Portos Team paired with the Ninja. (Photo: iP-Solutions)
Japan-based iP-Solutions has introduced Portos Team, a new GNSS RF signal record-and-playback system.
The Portos Team can record and play back — or simulate —multi-frequency, multi-system GNSS signals when paired with the company’s Replicator. It can do the same for CRPA signals when paired with the Ninja (see photo).
The Portos itself can also operate as multi-frequency or CRPA front-end for a GNSS software receiver.
The high-end Ninja simulator allows for multi-antenna controlled radiation pattern antenna (CRPA) and local-area augmentation system (LAAS) simulation, the company said.
The 24-channel Replicator — developed in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) — provides real-time generation of GNSS signals, recording and playback of dual-frequency GNSS RF signals, and GNSS RF signal analysis with JAXA COSMODE ionospheric scintillation monitor.
Septentrio has introduced a GNSS/INS receiver designed specifically for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The AsteRx-i S UAS combines GNSS technology with industrial-grade inertial sensor to provide high-accuracy, reliable positioning and 3D orientation (heading, roll, pitch) to aerial drones and other compact robotic systems.
Septentrio’s introduction of AsteRx-i S UAS builds on top of the success of the company’s existing UAV products, AsteRx m2 and m2a UAS. Its optimized SWaP (size, weight and power) increases UAV battery life resulting in longer flight times and improved productivity.
Intergeo, Hall 1, Booth D1.040, Sept. 17-19, Stuttgart, Germany
Photo: Allison Barwacz
This credit-card-sized receiver is designed for easy integration into any UAS (unmanned aerial system) and is compatible with popular autopilots such as Pixhawk and ArduPilot. It is a single-package GNSS/INS product, with an on-board IMU (inertial measurement unit) and standard connectors, allowing flexibility of sensor choice.
“Quick receiver integration makes the lives of our customers easier. It also speeds up their system’s time-to-market,” said Danilo Sabbatini, Product Manager at Septentrio. “Our goal was to combine a high-performance product with a simple and flexible plug-and-play integration design, suitable for any aerial system.”
Septentrio reliable centimeter-level positioning is based on multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS technology (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS). AsteRx-i S UAS combines a GNSS receiver with a high-quality IMU to deliver reliable positioning together with 3D orientation.
Septentrio’s unique GNSS — IMU integration algorithm provides continuous positioning during short GNSS outages (coasting) which can happen in flight near high structures, under bridges or during banking turns.
AsteRx-i S UAS comes with built-in industry leading Advanced Interference Mitigation (AIM+) technology. In aerial drones, where lots of electronics are crammed into a small space, neighboring devices can emit electromagnetic radiation which interferes with GPS and GNSS signals.
AIM+ offers protection against such interference resulting in faster set-up times and robust continuous operation. A built-in power spectrum plot allows users to analyze interference, helping locate its source and mitigating it.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is preparing for a GPS backup and complementary positioning, navigation and timing demonstration for the Department of Defense at the Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Demonstration for testing is expected to begin in the spring of 2020, and DOT is seeking contractors to make Building #2410 at the base functional so that the demonstrations can be held there.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, deputy assistant secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology, is leading the project. Working through the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Furchtgott-Roth’s goal is to demonstrate as many of the technologies as possible and conclude the effort by March of next year.
The new high-accuracy tactical-grade STIM318 inertial measurement unit (IMU) from Sensonor provides greatly increased accelerometer performance to support demanding guidance and navigation applications, the company said. Its performance can in many applications competitively replace fiber-optic gyros (FOGs).
Offering improved system performance with respect to robustness, reliability, size, weight, power and cost, it is designed for use in autonomous machine control, UAV payloads, satellites, portable target acquisition systems, land navigations systems, turret stabilization, missile stability and navigation, and mortar aiming systems.
STIM318 is comprised of three highly accurate MEMS gyros, three high-stability accelerometers and three inclinometers. Its development took place in close cooperation with a global customer developing autonomous machine control for accurate contour guidance. The IMU is built on the established STIM design that is field proven in commercial and military applications.
An ITAR-free product, STIM318 is available in export controlled and non-export controlled versions. It is compatible with Sensonor’s STIM300 IMU, and can bring additional capability to applications already using STIM300. STIM318 is available from stock.
