Qualcomm Technologies and Xiaomi have verified meter-level positioning in the Xiaomi 12T Pro powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform, in Germany.
Accuracy verification tests, including driving tests, were conducted by Qualcomm Technologies, Xiaomi, and Trimble in various scenarios such as open-sky rural roads and urban highways. The companies’ solutions demonstrated meter-level positioning variance at a 95% confidence level.
This level of accuracy in a commercial smartphone is enabled through Qualcomm meter-level positioning for mobile in combination with Trimble RTX correction services. When integrated with Snapdragon mobile platforms, Trimble RTX enhances the phone’s positioning capabilities.
Meter-level positioning accuracy can improve smartphone user experience in several scenarios, including mapping, driving, and other mobile applications. It enables greater accuracy when using ridesharing applications to identify pick-up locations for both driver and rider, fitness applications to track users’ movements, and in-vehicle real-time navigation applications for increased lane-level accuracy with greater map details and more accurate directions.
With the aid of Trimble’s correction services, the in-cab GFX-1260 display connects farmers to a wealth of knowledge about their fields and crops. (Photo: Trimble)
How do you define precision agriculture?
Precision agriculture is the use of technology in farming to increase yields through data and precision. Precision ag helps farmers improve yields by collecting data on all aspects of each plant to figure out exactly what it needs, when it needs it and how it will best survive. From planting, growing and cultivating to spreading, spraying and harvesting, precision agriculture allows farmers to monitor, measure and utilize data from beginning to end.
What have been the key turning points in the development of precision agriculture?
Accurate positioning is the enabler for all precision agriculture. RTK was one of the biggest initial developments within positioning as it allowed farmers a higher level of accuracy than had been seen previously. Precise Point Positioning (PPP) was the next big development. Our version of PPP, Trimble RTX, allows farmers the best of both worlds — RTK-level accuracy delivered via satellite, eliminating the need for base stations or sometimes unreliable radio, cell or internet signals. Though precision agriculture started with guidance, it has now made its way to implement-level, variable rate seeding and spraying and section control. ISOBUS has also been a big development in the past few years — allowing machines of all types to interact and communicate with each other, regardless of type, color and shape.
What are the specific requirements and challenges of precision agriculture for GNSS, and how do they differ from those of other kinds of mapping and machine control?
The challenge in GNSS is providing customers with the greatest availability in the field. While most fields are under open sky, obstacles such as trees and gullies make it more challenging. At Trimble, we provide market-leading pass-to-pass value with limited overlap for the customers at different price points. With our latest and most premium correction service, CenterPoint RTX, ease of use is also a key benefit.
When did Trimble begin to focus on precision agriculture?
Trimble unveiled its first agriculture receivers in 1999, signaling the start of the Trimble Agriculture division. In 2000, AgGPS Autopilot and automated steering systems were released for row crop application, further cementing Trimble’s presence in the precision agriculture community.
What are your relevant products/product lines?
Trimble offers technology integration that allows farmers to collect, share, and manage information across their farms, while providing improved operating efficiencies in the agricultural value chain. Trimble solutions include both hardware and software for guidance and steering, flow and application control, water management, harvest solutions, desktop and cloud-based data management, and correction services. Trimble’s CenterPoint RTX satellite-based correction service delivers GNSS positions repeatable to less than an inch. Combined with Trimble’s ProPoint GNSS technology, this service provides greater positioning availability, even in challenging environments such as tree lines, gullies and along contours where much of farming takes place.
For applications where centimeter-level accuracy is not as high of a priority, such as broad acre applications, Trimble RangePoint RTX and ViewPoint RTX give additional correction service options. They hold equipment to 6-inch and 12-inch pass-to-pass accuracy — or about the width of a tire between passing swaths. Trimble also offers Trimble VRS Now, giving farmers instant access to RTK positioning services using a network of permanent, continuously operating reference stations.
