In a recently released paper, the respected analytics firm London Economics determined that the presence of backup systems at the Denver and Dallas Fort Worth airports prevented any noticeable impacts on air travel despite each having experienced a disruption of GPS signals for 24 hours or more. By contrast, recent GPS interference at an airport without a backup system caused scheduled air service to be canceled until an alternative to GPS was established.
Also important to the lack of impact at Denver and Dallas was that the signals interfering with GPS, with a few minor exceptions, only impacted aircraft in the air.
GPS is essential for the safe and efficient movement of aircraft and support vehicles on the ground at airports, as well as the transport of crews, passengers, supplies, and cargo to and from airports, communication systems, and numerous other services.
Backups needed for both air and ground
Previous work by London Economics has shown that disruption of GPS for these ground functions would likely cause numerous flight delays and cancellations. Delays in the arrival of flight crews, passengers and supplies, for example, would quickly upset flight schedules. If this happened at a major airport, such as Denver or Dallas Fort Worth, disruptions could ripple through the entire air transport system. Wide-spread delays, cancellations and schedule adjustments would bog down air travel across the nation, if not the world.
The incident in Denver was caused by an accidental transmission from a government installation on Jan. 21. 2022. It impacted aircraft within approximately 50 nautical miles of the airport and lasted 33 hours before the source was identified and turned off.
The Dallas incident began on Oct. 17, 2022, and affected aircraft within about 110 nautical miles. It continued for 24 hours before ending on its own. The source has never been identified.
Reducing aviation backups may be a bad idea
In addition to recognizing the value of terrestrial navigation systems for aviation, the London Economics paper cautions about moves in the United States and Europe to “rationalize” these systems by reducing their number. In the event of longer or widespread GPS disruptions, the impact of an insufficient number of terrestrial systems could be significant. The cancellation of air service to an airport in Estonia because of chronic GPS jamming is used in the paper as a cautionary tale.
Instead of reducing the number of old backup systems, London Economics suggests policymakers consider establishing more widely available sources of terrestrial PNT. Taking a fresh look might identify alternative PNT sources for aviation that could also be used by other critical infrastructures. Perhaps even in consumer applications as well.
U.S. government representatives were approached for consultation and comment for this paper and expressed their willingness to participate. Unfortunately, they were unable to obtain permission to do so.
London Economics’ work on this effort was commissioned by the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.
The paper “Aviation GPS Incidents Show Importance of Backup Systems. Policy Makers Take Note.” can be accessed from the foundation’s online library here.
BAE Systems has unveiled NavStorm-M, a gun-hardened integrated anti-jamming GPS receiver for artillery, bombs, missiles and unmanned systems.
NavStorm-M features a layered protection approach using beamforming, anti-spoofing, resiliency and software assurance. It is an assured positioning, navigation and timing (A-PNT) device featuring M-Code GPS technology.
The capability is designed to meet the tight size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) requirements of unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, hypersonic platforms and other weapons – especially in gun-hardened applications. NavStorm-M offers precise GPS navigation as a stand-alone system or integrated with an inertial navigation system (INS).
BAE Systems has delivered selective availability anti-spoofing module products to more than 45 countries and has begun delivering M-Code GPS receivers in multiple form factors and levels of capability to the U.S. armed forces and its allies through the Foreign Military Sales program.
LabSat has launched the LabSat 4 GNSS simulator, designed to meet the demands of modern GNSS signal testing.
The simulator is equipped with three radio frequency (RF) channels, each of which can be configured with up to 12-bit I&Q quantization and a bandwidth of up to 60 MHz. This flexibility allows users to precisely control recording parameters and optimize file sizes based on their specific testing requirements. Additionally, synchronized record and replay of external data sources such as CAN, CAN-FD, RS232 and digital event capture are designed to further enhance complex test scenarios.
Users can save custom record settings for efficient setup and repeatability, and a user-friendly, web-based interface allows easy configuration and management of the simulation environment.