In addition to the performance increase, STIM318 comes with a new Bias Trim Offset (BTO) function. This allows the user to individually zero out any bias of all 9 axes. The bias offset can be stored in flash, and then recalled at next system startup.
Providing significantly improved capability, flexibility and performance, the GSS9000 Series has been updated to meet the ever more demanding test needs of high-performance satellite navigation systems.
Spirent already leads the market in multi-frequency, multi-GNSS RF constellation simulators, and the enhanced GSS9000 Series’ enriched features and capabilities raise the bar for GNSS development and test still further.
Photo: Spirent
“We’re seeing the number of GNSS signals growing all the time, and an ever-increasing number of the receivers and systems we rely on every day are making use of these signals to improve accuracy, availability and continuity,” said Spirent Managing Director of Positioning, Martin Foulger. “That’s why it’s important that GNSS testing today and going forward reflects the reality of real-world situations, where simultaneous generation and testing of all signals is vital.”
The enhanced GSS9000 Series addresses this need by doubling the number of supported channels (320 in a single chassis) while maintaining its full performance specification, including in key areas such as signal iteration rate and low latency, under maximum signal dynamics.
These attributes, together with the ability to produce a comprehensive range of emulated multi-GNSS, multi-frequency RF signals, enables full and future-proofed testing of advanced applications.
“Because the GSS9000’s dedicated platform and software are designed from the ground up to work together, there is no need for a trade-off between capacity and performance,” says Foulger. “The newly-enhanced platform provides full control and verification at maximum performance across all channels at all times, removing any need for our customers to compromise their testing regimes.”
Greater signal flexibility is also built into the enhanced GSS9000 Series, through its open API and flexible system architecture. This delivers a highly-sophisticated arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) capability.
It also provides unrivalled coverage and support for all current Signal-in-Space Interface Control Documents (SIS ICDs), with even greater flexibility for both system and signal evolutions.
This includes built-in and user-defined parameter controls for generation of non-current SIS ICD PRN codes, navigation data content, navigation data rate, chipping rate, edge shaping and modulation types.
The enhanced GSS9000 Series also features sophisticated spoofing test capabilities, with full parametric control of multi-copy constellations, and trajectory spoofing/meaconing. Precise phase-aligned signal wavefront generation and multi-antenna/output capability is supported, creating the most capable anti-jam and anti-spoof test system available anywhere.
“Spirent has an unmatched pedigree in GNSS test, stretching back more than 30 years. The enhanced GSS9000 Series is the next step in the continuous advances we’ve been making over that period,” Foulger said. “Once again, we have applied our unique expertise and experience to provide those working in high-end GNSS technology and application development with an advanced test solution that meets their current and future needs.”
The enhanced GSS9000 Series will be officially unveiled at ION GNSS+ 2019 in Miami, Florida (Sept. 16 – 20).
NovAtel, part of Hexagon’s Positioning Intelligence division, now brings users greatly improved processing speed and accuracy as well as significantly reduced signal acquisition time through the latest 7.07.03 firmware release.
The SPAN CPT7. (Photo: NovAtel)
The firmware works best with the recently launched TerraStar-X correction service, which delivers accuracy and reliability, as well as the OEM7, SPAN CPT7 and PwrPak7 products, which use signals from all GNSS constellations and frequencies to provide users with reliable autonomy and exceptional positioning availability.
The 7.07.03 firmware offers a significant improvement to the SPAN GNSS + INS (inertial navigation system) technology. SPAN with 7.07.03 shows improvements of up to 20% in the horizontal position over the entire SPAN IMU catalog and across various industry use cases including agriculture and marine. SPAN with 7.07.03 also provides improved motion detection, resulting in more robust time to convergence.
“The 7.07.03 firmware features improvements to both our SPAN Marine and SPAN Rail profiles that will greatly impact application performance and consistency,” noted NovAtel Director of Product Management, Neil Gerein, “The SPAN Marine Profile sees improvements to the heave performance and will allow users to start their work significantly faster thanks to a simplified setup for applications in marine dynamics. The SPAN Rail Profile improves position accuracy over long GNSS outages, which is crucial for applications in rail environments that often deal with potential signal obstructions such as trees, tunnels and dense urban areas.”
To download the 7.07.03 firmware update for your platform, click here.
3D modeling solution creates true-to-life synthetic environments for more accurate testing.