More than 34 million miles have been driven with Super Cruise engaged on General Motors vehicles. (Photo: GM)
General Motors and Trimble have reached more than 34 million miles of hands-free driving with Super Cruise engaged on General Motors vehicles.
GM teamed with Trimble to develop a reliable way to maintain in-lane positioning for hands-free driving, putting safety top-of-mind.
Trimble’s precise GPS technology enables a vehicle to maintain its lane position in a variety of environments, including inclement weather conditions (rain, snow, fog and more), which often challenges other sensors. GM’s Super Cruise, a hands-free driver assistance system, uses Trimble RTX (Real-Time eXtended) technology to deliver high-GNSS accuracy corrections since it introduced the technology in 2017 on the model year 2018 Cadillac CT6.
“Trimble RTX has been in commercial use for more than 10 years, and in 2018 was the first precise point positioning correction service to log miles in a commercial autonomous driving system,” said Patricia Boothe, senior vice president of Autonomy, Trimble. “It works with Super Cruise to help a vehicle maintain its lane position, bringing more consumers access to a more enjoyable and convenient driving experience.”
Standard GPS receivers can have a margin of error of up to 25 feet, which is not suitable for vehicles that require precise absolute position information to maintain lane-level positioning. Trimble’s RTX technology removes errors in GNSS satellite data broadcasts to improve location accuracy on our roadways.
“Super Cruise is a life-changing technology, allowing customers to experience hands-free driving on compatible, mapped roads nationwide,” said Mario Maiorana, GM chief engineer, Super Cruise. “The technology is a collaborative effort internally and externally to bring this advanced driver assistance technology to life. Trimble Autonomy has been a valuable collaborator in bringing Super Cruise to our customers.”
High-resolution imagery geolocated by the sixth-generation Digital Sensor System (DSS) after Hurricane Ida. (Photo: NOAA)
Applanix, a division of Trimble, has been working with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since the early 2000s to develop their response for emergency and coastal mapping activities. We discussed this collaboration with Joe Hutton, the company’s director of inertial technology, land and airborne products.
How has Applanix collaborated with NOAA regarding emergency response and coastal mapping?
Early on, we worked with them to develop a solution that allowed them to get out in the field and produce high accuracy map products with minimal touching of the data. In mid-2021, we delivered the next generation of this solution, or the DSS version six, which represents the culmination of everything learned over the years about how to produce imagery for emergency response, in terms of the types of collection, the types of imagery, and how to get it into first responders’ hands as quickly as possible.
At the heart of the system is our direct georeferencing technology. It’s a solution that allows us to assign the geographic location of every pixel of the digital imagery collected in the air. As soon as you land, you have the coordinates of every pixel, which means that you have a map that NOAA then pushes to the cloud for first responders to use in their emergency response efforts.
The collaboration consisted of Applanix working with Lead’Air to manufacture the next generation system that meets NOAA’s latest requirements. That’s what we delivered in 2021. Weeks after delivery, NOAA was called to respond to the hurricanes. They flew the new system with great success and were able to use it for their response.
What is your perspective on ground control points (GCPs) vs. direct georeferencing?
It is impossible to place GCPs in an emergency response when you cannot get on the ground. People who say they need GCPs do not really understand direct georeferencing. We’re having this debate even after 20 years of proving this technology. The NOAA system does not use GCPs and the map products are at centimeter level accuracy.
We use Trimble’s RTX technology, which enables centimeter-level GNSS positioning without base stations, which is important when the CORS or local RTN is unreliable due to a disaster. We have high accuracy inertial systems that get us the high accuracy orientation, so that we can go directly to ortho photos and ortho mosaics without running any triangulation or using GCPs in that process. That is a standard process these days. GCPs are only there for quality control if you want to deliver a final map product.
Did NOAA fly the mission with its own aircraft?
