Industry

Trimble introduces new android application

Trimble has introduced Trimble® Penmap® for Android™, a cloudconnected application for field surveying and high-accuracy GIS data collection that works on mobile handhelds, smartphones and tablets. Trimble Penmap for Android focuses on core survey and mapping tasks such as cadastral and boundary surveys, establishing local control, stake-outs, quality checks and asset management for utilities. It provides both professional surveyors and field workers with an intuitive, easy-to-use map-based interface to manage features and attributes for high-accuracy GIS and complete survey documentation. For example, the application is ideal for use in the energy distribution industry for locating infrastructure and recording critical information on encroachments, clearways and existing monuments. The application runs on a variety of Android devices, including the rugged Trimble TDC100 handheld, and supports fullfeatured Trimble GNSS receivers such as the Trimble R10, R8s and R2 receivers.

It is optimized to integrate with the new Trimble Catalyst™ service, a software-defined GNSS receiver that connects to the small, inexpensive plugand- play DA1 antenna, and allows surveyors to choose an accuracy level from meter to centimeters to suit their application needs. www.trimble.com

DAT/EM Systems international updates landscape software

DAT/EM® Systems International has released version 7.4 of its software suite, including significant updates to LandScape, a 3D stereo point cloud editing and visualization tool. In LandScape version 7.4, operators can expect to load points in half the time as previous releases, utilize more filters and tools to explore their point clouds, and have the option to purchase the new Point Cloud VR to view their point cloud in virtual reality (VR). Photogrammetric, engineering and GIS professionals use LandScape to quickly view and modify enormous terrain point clouds from sources such as aerial LiDAR, structure from motion (SfM) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). www.datem.com/landscape.

Solution for A-BeiDou LBS by Rohde & Schwarz and MediaTek

Rohde & Schwarz and MediaTek have successfully completed the verification of location based services (LBS) in the U-plane and C-plane for A BeiDou, the new GNSS satellite positioning system from China. The R&S TS-LBS test solution allows mobile manufacturers, chipset manufacturers, test houses and network operators to verify chipsets and mobile devices in order to obtain permission to operate them in a particular network.

The R&S TS LBS from Rohde & Schwarz is a test system for testing GNSS and network-based LBS. It consists of an R&S CMW500 as the base station simulator and an R&S SMBV100A GNSS simulator. The R&S CMW500 provides assistance data to the DUT and the R&S SMBV100A simulates the BeiDou satellites. The R&S TS-LBS test system can be used to obtain GCF and PTCRB certification as well as network operator specific certification for chip sets and mobile devices. www.rohde-schwarz.com

NovAtel Technology, AutonomouStuff Featured in Baidu Apollo Project

Baidu has announced NovAtel’s partner, AutonomouStuff, as a member of their Autonomous Driving ecosystem — Project Apollo.

Project Apollo has been initiated to provide an open, comprehensive and reliable software platform for Baidu’s partners in the automotive and autonomous driving industries. Partners can use the Apollo open software platform together with the reference hardware platform to accelerate development of their customized autonomous vehicle solutions. Based on their extensive experience in autonomous system development, it will provide the “Apollo Kit” to Baidu Apollo partners. The Apollo Kit includes the vehicle – a Lincoln MKZ with by-wire kit installed – and all hardware, software and services required for an Apollo partner to quickly begin developing their autonomous vehicle. NovAtel SPAN GNSS/INS products will provide position, orientation and time as a critical component of the Apollo Kit.

Harxon releases rover radio for RTK surveying and GNSS positioning

Harxon has introduced an advanced, high-speed, Bluetooth-enabled wireless rover radio. The HX-DU1603D. The HX-DU1603D is a lightweight, ruggedized UHF receiver designed for data communications between 410 MHz and 470 MHz in either 12.5 KHz or 25 KHz channels, which can be widely used in GNSS/RTK surveying and GNSS precise positioning fields. It is equipped with a Bluetooth transceiver for wireless communications with external devices. It features a 6800 mAh rechargeable internal battery and configurable transmit power between 0.5W and 2W. Its IP67 waterproof capability allows long operating hours outdoors, the company said.

Data Collecting Program for Mobile GNSS Field Data Set taking Place in Japan

Lighthouse Technology and Consulting Co., Ltd is proceeding with a program to collect precise GNSS data on major highways in Japan. The data is an inevitable “must use” tool for high precision positioning systems used in automated driving vehicles. While the major part of autonomous driving systems consists of sensors and image recognition technologies, satellite positioning is also a key element used for complementing the precise current position.

There are obstacles to overcome with automated driving on public streets, and the competition among companies to develop solutions is accelerating due to recent technological advancements in sensors, image recognition, and artificial intelligence. In addition, Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) has brought attention to developments in centimeters leveled high precision positioning. When dealing with satellite positioning technology for automated driving systems, it is inevitable to have a variety of high precision field data at the point of development, testing, and fine tuning prior to the driving test of the vehicles, and to have the reference position data at the point of evaluation.

Orolia’s McMurdo wins U.S. Search and Rescue Technology Awards

Government Security News has named McMurdo, an Orolia brand, the winner of two national search and rescue technology awards in its annual Airport, Seaport, Border Security Awards Program. McMurdo won Best Search and Rescue and Best Man Overboard Tracking in the Maritime/Port Security/ Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems categories, respectively.

McMurdo delivered a series of industry firsts to revolutionize the way search and rescue missions are conducted today. In 2001, McMurdo was the first to deliver individual emergency distress devices with its Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). The U.S. Coast Guard has recently selected McMurdo to provide up to 16,000 PLBs to enhance crew safety. In 2011, McMurdo delivered the first Man Over Board (MOB) devices. Today, their MOBs provide extremely accurate location information and transmit automatically when a life jacket inflates, according to the company.

