INDUSTRY

Vexcel Imaging to acquire Image Resources from Verisk

Vexcel Imaging, a leader in aerial imagery data, large-format aerial cameras, and photogrammetry software, signed a definitive agreement on 21st Jan 2020, to acquire the imagery sourcing group from Verisk’s Geomni business. The acquisition will combine Geomni’s imagery surveying and content-related teams and assets into Vexcel. Verisk, a leading data analytics provider, will be a minority owner in Vexcel with full access to all aerial imagery libraries.

The combination of Geomni’s fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and aerial operations, mapping business, and oblique aerial image library together with Vexcel’s sensor business and data program will create the world’s leading geospatial data library.

Geomni’s analytics team and assets will remain part of Verisk and continue to focus on world-class advanced analytics. The team will work closely with Vexcel on a strategic road map and joint projects. www.vexcel-imaging.com

Visualization platform for accurate digital representation of real world

Hexagon has announced the introduction of HxDR, a new cloud-based, digital-reality visualization platform. It creates accurate digital representations of the real world through the seamless combination of reality capture data from airborne, ground and mobile sensors. Users can then leverage the complete, accurate and precise replicas to visualize and share their 3D design projects and models within a real-world context.

For the first time, airborne imagery and laser scans, indoor and outdoor terrestrial scan data and mobile mapping data can be seamlessly combined using HxDR.

Hexagon and University of Arizona introduce Mining 4.E curriculum

Hexagon’s Mining division and the University of Arizona have announced the launch of Mining 4.E, an online course designed to broaden the understanding of modern mining and its associated technologies.

Developed in partnership, Mining 4.E will cover the complete mining cycle, from discovery to reclamation, as well as the innovation and technology spurring improvements at each step. Participants will learn about the overriding importance of safety in all aspects of mining and the radical changes in mining. Hexagon.com

Mesa® 3 Rugged Tablet Running Android™

Juniper Systems, Inc. has released the Mesa 3 Rugged Tablet running on the Android™ operating system. It is the next evolution in rugged handheld computing and data collection for all Android-based application needs.

Offering performance increases across the board, the Mesa 3 is backed by Juniper Systems’ world-class support and durability promise. Running on Android 9.0, the Mesa 3 will grant users access to the Google Play Store providing the data collecting, mapping, and productivity applications users require to be successful. www.junipersys.com

GMV to install control system for Space Norway’s two Arctic-deployed satellites

GMV has signed a contract with Northrop Grumman for development and supply of the Satellite Operations Center for Space Norway HEOSAT’s ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites.

Space Norway HEOSAT, a subsidiary of the government owned Space Norway, is a Norwegian company set up to run the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM). ASBM-1 and ASBM-2, built by Northrop Grumman on the GeoStar3 platform, make up the core of ASBM, a satellite system designed to work in highly elliptical orbits (HEO) to ensure broadband connectivity at latitudes beyond the reach of geostationary satellites. Geostationary satellites are capable of providing coverage from the equator, whereas ASBM satellites will be using their unique orbit to provide coverage in the Arctic, from 65 degrees Northwards, providing broadband for civil and military users in the Arctic.

Miniaturized rubidium atomic clock improves performance

Microchip Technology Inc. has announced the industry’s highest performance atomic clock for its size and power – MACSA5X. The new device also delivers a wider thermal range, critical performance improvements and other enhancements over previously available technology.

It is a miniaturized rubidium atomic clock that produces a stable time and frequency reference that maintains a high degree of synchronization to a reference clock, such as a GNSS-derived signal. Its combination of low monthly drift rate, short-term stability and stability during temperature changes allow the device to maintain precise frequency and timing requirements during extended periods of holdover during GNSS outages or for applications where large rack-mount clocks are not possible. Operating over a wider temperature range of -40 to +75 Celsius, the MAC-SA5X was designed to quickly achieve atomic stability performance by taking less time to lock compared to some of the existing clock technology available in the market. www.magnetprgroup.com

Integration of robots into construction site

Trimble, Hilti and Boston Dynamics have announced a collaboration to explore the integration of Trimble’s and Hilti’s construction management software solutions, GNSS technology and reality capture devices with Boston Dynamics’ Spot Robot platform. The objective behind the partnership is to explore the use of autonomous robots, equipped with Trimble and Hilti survey instruments, in the construction industry.