Yes, these are NOAA’s King Air or Twin Otter aircraft. The King Air aircraft is specifically outfitted for these types of emergency response and coastal mapping activities. The DSS system gets installed into the airplane and gets calibrated in terms of checking the system out for accuracy. Then it’s ready to fly the response. In the air, they collect the imagery over a flight path of interest to them. Then, it’s developed from raw imagery into JPEGs in the aircraft, and all the georeferencing data is logged with that imagery so that as soon as they land they can push a button and start to reference the JPEG imagery and push it to the cloud.
What are the components of your system?
What makes this system so unique is that it encompasses all the lessons learned over the years in terms of what NOAA needs to optimize for both their coastal mapping and their emergency response. It incorporates two pairs of color and near-infrared Phase One cameras that are configured in an oblique format with some overlap, forming a bowtie footprint on the ground.
You have 100% overlap of the color with the near-infrared and it’s on a high-performance stabilized mount that keeps everything perfectly level. The mount also has a special feature that enables the operators to rotate the cameras to go into nadir mode, mostly for traditional coastal mapping that requires stereo imagery. We were able to incorporate into a single system the requirements for both emergency response—where you want large coverage and obliqueness to look for damage—and nadir for coastal mapping.
Lead’Air built the sensor for you, on your specs, correct?
Yes, that’s correct. We’ve worked with Lead’Air for probably 20 years on flight management system (FMS) technology. They also have an amazing capability to build stabilized mounts and hardware systems. So, we decided to work together. We contracted them to implement some of their innovative hardware in this new design for us to deliver to NOAA. We contracted them to do all the manufacturing of the design and delivery to NOAA.
One of the quite innovative things that they did was to develop a new flight management capability that allows NOAA to fly ad hoc along highways or rivers, looking for damage. Traditionally, for aerial imagery you have to pre-flight plan trajectories. They designed an FMS that enables a pilot to fly a road or a river looking for damage without worrying about traditional block collections as with a more traditional FMS. So that feature further increases productivity. If you look at the most recent imagery at www.storms.ngs.noaa.gov you will see that it looks like spaghetti, not like blocks. That’s because they are following the roads and the rivers looking for specific damage.
Does the post-processing use your software?
Yes, it uses the POSPac MMS post processing software with POSPac Trimble Post-processed CenterPoint RTX correction service, allowing us to get that centimeter-level position accuracy, anywhere in the world with just an internet connection. You don’t have to worry about having a local base station—which, of course, if you’re in an emergency response situation, might not be there anyway. So, this is a very powerful way of getting global centimeter-level accuracy in real time, without having to worry about the ground-based GNSS infrastructure, that is, the local real-time network, that’s on the ground.
If you don’t have internet access, you can ship that data to the nearest place that does, right?
You could, however NOAA simply flies to wherever there is access. What takes the longest is to develop the imagery from the raw format to the JPEG format, because these are such large images. Doing that in the air saves an enormous amount of time. You have these JPEG-ready images that are compressed and can go right into the georeferencing process and make it really, really fast.
That’s a matter of computing power and smart software. What else did Lead’Air contribute?
This very efficient, fast image development process in the aircraft.
It sounds like it was a very integrated process between Applanix and Lead’Air. So, NOAA had the instrument mounted on their aircraft, their pilots did the flying, and then you processed the data?
No, NOAA’s team processes all the data. We just deliver the hardware and the software. They created the workflow software to push the data to their cloud environment.
NOAA uses this data to produce maps of the damage and highlight different situations and hazards?
Yeah. When these hurricanes go through, the first questions people have are “Where’s the damage? Are these roads passable? Did my house survive?” If you are doing response, you need to get teams in there. First, however, you need to know whether the roads are passable, so that you will not waste time going down a road that is not. So, the first thing they do is go up in the air and survey the main roads to push the imagery back, so that people can assess whether the roads are passable. Then they start to look for specific areas of damaged infrastructure, to triage where to put their resources. Then they ask “How do we manage disaster recovery?”
What lessons did you learn?
We are still learning about the power of the system, because these are Phase One 150 megapixel color cameras. It is such a powerful combination of sensors that they’re starting to look at different information they can get out of these things. They’re still learning new lessons in terms of what information can be useful for both the emergency response and the coastal mapping.
