INDUSTRY

LabSat releases LabSat 3 Wideband GNSS Simulator

LabSat has launched the new LabSat 3 Wideband, which can record multiple signals from different constellations, simultaneously, and the company also is developing an updated version of its SatGen software. The LabSat 3 Wideband can record GPS L1, L2 and L5 at the same time as GLONASS G1 and G2, and BeiDou B1 and B2. The company describes the lightweight unit as its most powerful to date, yet the small, easy-to-use LabSat 3 Wideband retains the one-touch recording and playback of files.

LabSat 3 Wideband can record a range of additional signals, synchronized to the GNSS input: dual-CAN, RS232, and digital inputs are simultaneously captured increasing the level of playback realism and allowing for a wider range of testing. The GNSS simulator features a removable battery pack that provides two hours of use, and the 1TB Solid State Disk drive can be swapped in seconds. LabSat 3 Wideband is housed in a 167 x 128 x 46 millimeter enclosure and weighs 1.2 kilograms, so it is designed to use to record GNSS signals anywhere, according to the company.

LizardTech releases MrSID SDK Version 9.5.4

LizardTech has announced the release of the MrSID® Generation 4 Decode SDK Version 9.5.4 to compliment the release of LizardTech’s GeoExpress® Version 9.5.3. This latest SDK release includes support to view MrSID compressed Harris Geiger-Mode LIDAR point clouds, paralleling previously incorporated tools for viewing MrSID compressed LAS and LAZ point clouds. www.lizardtech.com

Microsoft, Airbus climb aboard drones software firm AirMap

AirMap, a start-up which has become the world’s top supplier of air traffic management software for drones, is raising $26 million in new financing from a group of industry investors led by the venture capital investment arm of Microsoft. AirMap provides real-time traffic management services for 80 percent of all drones, including millions of robotic aircraft from hundreds of manufacturers, allowing drones and their controllers to share data needed to fly safely at low altitudes. The company was founded only two years ago. Its software works on both piloted and autonomous drones used in both commercial and recreational applications. http://in.reuters.com

Luminent provides cost effective solutions

Luminent LLC has announced the release of the Regulatory Accelerator, an innovative new geospatial software application that uses intelligent automation to acquire data from a company’s existing databases in order to automate required regulatory compliance while using that same data to provide the company’s leadership with predictive and actionable insights. Designed to be a distributed system that integrates data from multiple databases or GIS, Luminent’s Regulatory Accelerator can also track real-time changes to a physical facility such as a complex pipeline system, further simplifying regulatory filings and strategic decisions. Luminent.com

Septentrio GNSS technology guarantees DEME’s operations

The Belgian dredging, environmental and engineering group DEME relies on the accuracy and reliability of the AsteRx family of precise GNSS positioning solutions from Septentrio. DEME began using Septentrio’s solutions over 10 years ago. While dredging in the Belgian town of Oostende, they were unable to obtain a reliable RTK position from their GNSS equipment because of interfering radio signals from a local radio tower. Septentrio worked with DEME to identify the source of the interference and modified a standard RTK receiver with special firmware to address the jamming problem. www.septentrio.com

Seafloor Systems introduces its Echoboat-G2 Survey Boat

Seafloor Systems has designed the EchoBoat-G2™ Unmanned Survey Vessel (USV) that can execute survey missions via remote control or semi-autonomous, utilizing its modified Mission Planner Drone software. With on its AutoNav™ auto pilot module, the operator can pre-plan survey waypoints, upload via RF to the vehicle, and the EchoBoat drone will automatically execute the mission, going from waypoint to waypoint, then return to base. Government and private organizations can inspect, secure, and maintain harbors worldwide with the EchoBoat-G2 USV integrated with a Sidescan Sonar, Multibeam sonar system, or real-time 2D/3D imaging sonar. www.seafloorsystems.com

Oncor upgrades to Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure solution

Oncor Electric Delivery Company (Oncor) has selected Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure to deliver geospatial data across the company’s operations. Its GIS and network modelling solution will coordinate with other business systems to streamline network design and documentation and asset and project management. The realtime connectivity model will go beyond standard GIS capabilities and will serve as a single source of truth for locationbased network information at Oncor.

