Industry

INDUSTRY | LBS | GNSS | GIS | IMAGING | GALILEO UPDATE

NovAtel offers MEMS IMU for GNSS SPAN Integration

NovAtel Inc., has added a new commercially exportable MEMS IMU (micro electromechanical inertial measurement unit) to its line of SPAN GNSS/INS products. It is supplied by Analog Devices (Norwood, Massachusetts) and is exclusive to NovAtel. It can be paired with an OEM6 receiver card to provide continuously available position, velocity, and attitude (roll, pitch, yaw) in a small, single-unit form factor. The new OEM-ADIS-16488 sensor is designed to be coupled with NovAtel’s OEM6 receivers via a MEMS Interface Card (MIC). Measuring 71x46x11 millimeters, the MIC is designed to NovAtel’s smallest receiver form factor, for pairing with an OEM615 SPAN- enabled receiver. The sensor uses 10–30 VDC power inputs, provides a 200 Hertz data rate, and is not subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Rockwell Collins gets $3.2mn GPS contract

Rockwell Collins received a $3.2 million technology investment agreement from the Department of Defense, USA to continue the next phase of the low-cost military GPS programme. www.aviationtoday.com

$120 million to Lockheed for new GPS satellites

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems with $120 million for two contracts to build the next four GPS satellites in the new GPS III program. All assembly, integration and testing of the four satellites will be done at Lockheed Martin’s Jefferson County facility. www.denverpost.com

Esri ArcGIS supported by Leica Zeno GIS Office and MobileMatriX

Leica Zeno Office v3.1 and Leica MobileMatriX v5.1 has software updates for the Zeno GIS series. It now supports the new Leica CS25 GNSS, Esri ArcGIS 10.0/10.1 and post-processing accuracy improvements. The latest releases support the latest ArcGIS versions (ArcGIS 10 and ArcGIS 10.1). The direct integration allows organizations to access authoritative data to support enterprise analytics and GIS. www.leica-geosystems.com/

Trimble acquires Penmap Software

Trimble has acquired a suite of software solutions from Penmap. com Ltd. of Bradford, UK. Penmap. com’s solutions include both office and field data collection software specifically designed for the cadastral and surveying markets. www.trimble.com

Broadcom latest GNSS chipset features low power Geofence Mode

The BCM47521, a single-die receiver IC, fabricated in low-power 40 nm CMOS technology, is currently in production and will be shipping in handsets by Q2 2013. In order to reduce the power consumption, the on-chip geofencing system allows the host CPU to be put into a sleep state until the handset crosses a predefined boundary, which triggers the BCM47521 to wake the host CPU. The BCM47521 chip also provides multi-constellation support. www.gpsbusinessnews.com

Symmetricom enhances SSU 2000 platform with GLONASS

Symmetricom, Inc. has announced two new capabilities for its SSU 2000 Synchronization Supply Unit: a GLONASS timing reference that uses signals from the satellite navigation system operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, and Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE), an ITU-T synchronization standard that delivers frequency synchronization over the Ethernet physical layer. This enhanced version of the SSU 2000 will be the first in a series of forthcoming Symmetricom products that include GLONASS capabilities.

Spectra Precision GNSS Receivers and Total Stations for Turkish University

The Hittite University School of Corum Department of Mapping and Cadastre has purchased two Spectra Precision Epoch 50 GNSS receivers and eight Spectra Precision Focus 8 total stations for academic study and research.

New bathymetry dataset offers easier access

Geoscience Australia has released a new multibeam bathymetry dataset that provides improved understanding about the topography and nature of the seafloor of offshore Australia, an area which for the most part remains poorly mapped. The 50m Multibeam Dataset of Australia 2012 is a tiled compilation of the entire multibeam dataset held by Geoscience Australia including all data lying within the outer edge of the offshore area of Australia, as well as some data in international waters, as at August 2012. Bathymetry is the measurement or mapping of seafloor topography. One of the most accurate ways of collecting bathymetry data is through the use of multibeam echosounders which are acoustic ship-borne instruments designed to map the ocean floor.