Ultimately, we’ll go to full ortho maps in the aircraft. That’s just going to be a matter of computational power. The holy grail would be to produce an orthophoto in the aircraft and radio it down to the ground in real time. Nothing prevents you from doing that now other than computational power and bandwidth. It’s not practical yet, but it will probably get there.
Do you have collaborations like the one with NOAA with any other major U.S. agencies?
We’ve worked extensively with NASA over the years. For example, we have worked with them on the ice bridge project. That is where they survey ice at both poles to measure its thickness and how global warming is affecting it. They use our system on that to do the georeferencing. We also work extensively with other branches of NOAA for their shoreline mapping from their ships. We have worked with them over the years to provide the georeferencing solution for the multibeam echo sounders to produce their nautical charts.
Trimble to provide reliable in-lane positioning for the year-long research program
Trimble and VSI Labs have formed an alliance, with Trimble serving as the GNSS precise positioning supplier for VSI’s autonomous research vehicle program. The alliance officially kicked off in March at Destination ACM, a long-distance driving event for VSI’s research vehicle that continues with additional events throughout the year.
The collaboration provides the opportunity to showcase Trimble RTX technology as the trusted precise-positioning correction source for car manufacturers and their suppliers. Coupled with Trimble’s inertial positioning, Trimble RTX plays a pivotal role in a vehicle’s ability to maintain accurate and reliable lane-discipline during autonomous driving.
Destination ACM launched from VSI’s Minneapolis headquarters en route to the American Center for Mobility’s (ACM) test center in southeast Michigan where a day of testing and demonstration took place March 26.
“The integration of Trimble’s precise RTX positioning is a key element of VSI’s technology stack for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle (AV) applications,” said Stephen Ruff, general manager of Trimble’s On-Road Autonomy Division. “VSI Labs is a leading researcher of best-in-class technologies critical to autonomous vehicle development.”
Suitable for on-road driving applications, Trimble RTX corrections operate on a single, global network. Drivers are not subject to the coverage outages that can exist when relying on local positioning systems — requiring line-of-sight to a positioning source or radio/cellular/internet connections.
When occasional obstructions are present, such as a bridge, tunnel or deep urban or rural canyon, Trimble augments its precise GNSS positioning with inertial technology to maintain continuous positioning and orientation while on the road.
Trimble’s innovative GNSS positioning is being used on the road today by a number of automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to improve the functional safety and performance of ADAS for passenger vehicles. Consumers have logged more than 7 million miles using Trimble RTX for lane-level positioning to date.
“VSI Labs is thrilled to have Trimble’s RTX technology on board,” said Phil Magney, founder and president of VSI. “Trimble’s positioning capabilities allow us to really expand our applied research on the safety and performance of autonomous and ADAS driving solutions.”
Trimble GNSS positioning technology will be used in the VSI research vehicle during each of the quarterly Destination ACM events, the Drive World Conference in Silicon Valley in August, the VSI 2021 “Drive South,” and other events this year.
For more about autonomous vehicles, see our June issue.
As a result, new cars sold in the contiguous U.S. and Canada equipped with SiriusXM’s Gen8 satellite chipset will be able to receive RTX GNSS corrections, enabling high-accuracy positioning — a key component of autonomous on-road applications.
With the addition of the Trimble RTX Auto software library, any new vehicle that receives SiriusXM broadcasts with a Gen8 satellite chipset can leverage a positioning solution ideal for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving (AD) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications.
Because the SiriusXM hardware is already installed in most new vehicles, automotive OEMs can avoid the cost of additional hardware to receive GNSS positioning corrections.
“We are excited to add Trimble RTX Corrections to our suite of Connected Vehicle services,” said John Jasper, senior vice president for SiriusXM Connected Vehicle Services. “By delivering this service over our satellite broadcast network, automakers can access relevant location correction data throughout the contiguous U.S. and portions of Canada to facilitate ADAS, AD and V2X applications without the need to access a cellular network.”