Spirent Communications plc has launched an innovative multipath simulation solution, Spirent Sim3D. The 3D modeling solution enables the testing of realistic multipath and obscuration effects on GNSS signals in a true-to-life synthetic environment.
Sim3D is suitable for use by automotive, chipset, handset and receiver manufacturers, as well as in aerospace, military, mining and precision agricultural applications.
Spirent will demonstrate Sim3D at ION GNSS+ 2019 in Miami, Florida, Sept. 16-20.
Studying multipath. Historically, researchers and developers of GNSS receivers have had to rely on statistical models and time-consuming field testing to study the effects of multipath on GNSS signals.
With Sim3D, the industry can now gain a greater understanding of the impact of multipath and obscuration in a broad range of real-life situations. It offers the level of control and traceability needed for developers to improve their customers’ experience in the most challenging environments.
A satellite signal reflecting off surfaces, such as a building, a high-sided vehicle, a tree, or even the ground, alters the pseudorange, causing the signal to arrive at the receiver slightly later than line-of-sight signals.
Without proper mitigation, this can cause a receiver to output an inaccurate position.
“Obscuration and multipath effects are one of the major obstacles faced by engineers trying to achieve accurate GNSS positioning solutions,” said Spirent Managing Director of Positioning Martin Foulger. “The accelerating development of connected autonomous vehicles and other precision applications means the need to test for higher precision positioning, navigation and timing in a variety of environments is growing rapidly. Sim3D is an important and timely development.”
Image: Spirent
Simulation of 3D environments. The unique system has been developed in partnership with OKTAL Synthetic Environment. It offers the ability to simulate multipath effects in a range of lifelike geo-typical environments, using different models to recreate locations such as urban highway, an inner city or a forest. Geo-specific models of real locations can also be commissioned.
During simulation with Sim3D, the GNSS signals interact with fully customizable 3D environments to simulate real-life applications in operation, like a vehicle on a highway, or a wearable device on a pedestrian.
This gives a level of detail, control and realism in testing not previously available. Such realistic multipath and obscuration simulation will add greater credibility to GNSS testing and assure that developed solutions are optimized and tested for their intended environments.
“As vehicles become increasingly autonomous, it’s vital to get a more detailed understanding of the effects of obscuration and multipath on a vehicle’s ability to generate an accurate GNSS-based position” explained Foulger. “Statistical models cannot sufficiently achieve this.
“Sim3D’s ability to realistically simulate different environments provides this greater accuracy and brings a host of benefits to researchers and developers of autonomous vehicle systems,” Foulger said. “It will help to guide critical design decisions like where to place the GNSS antenna on the vehicle, what GNSS receiver to use and when to hand over to other position sensors as GNSS signals degrade.”
Higher rate, higher acceleration applications benefit from SWaP-C advantages of MEMS-based inertial systems.
Gladiator Technologies’ LandMark 007 inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines low noise, high range sensors and Velox high-speed output in a rugged IMU package measuring 0.7 inches square. With rate ranges up to 2000°/s and acceleration ranges as high as 200 g, the LandMark 007 IMU provides demanding, precision performance for a range of high dynamic, rugged applications.
Photo: Gladiator Technologies
All LandMark 007 IMUs feature Velox high-speed message timing to minimize digital message phase lag. They also include high-speed output data rates (up to 10 kHz) for measurement accuracy and flexibility.
These high-speed features are complemented by low-noise gyros with a gyro angle random walk (ARW) of <0.0035°/s/√Hz (0.15°/√hr) and low-noise accelerometers with a velocity random walk (VRW) of <6 mg/√Hz.
“The LandMark 007 IMU is uniquely designed to meet the industry’s need for a compact, rugged and high performance, cost-effective IMU. Extensive conditioning and testing ensure reliable, stable measurements for our customers with high dynamic applications,” said Eric Yates, Gladiator Technologies’ sales manager. “We are seeing strong interest in the LandMark 007 and LandMark 007X IMUs from applications which otherwise have been limited to highly specialized, and therefore expensive, IMU solutions.”
IMUs with less than or equal to 98 g linear acceleration range are designated as LandMark 007 IMUs. IMUs with greater than 98g linear acceleration range are designated as LandMark 007X IMUs. The LandMark 007 IMU is exported categorized as ECCN7A994 and the LandMark 007X is export categorized as ECCN7A103.
A LandMark 007 IMU development kit is available for set-up, configuration and data collection.
