INDUSTRY

Microlab enables GPS network synchronization at Distrito T-Mobile

Wireless Telecom Group has announced that theMicrolabDigital GPS Repeaterwas selected and integrated by Anziva Technologies for the new Distrito T-Mobile entertainment venue in Puerto Rico to enable precision network synchronization for its cellular communication network. The GPS Repeater provides future-proof network synchronization for both 4G deployments and the tighter timing demands of 5G. www.anziva.com

Leica Geosystems innovates automated total station portfolio

Leica Geosystems has enhanced the entire automated total stations portfolio in 2020. Starting with the newLeica Nova MS60 MultiStationandTS60 total station, now thenew Leica TS16andTS13 total stationsand the newTM60 monitoring total stationare introduced. Leica Geosystems’ automated total stations range is designed to help surveyors achieve the highest measurement accuracy and reliability.

The TS16 enables surveyors to work under any environmental condition dynamically, reliably, safely and seamlessly connected. It now comes with AutoHeight, helping users save time during setup with a button press. Also, the optional DynamicLock, allows surveyors to focus on work and safety without having to stand and wait for the instrument to lock onto the target. hexagon.com

New compact active multiband GNSS antennas by Taoglas

Taoglas®, the global leader of advanced antenna designs,has unveiled its new active, multiband GNSS antennas – the MagmaX2 AA.200andColosseum X XAHP.50–engineered for use in applications that require critical highaccuracy positioning and timing applications, including autonomous driving and precision agriculture applications. www.taoglas.com

Vertical positioning SDK on the FirstNet API Catalog

NextNav has announced the availability of its software development kit (SDK) for thePinnacle vertical positioning serviceon the FirstNet API Catalog – a curated catalog of public safety relevant Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and SDKs.It provides applications with highly accurate altitude data for real-time 3D location in multistory buildings, enhancing first responder safety, making decision making more efficient, and improving situational awareness.https://nextnav.com

Improving accuracy of singlefrequency GNSS receivers

Swift Navigation has announced its precise positioning platform can improve the performance of existing singlefrequency GNSS positioning, found on most production vehicles today, from the standard average of 3 meters to lane-level accuracy without changing existing hardware and antenna.

These findings are demonstrated during the regular test drives the Swift team conducts to confirm the efficacy of its solutions and software updates. A performance improvement from 2 meters to 0.7 meters for 95% of this mixed-environment drive was achieved on a production vehicle with a low-cost automotive receiver and antenna. This improvement in performance unlocks lane-level precision previously not possible on existing singlefrequency hardware. swiftnav.com

M-Code enabled mobile timing & sync solutions by Orolia

Orolia through its Orolia Defense & Security business, has announced the availability of M-Code Military GPS receivers in its Resilient PNT products and solutions, including M-Code enabled mobile mission timing and synchronization platforms.

M-Code capabilities further enhance Orolia’s Versa mobile PNT platform for rugged, small SWaP-C requirements and Orolia’s flagship SecureSync® resilient time and frequency reference solution – the first Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) approved time server.

M-Code is a military signal used in the L1 and L2 GPS bands and is required by Congressional mandate for Department of Defense (DoD) military operations. It is designed to enhance positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities and improved resistance to existing and emerging GPS threats, such as jamming and spoofing. M-Code offers several operational benefits, including a higherpower signal that offers improved resistance to jamming and interference; advanced security features to prevent unauthorized access or exploitation; and improved message formats and signal modulation techniques for faster and more accurate performance.www.OroliaDS.com

Sapcorda expands safety-critical GNSS augmentation services

Sapcorda Services GmbH has announced that testing of its first GNSS augmentation services for L-band signal is underway in North America and Europe, laying the foundation for its December 1, 2020 launch of the strongest, most reliable GNSS augmentation signal for safety-critical navigation in autonomous vehicles and machinery.

Available in areas without GSM coverage or mobile internet signal, the new Sapcorda L-band beam solutions from two geostationary satellites provide PPPRTK data-feed redundancy in real-time by swapping to a second data feed when internet connectivity is not available. This automated swapping significantly improves reliability for life-critical applications such as autonomous cars.

The Sapcorda L-band signal will be transmitted in the open SPARTN format, that has been specifically developed for IP-based and geostationary satellite distributions. It will be invaluable for safety-critical applications in automotive (such as V2X and autonomous driving, AD/ADAS) and maritime, as well as a wide variety of uses across sectors such as industrial, robotics and drones. www.sapcorda.com

C-Innovation selects Sonardyne technology

Integrated marine services company C-Innovation (C-I) has chosen a suite of Sonardyne’s underwater positioning and navigation systems to support its operations offshore Brazil.

Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) on board six ROV support vessels (RSVs) in the country will be equipped with Sonardyne inertial, gyrocompass and Doppler technologies, as well as hybrid acoustic-inertial systems. www.sonardyne.com

Collins Aerospace to provide Army with anti-jam technology

Collins Aerospace Systems has been selected to provide Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing System (MAPS Gen II) for manned and unmanned ground vehicles to combat Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) threats.

MAPS II provides a high-assurance, accurate navigation solution across GPS threat environments with industryleading NavFusion of multiple sensors and is interoperable with the Collins AerospacePRC-162 manpack radioto ensure mission success in the Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) battlespace. collins.com

Gexcel presents HERON® MS Twin

Gexcel presents the new HERON® MS Twin: a double Lidar sensor portable mobile mapping system, equipped with a 5k RGB panoramic camera. Thanks to its advanced hardware+software technology, the users can benefit from a very high-level performance in terms of geometric robustness of 3D models.

