will also deliver a better experience to their own customers.”
“We are excited to help TomTom extend its navigation prowess indoors with this technology collaboration,” said Rob Palfreyman, CEO of sensewhere. “We believe this integration is a perfect fit for enterprises that need to combine location intelligence, resource planning and efficient execution.”
Where’s Waldo? sensewhere uses pinpoint people to illustrate how its system works in a home page video.
Aqua Map is an iOS and Android app for GPS marine navigation, aimed at boaters and fishermen.
