A day of ferry trips between Finland and Estonia became some of the best documented voyages in maritime history. Cameras, sensors, radio and satellite navigation receivers and even microphones recorded every instant of the crossings over the Baltic, gathering raw data for a new ESA-led project applying artificial intelligence (AI) to the situational awareness of shipping — as an important step to full autonomy.
The Tallink shipping company’s new 212.2 meter-long Megastar passenger and car ferry was fitted with data-gathering devices for its sailings on the busy stretch of sea between Helsinki and Tallinn.
The testing was overseen by a team from the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) for an ESA project called Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Sensor Fusion for Autonomous Vessel Navigation, or Maritime AI-NAV.
“Our aim is to show how AI can be applied to achieve autonomous situational awareness, so that a ship can reliably sense its own environment,” said FGI’s Sarang Thombre.
Photo: European Space Agency
“Such autonomous systems would initially be deployed in support of human crews, for enhanced safety and efficiency – with crewless ships a much longer-term goal.
“The most experienced human ship captains will have the least trust in any single navigational device but will rather continuously cross reference between them. Similarly, our autonomous functionality will not be overly reliant on a single data source but combine and verify data from multiple sensors.
“Having gathered many gigabytes of data during our initial August field campaign, then again in October with more days planned in December, we are applying the results to train and test our data-fusing algorithms. A follow-up seagoing test will then verify their performance in practice.”
The Maritime AI-NAV team plans to employ a variety of sensor types, including satellite navigation receivers – also utilizing of Europe’s Galileo system — monocular and stereo cameras, standard radar, “laser radar” lidar and an array of microphones, along with “Automatic Identification System” radio signals. These AIS signals transmit position, size and routing information of all vessels above a certain class, as well as fixed infrastructure such as oil rigs or wind turbines.
“Satellite navigation lets the ship know where it is in the sea, while the other sensors let it know what is around it, which is essential for identifying and avoiding any obstacles,” Thombre said. “The different data sources operate across a variety of ranges — so radar and AIS provide longer range detection out to the horizon, while cameras and lidars come into their own at shorter distances. Plus we had a trio of microphones aboard the Megastar, determining the angle of arrival of sound from other ships. The challenge now is to fully integrate all these sources using machine learning, to build up a holistic picture.”
Maritime AI-NAV is supported through ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Programme, working with European industry and academia to develop innovative navigation technology.
FGI is joined in the Maritime AI-NAV consortium by Aalto University’s Sensor Informatics and Medical Technology group and maritime IT startup Fleetrange.
A new GNSS architecture aboard low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites is in development.
The patent-pending system architecture “is combining the efficiency and innovation of the new space era with the world of satellite navigation to help enable modern intelligent systems to operate safely in any conditions, anywhere on the planet,” according to a press release from Xona Space Systems.
Xona, a San Mateo-based startup, announced a service agreement to advance its 2022 Alpha mission. The agreement is with Momentus Inc., a commercial space company offering in-space infrastructure services.
Once complete, Xona’s LEO smallsat constellation will provide a resilient alternative to GNSS with more than 10 times better accuracy, Xona claimed.
“Xona is developing a truly innovative system to enhance the reliability and precision of global PNT and GNSS. As an infrastructure company, Momentus is excited to partner with other like-minded pioneers to help build out the future services needed to enable human presence in space while improving life on earth,” said Dawn Harms, Momentus CEO.
“We have been very impressed with the capabilities and services that Momentus offers with their Vigoride spacecraft,” said Xona CEO Brian Manning. “There is a rapidly growing demand for higher performance navigation and timing services as well as alternatives to GNSS. Forming this partnership with Momentus represents a key milestone in our technology development roadmap as we work towards our on-orbit demonstration and deployment of the full constellation to meet these needs.”
According to DSI, the event will bring together members of the military services, Department of Defense (DoD), federal government, industry and academia in a “town hall” style forum to discuss how important GPS and space-based PNT systems are to the overall resilience of the warfighter, as well as critical infrastructure across the United States and abroad.
The 2021 Assured PNT Summit also will offer senior-level insight into how the U.S. military has been a leader in integrating PNT into its everyday operations and how such capabilities have become vital to the military’s ability to shape the global arena, deter aggression, and fight and win wars.