Trimble RTX is a trusted precise-positioning technology of choice for car manufacturers and their suppliers, and was the first solution adopted for production use in passenger vehicles. RTX technology is a critical component of General Motors’ Super Cruise™ system—the first hands-free driving assistance system for the highway. To date, Super Cruise and Trimble RTX have enabled over 5 million miles of hands-free driving on America’s roadways.
Designed for automotive applications, the RTX Auto software library is Automotive Safety Integrity Level B (ASIL-B) certified and developed using the Automotive SPICE process maturity framework (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination – ISO 15504). The RTX network operation is certified according to ISO 20000 standards, providing further peace of mind for any industry deploying safety-critical applications. No other precise positioning solution offers the same level of performance, reliability, versatility and coverage worldwide.
Trimble RTX technology provides real-time, multi-constellation correction of GNSS observations to provide significantly more precise position estimates. Standard GPS signals can drift up to 25 feet, which could cause incorrect lane identification. When used in conjunction with high-definition maps, cameras, radar and inertial sensors, Trimble RTX provides lane-level positioning performance for semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles.
“The alliance with SiriusXM provides an expansive distribution pipeline for Trimble RTX into new passenger vehicles,” said Patricia Boothe, senior vice president of Trimble’s Autonomy Sector. “OEMs now have an easy, cost-efficient alternative to bring high-precision GNSS into their vehicles. Together, Trimble and SiriusXM are helping to accelerate the adoption of real-time positioning in connected vehicles, ultimately supporting safety-critical V2X applications.”
The UAS1 GNSS receiver module has been designed for UAV/UAS applications requiring centimeter accuracy in a small package. (Photo: Trimble)
Trimble has introduced a compact, high-precision GNSS board specifically designed for unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The Trimble UAS1 has a simple connectivity and configuration to allow UAS system integrators to easily add satellite-based positioning — with the ability to upgrade its capabilities — using rugged connectors and Trimble’s easy-to-use software interface.
The new UAS1 incorporates the latest Trimble Maxwell technology with advances in high-precision GNSS positioning. Its GNSS engine with 336 channels is capable of tracking L1/L2 frequencies from the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou constellations for robust centimeter-level, real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning.
The compact board includes a broad range of receiver capabilities — from high-accuracy GPS-only to full GNSS features for positioning. Firmware options and features are password upgradeable, allowing functionality to be added as requirements change.
The receiver also supports fault detection and exclusion (FDE) and receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM). System integrators also have the ability to detect interference with the RF Spectrum Monitoring and Analysis tool embedded in the receiver.
“UAS manufacturers demand high performance, reliability and high-quality customized support for their positioning solutions,” said Thomas Utzmeier, general manager of Trimble’s Integrated Technologies Division. “The new UAS1 board delivers the latest GNSS technology in an easy-to-integrate form factor for UAV/UAS applications.”
Designed for easy integration and rugged dependability, the Trimble UAS1 has a Remote Network Driver Interface Specification (RNDIS) that enables manufacturers to access the web UI with the USB connector. As with similar Trimble embedded boards and modules, easy-to-use software commands can simplify integration and reduce development times.
Features also include integrated Trimble RTX technology, an industry-standard camera hot-shoe interface to geo-position photographs, and LED indicators for status checks. The Trimble UAS1 can also output to RINEX, a common postprocessing format.
The Trimble UAS1 supports Trimble CenterPoint RTX GNSS corrections, which enable precise and robust positioning without the use of a base station via a subscription service. CenterPoint RTX allows users to achieve better than 2-centimeter horizontal and 5-centimeter vertical accuracy.
Trimble’s UAS1 is suitable for UAS applications requiring centimeter accuracy in a small package. Manufactured and tested to Trimble’s highest quality standards, the compact design allows for easy setup, configuration and installation in a customers’
system.