LabSat 4 offers file management capabilities with 7.6TB internal storage and robust data transfer options via Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0. This technology accommodates the high-volume data needs of modern GNSS testing without sacrificing speed or performance.
It maintains compact size, portability and cost efficiency and can be used in the field and laboratory.
It is fully compatible with SatGen Simulation Software, which allows users to create GNSS RF I&Q scenario files based on custom trajectories. This integration enables the simulation of scenarios that include multi-stop routes, time zone transitions, leap seconds, and more, based on any specified time, date and location.
GeoMax Positioning has unveiled the Zenith60 Pro GNSS smart antenna, designed for surveyors and construction professionals.
It is a real-time kinematics (RTK) rover that features calibrated free tilt compensation to measure otherwise inaccessible points. The antenna is suited for harsh climates, urban areas, dense canopy coverage or other challenging terrains.
This multi-constellation, multi-frequency GNSS receiver features a GNSS board with more than 800 channels and IP68 protection against dust and water. It also connects with GeoMax total stations and X-PAD field software to create an efficient and flexible workflow.
NAVSYS Corporation has secured a $4.4 million contract from the Rapid Architecture Prototyping and Integration Development (RAPID) Laboratory of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The contract is part of AFRL’s Commercial Alternative Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) for RAPID (CAPR) program, which aims to provide the Department of Defense improved access to reliable and resilient PNT services, particularly in situations where GPS is unavailable or compromised.
The contract involves developing and maturing NAVSYS’ PNT as a Service (PNTaaS) system architecture. This technology uses existing SATCOM signals for PNT services, utilizing broadband signals outside of the L-band frequencies, which are often subject to jamming. The system employs multiple frequency allocations, including C-band, Ku-band and K-band, to offer high resilience and performance equivalent to GPS.
Test results previously published by NAVSYS have demonstrated the system’s capability to use satellites operated by Intelsat, Viasat, Eutelsat, SES and Telesat to deliver backup PNT capability to GPS.
Wangjie Zhao, an employee of CHC Navigation. (Photo: CHC Navigation)
For decades, surveying — which consists largely of making measurements to determine the relative positions of points above, on or beneath Earth’s surface — had much higher accuracy than mapping for geographic information systems (GIS) — which is mostly based on aerial photogrammetry for base maps and field data collection of the locations of features. When I started in this field a quarter century ago, we typically classified GPS receivers as survey grade, resource grade or consumer grade, with “resource grade” referring to field data collection for GIS.
Today, however, the accuracy of all receivers has greatly increased — thanks to improved chipsets, new GNSS constellations, and a plethora of corrections services — and those three categories are no longer relevant. Therefore, surveying and mapping are increasingly overlapping.
For this cover story, I asked the same three questions about mapping and surveying to representatives of four companies.
CHC Navigation — Rachel Wang, product manager of survey and engineering product line
Hexagon — Craig Hill, VP marketing and services, surveying solutions, Leica Geosystems
Surveying and mapping are increasingly overlapping. What are the remaining differences between them, in terms of accuracy requirements and challenges in the field?
CHC Navigation
While advances in technology such as lidar and photogrammetry are narrowing the gap, there are still notable differences between surveying and mapping. Surveying often requires centimeter- or even millimeter-level accuracy at specific points. In contrast, mapping focuses on collecting dense 3D data over large areas. Although the accuracy of mapping point clouds is steadily increasing, the integration of ground-based GNSS data collection with aerial imagery and lidar is becoming widespread. Mapping tends to be less labor-intensive and involves fewer safety risks in the field, but it requires a unique skill set, particularly in point cloud processing.
Hexagon
Traditionally, surveying and mapping differ primarily in their accuracy requirements and application scales; however, this paradigm is changing with mapping becoming increasingly accurate. Surveying focuses on high-precision geospatial data of specific points. From road, rail and tunnel construction to high-rise buildings, there is no substitution for the precision delivered by surveying equipment and procedures. In contrast, mapping focuses on larger areas.
