Industry

Hexagon partners with Clevest

Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division and Clevest have partnered to offer Clevest’s workforce automation products alongside Hexagon’s utility GIS and outage management systems for integrated office-to-field solutions. The partnership expands the network engineering and operations offerings for utilities and telecommunications companies and smart cities in North America. Clevest provides software that connects the mobile workforce to office operations, optimizing field activities or processes and improving outage response, restoration times, worker productivity and safety. hexagon.com

U.S. Navy to meet civil navigation standards on multiple aircraft

Rockwell Collins is helping multiple U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft obtain safety-critical Required Navigation Performance Area Navigation (RNP-RNAV) capabilities through a contract issued by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Air Combat Electronics program office (PMA-209).

Under the agreement, Rockwell Collins will supply its Mission Flight Management Software (MFMS-1000) and Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) Calculator (LPVC-1000) applications, which will enable these aircraft to meet RNP-RNAV requirements and obtain global airspace access and perform GPS approach procedures. These procedures improve airspace utilization and reduce congestion, delays and fuel burn while improving safety by providing more precise aircraft navigation. www.rockwellcollins.com

Expanding the reach and capabilities of autonomous vessels

Iridium Communications Inc. have announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with smart shipping pioneer Rolls- Royce Marine (RRM), in support of their autonomous vessel development program. Through this arrangement, RRM and Iridium will work together to explore incorporating Iridium’s next-generation L-band satellite broadband service, Iridium CertusSM, into the RRM suite of Ship Intelligence solutions. By doing so, RRM will have a resilient and reliable broadband capability that can serve as a standalone option or high throughput backup, while expanding the reach of autonomous vessels to all the world’s waterways.

RRM’s solutions deliver multifaceted enhancements to ships, enabling remote diagnostics, operations and performance monitoring capabilities. Among many offerings, these solutions provide remote access to onshore operators and control centers, delivering real-time connectivity and automation. By automating processes such as navigation, crew are able to focus on more valuable areas of vessel operations helping to streamline overall functionality, ushering in a new digital era of shipping. www.IridiumNEXT.com .

ROK eLoran Contract Award

The Korea Research Institute of Ships and Oceans Engineering (KRISO) has awarded UrsaNav, through its agent, Dong Kang M-Tech, a contract to supply an eLoran Transmitter Test Bed Systemin the Republic of Korea. This contract represents the first phase in a broader program to upgrade Korea’s Loran-C stations to be the foundation of a sovereign Enhanced Loran (eLoran) Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) service.

The Republic of Korea recognizes the challenges associated with relying solely on space-based signals, the relative ease with which those signals can be jammed or spoofed, and the necessity to provide Trusted Time and Trusted Position to its citizens and critical national infrastructure. www.ursanav.com.

Hemisphere GNSS acquires Outback Guidance Business

Hemisphere GNSS, Inc. has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase all of the assets of the Outback Guidance (Outback) business from AgJunction, Inc. along with a new technology licensing agreement. This acquisition aligns well with Hemisphere’s continued push into the global agriculture market. In addition to the included IP licenses for business into the dealer channel, a second license was signed to allow agriculture steering solutions sales into OEM VAR (value-added reseller), and all other segments of the agriculture supply chain. www.outbackguidance.com/

Eos, LaserTech and Esri Introduce Laser Mapping Workflow

Eos Positioning Systems, Inc.® (Eos) has announced its release of the world’s first laser offset solution within the Esri® Collector for ArcGIS® workflow.

When combined with Laser Technology, Inc.’s (LTI) laser rangefinders, the solution will allow field crews to capture centimeter-accurate 3D locations of hard-to-reach assets and in GNSSimpaired environments. The solution has been in the works for months, as demand has grown for hard-to-reach, high-accuracy mapping within the Collector workflow. eos-gnss.com.

GPS III Satellite shipped to Cape Canaveral for launch

On August 20, Lockheed Martin shipped the U.S. Air Force’s first GPS III space vehicle (GPS III SV01)to Cape Canaveral for its expected launch in December. GPS III will be the most powerful and resilient GPS satellite ever put on orbit. Developed with an entirely new design, for U.S. and allied forces it will have three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities over the previous GPS II satellite design block, which makes up today’s GPS constellation. www.lockheedmartin.com/gps.

Geneq introduces Net20 Pro GNSS CORS reference receiver

Geneq Inc. has introduced the Net20 Pro, a robust system designed for Continuously Operating Reference Station networks. The Net20 Pro’s efficiency and flexibility will provide high-quality data for users interested in the proximity and reliability of a reference station while eliminating real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections service charges. The Net20 Pro uses multi-frequency, 555-channel technologies in a rugged casing to deliver accurate and effective positioning data even in a harsh environment. The receiver can be configured for correction data reception in client mode to calculate a fixed RTK position and to monitor the antenna position while continuing to work as a GNSS reference server.

Airgain offers 6-in-1 and 5-in-1 antennas with GNSS, LTE, Wi-Fi

Airgain Inc. has released its Multimax FV 6-in-1 and 5-in-1 antennas. The compact Multimax FV family is available in a range of configurations, supporting multi-constellation GNSS. The antennas also support up to dual MIMO LTE (including Band 14 for the FirstNet public safety network), 3×3 MIMO Wi-Fi or 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi.

The new products include high-gain antennas that deliver a larger cellular footprint alongside high rejection GNSS technology with coverage for multiple satellite systems including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou.

NovAtel launches new TerraStar-C PRO Multi- Constellation correction service

NovAtel Inc. has launched its new TerraStar-C PRO correction service with multi-constellation support, including the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou constellations. Combined with NovAtel’s OEM7 positioning technology, TerraStar-C PRO cuts initial convergence times by nearly 60 percent and offers 40 percent better horizontal accuracy than the current TerraStar-C service.

