INDUSTRY

Spirent Launches SimSAFE to Address GNSS Signal Vulnerability

Spirent Communications has announced the introduction of Spirent SimSAFE, a software solution that concurrently simulates legitimate GNSS constellations and spoofed or hoax signals to evaluate receiver resilience and help develop counter measures. It was developed in conjunction with Qascom, GNSS signal security and authentication experts.

As GNSS become increasingly embedded in modern infrastructure for application timing and device positioning, the opportunities for interference and spoofing attacks become greater, Spirent said. Hoax or spoofing attacks work by mimicking genuine GNSS signals, which mislead GNSS receivers. From mobile telephony to Internet banking, GNSS timing signals are used in many key systems, and yet there is no requirement on GNSS equipment to demonstrate any degree of robustness to block or even detect malicious attacks that disrupt performance. Often, affected receivers do not recognize when they are receiving fake signals and continue to operate normally, but provide false time or position information. www.spirent.com

All Archer 2 models shipping worldwide

After passing further testing and receiving additional certifications, all models of the Archer 2 from Juniper Systems are shipping worldwide. The new Archer 2 has an extra-bright IllumiView display, a super battery that can last well over 20 hours, enhanced GPS capabilities, and IP68 rating to prove it can withstand the most extreme environments. www.junipersys.com/archer2

Extended recording plus other new features for LabSat 3

The latest LabSat 3 update allows the use of 128Gbyte SD cards, giving up to nine hours of high quality RF recording. Also included in the update is the ability to use external USB hard drives and the addition of a serial/USB NMEA output, generated by the internal GPS engine during a replay. Along with SD card recording, LabSat 3 features inbuilt battery power, dual channel recording of GPS/Galileo/ QZSS/SBAS, BeiDou, or GLONASS, and logging of other external signals such as CAN and RS2232 – in a small, rugged, and light enclosure. www.labsat.co.uk

First survey-grade LiDAR for UAS by RIEGL

RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems has been developing the world’s first surveygrade UAS LiDAR sensor, the VUX-1. The innovative sensor was designed to meet the challenges of emerging surveying solutions by UAS, gyrocopters, and ultra-light aircraft, both in measurement performance and in system integration. The VUX-1 is an ultra lightweight LiDAR sensor with less than 4 kilograms (less than 9 pounds) overall weight, that can easily be mounted onto professional UAS/RPAS. It has a 300 degree field of view and produces the extremely high quality LiDAR data users expect from a RIEGL product. Internal storage offers the ability to collect data for several hours at altitudes/ ranges up to more than 1,000 ft. Scanner applications include, but are not limited to: Agricultural and Forestry, Defense, Wide Area Mapping, Flood Zone Mapping, Glacier and Snowfield Mapping, Topography and Mining, and the Academic Markets. www.riegl.com

Ekinox Subsea Series by SBG Systems

SBG Systems have recently released the Ekinox Subsea Series. It is a product family of survey-grade inertial systems designed for underwater applications – up to 6,000m. The series includes the Ekinox-M, a Motion Reference Unit (MRU), and the Ekinox-U, an underwater Inertial Navigation System (INS)

Smart coupling of iXBlue and Septentrio technologies creates ATLANS-C

iXBlue, a leading provider of navigation, positioning, and mapping solutions, has launched its new ATLANS-C position and orientation system, developed in close cooperation with Septentrio Satellite Navigation. The system is designed to provide continuous and accurate positioning in urban environments, where GNSS signals are obscured, intermittent, or possibly distorted by reflective surfaces. www.septentrio.com/products

New Spectra Precision® SP80 GNSS receiver

Spectra Precision has introduced its nextgeneration Spectra Precision® SP80 GNSS receiver. The new SP80 is an innovative survey solution that combines cutting-edge GNSS technology and a unique combination of communication capabilities with a distinctive and ergonomic design. The SP80 is an ideal GNSS receiver specifically designed for mainstream surveying and construction applications such as cadastral, topographic, control, stakeout and network RTK.

Spectra Precision SP80 features exclusive Z-Blade™ GNSS-centric technology running on a new-generation, 240-channel 6G chipset. The SP80 is capable of fully utilizing all 6 available GNSS systems (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS and SBAS), but can also be configured to use only selected constellations in an RTK solution (GPSonly, GLONASS-only or BeiDou-only). The SP80 is also the first GNSS receiver on the market to be compliant with the new RTCM 3.2 standard, including the recently approved MSM RTCM messages, which also makes it the only receiver ready to support all available GNSS corrections. www.spectraprecision.com

StreetMapper to Map Indian Infrastructure

StreetMapper is being deployed to Laser Map city centres and transportation networks across India. The system has been purchased by Geokno, a technology company in India specialising in GIS. The specially customised StreetMapper was selected for its proven accuracy, reliability and quality of support and service from developer 3D Laser Mapping.