Recent advancements in sensor technology, including both airborne and mobile mapping systems such as the Leica CityMapper-2 and the Leica Pegasus TRK, have significantly improved the efficiency and precision of mapping, bringing it closer to the levels achievable with traditional surveying equipment.
OxTS
Surveying comes with a large overhead during the data collection process. It requires meticulous preparation and attention to detail to achieve high accuracy in the raw data. GNSS quality, lever arms, user operation, etc., can all cause problems later on. Getting any part of the process wrong can have major cost implications through having to redo the process.
Mapping is focused on the act of aligning that data to datums and control points after the surveying process is completed but it also requires major attention to detail in aligning coordinate frames and origin points in order to avoid baking in any errors that lead to mistakes being made once the map data is handed over to a customer
The problem is that if the surveying process wasn’t accurate, the mapping process will not have a solid foundation in the raw data to deliver accurate maps, so they are inherently tied to each other.
Trimble
Surveyors today have many tools in their toolbox, giving them flexibility across surveying and mapping applications. There are many highly accurate, easy-to-operate data capture systems to choose from these days, but challenges grow when combining and analyzing vast amounts of data from different sensors in the office to provide final deliverables. This has made field-to-finish software that delivers technological integration, workflow optimization and adaptability essential for the job.
Mapping projects often require less accuracy, but a lot of advanced survey technology is entering the mapping domain (e.g., mobile mapping and laser scanning) because of easier field operations and increasing understanding of the value of rich data to asset management.
The data were collected in and around a car park to prove how Lidar Inertial Odometry (LIO) can be used to retain accuracy for longer periods without GNSS updates. (Photo: OxTS)
What is your company’s niche in surveying/mapping?
CHC Navigation
CHC Navigation (CHCNAV) has been at the forefront of positioning and navigation for more than two decades, continually adapting to meet the diverse needs of the surveying and mapping industry. Our innovative solutions often lead the industry in providing end-to-end, integrated technology fusion — GNSS, inertial measurement unit (IMU) and imaging lidar — as a standard that empowers geospatial professionals worldwide. CHCNAV strives to provide accessible, value-added solutions from the start, positioning itself as a key technology enabler for the geospatial community.
Hexagon
Whether you are mapping an entire city or surveying a site for construction, capturing reliable and precise geospatial data is essential. Hexagon’s niche lies in its commitment to innovation, its extensive portfolio and the convergence of superior hardware, intelligent software solutions and expert services — enabling precise, efficient and scalable surveying and mapping for diverse needs. Our multitude of solutions, whether handheld, tripod-mounted, flying, or vehicle-mounted, are designed to collect data efficiently and safely from complex or dangerous environments — enabling the greatest accuracy and high-value deliverables.
Furthermore, Hexagon is uniquely positioned with its robust suite of software solutions that work seamlessly with our hardware, such as Reality Cloud Studio, Leica Cyclone, Leica Captivate or Leica Infinity for collecting, processing, modeling, analyzing, and presenting data. We offer end-to-end solutions that not only provide high accuracy but also ensure productivity and ease of use.
OxTS
OxTS offers localization and georeferencing technology that can help accelerate the collection of high accuracy survey data, allowing more work to be completed in a given time frame without compromising on accuracy.
Trimble
Trimble is known for offering a wide range of highly accurate and reliable data capture sensors but our “niche” — our truly unique offering — is our ability to offer comprehensive solutions that make our customers more productive and their projects more streamlined. We do this through hardware and software solutions that enable highly efficient survey and mapping workflows that connect field and office operations. Our software helps transform the captured data into true information utilizing an increasing number of AI-powered tools while our cloud services allow customers to share the data with a variety of stakeholders, unlocking the transformational power of geospatial data.
What is your latest surveying/mapping product? What are its key specs, markets and applications?