HERON® MS Twin is the perfect system for surveyors who works indoors, outdoors, in underground mines, multilevel buildings, tunnels, cultural heritage sites, forensic procedures, forests, urban areas, harsh and complex areas. It can make the user able to obtain several outputs from collected data: volume computation, excavation progress monitoring, digital archive, construction progress monitoring, floor plans generation for asset management, logistic/traffic management, dilapidation monitoring, scan to BIM, contours and profiles, 3D virtual experience, real-time change detection, as-built generation, security and safety, and much more. https://gexcel.it

5G LBS with AGPS and 5G NR FR2 mmW performance testing by Rohde & Schwarz

As wireless network operators roll out 5GNR in the millimeter wave spectrum, it is critical to ensure continued reliability of E911 calls and accurate determination of location in mobile devices.

Rohde & Schwarz has verified Assisted- GPS (AGPS) performance in a commercial mobile device, while simultaneously transferring data using 5G millimeter wave (mmW). This capability is now available with the Rohde & Schwarz TS-LBS Location Based Services test system.

5GNR utilizes frequencies in the FR1 frequency range (<7.125GHz) and in the FR2 mmW frequency range (>24GHz). FR2 creates unique challenges for mobile devices in terms of power consumption and heat. With FR2 becoming more common in North American mobile devices, performance of critical services such as E911 emergency calls cannot be allowed to degrade when utilizing this mmW spectrum. rohde-schwarz.com

First high-resolution, homogeneous DSM for Germany

Hexagon’s Geosystems division has been awarded a contract by the German Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) to provide a homogeneous, comprehensive digital surface model (DSM) for Germany. The data is provided via the HxGN Content Program, a licensed, high-quality geospatial data service from Hexagon. The program was launched in 2014 and is currently available in Europe and North America.

The BKG has data sets with general height information of the Earth’s surface across its entire federal territory. However, these can vary from state to state because they are generated from different source data. An upto- date, homogeneous and high-resolution DSM is required by organizations operating across state borders, such as the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the German Air Traffic Control, the German Armed Forces Geoinformation Centre and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. The data must meet high quality requirements for positional and vertical accuracy, resolution, currency and flexible licensing options for the federal government, the states, European and international organizations. In addition, the HxGN Content Program offers powerful streaming services. hexagon.com

Septentrio unveilsAsteRx-m3

Septentrio has announced an expansion of itsGPS/GNSS*OEM portfoliowithAsteRx-m3 productfamily. Theyfeaturethelowest power consumption on the market, allowinglonger operation times.Their new easy-to-integrate design ensuresshortset-up timesand faster time-to-market.The new product familyincludes 3 types of GNSSOEM boards. www.septentrio.com

Trimble and Boston Dynamics announce strategic alliance

Trimble and Boston Dynamics have announced a strategic alliance to integrate a variety of construction data collection technologies with Boston Dynamics’ Spot®robot platform. The jointlydeveloped solution will combine the Spot robot’s autonomous mobility with Trimble’s data collection sensors and field control software to enable automation of repetitive tasks such as site scans, surveying and progress monitoring, while taking advantage of the robot’s unique capabilities to navigate dynamic and potentially unsafe environments. The relationship gives Trimble exclusivity to sell and support the Spot robot with integrated scanning, total station and GNSS technologies for the construction market. www.bostondynamics.com

SBG Systems to release the virtual base station feature in Qinertia

SBG Systems releases the Virtual Base Station feature in its in-house postprocessing software called Qinertia. Geospatial professionals benefit from an optimal centimetric position accuracy in all their projects, even for corridor mapping and in poorly covered RTK areas.

Maximize corridor Survey Accuracy, without Compromise on Processing Time

Qinertia PPK software now includes a brand new Virtual Base Stations (VBS) functionality. The VBS consists in computing a virtual network around your project in which position accuracy is maximized, homogeneous, and robust like a PPK short baseline is. Surveyors can collect data far from base stations or over large areas, making it ideal for corridor mapping.

Qinertia is the Ideal PPK Software for All your Projects

Qinertia has been designed to support all GNSS receivers and third-party IMUs. SBG Systems has worked very hard to offer a VBS, which takes the most out of any GNSS receivers from different brands, models, with different configurations or constellations, and even with different coordinate systems. It automatically adjusts the VBS network to compensate for any base station position inaccuracy and provides full quality control indicators to assess the expected accuracy and reliability.

User Keeps the Control

Qinertia is highly flexible and intelligent. It automatically selects the best positioning technology that applies to your project, whether it is a single base station mode, the Virtual Base Stations mode, or a Precise Point Positioning computation. Control is still in the user’s hands: the user can manually choose the mode, take a base station away, add a new one, while Qinertia automatically rechecks and re-computes all parameters simultaneously to validate the accuracy and consistency. sbg-systems.com

UP42 partnership with Hexagon

High-resolution aerial imagery from the HxGN Content Program is now available on the UP42 developer platform for Earth observation data and analytics. UP42 customers may now choose from nearly 11 million square kilometers of 30 cm orthorectified imagery for North America and Europe and over 500,000 sq km of 15 cm data for major U.S. cities in the Hexagon aerial image library.

Managed by Hexagon, the HxGN Content Program has created an archive of cloud-free, four-band (Red, Green, Blue, Near IR) multispectral data acquired in the past two years with Leica ADS100 and DMC III airborne sensors. The data sets have been orthorectified to deliver the highest level of positional accuracy and consistency – regardless of geographic area. The library is updated every two to three years. www.up42.com

Carlson Software releases Carlson Layout

SurvPC, Carlson Software has introduced their Android-based field solution for construction layout. Carlson Layout, a completely new program, represents a streamlined solution that allows fast, efficient layout capabilities for construction professionals using total stations or GPS receivers such as theCarlson CR+series of robotic total stations and theCarlson BRx7 GNSS receiver.It brings the advantage of the full Carlson driver library. www.carlsonsw.com