Confirmed speakers for this year’s event include William Nelson, SES, director, APNT CFT, Army Futures Command; Brig. Gen. Heather L. Pringle, USAF, commander, Air Force Research Laboratory; Anthony C. Smith, SES, director, C3I, DoD CIO; Richard De Fatta, SES, director, U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Center of Excellence; Cordell “Del” DeLaPena, SES, program executive officer for Space Production Space & Missile Systems Center, USAF; Harold W. Martin III, SES, director, National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing; and Col. Jason Joose, USA, chief of staff/APNT signature effort lead, Army Futures Command.
A number of topics will be covered at the 2021 Assured PNT Summit, including:
Leading current DoD initiatives toward integrating new PNT capabilities to help the Warfighter remain resilient in a dynamic threat environment;
Synchronizing PNT, navigation warfare and space capability development efforts across the Army to help reduce key capability gaps;
Delivering resilient, affordable and sustainable space capabilities such as modernized GPS to enhance warfighter superiority;
Providing alternate PNT for potential GPS-denied environments;
Accelerating the implementation of cutting-edge Air Force research projects such as NTS-3 GPS Satellite to provide the most value to the warfighter;
Developing critical PNT-related products to enable a Soldier’s PNT capabilities in all warfighting domains;
Overseeing the collection of GPS-related information from multiple federal agencies in an effort to improve and maintain space-based PNT capabilities;
Advancing efforts to provide GPS protection for all naval air platforms; and
Detailing the Department of Homeland Security plan to test the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure systems, networks and assets if PNT services were to be disrupted or manipulated.
NV5 Geospatial, powered by Quantum Spatial, has launched INSITE, a comprehensive cloud-based platform that enables users to more efficiently and cost-effectively manage their geospatial data, from acquisition to delivery.
With applications designed for electric utilities and telecommunications, as well as federal, state and local governments, INSITE provides tools to support the entire geospatial data lifecycle, including project tracking, data collection and delivery, quality control, on-demand reporting, analytics and enterprise integration, the company said.
Screenshot: NV5 Geospatial
INSITE also enables users to import, search, analyze, manage, integrate and export all types of geospatial data and multimedia. According to NV5 Geospatial, as a cloud-based platform, INSITE improves speed and efficiency, minimizes storage expenses and supports greater collaboration by eliminating the use of standalone hard drives or a dedicated computer.
“Location-based data is critical for business and governments when it comes to managing risk, lowering costs, forecasting work and maintaining compliance,” said Mark Abatto, president and COO of NV5 Geospatial. “Yet there are numerous technical and organizational barriers that prevent them from optimizing use of this information. INSITE was purpose-built to break down these barriers, creating a single source of truth for all geospatial data within an organization. Now, with INSITE, distributed teams can collaborate more effectively, visualize data with ease and gain real-time insights through powerful analytics.”
According to the company, the INSITE platform is the foundation of three primary categories of use: the INSITE Lifecycle, INSITE Core, and INSITE Facility and Pole Manager.INSITE Lifecycle provides visibility into project status through a web-based map with real-time tracking of data from acquisition through processing and delivery, while INSITE Core enables data visualization and interaction, including access to aerial imagery, lidar data, GIS layers, and more. Lastly, INSITE provides the basis for industry-specific applications, including INSITE Facility and INSITE Pole Manager. INSITE Facility provides configurable asset management, including planning, execution and tracking for inspections and maintenance on any asset and facility, and INSITE Pole Manager enables electric utilities to take advantage of automated pole modeling analytics that support joint use, clearance and integrity analysis programs.
NV5 Geospatial will host a live launch webinar on Feb. 18 to provide an overview of INSITE. Register for the webinar here.
In a first for any satellite navigation system, Galileo has achieved the first position fix based on navigation signals carrying authenticated data, according to the European Space Agency.
Galileo’s Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) is intended as a way to combat malicious spoofing of satnav signals.
OSNMA receivers successfully calculated an OSNMA-protected position fix after Galileo satellites started transmitting authentication data at 15:28 UTC on Nov. 18, 2020. The first tests used eight Galileo satellites for around two hours on Nov. 18. Tests have continued ever since, for intermittent periods, and will continue over the next months ahead of a public observation phase.