Hexagon
Among our surveying and mapping solutions, the Leica BLK ARC stands out with its flexibility to integrate with various robotic and mobile carriers. The BLK ARC provides autonomous laser scanning with static and dynamic scans, creating 3D digital twins and ensuring operator safety. Similarly, the Leica BLK2GO introduces an agile, handheld mobile scanning solution, capturing point clouds and images, with a user-friendly design. Both solutions are great allies for professionals requiring accurate, efficient, and versatile mobile scanning solutions.
For those looking to offer wide-scale data-capturing capabilities and overcome capacity constraints, the Leica Pegasus TRK mobile mapping system stands out because it can gather extensive data quickly and accurately. Its high-resolution data capture, advanced lidar technology, and enriched 3D point cloud capabilities ensure detailed and comprehensive datasets. Building on this range of solutions, the autonomous flying laser scanner Leica BLK2FLY enhances surveying efficiency by capturing hard-to-reach areas and environments. Its user-friendly operations, advanced obstacle avoidance and seamless cloud-based data integration make it a valuable tool for enhanced productivity and safety in surveying work.
CHC Navigation
Our latest offering, the RS10, demonstrates the integration of surveying and mapping technologies by combining GNSS RTK, laser scanning and visual SLAM into a unified platform. The RS10 enhances traditional GNSS capabilities with V-lidar and SFix technologies. V-lidar enables non-contact offset measurements up to 15 m, ideal for rover applications. Meanwhile, SFix technology leverages laser and visual SLAM data to deliver 5 cm accuracy within one minute in environments with weak or absent GNSS signals. This breakthrough enables accurate GNSS measurements in challenging environments such as indoor spaces and urban canyons, bringing simplified workflows and increased productivity to professional surveying and mapping.
OxTS
OxTS recently released Lidar Inertial Odometry (LIO), which offers improved localization in GNSS-obstructed environments while maintaining a fully global frame output. It means that survey data can retain accuracy for longer in harsher GNSS environments but doesn’t give up the global reference to coordinate frames used by surveyors and does not require ground control points to be anchored to those coordinate frames.
Trimble
The newly released Trimble Business Center (TBC) v2024.00 delivers on its commitment to innovation by offering technological integration and workflow optimization, as well as adaptability and innovation for the ultimate field-to-finish workflow. A key highlight in the new release is the seamless integration of survey data delivery for pavement inspection within AgileAssets, which bridges the gap between Esri and Autodesk through feature services for more efficient pavement management.
In addition, AI technologies provide enhanced point cloud classification and new feature extraction routines for game-changing analysis of aerial, terrestrial, mobile mapping and tunneling data. Collaboration also is greatly enhanced through Trimble Connect for seamless data integration across TBC and Trimble Access field software.
Josh Humphriss, surveyor at Storm Geomatics Limited, surveys a stream with a Trimble GNSS system in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, England in 2022. (Photo: Michael Dix, Marketing Communications Manager, Trimble, Inc.)
Point cloud and 360-degree image collected with the Leica Pegasus: Two Ultimate. (Photo: Leica Geosystems )
The latest mobile mapping innovations are transforming how we manage, design and monitor our critical infrastructure — in particular, reshaping road maintenance. Through the advance of mobile mapping and reality capture imagery, our ability to map, proactively survey and even design roads, from simulating the vibration of a vehicle on a road to mapping out city routes, is drastically improving through the symbiosis of the digital and physical worlds.
Leveraging data: Traditional vs autonomous mapping
Traditional methods for assessing damage to road surfaces are highly manual, field-based, labor-intensive and time-consuming. Visual inspection, for example, comes with resourcing challenges, data exhaustivity and inaccurate assessments, making quality assessment and control a challenge. There is limited accurate analysis of how the road changes over time, and the work involves significant safety issues, with surveyors required to work in the field near live traffic and often requiring the traffic to be interrupted to allow measurements to be taken.