Allystar Technology Co. has launched its QZSS L6 decoder technology in module TAU-1303, which supports tracking the QZSS signals L6D (CLAS) and L6E (MADOCA).
The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) satellite positioning system is operated by Japan as complementary to and an augmentation for GPS. The four satellites in the system broadcast the L6 signal, including L6D and L6E.
CLAS — the Centimeter-Level Augmentation Service — is provided through the L6(D1) signal, and the experimental augmentation service with MADOCA (Multi-GNSS Advanced Demonstration tool for Orbit and Clock Analysis) is provided through L6(D2) signal.
For QZSS, which will be fully operational in the future, Allystar’s latest solution can decode the corrections data broadcast from L6D and L6E signals, and assist developers in applying the centimeter-level accuracy by PPP-RTK algorithm with the correction data, according to Justin Yang, Allystar product manager.
Within its 7.6 x 7.6-millimeter tiny size, the TAU-1303 module provides six dedicated tracking channels to support tracking L6D and L6E at the same time.
For professional applications, the TAU1303 comes with built-in support for standard RTCM Protocol (MSM) and Proprietary Protocol, supporting 2,000 bits per second QZSS L6 raw data output directly for third-party integration and application.
CLAS on L6D channel provides the following error corrections: satellite clock, orbit, code bias, phase bias ionospheric delay and tropospheric delay. MADOCA on L6E channel provides the following error corrections: satellite clock, orbit, code bias and phase bias.
Allystar TAU-1303 offers superior performance thanks to an on-board 26-MHz temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) and a reduced time to first fix because of its dedicated 32-KHz real-time clock oscillator. Based on 40-nanometer manufacturing processes of the Cynosure III GNSS chipset, the TAU-1303 has very low power consumption of less than 40 mA at 3.3V.
Engineering samples are available.
How Allystar’s QZSS L6 Decoder TAU1303 operates. (Diagram: Allystar)
Some ups and downs for unmanned aircraft this month — good news that there is further progress on the pseudo-satellite front, but we also have MIL-SPEC drones lost to shoot-downs and recent crash landings. Amazon continues to advance toward deliveries really soon after orders, and another police department takes up drone use for aerial observation.
High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite UAS
HAPSMobile (Softbank 95% and AeroVironment 5% JV) is funding further development and testing of the Hawk30 family of high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) solar-powered unmanned aircraft, with the expectation of long-duration flights above 65,000 feet — “a super cell-tower up in the stratosphere…providing connectivity for everybody that needs it,” according to AeroVironment President and CEO Wahid Nawabi.
HAPSMobile is collaborating with the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC), which is managed by the University of Alaska (UA) Fairbanks, and with the University of Hawaii (UH) to conduct stratospheric test flights using the HAWK30 prototype HAPS vehicle. On behalf of this group, UA was recently granted a Certificate of Authorization by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly HAWK30 as a stratospheric telecommunications platform system over the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
The HAPSMobile team will prep test flights at Lanai during 2019, conducting safety verifications and working with island authorities to comply with local regulations. During the program, HAPSMobile will also explore contributions to environmental conservation and to agriculture. Hawaii — not a bad place to run test flights, you might say…
Predator UAV downed
Following the shooting down of a U.S. Global Hawk (really expensive) and one or two Iranian drones (not very expensive) in the Gulf of Hormuz, U.S. forces on Aug. 13 just crash-landed an MQ-1C Grey Eagle (Predator UAV family) southwest of Baghdad on farmland in the town of Radwaniyah. The following pictures were released by a local news group:
The aircraft doesn’t appear to be too badly damaged, and seems to have been deliberately brought to rest in soft undergrowth on the edge of a field. So crash-landing might be an overstatement — rather an unplanned landing, perhaps? Then again, the landing gear appears to be significantly bent out of shape, so the U.S. Army 52178 drone’s contact with the ground might have been heavier than normal.
The news source indicated that the drone might have been brought down by “electronic interference or have been intercepted by a cyber-attack.” perhaps references to potential jamming of some kind? Nevertheless, the aircraft landed safely and was then recovered by Iraqi Security Forces. There were no injuries or damage to property.
The U.S. Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle provides both combat and intelligence forces with a long-endurance, armed, unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with significant range, altitude and payload flexibility.