The first authenticated signal position, velocity and timing fixes were made using a total of eight Galileo satellites for around two hours on Nov. 18, 2020. The tests represent a first proof-of-concept for an eventual operational service offering positioning with authenticated data to users. (Image: ESA)
Pioneering a long-awaited service
The Galileo OSNMA authentication mechanism allows GNSS receivers to verify Galileo information, making sure that received data are indeed from Galileo and not modified in any way.
“Ensuring the validity of positions elaborated by GNSS is one of the main challenges before addressing an entirely new set of applications demanding dependability and resilience,” said Matthias Petschke, director of space at the European Commission, DG DEFIS. “Galileo is now set on course to deliver on this highly anticipated feature and has many more novel features in store for the coming years.”
Testing is taking place at ESA’s Navigation Laboratory at ESTEC in the Netherlands, the same site where the first Galileo positioning fix took place in 2013.(Photo: ESA)
Increased robustness
OSNMA test signals are being broadcast by the Galileo constellation using the spare bits from the current navigation message, therefore not impacting the legacy OS receivers implementing the current OS Signal-In-Space Interface Control Document (OS SIS ICD).
“Galileo’s Open Service Navigation Message Authentication is one of its key differentiators,” said Rodrigo da Costa, executive director of the European GNSS Agency. “The additional robustness that it will provide to the Galileo signal will be critical for many applications, particularly those where security and trustworthiness are a priority, making the OSNMA a key component in any resilient PNT solution.”
OSNMA works on a comparable basis to everyday encryption, where sending a digitally signed document involves both sender and recipient using compatible cryptographic keys (private and public) to validate the document’s source of origin.
“Up until now, as a navigation satellite disseminates navigation and timing data, there is no way of confirming these data are indeed coming from their apparent originator,” explained Paul Verhoef, director of navigation at the European Space Agency. “As a result, the data could be falsified, a phenomenon known as spoofing, where corrupt false signals mislead receivers about their position, misleading their users in turn, with potentially serious consequences.”
An ESA Navigation Directorate team at the ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands worked with their European GNSS Agency (GSA) counterparts at the twin Galileo Control Centres in Italy and Germany and the Galileo Service Centre (GSC) in Spain to develop and test the OSNMA.
Next steps
Upon successful completion of the internal testing phase, a public observation phase will begin, in which the OSNMA signal will be publicly accessible. In preparation for this phase, the OSNMA user Signal-In-Space Interface Control Document (OSNMA SIS ICD), receiver implementation guidelines, and the necessary cryptographic materials will be published. This will allow receiver manufacturers and application developers to test and prepare their products.
During the public observation phase, feedback will be gathered from users, leading to the consolidation of the service.
Testbed vehicle by ESA’s Navigation Lab. (Photo: ESA)
The May virtual conference will feature live keynotes and education, interactive roundtable discussions and networking sessions. It also will include exhibits from leading technology companies and service providers. All sessions will be recorded and made available on-demand to attendees for 90 days following the event.
The August in-person event will feature a new program of keynote speakers and educational sessions, safely facilitated networking opportunities, and an expanded exhibit hall to experience the latest technology innovations and solutions.
The theme of Xponential 2021 is “Assured Autonomy,” which refers to the process, methodology and guiding principles for ensuring unmanned and autonomous systems will be safe and practical options, able to repeatedly perform the operations they are designed for and be seamlessly integrated into society at scale. According to AUVSI, this theme supports the event’s legacy of convening experts across markets and domains to advance the market for all things unmanned.
“As the global stage for all things unmanned, AUVSI Xponential 2021 is where you’ll join a community of end users, technologists and policymakers working together to fulfill this vision,” AUVSI said. “The series will support its mission to convene the unmanned and automated systems community to accelerate innovation and market adoption of the related technologies.”
AUVSI is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics. It represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets.
Check out GPS World‘s coverage of AUVSI Xponential from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
A roundup of recent products in the GNSS and inertial positioning industry from the February 2021 issue of GPS World magazine.
OEM
Development kit
Allows engineers to evaluate GNSS/INS module
Photo: Aceinna
The Aceinna OpenRTK330LI EVK is a complete evaluation and development kit for the OpenRTK330LI GNSS/INS module. The kit accelerates development and reduces time to market of custom navigation and guidance systems fusing inertial measurements and multi-band RTK/GNSS positioning. It provides the essential hardware, firmware and development environment that engineers working on autonomous applications need to quickly start developing algorithms and solutions, allowing engineers to log and visualize positioning data with centimeter precision.