Hemisphere GPS is now Hemisphere GNSS

Hemisphere GPS, Precision Products Business Unit, has been acquired by the Canadian subsidiary of Beijing UniStrong Science & Technology Co. Ltd. The Canadian entity will operate under the name of Hemisphere GNSS Inc. and our US entity and business headquarters located in Scottsdale, Arizona is named Hemisphere GNSS USA, Inc. Office addresses, website and contact details will all remain unchanged. The “Hemisphere GPS” brand will continue to be used in communications, product branding and advertising. www.hemispheregps.com

2013 GIS in Local Government Benchmark Study

Australia’s Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) has teamed with Esri Australia to conduct a national survey of local government use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The study will engage councils across Australia to understand how they are making use of intelligent mapping technology. The 2013 GIS in Local Government Benchmark Study will fill a lack of industry research into how the technology is being implemented. The industry has been aware that the role of GIS technology in local government is increasing and hopes to quantify both the use and potential in the report. The survey also aims to help local governments gauge where their current GIS technology capacity sits compared to their peers.

90 CHC GNSS Receivers for Chinese National Survey and Mapping Bureau

CHC Navigation has been awarded a contract to supply 90 units of X91 GNSS receivers to the Chinese National Survey and Mapping Bureau, for the completion of the Chinese Sea Islands and Reef Surveying & Mapping project.

Bentley Pointools’ used to Uncover Prehistoric Artwork on Stonehenge

Bentley Systems, Incorporated announced that Bentley Pointools technology was used to visualize and analyze the most detailed laser scan survey ever conducted of historic Stonehenge – one of the world’s oldest built environments. The laser scan with point spacing of 0.5 millimeters resulted in an enormous data resource of 850 gigabytes. The task of further examining this ancient infrastructure to discover more about it was awarded to ArcHeritage, part of the York Archaeological Trust in the United Kingdom as part of a project commissioned by English Heritage. www.worldfishcenter.org/

Mapping capabilities in the Swiss Alps of senseFly’s eBee drone

senseFly successfully demonstrated the 3D mapping capabilities of its fully autonomous mini drone under extreme conditions. Recently, the eBee conducted a mapping mission in the mountains above Zermatt at altitudes of up to 3000 meters. Several flights were conducted to map small hamlets and valleys at temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius (14°F). The entire mapping of a small valley, including the takeoff, flight, landing and resulting geo-referenced orthomosaic and 3D elevation map, is documented in a video available online.

Microsoft Introduces 210mm Lens for UltraCam Eagle

The Microsoft UltraCam business unit launched the 210mm lens for the UltraCam Eagle digital aerial camera system. It was the first multi-cone digital photogrammetric camera to offer an exchangeable lens system with 80mm (standard) and 210mm (tele) lenses. After extensive flight testing with exceptional results, the 210mm lens is now being released. The 210mm lens captures the same high dynamic, excellent quality, detailed imagery as other UltraCam systems, with the added benefit of flying at high altitudes, e.g., 5 cm imagery at a 2,000 m altitude.

ESA selects Spirent Hybrid Location Technology Solution

European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Spirent’s Hybrid Location Technology Solution (HLTS) to expand the location testing capabilities in their R&D labs. As the first test solution of its kind, Spirent’s HLTS brings together all elements of hybrid positioning technology synchronously. It enables ESA to test positioning performance with a combination of Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Micro Electro- Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor and cellular positioning technologies.

All-In-One Device for Mobile Communications and Surveying Data Collection

Trimble has announced an all-in-one device for mobile communications and surveying data collection—the Trimble® Slate Controller. It combines the convenience and ease-of-use of a smartphone with the rugged durability. Optimized for Trimble Access™ field software and the Trimble R4 GNSS receiver, it fully supports a surveyor’s everyday workflows. Offering voice, SMS text, and 3.75G cellular data transfer capabilities on GSM cellular networks worldwide, the Trimble Slate Controller is a rugged device that enables enhanced connectivity in the field. Its wireless communication capabilities keep surveyors in the field connected to the office. An integrated 8-megapixel camera offers enhanced job documentation and point attribution by providing geotagged, high-quality digital photos. www.trimble.com

Nokia mapping and nav apps for all Windows Phone 8 users

Nokia has opened up availability of Here Maps, Here Drive Beta, and Here Transit to all Windows Phone 8 devices in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Spain. www.theverge.com/