Orolia holds a pioneering role in search and rescue (SAR) technology. The company’s position as the top provider of Medium Earth Orbiting Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) satellite-aided technology has reduced the time required to detect emergency signals from hours to near instantaneous detection.

Sierra Wireless offers LPWA module with GNSS

Sierra Wireless, a provider of fully integrated device-to-cloud solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), is offering global, dual-mode low-power wide-area (LPWA) cellular modules. The AirPrime WP77 smart wireless modules simplify LPWA deployments for customers developing products that need to connect to multiple networks where different LPWA technologies are supported.

The WP series simplifies development for secure telematics and gateway applications, providing a dedicated application CPU core running the Linux-based open source Legato application framework.

Tersus launches the NeoRTK system to enhance surveying

Tersus GNSS Inc. has launched the NeoRTK System with multi technology integrated for surveyors. The system is described as a new generation system by the company and is applied with multi-constellation and a multifrequency GNSS engine and various communication protocols which aim at providing high performance and stable signal reception to meet surveyors’ demands. Featuring a high-end GNSS antenna inside, the NeoRTK can speed up the Time to First Fix (TTFF) and improve the capability of anti-jamming.

The 16G internal storage and up to 32G external SD card along with the built-in large capacity battery for 10- hour field work can assist surveyors’ productivity in their daily practice. The radio module in the package makes long distance operation more convenient.

Esri Expands Its World Geocoding Service Capability

Esri, have announced the release of significant enhancements to the World Geocoding service for the company’s ArcGIS platform. This update to the World Geocoding service gives users access to 25 additional countries, including Cuba, Bangladesh, and Libya, where street addresses can be located.

World Geocoding empowers users to easily convert addresses into locations— and vice versa—on a map. These new enhancements include improvements such as refined address matching using the latest authoritative datasets, and easier identification of real locations. For the complex problem of intersection matching, the service has been improved to recognize more diverse types of intersections on a visual map showing features that don’t physically meet, like overpasses above other roads, or streets that are connected by roundabouts. Coordinates can also be matched to points of interest, postal regions, administrative areas, and countries for enhanced reverse geocoding.

SXblue Introduces Its Ultimate Survey Grade GNSS Receiver

SXblue Platinum is the latest model in the SXblue series. This high accuracy GNSS receiver is compatible with iOS, Windows and Android Bluetooth, and provides real-time professionalgrade positioning information.

Powered by its 394 channels, the SXblue Platinum uses all-in-view constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS) with triple frequency, and provides the ability to use global or local coverage for corrections (SBAS, L-Band and RTK). The receiver is field-upgradable which means that these options can be remotely activated at your convenience.

MicroSurvey CAD 2017 released

MicroSurvey Software Inc. is proud to announce the release of MicroSurvey CAD 2017 with powerful new and enhanced capabilities, streamlined workflows, and important bug fixes that continue to make MicroSurvey CAD the absolute best choice for land surveying and civil engineering professionals worldwide.

MicroSurvey CAD provides users with an intuitive interface on a complete survey drafting toolkit, including COGO, DTM, traversing, adjustments, volumes, contouring and more. It is perpetually licensed and is powered by IntelliCAD® which is compatible with AutoCAD® drawing files. With five available feature levels – Basic, Standard, Premium, Ultimate and Studio – it gives users the choice between several tiers of features to ensure they are getting precisely the tools they need.

Mapping the World with Advanced LiDAR

Carbomap, an environmental survey company, in collaboration with high performance LiDAR manufacturer RIEGL, UAVE and The University of Edinburgh have announced the first successful demonstration flight of a RIEGL VUX-1LR survey-grade waveform laser scanner on a fixed wing, long range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This is likely the first time that such a high-performance scanner has ever flown on a fixed wing UAV with such an advanced specification for long duration (8 hrs) and long range (1,000 km).

With centimetre-scale 3-dimensional accuracy, this breakthrough development will greatly increase the worldwide accessibility to high quality laser scanning (known as LiDAR). However, obtaining such high quality 3D data can be very expensive to obtain using conventional airborne surveys. It is difficult to process without specialised software, and as a consequence, it is rarely available in most developing nations. By bringing such instruments together into a single UAV system (named Forest-Lux or F-Lux, for short), together with its own solution-focused software, it is now possible to get a system that can be a local asset, under local stakeholder control, and be operated at an affordable price in any country in the world.

Leica Geosystems’ new 3D imaging laser scanner now available in Europe

Leica Geosystems, have announced its award-winning BLK360 miniaturised 3D imaging laser scanner is now available for reservation within Europe, for delivery in summer. The laser scanner simplifies the collection of as-built reality capture data for work in architecture, design, construction and engineering among other vertical markets.

Users simply place the lightweight BLK360 on a level surface or tripod and, with the push of a single button, it captures 360º HDR spherical imagery and takes a 360,000 point per second laser scan. Getting measurements right the first time, the BLK360 features +-4mm accuracy at 10 metres and an overall 0.6 – 60 metre range. Within three minutes, the spherical image and laser scan is completed and ready to view in the Autodesk ReCap Pro for mobile app, which runs on an iPad Pro. From there, users can take measurements, add markup and annotations or share onsite data with their colleagues back in the office.

“The BLK360 brings together exclusive technologies to deliver outstanding performance, all while simplifying the process of 3D image scanning and reality capture through the touch of a single button,” said Burkhard Boeckem, CTO, Leica Geosystems. “This has enabled us to create new opportunities for scanning experts and introduce entirely new audiences to laser scanning while uncovering possibilities that were previously unimaginable.”