The OSA 5412 and 5422 are edge and access network synchronization devices with enhanced capabilities for next-generation applications such as 5G. The Oscilloquartz solutions address key challenges for a wide range of industries by bringing new levels of timing accuracy and resilience to edge networks. Both models provide in-service sync probing and assurance as well as innovative GNSS assurance capabilities. The devices also eight field-upgradeable, 10-gigabits-per-second ports, ensuring the scale and efficiency needed for next-generation smart grids, industrial internet of things (IoT) applications and 5G connectivity.
The AirgainConnect AC-HPUE 6-in-1 is a rugged outdoor mobile antenna with integrated modem, designed to meet the most demanding LTE connectivity needs of public safety and fleet vehicles. AC-HPUE provides two or three high-gain multi-band LTE antennas and one-band 14 LTE antenna powered by an HPUE LTE modem. The AC-HPUE supports an active GNSS element as well as two or three high-gain tri-band Wi-Fi antennas, including the new 6 GHz ISM band for Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), inside a single robust and compact housing. AC-HPUE attaches to the router WAN port via Ethernet data cable or directly to a laptop via USB cable. Wi-Fi and GNSS antennas connect to the router, meaning the router can be seamlessly used for Wi-Fi, location-based services, and managed using existing network management systems.
Amazon Monitron provides customers with an end-to-end machine monitoring solution comprised of sensors, gateway and machine learning service to detect abnormal equipment conditions that may require maintenance. Monitron is one of five new machine learning services that help industrial and manufacturing customers embed intelligence in their production processes to improve operational efficiency, quality control, security and workplace safety. The services combine sophisticated machine learning, sensor analysis and computer vision capabilities to address technical challenges faced by industrial customers. The other four services are Amazon Lookout for Equipment, the AWS Panorama Appliance, the AWS Panorama SDK and Amazon Lookout for Vision.
Carlson Layout allows fast, efficient layout capabilities for construction professionals using total stations or GPS receivers such as the Carlson CR+ series of robotic total stations and the Carlson BRx7 GNSS receiver. Included are the full Carlson driver library and a range of compatible hardware options. Features include an intuitive user experience, support for DXF and DWG files, integration with Google Drive and other cloud storage, compatibility with Carlson CRD and CRDB files, and the ability to check surface or fixed elevations without creating points. It also includes simple layout for points, lines and surfaces. Layout works with GPS real-time kinematic (RTK) systems and can receive RTK connections from a cellphone, internal modem, internal radio or external radio.
Surfer is a gridding, contouring and 3D surface-mapping package. The latest version offers a greater number of options for displaying scientific data. New display options enable users to more easily communicate the information extracted from their data. The Surfer package is used by professionals in oil and gas exploration, environmental consulting, mining, engineering and geospatial projects to easily visualize and interpret complex data sets. Surfer enables users to model data sets, apply an array of advanced analytics tools, and graphically communicate the results. Features include a new peaks and depressions layer type for mapping geohazards or drainage patterns in karst topographies.
Uinta’s data collection tools include detailed mapping with points, lines, areas and form-based notes for digital recordkeeping. Customization options allow organizations to create templates that better align with the type of data they are mapping and recording. Templates can be shared among users, and Juniper Systems has many templates for various industries and use cases. Users can export data to a file, print professional PDF map reports, and create optional cloud projects. Combined with a Mesa 3 Rugged Tablet running Windows 10 and a Geode Sub-meter GPS Receiver, Uinta offers a rugged, robust and powerful data collection solution. Industries using Uinta include utility mapping, government asset management and mapping, industrial assets, irrigation, and sectors within natural resources.
The FLY-R R2-150 has a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). Currently in functioning prototype form, the battery-powered R2-150 is designed for such tasks as fully autonomous surveillance, observation and reconnaissance. It has a wingspan of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet), a cruising speed of 115 km/h (71 mph), and can fly for up to two hours per charge while transmitting real-time video. It can automatically take off from a ship- or truck-mounted vacuum launcher and land in a recovery net. Another model, the jet-powered R2-HSTD, is expected to have a top speed of Mach 0.65 (803 km/h or 499 mph) and is intended to serve as a target drone for military exercises. FLY-R’s aircraft incorporate a rhomboidal wing design, which reduces wingspan by half and reduces aerodynamic drag.