Oncor distribution engineers will use Hexagon’s software to maintain the electric distribution network model, plus a secondary network and a fiber network, to support the company’s operations. www.hexagonsafetyinfrastructure.com

M3 Systems’ GNSS Simulator sold as part of Averna’s test platform

Averna and M3 Systems agreed to distribute M3’s StellaNGC GNSS Simulator on VST NI Platforms for the Automotive infotainment market. M3 Systems’ GNSS Simulator Is made available as part of Averna’s AST-1000 platform, extending its capability to Navigation and GNSS testing.

Averna’s AST-1000 RF solution is designed for Radio, Navigation, Video and Connectivity testing. By using NI VST and featuring Averna’sRF and test expertise, the software-defined AST-1000 supports all common Infotainment RF signals, including AM/FM, DAB, RDS, HD Radio, and Sirius/XM, as well as Navigation (GNSS). www.eeherald.com/

Topcon launches MR-2 GNSS Modular Receiver System

Topcon Positioning Group has announced the launch of the MR-2, a new modular GNSS receiver system. According to the company, the system combines all current and planned constellation tracking with a comprehensive set of communication interfaces to service any precision application requiring high performance RTK (realtime kinematic) positioning and heading determination. The MR-2 can perform as a mobile RTK base station, marine navigation receiver, mobile mapping device and as a GNSS receiver for agricultural, industrial, military, or construction applications.

Leica SPL100 brings up to 10x more efficiency to airborne LiDAR mapping

Combining the SPL100 single photon LiDAR (SPL) and imaging sensor with Leica HxMap, the scalable post-processing workflow software, RealTerrain enables, for the first time in history, the efficient collection and rapid processing of large area LiDAR data sets. SPL100 collects an unprecedented 6 million points per second with 100 output beams, and HxMap provides a complete singleinterface post processing platform to create industry standard LiDAR and image data products. The efficiency gained by SPL100 acquisition and HxMap data processing enable larger and more frequent LiDAR data acquisition for applications such as dense vegetation mapping and change detection.

SPL100 is the first sensor to be released by Leica Geosystems using Sigma Space technology since its acquisition by Hexagon last year. This new and innovative technology was originally developed in collaboration with NASA. Single Photon LiDAR technology will launch on its first space application, the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), used to measure the elevation of Earth’s ice, in 2018. leica-geosystems.com/realterrain.

Teledyne Optech Announces the New ALTM™ Galaxy T1000

Teledyne Optech announced the latest addition to its innovative line of airborne laser terrain mappers, the ALTM™ Galaxy T1000. This new system combines a 1000-kHz effective ground measurement rate with Optech’s award-winning SwathTRAK™ technology to create the most compact, most efficient, and most versatile lidar sensor available today.

Core to the Galaxy T1000’s enhanced collection efficiency is a doubling of the laser pulse repetition frequency and a further increase to its variable-terrain capability with SwathTRAK technology, which reduces the number of flightlines by up to 70% over traditional fixed-FOV sensors. SwathTRAK leverages the Galaxy’s programmable scanner by dynamically adjusting the scan FOV in real time during data acquisition, enabling constant-width data swaths and constant point density even in highly variable terrain. The result is far fewer flightlines to collect and process, and a consistent point distribution whether on hill peaks or valley bottoms — in fact, the steeper the terrain, the greater the cost savings!

Trimble acquires Beena Vision to expand its rail portfolio

Trimble has acquired privately-held Beena Vision Systems Inc., a manufacturer of vision-based automatic wayside inspection systems for the railroad industry; headquartered in Norcross, Ga, USA. Beena Vision provides vision-based wayside detectors for the rolling stock maintenance market. Its non-contact measurement technology enables highly detailed condition assessment of train components— ranging from wheel surface condition to full train inspection—on trains operating in service and at high speeds. Its wayside systems, coupled with software applications and image analysis technology, enable Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to manage fleet maintenance and operation through automatic measurements and inspections. Real-time alarms, alerts and reports enable significant reductions in maintenance costs and increase fleet availability for revenue generation. www.trimble.com