Using a full metal shield (the form factor is 71 x 46 x 13 millimeters), the board’s design enables high-precision GNSS signal protection from electromagnetic interference (EMI) on the host UAS platform. In addition, the receiver is FCC- and CE-certified, which speeds compliance for the customer’s overall system and can reduce time to market.
The Trimble RTX GNSS corrections technology can now achieve horizontal accuracies of better than two centimeters, according to Trimble.
Start-up times, commonly referred to as convergence, have also improved.
(Photo: Trimble)
Users can now achieve full accuracy in less than 15 minutes, and as fast as one minute in select areas where RTX Fast network infrastructure is available, the company added.
This performance is achievable using Trimble’s premier correction service, CenterPoint RTX, delivering RTK-level accuracy outside traditional Virtual Reference Station (VRS) networks, considered the gold standard for high-accuracy corrections.
Trimble’s RTX network is available throughout most of the world, with the RTX-Fast network coverage available in select geographies in the U.S., Canada and throughout most of Europe when using Trimble RTX compatible GNSS receivers.
Trimble RTX provides a satellite-delivered correction source. In addition, corrections are available via an Internet or cellular connection, adding to its versatility.
With satellite-delivered Trimble RTX corrections, users can perform a variety of positioning fieldwork in some of the most remote locations, without relying on traditional ground-based VRS networks or a local RTK base station to receive high-accuracy positioning data.
By powering on an RTX-capable receiver or display, customers can start working quickly with only a minimal convergence period, Trimble said. As long as users have line of sight to the sky they can work freely without being constrained by the geographic boundaries of a VRS network.
Offering a suite of correction services, Trimble RTX provides users the flexibility to choose the level of accuracy to suit their application needs from meter to centimeter level. It is designed for a variety of applications including agriculture, survey, mapping, construction, automotive and any location-based service that could benefit from greater precision.
Trimble RTX also powers Trimble xFill technology, a feature that enables RTK and VRS users to continue working if their primary correction stream is not available. xFill, delivered via satellite, “fills in” for RTK corrections in the event of temporary radio or Internet connection outages. As a result, users can experience fewer interruptions and less downtime.
“Trimble RTX performance and reliability are changing the positioning game for users who never considered a satellite-delivered correction service for applications traditionally requiring RTK-level accuracy,” said Patricia Boothe, vice president of Trimble’s Advanced Positioning Division. “Trimble RTX offers a global solution delivering similar performance to VRS where terrestrial networks are not available.”
Subscriptions are available through Trimble’s Authorized Business Partners or Trimble’s online store.
General Motors (GM) is using Trimble RTX (real-time eXtended) technology as the high-accuracy GNSS/GPS correction source to deliver absolute positioning to vehicles equipped with GM’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system, now available on the 2018 Cadillac CT6.
GM customers using Super Cruise featuring Trimble RTX technology can have peace of mind on the road knowing that RTX plays an important role in maintaining lane position for hands-free driving on divided highways.
https://youtu.be/_rxW68ADldI
Super Cruise also uses precision lidar mapping data, a state-of-the-art driver attention system, and a network of camera and radar sensors.
Trimble RTX technology provides real-time, multi-constellation GNSS positioning capable of achieving better than 1.5 inches accuracy. Standard GPS signals can drift up to 25 feet, which could cause incorrect lane identification.
The 2018 Cadillac CT6 features Super Cruise hands-free driving technology for the highway. (Photo: GM)
Lane-level accuracy is a critical enabler in advanced driver assistance systems increasingly being used on highways. When used in conjunction with high-definition maps, cameras, radar and inertial sensors, Trimble RTX improves lane-level positioning performance for semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles.
Trimble has a long history of pioneering automation and vehicle autonomy to improve productivity — from providing positioning solutions for some of the earliest robotic applications in the 1990s to delivering automated steering for farm tractors, automated blade control for earthmoving equipment and providing advanced positioning technology for fully autonomous trucks.
