INDUSTRY

SPS986 GNSS smart antenna

Trimble SPS986 GNSS Smart Antenna can be used as a GNSS rover system or as a base station, and with Trimble’s CenterPoint RTX service it can deliver GNSS positions to 2 centimeter accuracy worldwide via satellite/IP, without need for a base station fast. An onboard sensor shows verticality on the field controller screen; in the dark or hard to reach locations, work more efficiently and save time when you can’t easily see the rod bubble. Using the SPS986 Smart Antenna and Trimble Siteworks Positioning Software, capture accurate points while standing, walking or driving the site in a vehicle, even if the receiver is not level.

Access™ 2020 field software

Trimble Access™ 2020 field software is now available on the Trimble® TDC600 rugged mobile device powered by Android. This combination offers surveyors the ability to leverage their familiar workflows and survey instruments while using an Android OS platform. For surveyors looking to use a smart-phone style mobile device to collect data in the field, the Trimble TDC600 running Trimble Access 2020 provides an optimal solution with its lightweight, rugged design. It is also ideal for surveyors looking for a lowercost platform with the new Trimble Access software and workflows.

Tractable’s AI to help Japan’s drivers recover from car accidents

Tokio Marine, one of the world’s largest property and casualty insurers, is to use an AI solution to process auto damage across its insurance operations in Japan, to help drivers recover more quickly from car accidents.

The AI solution, created by Tractable, uses computer vision technology to look at photos of car damage, making sense of it as a human would, in near-real time. It will use the AI to understand the full range of repair decisions available to it, including recommended repair, paint, and blend operations, as well as the labour hours required. Using AI in this way accelerates how quickly insurers can remotely understand both what has happened to a car after an accident, and what needs to happen next – helping insurers and repairs to agree on repairs more quickly, and getting customers back on the road faster. It’s the first time that a major Japanese insurer has deployed an AI auto damage assessment solution in this way. tractable.ai

Multi-band RTK receiver by SkyTraq

SkyTraq has announced a 12mm x 16mm size PX1122R multi-band RTK receiver for centimeter-level accuracy positioning applications. It works with GPS/QZSS L1/ L2C, Galileo E1/E5b, GLONASS L1/L2, and Beidou B1I/B2I signals concurrently.

The PX1122R has RTK initialization time under 10 seconds and maximum update rate of 10Hz. It can be configured as RTK base or RTK rover. As RTK rover, it receives RTCM 3.x data from an RTK base, or raw measurements from another PX1122R RTK base, to provide 1cm + 1ppm accuracy RTK position. When configured in base mode, it can output RTCM 3.3 data or raw measurement data. The PX1122R is designed to deliver reliable, centimeter-level accuracy positioning for both emerging autonomous precision guidance and IoT precise positioning applications, and also the traditional surveying and precision farming applications. www.skytraq.com

Kolmostar’s instant cold boot GNSS Module

After being recognized by IoT World conference, as one of the most innovative Consumer IoT Solutions earlier this year, Kolmostar’s ultra-low power, instant cold boot GNSS module JEDI- 200 and its Evaluation Kit (EVK) are now fully released. It is specially designed for IoT applications such as pet and personal object tracking, livestock tracking, fixed and nomadic logistics, infrastructure tracking and shared economy. www.kolmostar.com

GNSS-disciplined OCXO designed for telecomms, marine navigation

A new series of disciplined oven controlled crystal oscillators (OCXOs) incorporates an internal GNSS receiver with a 1PPS output, compatible with an external GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou or Galileo source. The IQCM-112 series from IQD is housed in a 14-pin 60mm square package.

When coupled to an external aerial via the incorporated SMA connector, in the event of the loss of the GNSS signal the highly specified 10MHz OCXO will switch-in with a holdover capability of 1.5 μSeconds for a 24-hour period, maintaining lock until restoration of the reference signal. The design incorporates an internal adaptive algorithm which enables the module to ‘learn’ the parameters of the GNSS signal after a period of 3 days of lock so that the holdover function can start in the event of signal failure.

Depth management system for the Danish Hydrographic Office

Teledyne CARIS and the Danish Geodata Agency (DGA) have announced the successful completion of the project to implement a new depth data management system. The scope of the project program included delivery of CARIS Bathy DataBASE, migration tools, system configuration and implementation. The project also delivered a range of training and consultancy. The depth data management system provides the Danish Hydrographic Office efficient storage and management of depth data while supporting the current and future requirements, both internally and externally.