u-blox introduces GNSS antenna module

ublox has introduced the CAM-M8Q GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/QZSS antenna module. The module integrates a u-blox M8 satellite receiver IC plus SAW filter, LNA, TCXO, RTC, passives and a pretuned GNSS chip antenna in an ultra-small 9.6 x 14.0 x 1.95 mm package. The new module requires only a power source for reliable and accurate satellite positioning anywhere in the world. www.u-blox.com

Jupiter SL871 by Telit

The Jupiter SL871 is the ideal solution for battery-life sensitive GNSS applications that do not require Dead Reckoning, TRAIM and support of communication ports like USB or CAN bus. The recently introduced companion SL869 V2 module provides these sophisticated features. The SL871 can track GPS + Galileo and GLONASS (or GPS + Galileo and Compass\ Beidou depending on the SW onboard) constellations, while simultaneously providing the positioning data through standard UART. www.satnews.com

Northrop Grumman Awarded U.S. Military Contract for Navigation Systems

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force for purchase and sustainment of its embedded global positioning/ inertial navigation systems (EGI).

Under an indefinite-delivery, indefinitequantity (IDIQ) contract with a potential value of up to $200 million, Northrop Grumman’s suite of fiber-optic gyro-based navigation systems are available for the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy as well as international customers. Northrop Grumman will also provide platform integration, modernization, flight test and technical support, training, depot repair and spares for its EGI. www.northropgrumman.com

Summit Evolution Software now processes CartoSat-1 Satellite Imagery

Designed for geo engineering (mapping) applications calling for high resolution panchromatic imagery with high pointing accuracies in India, the CartoSat1 Satellite (IRS P5) was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and produces panchromatic stereoscopic imagery. ISRO recently released the CartoSat sensor models and the rational polynomial coefficients necessary to geolocate the imagery. By combining these parameters with measured ground control points, Summit Evolution by DAT/EM Systems can efficiently orient CartoSat imagery and enable the imagery for stereo viewing, 3D feature collection, and terrain processing. www.datem.com

DigitalGlobe acquires Spatial Energy

DigitalGlobe, Inc. has acquired Spatial Energy, a leading source for digital imagery and related services to the energy industry. Spatial Energy helps energy companies reduce the cost, time and effort associated with acquiring and analyzing complex geospatial information. www.digitalgloble.com

Garmin recognizes a GPS milestone in aviation

Garmin International Inc has commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the Garmin GPS 155 receiving FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) authorization, the industry’s first FAA TSO-C129 approach approved IFR GPS receiver. The GPS 155 TSO received FAA TSO approval on February 16, 1994, which set the bar for future technological GPS advancements in aviation. The GPS 155 TSO was the world’s first GPS navigation product to be fully certified to FAA TSO-C129, Class A1 standards for non-precision approach use. For the first time, pilots could fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) throughout the departure, enroute, and approach phases of flight using GPS as their primary navigation source. www.garmin.com

Trimble News New airborne LiDAR systems The Trimble® AX60i and AX80 are highly capable, versatile systems that meet the demands of aerial survey operators for corridor and wide area mapping projects. The new airborne systems, together with flight planning and analysis software tools, have been designed to provide rapid and efficient point cloud capture as well as high-resolution images and proven workflows with high productivity. www.trimble.com V10 Imaging Rover Trimble® V10 Imaging Rover is now available through its Geospatial Division distribution network. It enables professionals in a broad range of industries to quickly capture rich positioning data and 360 degree documentation of their surrounding environment. In the office, users can take measurements and create comprehensive deliverables using Trimble Business Center office software. www.trimble.com

 

Hexagon News Aibotix acquired The Hexagon Group from Sweden acquires the Kassel manufacturer of flying robots as of now. Hexagon Technologies measures with precision and quickness large amounts of complex data that are visualized via engineering and geospatial software. The products of Aibotix are ideal for delivering highly accurate geoinformation, which is an excellent complement to the Hexagon products. www.aibotix.com Chiroptera II Leica Geosystems and Airborne Hydrography AB a nnounced the availability of CHIROPTERA II LiDAR solution for topographic mapping and shallow water surveying in depths of up to 15 metres. The system simultaneously captures the full waveform in both the 35 kHz bathymetric channel and the 500 kHz topographic channel to provide high-detail maps for environmental and coastal monitoring, infrastructure planning, and other near-shore applications. It incorporates www.leica-geosystems.com Satellite navigation, positioning system acquisition Hexagon AB said its cash offer for shares of Veripos Inc., a manufacturer of satellite navigation and positioning systems for offshore oil companies, has now earned it a 95.8 percent stake. As part of the planned acquisition, Hexagon announced a deal Topcon, Japan to be a reseller of the satellite broadcast correction signal offered by Veripos subsidiary TerraStar GNSS Ltd. The deal also calls for Hexagon and Topcon to create a joint venture to grow the TerraStar business.