Trimble is now enabling semi-autonomous operations for passenger vehicles with Trimble RTX technology, delivering high-accuracy GNSS corrections via a global network to support absolute vehicle positioning in combination with other sensors and inertial dead-reckoning.
Trimble’s RTX technology uses signals captured by more than 100 Trimble GNSS reference stations around the globe. Trimble RTX corrects the signals for atmospheric conditions, satellite orbit and time synchronization errors and then sends those signals to GM vehicles with Super Cruise via OnStar 4G LTE cellular.
The Trimble network is supported by redundant servers that are monitored 24/7 by a team of network engineers and IT specialists ensuring optimal signal performance and reliability for drivers who will depend on it.
“Through our collaboration, the combined technologies of GM and Trimble will transform the way the world drives,” said Patricia Boothe, vice president of Trimble’s Advanced Positioning Division. “Trimble RTX is now influencing how we interact with our vehicles and the environment around them — helping to minimize driver fatigue and improve the assisted driving experience.”
Trimble’s RTX-based correction services now support the Galileo constellation. As a true five-constellation technology that uses GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS and now Galileo satellites, Trimble RTX delivers improved real-time positioning performance to its users worldwide.
With accessibility to the Galileo constellation, users now have visibility to more satellites, which can be advantageous for extreme latitudinal positions or in environments where line-of-sight may be limited.
Surveyors, farmers, mapping and GIS professionals now have a more versatile and robust correction solution wherever they may work, even in the most challenging terrain locales.
Benefits of adding Galileo to Trimble RTX correction services includes:
Increasing the number of in-view satellites, improving the accuracy and reliability of corrections
Improving positioning integrity using observations from additional satellites to better mitigate errors
Operating at higher cut-off angles, delivering better performance in urban canyons and other less than optimal environments
Minimizing multipath and interference through the addition of available satellite signals
“Trimble is continually investing in its correction service technology to remain at the forefront of the industry,” said Mark Richter, marketing director for Trimble’s Networks and Services business. “Our focus is to ensure that the latest GNSS developments are leveraged to continue to deliver productivity improvements for our customers across the globe.”
The Trimble Leap, also shown with a smartphone. Photo: Trimble
Trimble is making available the Trimble Leap, a Trimble RTX compatible GNSS Bluetooth device. When enabled with the ViewPoint RTX correction service, Leap delivers submeter accuracy directly to the Terrain Navigator Pro (TNP) Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The TNP Mobile app allows users to collect markers, tracks and geo-stamped photos in the field, and then sync all the GNSS data into the Terrain Navigator Pro office software.
The TNP Mobile app enables users to:
Display and navigate routes created in TNP desktop.
Collect field data such as markers, tracks, photos, videos and audio clips.
Near real-time sync between phone and TNP map software via WiFi or cellular data connection.
View data on topo, aerial, and street maps downloaded to phone for offline use. Terrain Navigator Pro offers 1-meter aerial photos for the 48 contiguous United States. The seamless USGS topo graphic maps are based off 1:24K, 1:100K, 1:250K map scales. Alaska is 1:63K and 1:250K.
Access a compass and other geo-information such as lat/long, elevation, and direction on phone.
Collect data offline. The TNP mobile app uses the GPS built into the smartphones, so users can collect field data in areas without a cellular or data signal.
Trimble Leap is compact and portable, weighing 9.5 ounces. It snaps to a smartphone or tablet to use as a handheld, can be mounted on a monopole or tripod, or can be magnet mounted to a vehicle. Leap has 16 hours of battery life and uses Bluetooth communication to connect to smart devices for ease of use and flexibility. An onboard micro SD card stores the GNSS observables data for use in the field or the office.
A micro USB port can provide power to Trimble Leap for continuous fixed-mount applications, or it can be used with battery-booster products to extend field work. Trimble Leap is charged by a standard cell phone vehicle accessory charger, a USB connection to a PC, or from a USB AC adapter.