And another report hit the internet today that back in June, a £6 million U.K. Watchkeeper WK050 drone on a training flight met a somewhat messy end after overshooting its landing and coming to rest in a tree. But the report also mentions that there was some indication of possible operator error.
Amazon Drone Deliveries?
Fresh on the heels of Fed Ex deciding to dump Amazon as a customer because they would appear to be developing a competing delivery infrastructure, Amazon is proposing a semi-autonomous drone that could automate short-distance deliveries.
In a recent letter to the FAA, Amazon is proposing trials in “sparsely populated” regions of the U.S. using its latest 88lb MK-27 Prime Air delivery drone. The UAV apparently has well-developed sense-and-avoid for the flight phase and uses optical capability for the delivery phase.
If obstacles were to be detected in flight (other UAVs, low-flying manned aircraft, helicopters or birds) the MK-27 would avoid and fly round each obstacle. If an obstacle were detected during delivery (maybe the customer waving frantically to stay out of the cabbage patch) the delivery may be aborted and the drone would return to base. But would it automatically dispense one of those “We-called-while-you-were-out” postcards, fluttering down into the backyard so you could go pick up your package later?
Seriously, though… The initial trials would be managed by an operator who can command a return to base if the drone gets into any trouble, but Amazon claims that the fail-safe autonomy built into the MK-27 will make this unlikely. The hardware and software have gone through extensive simulated testing, and the drone has already completed more than 10,000 simulated delivery flights into representative backyards.
Amazon’s objective seems to be to eventually deliver packages within 30 minutes after the customer places an order — to Prime customers within ~8.5 miles from an Amazon fulfillment center.
Growing Police Use of Drones
The Oneida County, New York, Sheriff’s Office just announced that it is are now drone-trained and drone-equipped — with five certificated operators and a fleet of eight DJI Mavic drones for indoor and outdoor use.
The DJI drones will not be modified and will be used as is. The Mavic 2 drones will provide all manner of aerial surveillance including flood and disaster monitoring. In addition, active shooter investigations and the like could involve initial indoor surveillance using Mavic Air drone(s) to provide armed police with situational awareness before any take-down efforts. Accident investigations, location of missing persons, house fires, and rescue efforts are other applications for the drones.
The Sherriff’s department has been preparing for drone use for two years — five officers have already completed FAA-certified drone training, and others are expected to undertake training over time.
Summary
We have potential stratospheric “cell towers” being tested over Hawaii, landing accidents, preparations for potential rapid deliveries by Amazon drones, and another police department launching a drone unit. These are some of the expanding uses for drones, and the unfortunate reality that drones can sometimes get into operational difficulties.
Ensuring the freedom to continue innovating is vital to our global economy, job creation and ultimately to empowering the next generation of GPS-enabled applications.
GPS — it’s a household name and has come to benefit so many aspects of our day-to-day lives. Today across the globe, it is estimated that there are more than 3 billion GPS receivers in the marketplace. Included in this total are GPS receivers found in mobile phones, automobiles, airplanes, tractors, boats and high-precision surveying equipment, to name just a few examples. In the past decade alone, GPS applications like these have helped generate more than $1.2 trillion for the U.S. economy and millions of jobs.
So how did GPS become so ubiquitous? Thanks to the leadership of the United States Air Force, which maintains and operates the GPS constellation, and long-standing U.S. policy, which makes GPS available as a vital public resource, any private sector company can design and build a receiver capable of listening for these GPS signals, without seeking the government’s approval or paying user fees. This freedom to innovate is at the heart of why GPS has been so successful and continues to drive innovation across our economy.
With the freedom to innovate, GPS receiver manufacturers have developed a range of advanced technologies to address market needs from the simple to the highly complex. These technologies reflect the inherent functional and technical differences between radio communications services and a navigation service like GPS.
Huge range of technologies. GPS receiver innovations enable a receiver to listen for a GPS signal that is less than a millionth of a billionth of a watt, while simultaneously resisting interference that is 10,000 times greater. Whether the GPS receiver is found in a tiny smartwatch or a 20-ton tractor, what they have in common is the ability to convert a faint radio signal into what we most commonly recognize as our current location displayed as a blue dot. They do this remarkably well.
Today’s regulatory landscape also correctly recognizes that every GPS-enabled application has unique requirements driven by intended function, environment and design factors. For example, a GPS receiver used for synchronizing financial transactions has different demands from a GPS receiver found in an autonomous vehicle. The former focuses on timing while the latter needs precise positioning to help maintain lane-level guidance.