The drone-integrated metal detection system uses an airborne modification of the Geonics EM61-MK2 ground metal detector. The EM61 Lite airborne variant integrates with the UgCS SkyHub onboard computer and ground control station. Features include automatic data logging in geotagged form and automatic terrain following with radar altimeter. The use of UgCS SkyHub enables the drone to fly in true terrain following mode with the help of the radar altimeter and to log geotagged sensor data. An optional RTK/PPK GNSS receiver on the drone will geotag the data with centimeter-level precision. The integrated system has been extensively tested at SPH Engineering’s test range, and has shown excellent performance and repeatability for targets such as pipes (steel, stainless steel, reinforced concrete) and steel drums. Applications include unexploded ordnance (UXO) search, detection of underground infrastructure and archaeology.
A crucial step toward the development of the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) military user segment took place Monday, Feb. 8, with the kick-off meeting in Brussels of the GEODE (GalilEO for EU DEfence) project, according to a press release from FDC.
GEODE is the biggest Galileo application development project ever launched.
Sponsored by Belgium, Germany, Italy, France and Spain — contributions should exceed 82.7 million euros — GEODE is supported by the EU with a grant of about 44 million euros. The ambitious defence-cooperation project is under the umbrella of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) of the European Commission.
GEODE will establish the framework for developing the Galileo PRS user segment for defense applications. At kick-off, the project involved 30 companies and organizations from 14 EU Member States: Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Romania.
The GEODE Roadmap
National defense organizations — in close cooperation with industry — have defined a roadmap for the Galileo PRS military user segment development, beginning with a specification and standardization phase. GEODE will prototype, test and qualify
seven PRS security modules developed from various technologies
nine PRS receivers (including two server-based variants)
four GPS/Galileo PRS-compatible anti-jamming controlled radiation pattern antennas (CRPA).
A common and standardized test environment will be developed as well as a PRS infrastructure to ensure the availability of the security assets for operational testing.
Finally, military operational field testing will be organized on military platforms (naval, land and drones) and timing and synchronization systems in (at least) Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece and Romania.
A PRS solution for spacecraft will also be designed and prototyped.
Beyond paving the way for the equipment of EU Member States defense forces with Galileo PRS, the military user segment that is developed, tested and certified under GEODE is planned to be available for export to other countries that have the necessary PRS security agreements with the EU.
The GEODE project will be completed in 2026.
Plans are for GEODE to
boost EU competitiveness in the highly strategic domain of military positioning, timing and synchronization.
foster the equipment of EU Member States’ military forces with Galileo PRS capability, essential to reinforce their interoperability and autonomy.
facilitate access to complex security-certified technologies and make them affordable through means of standardization and by creating the necessary critical mass.
In brief, the project will bolster EU Member States’ military capability, create business opportunities for the EU industry in the field of military application of satellite navigation, and maximize the benefits of the Galileo programme by energizing the adoption of its PRS service in all EU Member States and beyond.
Background on GEODE
This project has received funding from the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) under grant agreement No 039.
The GEODE industrial consortium is led by FDC and comprises the major industry players of the field: Airbus Defence and Space, Antwerp Space, Cy4gate, Diehl Defence, Elettronica, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, GMV Aerospace and Defense, Indra Sistemas, Safran Electronics and Defense, Leonardo, Siemens Aktiengesellshaft, Orolia, Tecnobit, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Thales AVS France, Thales SIX GTS France, accompanied with 12 other EU companies acting as subcontractors (c.f. picture hereafter).
The GEODE project is developed in the context of the European Radio-navigation Solution (EURAS) project of the Permanent Structure Cooperation (PESCO). The EURAS project aims at promoting the development of EU military positioning, navigation and timing) capabilities and future cooperation taking advantage of Galileo and the PRS.
Dundrum Bay on the coast of Northern Ireland is captured by a mapping airplane in a project to document climate change effects. (Photo: DAERA/Bluesky)
Bluesky International will use aircraft-mounted lidar sensors and laser scanners to create a highly detailed 3D map of the whole of the Northern Ireland coastline.