By contrast, automated laser scanning solutions provide spatial geometry for precise measurements that imagery-only methods cannot capture when assessing damage to road surfaces. They overcome any inaccuracies or lack of detail regarding location and circumstances. This technology also allows professionals to study the surrounding context of the road and measure the depth of a hole or the size of a crack with spatial data, which visual methods cannot capture. Hexagon’s mobile mapping systems, used for virtual road management and maintenance, enable access to a completely virtual environment to unlock the insights this data provides, transforming how we manage our infrastructures. With spatial data collected over time, asset degradation and other factors foundational to maintaining road infrastructure can be predicted by the more effective leveraging of data.
With geospatial data allowing the accurate mapping of potholes, rutting and depressions alongside accurate location mapping using GIS, asset managers can map the data onto real-world imagery to create an interactive, 3D model integrating the physical world and geospatial data. Combined, this unlocks insights and overhauls efficiency for asset managers performing road maintenance, allowing them to prioritize and make decisions based on data live in the field.
Veris deploys Hexagon’s solutions for road mapping
Recently, Hexagon’s technology was used by Veris, a provider of spatial data services to deliver end-to-end solutions for road management and maintenance in Australia. It combined a Leica Geosystems mobile mapping system, the Leica Pegasus:Two Ultimate, with Hexagon M.App Enterprise to create a high-quality, configurable solution and designed its own bespoke software platform RoadSiDe.
Veris used the mobile mapping system on the Hume and Melba Highways to identify and assess road defects and ground penetrating radar (GPR) to rapidly perform data capture of the road corridor. Then, RoadSiDe analytics and machine learning enabled the delivery of the data and insights using M.App Enterprise and Luciad Fusion, integrating 3D visualizations and 2D dashboards to identify, assess and quantify the road condition as part of the only full 3D road condition and corridor platform. The in-house solution for scripts and automation Veris developed made it simple for their clients to visualize and interact with the data, providing analytics and value-added services on demand that offered valuable insights for its clients.
As part of the surface defects workflow they use for analysis, Veris takes the raw point cloud data and compares it with the ideal road exterior to create a surface difference model, followed by contours and improved defect definition. This cross-comparison and integration allows them to use and visualize the data they acquired by precisely measuring the gaps and holes. Veris efficiently captured road cracking in detail with its additional 12MP/20MP camera system. These are then mapped into the RoadSiDe dashboard, and cracking width and length are captured within the geodatabase. Machine learning is used to detect cracks in the road surface before pixels are classified into clusters and projected onto the original images for verification and quality assurance. This can then be integrated with location coordinates, allowing clients to see precisely where each cracking is located. With this georeferenced data digitized and visualized, Veris can leverage as much of its data as possible into the most effective platform for its users.
Expanding the scope of mobile mapping
The data captured by mobile mapping solutions is just as helpful in designing roads as in maintaining them and can be incorporated into the construction of future roads and city planning. The data even can be used to simulate, for example, the movement of a heavy truck through city streets to examine whether it will impact potholes or damage any road signs, allowing asset managers to predict and prevent damage and maintain road infrastructure for years to come.
Photo: richard johnson / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images
GNSS technology has become integral to construction work. In particular, firms rely on GNSS signals in four critical areas.
Site surveys
Surveying always has been a foundational aspect of construction planning. Mapping and staking the construction site is essential in preparing to break ground and build on site. Surveyors begin the task of bringing engineering plans from vision to reality.
This work may take place from the air and on the ground, and it now typically involves a vast array of tools to ensure accuracy, including drones, cameras, lasers, sensors, and GNSS signals. The data from GNSS are critical in helping surveyors and engineers create “digital twins” — virtual representations of the physical site they can update in real time to ensure the site matches the plan.
Robotics
Robotics have further transformed the work of construction, both in terms of site surveying and the work of building. Rovers, drones and construction robots can execute various tasks to improve project efficiency and save money.
Once again, GNSS signals play a critical role in ensuring robots carry out their tasks effectively and accurately. Land surveying rovers, for instance, rely on real-time satellite data to navigate construction sites and mark spots for construction with pinpoint precision.
