GPS World

Tag: survey

  • New Report Considers GNSS Market Outlook 2015-2020

    Research and Markets has added the report “Global Navigation Satellite Systems Market Outlook 2020” to its offerings. The global core GNSS market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 9 percent during 2015-2020.

    In the report, the analysts have identified and deciphered the market dynamics in important GNSS industry segments, highlighting the areas offering promising possibilities for companies to boost their growth, according to Research and Markets. The report studies the market by sectors including location-based services (LBS), transportation (further divided into road navigation, rail navigation, air navigation and marine navigation), surveying and agriculture. The GNSS application market is further studied by region: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World.

    The report provides a complete overview of the GNSS market globally. All the current trends and drivers, coupled with potential growth areas of the GNSS industry, have been evaluated in the report. Furthermore, the report provides information on opportunities in the industry for different companies in the chapter titled Opportunity Assessment.

    Additionally, to provide an exhaustive knowledge of the prospects for GNSS players on the geographical front, the report provides comprehensive knowledge of the 10 most worthwhile GNSS markets around the world (U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea and India). It includes information about the present state and future outlook of the LBS and telematics markets in these countries along with information about their personal navigation systems such as GPS, BeiDou,Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS and IRNSS.

    The report also looks into the competitive landscape covering business overviews, key financials, product analyses, recent developments and strengths and weaknesses of each of the players.

    Key trends considered in the report include:

    • Driverless Car: New GNSS Technology Use
    • Indoor GNSS Positioning Poised for Growth
    • People, Pets and Thing Finder: The Next Attraction
    • GNSS Based Products: A Burgeoning Market Opportunity
    • GNSS Jamming Gaining Attention

    Companies mentioned include:

    • AgJunction
    • CSR
    • Furuno Electric Co Ltd.
    • Garmin Ltd.
    • MiTAC International Corp.
    • Raytheon Company
    • Rockwell Collins
    • TomTom NV
    • Topcon Corporation
    • Trimble Navigation Ltd.

     

  • Hexagon Acquires Minority Stake in Blom ASA

    Hexagon AB announced that it will acquire 25 percent of the shares in Blom ASA for a total amount of approximately 9 MEUR.

    According to the announcement, Blom ASA has headquarters in Oslo, Norway, and is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company is a European service provider in the geospatial arena, offering a wide selection of geographic services to the government, enterprise and consumer markets. Services include the acquisition, processing and modeling of maps and images. With subsidiaries in 13 countries, Blom’s geographic information database houses one of the largest collections of maps, aerial images, and geospatial models across Europe. Through its online services, Blom provides access to its expansive database enabling customers to update their own datasets and partners the ability to create applications using Blom’s location-based services and navigation solutions.

    “Our alliances with geospatial information providers around the globe strengthens our vision of providing “dynamic”, more accurate and in the end real-time updates of the world around us”, said Ola Rollén, president and CEO of Hexagon AB. “With this investment, Hexagon secures access to high resolution and up-to-date geospatial information which is becoming increasingly important to our entire customer base, especially within Intergraph, where access to such data provides the foundation for industry-specific software solutions”.

    Hexagon reports that it has no current plans for any further offer with respect to shares in Blom. The transaction will close as of Friday, June 1, 2012.

  • Indianapolis Awards Multi-Million Dollar Mapping Contract to Woolpert

    Woolpert announced its Indianapolis office has been awarded two contracts totaling approximately $2 million by the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) to survey pavements and develop a street sign inventory using mobile mapping technology.

    According to the announcement, the project requires collection of data across 3,200 miles of city streets, one of the single largest mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) collection efforts to date. LiDAR technology uses pulses from a laser to produce highly accurate measurements and map physical features.

    “We’re proud to be at the front of using this industry-leading technology for a cost-effective approach to collecting data and developing a 3D model of the city. This truly maximizes taxpayers’ dollars by reducing the cost of a data collection effort while also providing us with the data necessary to perform government functions more efficiently, such as street rehabilitation,” said Jeremy Jobe, Woolpert project manager in Indianapolis. “Further, the dataset can be used for safety improvements through viewshed or line-of-sight analysis to proactively identify potential traffic hazards caused by the surrounding environment.”