Working on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the lidar survey will be used to create the first complete baseline. The baseline will underpin recording of coastal change and help identify the rate at which the coastline is changing as a result of climate change.
In addition to the lidar data Bluesky will simultaneously capture high detailed aerial photography which will be processed to produce to a fully orthorectified, 10-centimeter-resolution database.
The Bluesky data will form part of the wider Northern Ireland 3-dimensional coastal survey. The survey will extending into the marine environment with a satellite-derived bathymetric survey and a pilot bathymetric lidar survey. Together, the surveys will inform the development of future coastal management policies.
“The Northern Ireland coast is a hugely valuable resource which is currently facing increasing pressure from climate change,” said Joanne Hanna, senior scientific officer within the Marine and Fisheries Division of DAERA. “Sea-level rise, in combination with an increase in extreme storm events, is resulting in greater energy impacting our coastlines, altering coastal processes and accelerating change.
“Despite the importance and the value of this coastline, the nature and scale of the issues arising from coastal change and sea-level rise are currently not known and there is limited and insufficient baseline data available,” Hanna said. “The coastal lidar survey carried out by Bluesky will provide scientifically robust baseline data which will enable decision makers and coastal managers to make informed decisions and devise solutions and appropriate management to the problems currently facing our coastline.”
Bluesky will undertake the specialist survey using a fixed wing manned aircraft and will fly the 763 kilometres of Northern Ireland coastline capturing height measurements of both the underlying terrain and any surface features at a resolution of better than 16 points per metre. This data will be used to create highly accurate 3D digital terrain and surface models (DTM, DSM) with a spacing of up 25 centimetres.
The Bluesky datasets will be supplied ready for use in a range of geographical information system (GIS), desktop mapping and other specialist software packages and will be compatible with other DAERA datasets including Ordnance Survey mapping.
“Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World magazine, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.
The city of Prague started testing a system of GNSS repeaters to prevent the loss of satellite signal in the city’s tunnels. The system, which should make life easier for drivers who rely on car navigation technology, is being tested in Prague’s Blanka tunnel. If it proves successful, the municipality wants to install the devices in other strategic locations around the city, especially at intersections as well as tunnel entries and exits.
Photo: A. Ellis/USGS
On the hot spot
While permanent monitoring receivers are scattered about Hawaii’s active volcano sites, additional GPS receivers are being deployed during the ongoing eruption of Kilauea. In this photo taken Dec. 21, 2020, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicist deploys receivers on the caldera floor in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to measure changes in ground motion. The gas plume from the summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater is visible in the background.
Photo: Ishaqbini Community Conservancy
Last but not least
The last white giraffe known in existence now sports a GPS tracker, reports BBC News. The male giraffe has a rare genetic trait called leucism that causes the unusual color. The giraffe was tranquilized in November and the tracker placed on one of its horns. Tracking will help protect it from poachers as it grazes in Kenya’s savannah near the Somalia border. The white giraffe is alone after a female and her calf were killed by poachers in March 2020, according to Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy.
Photo: British Antarctic Survey/ESA
The biggest loser
In July 2017, an iceberg more than twice the size of Luxembourg broke off Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf and began traveling the Southern Ocean. Looming in its path is South Georgia Island, home to numerous species of wildlife threatened by the massive iceberg, designated A-68A. Europe’s Copernicus Sentinel satellites observed pieces breaking off of A-68A in December, each large enough to receive its own designation.
Photo: Philipp Berezhnoy/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
According to a new research report, “GNSS Simulators Market by Component Type (Single Channel and Multichannel), GNSS Receiver (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou), Application (Vehicle Assistance Systems, Location-based Services and Mapping), Vertical, and Region — Global Forecast to 2025,” the market is estimated to grow from $106 million in 2020 to $165 million by 2025, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% during the forecast period.
Factors such as rapid penetration of consumer internet of things, the contribution of 5G in enabling ubiquitous connectivity and increasing use of wearable devices utilizing location information are expected to drive the adoption of the GNSS simulators hardware, software and services, the MarketsandMarkets report said.
Market segments
The report stressed several key points in regard to the hardware segment, automotive vertical segment and GPS segment.
The GNSS simulators market, by component, is segmented into hardware, software and services. Of these three, the hardware segment is expected to account for a larger market size in the coming years in the GNSS simulators market as it enables signal simulations and plays a key role in the simulation process.
