INDUSTRY

DAT/EM Systems releases 7.1

DAT/EM Systems International® released the 7.1 edition of DAT/EM software products including Summit Evolution™, Landscape™, Capture™, MapEditor™, Ortho+Mosaic™, Airfield3D™ and Contour Creator™. The advancements in the 7.1 DAT/EM Photogrammetric Suite represent the latest evolution in technology and are based on customer input and growth within the geospatial industry. datem.com/release7-1

FARO launches FARO Scanner Freestyle3D

FARO Scanner Freestyle3D is an easy, intuitive device for use in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Law Enforcement, and other industries. It is equipped with a Microsoft Surface™ tablet and offers unprecedented realtime visualization by allowing the user to view point cloud data as it is captured. It scans to a distance of up to three (3) meters and captures up to 88K points per second with accuracy better than 1.5mm. The patent-pending, self-compensating optical system also allows users to start scanning immediately with no warm up time required. www.faro.com/Scanner/in

Standards work to begin by RTCA on new GNSS-related aviation devices

The RTCA, a nonprofit association that supports and coordinates volunteers developing consensus-based standards, does its work via a large number of committees. Special Committee 159 (SC-159), which will handle the standards for the new receivers, focuses on equipment that uses the GPS.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked RTCA last year to develop minimum operational performance standards (MOPS) for a higher quality inertial reference system (IRU)–like device based on an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). This standard would use integrated GNSS inputs for corrections and alignment. Equipment based on these standards would give aircraft selfcontained capability to coast through areas with GNSS interference without relying on ground-based navigation systems. Such equipment would enhance the aircraft’s navigation robustness, improve area navigation (RNAV) operations during GNSS disruptions, and reduce the FAA’s costs to maintain ground infrastructure.

Multi-GNSS receiver module for wearables

SkyTraq Technology has introduced a stand-alone multi-GNSS receiver module in a compact 7 x 7 millimeter form factor, the Venus828F, designed with a sensor hub function for wearable and “Internet of Things” (IoT) applications. It is capable of communication with multiple satellite systems and tracking up to 28 satellites concurrently. The compact LGA module integrates all the necessary components for wearables and IoT, forming a complete working GNSS receiver, including GNSS chipset, 0.5ppm TCXO, Flash memory, LDO regulator, DC/DC switching regulator, and passive components. It only requires external antenna and power supply to output accurate position, velocity, and time

GPS sport watches in India by TomTom

TomTom, has forayed into the India wearable market with a range of GPSenabled sport watches. The range, which includes four smart watches delivers real-time information like time, distance, heart rate, pace, speed and calories burnt to runners, cyclists and swimmers. http://www.thehindu.com

FOIF offers A50 GNSS survey receiver

Chinese company FOIF is offering a new survey receiver, the A50. With the A50, the company is focused on developing a smart design for a receiver to make it lightweight, yet powerful, making it easy to use for fieldwork. Besides Bluetooth, wireless radio, and mobile network (2G and 3G), Wi-Fi feature was added to broaden data communications for GNSS. The A50 is designed to provide excellent performance, with a highsensitivity GNSS module. It not only has sophisticated onboard software, but also optional application programs such as FOIF FieldGenius and Carlson SurvCE, providing multiple field solutions.

US Army Corps of Engineers Selects SimActive for Drones

SimActive, a developer of photogrammetry software, has been selected by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). They join professionals across the globe using Correlator3D™ with UAV imagery.

“Military organizations have been instrumental to our products’ development since inception”, said Dr Philippe Simard, President of SimActive. “It is a milestone for us to welcome the USACE as users of Correlator3D™.”

GPS to Track Antarctica’s Ice Migration in Real Time

Antarctica’s melting ice sheets have been a major contributor to global sea level increases over the last decade, and the losses are expected to accelerate over the next two centuries. But researchers attempting to study the rate at which these sheets move and melt have been hamstrung by conventional monitoring methods. That’s why a team from the UBL’s Laboratoire de Glaciologie has gone ahead and connected one such ice sheet to the Internet of Things.

To obtain a more accurate and timely understanding of the situation, researchers from the UBL have installed a series of GPS sensors and phase-sensitive radar along the Roi Baudouin ice shelf in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. These devices will monitor the sheet’s shifts in real-time, providing climatologists with daily, not weekly, updates. Gizmodo

Clock modules get timing from GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou

NEO-M8T and LEA-M8T are precision timing modules from u-blox, that work concurrently from GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou, and are Galileo-ready. Accuracy is said to be within 20ns and the receivers autonomously cold start on a -148dBm signal or, when aided (see below), -157dBm (GPS and GLONASS, or 151dBm for GPS and BeiDou). 12.2 x 16.0mm NEOM8T is intended for applications such as geophones used for seismic field measurements. LEA-M8T is 17.0 x 22.4mm. www.electronicsweekly.com

Megafon, MTS start joint Parental Control location service

Russian mobile operators MTS and Megafon have completed the integration of their location services for retail subscribers. Location using their Parental Control services is now available on both networks, using LBS. MTS subscribers are able to use the service via SMS, a dedicated website, or using a mobile application for Android and iOSpowered devices. Megafon customers can access the service over SMS, the USSD menu, a dedicated website, or via a mobile app for Android-powered mobile devices. www.telecompaper.com

Trimble News Trimble® TerraFlex™ Advanced An enhanced edition of its TerraFlex field data capture software, which manages asset collection and update activities for everyday geospatial requirements. Organizations across a variety of industries, including environmental management, utilities and government agencies, can deploy a common workflow for field workers to collect or inspect their assets efficiently using TerraFlex Advanced. Trimble® Rapid Positioning System A simplified layout solution for building construction professionals. It includes the Trimble RPT600 Layout Station to layout points and capture as-built measurements and Trimble Field Link 2D software running on a performance tablet to control the layout station. Timing Portfolio for Mobile Telecom Trimble has introduced a new portfolio of GNSS-based time and frequency products to address the synchronization needs of the fast-growing 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) small-cell telecom market. Trimble timing solutions provide increased holdover capabilities and more robust signals with multi-constellation GNSS technology with which to sync wireless networks efficiently. The new product line-up includes: The Mini-T GG Disciplined Clock, The Trimble 360 multi-GNSS receiver, The surface mount ICM SMT 360 timing module. Coillte Selects Trimble Forestry Ireland’s state-owned forest company, Coillte, will implement Trimble’s Forestry Logistics solution to provide central dispatch management services for its timber deliveries across Ireland. Coillte has begun a comprehensive redesign of its business-operating model. A key result of the redesign process was the decision to implement central dispatch systems and services. Trimble was selected for its fieldproven forestry logistics and log truck dispatching, and in particular, Trimble’s experience in supporting the transition to a more optimal timber delivery process, part of Trimble’s Connected Forest strategy.