Similarly, high-precision surveying equipment capable of delivering centimeter-level accuracy will no doubt have different receiver and antenna requirements than those found in a typical smartphone. The freedom to innovate enables GPS receiver manufacturers to support this market differentiation.
GPS resiliency. With many of our nation’s key critical infrastructure sectors dependent on GPS, there has been increasing discussion in Washington about the resiliency of GPS. Some have specifically expressed concern that a GPS jamming or spoofing attack could disrupt these key services and have advocated for new requirements on GPS receivers.
To be clear, GPS jammers and spoofers are illegal devices, designed specifically to interfere with GPS signals, either blocking the signal outright or emitting a fake signal in order to falsify one’s location. In either scenario, this interference occurs within a localized area from a detectable source. So, the reality is that mandates won’t stop a malicious actor intent on illegally interfering with GPS or another wireless technology, but vigorous enforcement of U.S. federal law can.
It is also important to remember that the GPS satellites are a multi-use U.S. military-civilian asset, supporting the mission of our armed forces, and have therefore been built with the highest levels of security and redundancy. Any attempts to attack the GPS constellation risks impacting not just civil services but the military signal as well.
Mission-critical applications. When it comes to resiliency, open innovation enables GPS receiver manufacturers to work with mission-critical application providers to develop products designed to meet their specific requirements. Different categories of users can and should define and specify performance and resiliency requirements appropriate for their applications.
For example, the requirements for a military GPS receiver are much more demanding than those for the receiver in an IoT device that reports its position hourly or daily. A military GPS receiver will, therefore, be significantly more expensive than an IoT receiver. Conversely, those who deploy internet of things (IoT) receivers will require low price points to support ubiquitous applications.
GPS manufacturers and applications developers have responded to market requirements by providing new and innovative techniques for increasing resilience, including designing receivers capable of receiving signals from multiple GNSS systems. This is the best way to ensure resilience — via application-specific requirements that are driven by customers who are most knowledgeable about their needs, not by general regulations or government fiat.
Preserving signal access. At the same time, the government does have a responsibility to investigate and take the necessary enforcement action to preserve unhindered reception of GPS signals. Vigorous enforcement of federal law by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government agencies — which already prohibits the manufacture, importation, marketing, sale and operation of GPS jammers — can keep these illegal devices out of the hands of those seeking to disrupt GPS operations. Such enforcement is critical to protecting our military operations, aviation and other safety-of-life applications.
Over the past three decades, worldwide adoption of robust, innovative GPS receivers attests to the trust users have placed in GPS as the gold standard for availability, accuracy, reliability and resiliency. Ensuring the freedom to continue innovating is vital to our global economy, job creation and ultimately to empowering the next generation of GPS-enabled applications.
About the GPS Innovation Alliance
The GPS Innovation Alliance was founded by Deere & Company, Garmin International Inc. and Trimble Inc. The Alliance recognizes the ever-increasing importance of GPS and other GNSS technologies to the global economy and infrastructure and is firmly committed to furthering GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. The GPS Innovation Alliance seeks to protect, promote and enhance the use of GPS. For more information, visit www.gpsalliance.org or follow @GPS4Life.
J. David Grossman serves as executive director of the GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), an organization dedicated to protecting, promoting and enhancing the use of GPS. Prior to joining GPSIA, Grossman spent nearly a decade in public service, including as chief of staff to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn; legislative director and senior advisor for technology policy to Rep. Anna Eshoo of Silicon Valley; and as technology counsel to the U.S. House Small Business Committee under the leadership of Rep. Nydia Velázquez.
Grossman holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from George Mason University and a B.A. in Political Communication from George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs.
Drotek Electronics is now offering the F9P Sirius RTK GNSS Rover, which is designed to be mounted on a moving vehicle. The u-blox ZED-F9P module inside provides 1-cm position accuracy, a convergence time under 10 seconds and a navigation update rate up to 20 Hz.
The new Sirius RTK GNSS Rover F9P has a built-in active antenna patch. It receives GPS, Galileo, Beidou and GLONASS signals, providing additional accuracy. The F9 Sirius Rover is designed to fit most setup designs as well as integrate easily into a vehicle. Its six-pin JST-GH connector makes it plug-and-play with the Pixhawk Pro 3 autopilot.