    Nearly half of the cost associated with the project is being covered through a federal grant, according to Woolpert. The city leveraged this grant to significantly reduce using local dollars for the project. Remaining funds were generated from the RebuildIndy program and other local funding sources.

    Woolpert will use its Optech LYNX M1 Mobile LiDAR system to collect the data and then use that data to develop a street sign database for compliance with Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) requirements for sign inventories. This manual provides the U.S. standard for signs, signals and pavement markings.

    “The benefit of using a high-accuracy mobile LiDAR system with survey-grade capabilities on such projects is the rich dataset that it captures from which assets can be extracted, in this case signage,” said Jobe. “The city will not only be able to use the data for its sign database, it will also be able to extract or call on the Woolpert team to extract additional features in the future without remobilizing the team and assuming associated costs or placing additional field crews in harm’s way, which provides the true value in this collection effort.”

    Woolpert will team with VS Engineering and DB Engineering on the sign inventory and Dynatest on the pavement analysis. Upon completion of the project, data will be integrated with the city’s existing computerized maintenance management system.

  • Trimble GCSFlex Offers GPS Guidance for Flexibility in Excavation

    Trimble today introduced a new system configuration for its GCSFlex Grade Control System. The addition of GPS guidance extends the system’s functionality and allows a contractor to work faster and with more freedom than other traditional laser-referenced grade control systems for excavators, Trimble said. With the benefit of GPS guidance and in-field design templates created directly from the cab on the Trimble CB450 Control Box, an excavator operator can accurately dig to a desired depth, slope or alignment without creating a digital design in the office, Trimble said. There’s little prep work before the job and no grade checking after.

    The new GCSFlex system with GPS guidance allows users to create in-field designs in the cab and take advantage of GPS guidance in 2D mode rather than 3D. This capability adds more flexibility to the system without adding additional complexity in its use. Where traditional excavator grade-control systems have used a laser plane as a reference for these tasks, the new GCSFlex replaces the laser plane with GPS guidance for position and orientation of the excavator. This configuration gives the operator maximum freedom to move the machine without being tethered to a bench point on the ground or a laser transmitter with range limits, Trimble said.

    The latest system configuration comprises a CB450 Control Box in the cab; angle sensors on the boom, stick and bucket; a MS972 GNSS Smart Antenna on the cab roof; and a Trimble SNM940 Connected Site Gateway for receiving GPS corrections. Subscription services such as Trimble VRS Now Service or Trimble Internet Base Station Service (IBSS) communicate GPS corrections via a cellular connection to the SNM940 and eliminate the need for a base station.

    User-friendly menus on the CB450 Control Box allow the operator to create an in-field template for a particular excavation task and begin working on that project immediately, Trimble said. The display software provides step-by-step instructions to create an in-field design template for excavating to a fixed depth, a depth with slope, an alignment or a profile. For operators with little to no experience with machine control, it is an easy way to create an alignment similar to traditional methods that use staking and stringlines, Trimble said.

    Trimble introduced GCSFlex for excavators in 2011 as an affordable, easy-to-use machine control system for owner operators and small- to mid-sized contractors who want to increase their productivity and become more competitive. With several flexible system configuration options available, contractors can select the sensor options that fit their job site needs at a price point that fits their budget.

    The new Trimble GCSFlex Grade Control System is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2012 through Trimble’s worldwide SITECH Technology Dealer Channel.

  • Survey GPS Maps Routes on iPhone

    allows users to record, export, and import routes and landmarks together with information such as photos, videos, audios, or text directly to an iPhone. The product is intended both for professional survey teams and outdoor adventurers. Key features include:

    • Enjoy recording your trip routes and pinning impressive landmarks, with multimedia files and descriptions.
    • Advanced functions; export/import, geotag/geocode, along with Multiple Recording Filters.
    • Versatilely edit the saved track/point; crop, move, copy, merge, or change properties.
    • Share and develop your trips with friends easily via iTunes or email.
    • Available in two versions: The Basic (TMX) and The In-App (TMX, GPX, MID/MIF, or Shapefiles.)