The GNSS simulators market, by vertical, is segmented into military and defense, automotive, consumer electronics, aerospace, marine and other verticals (agriculture, construction, and rail and road). According to the report, the automotive vertical segment is expected to hold a higher CAGR during the forecast period in the GNSS simulators market.
“GNSS offers a cost-effective and accurate way of determining position in real-time,” the report said. “Ride-sharing apps, such as Uber and Lyft, car-sharing, usage-based insurance apps, dynamic toll charging and parking apps all depend on the real-time location of the car. GNSS offers sufficient accuracy for all these apps by providing location coordinates leading to its adoption in the automotive vertical.”
Next, GNSS receivers are segmented into GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and others, with the others comprised of NavIC and QZSS receivers. The satellite tracking service provided by GPS is useful in various commercial and personal applications. The increasing commercial application of GPS vehicle tracking system for taxi companies and cab services is contributing to the rising adoption of GPS location services. It makes the navigation easier by providing relevant details, such as distance and shortest route to the desired location, the report said.
Market size and location
North America is expected to have the largest market size during the forecast period, with the key factor favoring the growth of the GNSS simulators market in North America being the increase in technological advancements coupled with the rise in government support for the adoption of UAVs. The increasing number of players across different regions is also further expected to drive the GNSS simulators market globally, the report said.
In addition, Asia-Pacific is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, as it has witnessed considerable developments and adoption of solutions across the region. According to the report, Asia-Pacific has a large potential for GNSS and space-enabled applications, and it has a wide consumer base due to its booming economies accompanied by an increasing share of local R&D and technology innovations.
Major players
Major vendors in the global GNSS simulators market include Spirent Communications, Rohde & Schwarz, VIAVI Solutions, Hexagon, Keysight Technologies, u-blox, Orolia, Cast Navigation, Accord Software and System, IFEN, Racelogic, Syntony GNSS, Teleorbit, iP-Solutions, Pendulum Instruments, Saluki Technology, Shanghai Huace Navigation Technology, Averna, GMV NSL, Brandywine Communications, Jackson Labs Technologies, Hunan Shuangln Electronic Technology, Work Microwave, Qascom and M3 Systems.
Trimble has partnered with Roborace, an autonomous racing series with electric-powered vehicles. As part of the alliance, Roborace will use Trimble’s Applanix POS LVX GNSS-inertial systems in its next-generation autonomous race cars for season one of the championship, which begins in September 2021.
As part of the technology and marketing alliance, Trimble will serve as the Official GNSS-Inertial Positioning Technology Partner and enable Roborace’s engineering team to leverage Trimble resources such as technology, services and expertise that it provides across a wide variety of industries and applications, Roborace said. Trimble also will utilize Roborace’s media platform in its global marketing initiatives.
Image: Roborace
“We are thrilled to be working with Roborace, the world’s first extreme competition of racing teams developing self-driving artificial intelligence for autonomous driving systems,” said Louis Nastro, director of land products at Applanix. “Trimble systems, software and solutions for positioning and orientation are designed for pinpoint accuracy, efficiency and ease of use, and are perfectly suited for autonomous vehicle applications such as Roborace.”
Roborace also looks forward to the partnership.
“At Roborace we are always looking for the best technology to incorporate into our cars and we’re thrilled to announce this alliance,” said Chip Pankow, chief championship officer at Roborace. “Trimble is a leader in the field and the small size and accuracy of the POS LVX is a perfect solution for us. These GNSS-inertial systems will be utilized in all vehicles participating in the Roborace championship.”
Roborace was created to accelerate autonomous software development by pushing the technology to its limits in a range of controlled environments. It also aims to educate and inform the world about autonomous driving. In 2019, the series held six events that drove more than 36 million multi-channel video views.
Designed to operate under the most difficult GNSS conditions found in urban and suburban environments, Trimble’s Applanix POS LV enables accurate positioning for road geometry, pavement inspection, GIS database and asset management, road surveying, vehicle dynamics and autonomous vehicle systems. POS LVX is a configuration of POS LV housed in a robust, rugged enclosure and easily incorporated into small vehicles, autonomous platforms and tight spaces of all types, Trimble said.