Damage prevention
Construction work is highly invasive, penetrating the ground where hidden power, gas and water lines lie. Misfires during this process can have substantial cost implications or even be life-threatening for construction crews.
Construction firms can use GNSS receivers and other complex instruments to prepare for excavation. These tools provide detailed location information for underground pipes and wires and ensure contractors don’t damage critical underground infrastructure and cause costly delays or dangerous work conditions.
Engineers also can use GNSS data to pinpoint where future utility lines will be, ensuring construction does not get in the way of laying pipelines to bring the constructed building online.
Site inspections
GNSS data continue to play a critical role while construction work unfolds. As builders lay foundations, frame buildings and add finishes, engineers and inspectors can collect site reports and use satellite data to update digital twins and verify the work is on track.
With updated and accurate digital twins, planners have a real-time view of the work in progress, which they can use to inform plans, budgets and timelines as the project unfolds.
VectorNav Technologies has participated in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) NAVFEST 2024 Test Event held May 6-17, 2024. The event was hosted by the 746th Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR).
NAVFEST provides the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and industry partners the opportunity to test and evaluate products and solutions in real-world GNSS-contested conditions to enhance systems’ robustness and resilience in these environments.
VectorNav’s evaluated its solutions in GNSS-contested scenarios to continue advancing its capabilities for robust position, navigation and timing (PNT). The VectorNav team tested a variety of systems on both aerial and ground-based platforms and conducted both static and dynamic maneuvers.
During the event, VectorNav evaluated a variety of its single and dual-antenna GNSS-aided inertial navigation systems (INS) products, including the VN-210, VN-310, VN-210-S, VN-200, VN-300, VN-210E and VN-310E in various configurations. Additionally, these products were tested in combination with a variety of additional PNT systems, including external tactical and navigation grade IMUs, M-Code GPS receivers, anti-jam antennas, commercial L1/L2/L5 GNSS receivers in varied configurations and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite receivers.
The data collected from the event are being analyzed to further refine and improve the company’s solutions in GNSS-contested environments.
GPS World, in collaboration with GEODNET, will be hosting an upcoming webinar, “The science of precise positioning for autonomous systems.” The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. EDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT, with an additional hour allocated for Q&A.
In this webinar, attendees will learn about precise, reliable localization for autonomy using real-time kinematics (RTK), precise inertial measurement units (IMUs) and lidar. An example use case of autonomous yard vehicles will be used to motivate a discussion around new IMU and RTK technologies and how practical solutions fuse multiple technologies to achieve reliable localization for autonomy. Considerations of mixed indoor/outdoor operating environments, accuracy and cost will be explored. Localization requirements for perception and path planning will also be discussed as well as the role of lidar and other vision sensors.
Mosaic has introduced the Meridian mobile mapping system designed to enhance geospatial and surveying technologies. The system integrates the Mosaic X camera with Inertial Labs INS/lidar to improve mapping accuracy.
The Meridian system offers a 74MP native resolution and 13.5K resolution panoramas using precisely synchronized camera modules. The design minimizes image overlap to offer clearer and more consistent panoramas. The integrated INS system has a vertical accuracy of 2 to 3 cm and a precision of 2 to 4 cm.
It offers seamless, out-of-the-box operations with fully integrated and calibrated components. The Meridian system is designed for ease of use and requires only minutes of training. In addition, it features a rugged design to ensure performance in challenging environments.
Safran Federal Systems has launched the BroadSim Duo, its dual-frequency GNSS simulator designed specifically for testing military receivers in an unclassified environment.
The new product integrates dual-frequency capabilities within a single compact GPS military signal testing unit. The simulator has dual-frequency capability, which is essential for testing P-Code and AES-M-Code. It features a new software-defined radio in an M.2 form factor, offering robust and reliable performance. It also seamlessly integrates with the Skydel simulation environment for improved versatility and functionality.
