Coordinated drone swarm fly in tight formation – without GPS
Getting quadrotor drones to work together in swarms can lead to some spectacular, and potentially immensely useful, displays. However, in order for them to function together as a group, most drones rely on GPS or an external motion-capture system to keep them working together. That …

New satellite tracking of inflight aircraft to improve safety
At any given time, there are approximately 59,000 aircraft in flight worldwide. The ability to effectively track, monitor and report these aircraft is paramount to ensuring the safety of passengers and crew, as well as that of communities on the ground. The United Nations specialized agency …

After four months at the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) test facilities in Daejeon, South Korea…

Ariane 5 launches four Galileo satellites in yearend Arianespace mission
Arianespace performed its eleventh and final launch of the year, sending four Galileo European navig Arianespace used an upgraded version of the Ariane 5, called “Evolution Storable” or Ariane 5 ES, modified further to support the deployment of Galileo, including enhancements for a nearly four …

Leica ScanStation P50 enables users to scan the inaccessible
Leica Geosystems have released the Leica ScanStation P50, the fastest and safest long-range 3D laser scanner, as the newest member of the 3D terrestrial laser scanner P-Series. It combines all the well-known features of the P40 plus a longer-range scanning capability of more than 1 kilometre. …

Fujitsu and HERE partnership
Fujitsu and HERE Technologies have announced a plan to link their respective technologies into powerful integrated solutions for customers developing advanced mobility services and autonomous cars. The two companies have signed an agreement with a view to commencing a long-term strategic partnership that would benefit both companies’ customers. www.fujitsu.com
Navya puts …

Autonomous flight of “Smart Drone”
Terra Drone Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese industrial drone service provider, and KDDI Corporation, a Japanese telecommunications operator succeeded in a fully autonomous flight experiment of “Smart Drone” using “3D map” and “Drone Port.” As a result of the experiment, the world’s first long-distance drone flight of about 6.3 km …

Air Force accepts delivery of GPS Next Generation Operational Control System
The Space and Missile Systems Center announced that the United States Air Force has accepted delivery of the Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) Launch and Checkout System (LCS) baseline from Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems.
Also known as Block …

3D Laser Mapping campaigns for open-source lidar data
3D Laser Mapping will be offering open access to point cloud data which can be viewed and manipulated using GIS software. This information can be extracted for use by businesses, academic research and for in-house training opportunities.
The company will be releasing data collected using its flexible …

EarthSense releases map of air pollution in UK
EarthSense Systems has published MappAir – the first ever high resolution nationwide map of air pollution. Combining data from satellites and its own air quality monitoring sensors together with open source data, it has used complex modelling techniques to create the highly accurate map.
Initially available for …