Based on Trimble RTX (Real Time eXtended) technology, ViewPoint RTX delivers better than 1 meter horizontal accuracy 95 percent of the time without the use of a traditional RTK base station or virtual reference station network. ViewPoint RTX is delivered into the TNP Mobile app via cellular data network and is available nearly anywhere in the world.
“Trimble Leap enhances the Terrain Navigator Pro solution by adding a simple way to collect submeter accurate geolocation data with standard Android or iOS devices. Adding accuracy to TNP’s robust field-to-office data collection solution provides a value-add where low-resolution collection is not sufficient. Trimble Leap with TNP Mobile is configured and operational in minutes with little training,” said Larry Fox, business area manager for Terrain Navigator Pro.
Terrain Navigator Pro integrates powerful desktop mapping software, a cloud connected mobile data collection platform (compatible with GPS-enabled iOS and Android devices) and a robust Web portal. TNP users can plan projects in the office, collect data in the field and access projects from the Web—simultaneously. Geo-referenced data such as tracks, waypoints, photographs and video can be shared, updated in near real-time and displayed on the included topographic, aerial/satellite or street base maps.
Trimble is making available the Trimble Leap, a Trimble RTX compatible GNSS Bluetooth device. When enabled with the ViewPoint RTX correction service, Leap delivers submeter accuracy directly to the Terrain Navigator Pro (TNP) Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The TNP Mobile app allows users to collect markers, tracks and geo-stamped photos in the field, and then sync all the GNSS data into the Terrain Navigator Pro office software.
The TNP Mobile app enables users to:
Display and navigate routes created in TNP desktop.
Collect field data such as markers, tracks, photos, videos and audio clips.
Near real-time sync between phone and TNP map software via WiFi or cellular data connection.
View data on topo, aerial, and street maps downloaded to phone for offline use. Terrain Navigator Pro offers 1-meter aerial photos for the 48 contiguous United States. The seamless USGS topo graphic maps are based off 1:24K, 1:100K, 1:250K map scales. Alaska is 1:63K and 1:250K.
Access a compass and other geo-information such as lat/long, elevation, and direction on phone.
Collect data offline. The TNP mobile app uses the GPS built into the smartphones, so users can collect field data in areas without a cellular or data signal.
Trimble Leap is compact and portable, weighing 9.5 ounces. It snaps to a smartphone or tablet to use as a handheld, can be mounted on a monopole or tripod, or can be magnet mounted to a vehicle. Leap has 16 hours of battery life and uses Bluetooth communication to connect to smart devices for ease of use and flexibility. An onboard micro SD card stores the GNSS observables data for use in the field or the office.
A micro USB port can provide power to Trimble Leap for continuous fixed-mount applications, or it can be used with battery-booster products to extend field work. Trimble Leap is charged by a standard cell phone vehicle accessory charger, a USB connection to a PC, or from a USB AC adapter.
Based on Trimble RTX (Real Time eXtended) technology, ViewPoint RTX delivers better than 1 meter horizontal accuracy 95 percent of the time without the use of a traditional RTK base station or virtual reference station network. ViewPoint RTX is delivered into the TNP Mobile app via cellular data network and is available nearly anywhere in the world.
“Trimble Leap enhances the Terrain Navigator Pro solution by adding a simple way to collect submeter accurate geolocation data with standard Android or iOS devices. Adding accuracy to TNP’s robust field-to-office data collection solution provides a value-add where low-resolution collection is not sufficient. Trimble Leap with TNP Mobile is configured and operational in minutes with little training,” said Larry Fox, business area manager for Terrain Navigator Pro.
Terrain Navigator Pro integrates powerful desktop mapping software, a cloud connected mobile data collection platform (compatible with GPS-enabled iOS and Android devices) and a robust Web portal. TNP users can plan projects in the office, collect data in the field and access projects from the Web—simultaneously. Geo-referenced data such as tracks, waypoints, photographs and video can be shared, updated in near real-time and displayed on the included topographic, aerial/satellite or street base maps.