NovAtel’s TerraStar-C PRO offers a robust multi-constellation solution that provides greater positioning accuracy, availability, and reliability than ever before, according to the company. With the growing number of operational GNSS satellites, TerraStar-C PRO offers considerable benefits in challenging signal conditions such as multipath, shading, interference, and scintillation. High rate TerraStar-C PRO corrections provide re-convergence in less than 60 seconds following brief GNSS signal interruptions.

Quectel Releases GSM/GPRS/ GNSS/Wi-Fi Module

Quectel Wireless Solutions has announced the release of MC90, a quad-band GSM/ GPRS/GNSS/Wi-Fi module. The new module supports hybrid positioning technologies including GNSS, Cell ID and Wi-Fi aided positioning, and enables position tracking in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Quectel MC90 integrates multi-GNSS systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS, which greatly improves the positioning accuracy and ensures that the module can track position even in areas with weak satellite signals, according to the company. This makes MC90 especially suitable for urban areas with high-rise buildings and complex environments.

TS-1701/02 GNSS / GPS Timing System

TS-1701/02 1U or 2U GNSS receiver system with configurable ports that can use GPS, Galileo, Beidou, and GLONASS allows user to select one or a combination of up to three of these sources. The system can also be used as a Stratum 1 NTP Server to provide accurate time to NTP clients or continuously and smoothly Synchronize time with any system in the network whether NTP or other protocols.

FreeFlight SBAS/GNSS receiver chosen for USAF helicopter fleet

A FreeFlight Systems SBAS/GNSS receiver has been selected to provide ADS-B position source information as a part of an upcoming ADS-B modification and compliance program for the United States Air Force HH-60G helicopter fleet. Strategic Enterprise Solutions Corp. (SESC) of Warner Robins, Georgia, was awarded the modification program, which includes installation of the 1203C SBAS/ GNSS receiver and the AN/APX-119 Mode S Extended Squitter transponder with Mode 5 capability to provide a complete ADS-B Out solution for more than 100 helicopters.

CHC Navigation completes acquisition of AMW

Shanghai-based Shanghai Huace Satellite Navigation Technology Ltd. (“CHC Navigation”) has announced it has acquired the business assets and personnel of AMW Machine Control Inc. The business will now be conducted by AMW Machine Control Solutions Inc. (“AMW Solutions”), a subsidiary of CHC Navigation.

AMW Solutions business has over 30 years of advanced machine guidance, machine control and GNSS knowhow. With innovative topo and machine control software solutions known as GRADE, DIRT, DITCH, PIPE, LANDFILL and ROAD, AMW Solutions offers the industry’s most cost-effective solutions designed for equipment operators. AMW Solutions offerings will be based upon turnkey, wireless CHC Navigation Android industrial tablets and industry-leading CHC Navigation RTK GNSS receivers. AMW Solutions has also appointed Phil Gabriel as President. www.chcnav.com

High-end wideband I/Q data recorder from Rohde & Schwarz

The solution consists of an R&S FSW signal and spectrum analyzer, the new R&S IQW wideband I/Q data recorder and an R&S SMW200A vector signal generator from Rohde & Schwarz.

The R&S IQW records the signal spectrum of a wideband RF signal or the spectra of multiple narrowband signals in a frequency band, with a bandwidth up to 512 MHz. This makes it ideal for realistic component tests with radar signals, for deployments using a variety of RF test scenarios in the automotive sector, and for tests employing GNSS signals, for example.

To obtain signals as realistic as possible for simulations, the R&S IQW highend I/Q data recorder samples signal spectra at a rate up to 640 Msample/s and a large bit depth – 16 bits each for I and Q data. Removable 6.4 Tbyte SSD memory packs are used for storage. www.rohde-schwarz.com

TRIMBLE NEWS

RTX Correction Technology Now Delivers Two Centimeter Accuracy

Trimble recently announced today its Trimble RTX™ GNSS corrections technology that can now achieve horizontal accuracies of better than two centimeters. Start-up times, commonly referred to as convergence, have also improved. Users can now achieve full accuracy in less than 15 minutes, and as fast as one minute in select areas where RTX Fast network infrastructure is available. This performance is achievable using Trimble’s premier correction service, CenterPoint® RTX, delivering RTK-level accuracy outside traditional Virtual Reference Station (VRS) networks, considered the gold standard for high-accuracy corrections. Trimble RTX provides unprecedented performance from a satellite-delivered correction source. In addition, corrections are available via an Internet or cellular connection, making it one of the most versatile services available today.

Offering a suite of correction services, Trimble RTX provides users the flexibility to choose the level of accuracy to suit their application needs from meter to centimeter level. It is an ideal correction solution for a variety of applications including agriculture, survey, mapping, construction, automotive and any location-based service that could benefit from greater precision.

R10 GNSS System for Land Surveyors

Trimble has announced the launch of a new model of its premium GNSS receiver, the Trimble® R10 Model 2 GNSS System. Designed to help surveyors in a wide range of industries work more effectively and productively, it enables reliable, fast and accurate collection of survey data in the field.

The new enhancements include the latest and most advanced custom Trimble survey GNSS ASIC with an industry-leading 672 GNSS channels for unrivaled GNSS constellation tracking, including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, IRNSS as well as the full range of SBAS. The Trimble R10 Model 2 tracks and processes all of today’s available GNSS signals and is designed to support planned GNSS signals and systems that may be launched in the future. www.trimble.com.