Cobham secures UK contract for GNSS anti-jamming

Cobham Aerospace Connectivity will research advanced GNSS anti-jam techniques for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (UK-MOD). The research contract was awarded by the Ministry of Defense’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) office. Under the contract, Cobham will develop means to provide assured and resilient position navigation and timing (PNT) information derived from GNSS. The company has extensive background in advanced antenna technology and sophisticated signal-processing capabilities.

PCCW Global and UniStrong collaboration

The collaboration between PCCW Global and UniStrong will extend the value of this technology further, linking satellite positioning to 5G mobile networks to provide positioning data accurate to within centimeters, thereby creating advantages that will unlock a wealth of new services for telecommunications providers rolling out new networks to support Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities and the aviation industry. This integration of leading edge technologies will also enable the provision of smart aviation solutions for airport authorities. Based on highprecision positioning and navigation technology, new airports will be able to leverage smart civil construction works that will facilitate safer and more efficient airport operations. www.pccwglobal.com

HC977 Triple-Band Helical Antenna with L-band

The lightweight HC977 helical antenna is designed and crafted for precision positioning and covers the GPS/ QZSS-L1/L2/L5, GLONASS-G1/G2/G3, Galileo-E1/E5a/E5b, and BeiDou-B1/B2/ B2a frequency bands, as well as L-band correction services. Weighing only 42 g, the HC977 features a precision-tuned helix element that provides excellent axial ratios and operates without the requirement of a ground plane, making it ideal for a wide variety of applications including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). www.tallysman.com

MakeItAccurate GNSS correction service

Klau Geomatics has launched MakeItAccurate, a global GNSS data correction and processing service. It takes data from any GNSS receiver on drone or survey equipment and makes it accurate. Users can now achieve centimeter (cm)-level accuracy without the need for base stations, real-time kinematic (RTK) links, data from Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) or other external inputs. It requires only the raw GNSS data from a drone to produce a highly precise trajectory and turn the traditional autonomous 3-5m GPS accuracy to 3-5 cm anywhere in the world.

Estonian Railways selects Hexagon

Estonian Railways Ltd., has selected Hexagon’s Geospatial division to implement a transportation system that will automate and digitize the railway’s infrastructure maintenance, construction and traffic management processes. The combined asset management system and GIS platform will support the company’s more than 700 employees to efficiently manage assets and workflows.

Powered by Hexagon’s GeoTrAMS, a web-based system for tram and light-rail infrastructure, and GeoMedia, a flexible GIS management platform, Estonia Railway will be able to visualize assets on a map while integrating with other companies and external systems. Hexagon’s state-of-the-art registry will serve multiple information systems and users at the same time, centralizing the use of asset and spatial data while avoiding data duplication and ensuring that users have access to the most up-to-date information.

Developing 3D infrared sensors for unmanned vehicle navigation

U.S. military researchers are asking for industry’s help in developing computationally intensive 3D infrared sensors that use triangulation and ambient signals in thermal images to create sensors accurate enough for unmanned vehicle navigation.

Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued a broad agency announcement (HR001120S0045) for the Invisible Headlights project. It seeks to quantify the measurable information from ambient thermal emissions to create 3D vision. The project seeks to help researchers understand the useful information contained in ambient thermal emissions, and enable passive 3D vision for unmanned vehicle navigation. The project has two primary goals: understand the useful information in ambient thermal emissions; and enable passive 3D vision for autonomous navigation.

An ideal sensor might be able to extract many orders of magnitude more data about the environment than is attainable using conventional infrared sensors. Enabling passive 3D vision for autonomous navigation will require near-zero noise and orders of magnitude greater measurement diversity than conventional sensors — particularly at high speeds. More than likely this will require completely new types of infrared sensors.

Qinertia, SBG Systems’ PPK software now supports third-party IMUs

SBG Systems’ popular INS/GNSS PPK software called Qinertia now covers all surveyors’ projects by offering a license dedicated to GNSS post-processing. Open to the world, it supports all major GNSS receivers and is now open to third-party IMUs. Qinertia has been designed to offer a comprehensive suite of post-processing software to the geospatial world. It accepts all major GNSS manufacturers, and supports proprietary protocols from Novatel, Septentrio, Trimble, and Ublox for a straight-forward workflow.

It is the first full-featured post-processing software to offer a native support for Ublox F9 RTK receivers reducing the workflow as a simple “drag and drop” to guarantee data integrity and accuracy. It has been designed to help surveyors get the most of their survey very easily with a simple workflow, powerful quality control tools and leading edge tightly coupled algorithms. All of this is now offered to any surveyor with the new support of third-party Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) or GNSS receivers. Several IMU and INS have already been successfully integrated with Qinertia including LN-200, LCI-100 and μIMU. www.sbg-systems.com