Autonomous robots can play a significant role in construction, specifically in production and quality control workflows by enabling automation of routine and tedious tasks, reducing workload and improving safety. The companies will collaborate to develop a “proof-ofconcept” solution. Equipped with Trimble’s and Hilti’s reality capture devices as its payload and directly communicating with a cloud-based construction management application, the Boston Dynamics Spot Robot will be able to provide consistent output, deliver improved efficiency on repeatable tasks and enable up-to-date as-built data analysis. www.trimble.com

Scan2K Terrestrial Scanner by Carlson

Carlson Software recently released its Scan2K Laser Scanner, a versatile, fast, easy-to-use solution for the creation of accurate 3D survey data up to a range of “2K” (2,000) meters.

Built with surveyors in mind, the Scan2K is at home in the field with its weatherproof housing, user-friendly sunlightvisible touch screen interface with simple, menu-driven operations for quickly collectng and georeferencing point cloud data. With an integrated high-resolution camera, inclinometers, a compass, and an L1 GNSS receiver, it can be deployed in many environments and orientations, including mobile operations. Carlson’s partner on the Scan2K project is Teledyne Optech, a world leader in 3D survey systems. www.carlsonsw.com

AVL adds Rohde & Schwarz GNSS stimulation to vehicle test environment

GNSS signals are of major importance for positioning and tracking, orientation and safety-related information, such as congestion, in road traffic. A collaboration between AVL and Rohde & Schwarz, two of the world’s leading providers of measuring and automotive testing systems, now permits the reproduction of realistic GNSS reception conditions for testbed vehicle testing. As a result, users can reliably test all aspects of GNSS-based vehicle positioning – a core functionality of autonomous vehicles.

AVL DRIVINGCUBE™ enables the reproducible testing of driver assistance systems and driving features for selfdriving vehicles using a real vehicle within a virtual environment in a variety of different traffic situations. For that purpose, test drives are performed with a real, ready-to-drive vehicle on a chassis dynamometer or powertrain testbed.

The range of environment simulations carried out with AVL DRIVINGCUBE™ can now be extended to include GNSS signals, bringing simulation closer to reality than ever before. The vehicle’s GNSS receiver (e.g. GPS) is stimulated realistically using GNSS signals generated on the testbed.

For generating GNSS signals, Rohde & Schwarz GNSS stimulators are used (R&S®SMBV100B or R&S®SMW200A), which allow the generation of signals for all of the available satellite navigation systems (GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, SBAS) across all frequency bandwidths (L1, L2, L5). rohde-schwarz.com

New L-band receiver enables cmlevel positioning for the mass market

U-blox has released a cost-effective approach to bringing centimetre-level accuracy to GNSS receivers. Its new NEO-D9S GNSS correction data receiver module receives GNSS correction data from correction service providers broadcast on the L-band (at 1525–1559MHz). A host processor is then able to decrypt this correction data and present it to a high precision GNSS receiver, merging corrections directly with readings from the satellite constellations to facilitate much more accurate position readings than those provided by GNSS signals alone.

The module is a correction-only receiver, based on the company’s latest 9th generation (D9) platform. www.electropages.com

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets power millions of Android smartphones and tablets. The Snapdragon 865 features major upgrades in key areas like the central processing unit, digital signal processor, image sensor processor, and modem. It offers up to 25 percent improved CPU performance and more than 25 percent graphics performance boost over its predecessor. The 865’s external X55 5G modem-RF system is compatible with 5G technologies.

BAE Systems to get Collins GPS and Raytheon ATR businesses

BAE systems has reached definitive agreements for the proposed acquisitions of Collins Aerospace’s military GPS business and Raytheon’s Airborne Tactical Radios (ATR) business.

Mediatek Helio G70 mid-range SOC officially announced

Chinese chip maker – MediaTek – has announced the launch of a new SoC the MediaTek Helio G70. It uses an 8-core 64- bit design, with four Cortex A75 large cores clocked at 2GHz plus four Cortex A55 small cores running at 1.7GHz. MediaTek did not reveal which manufacturing process is being used but we can safely assume it’s the same as the G90T, thus the older 12nm. www.gizchina.com/

Broadcom’s second-generation dual-frequency GNSS

Broadcom introduced in 2017 the first mass-market implementation of dual frequency: BCM4775. This chip makes use not only of the classic L1 frequency broadcast by every satellite, but also of the more advanced L5 signal broadcast by a subset of the satellites.

The use of this enhanced L5 signal improves the accuracy of GNSS in an urban scenario, as it mitigates the main source of error: the reflections in the nearby buildings, also known as multipath. Given the unabated need for better precision and accuracy, Broadcom has introduced its second-generation dual-frequency GNSS solution — the BCM4776. The new chip is capable of using the new BeiDou-3 constellation’s B2a signals (the Chinese indicator for L5). It will be able to track 30 new L5 signals (60 percent more) with a significant impact on accuracy. End users will experience much higher reliability of the submeter accuracy inherent to dual-frequency L1-L5.