INDUSTRY

ASO Inc. takes delivery of RIEGL VQ-1560 II-S LiDAR system

Airborne Snow Observatories, Inc. has just taken delivery of one of the first in North America cutting-edge RIEGL VQ-1560 II-S airborne laser scanners, just as the ASO program at NASA pioneered the use of the first of RIEGL’s dual laser scanner, the LMS-Q1560 in 2013. This new LiDAR system, with its doubled laser power and high pulse frequency, will allow ASO Inc. to far more efficiently achieve its needs to uniquely measure snow water equivalent across extensive mountain basins.

ASO Inc. is a public benefit corporation that was created via technology transfer from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to continue and expand ASO operational snow mapping and runoff forecasting to the world’s mountains. Through coupling of RIEGL LIDAR, imaging spectrometer data, and physical modeling, ASO Inc. maps mountain snow depth, snow water equivalent, and snow albedo. This is accomplished with unrivaled accuracy and coverage, enabling reliably high accuracy streamflow forecasting for water management agencies, irrigation districts, and municipalities. www.riegl.com

Robotic-based solutions from Topcon

Topcon Positioning Group has announced system solutions designed to support curb and gutter paving professionals by maintaining productivity and accuracy, even when facing difficult GPS coverage issues. Using either the GT-1200 series robotic total station or the LN-150 robotic layout navigator, customers can augment their existing Millimeter GPS concrete paving solution and remedy issues such as foliage canopies, large buildings, tunnels, overpasses, and more.

Both instruments offer support for a prism solution to quickly switch between Millimeter GPS and LPS (local positioning systems); both use Topcon LongLink communication for robust connectivity. The self-leveling LN-150 is ideal as an easy-to-use, cost-effective robotic solution while the GT-1200 series instruments can serve that purpose and perform a full range of functions as a standalone surveying total station. www.topconpositioning.com

Trimble X7 and Perspective 3D Scanning Solution garners three international design awards

Trimble has announced that the Trimble X7 and Perspective 3D Scanning Solution has received following three international design awards:

▪ iF Design Award 2021

▪ Red Dot Design Award 2021

▪ New York Design Award 2020

The Trimble X7 was designed and developed by an accomplished international project team with decades of experience using and designing scanners, total stations and application software. The team included Trimble employees in product management and marketing in Westminster, Colorado; project management in Danderyd, Sweden; optical instrument design and manufacturing engineers in Jena, Germany; scanning hardware, firmware and software engineers in Paris, France; and application engineers worldwide.

ART-KON-TOR Produktentwicklung GmbH of Jena, Germany was primarily responsible for the X7’s industrial design for usability, function, ergonomics and housing construction. www.trimble.com

M-Code Military GPS user equipment to Germany by BAE Systems

BAE Systems, Inc. received the first contract from the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Production Corps to deliver M-Code GPS User Equipment to Germany. Under a Foreign Military Sales contract, it will deliver advanced M-Code GPS technology to Germany.

The German FMS order focuses on BAE Systems’ Miniature PLGR Engine – M-Code (MPE™-M), the smallest, highest-performance M-Code GPS receiver for ground applications available today. MPE-M delivers precise positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities; anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities; a modern security architecture; and a size suitable for space-constrained applications. www.baesystems.com

Juniper Systems introduce its latest Cedar rugged tablet

Juniper Systems have launched its latest Cedar rugged tablet — the Cedar CT8X2. It offers increased processing power, RAM, and storage, all running on the Android™ 10 operating system. The CT8X2 offers all this while retaining the same powerful GNSS functionality of the previous generation at the same affordable price point. Powered by an octa-core Snapdragon CPU from Qualcomm, the CT8X2 provides a snappy user experience while running demanding applications. https://junipersys.com

Ultra-low latency of five milliseconds by Orolia’s GNSS simulators

Orolia has recently announced the launch of its Real-Time Performance capability which achieves an ultra-low latency of five milliseconds. The feature will be standard on all Skydel-powered GNSS simulators. Skydel is the software-defined simulation engine that powers Orolia’s advanced GNSS simulators including its BroadSim (available via Orolia Defense & Security) and GSG product lines.

Skydel’s software-defined architecture, offering unparalleled flexibility and adaptability, is designed to meet the most demanding GNSS simulation testing requirements in the automotive, military, space and other high-tech industries. Skydel also supports Hardware-inthe- Loop (HIL) simulations without sacrificing ultra-low latency and highend performance. www.orolia.com

Hexagon announces Luciad 2021

Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division announced the release of Luciad 2021, a significant update to its platform for building advanced location intelligence and realtime, situational awareness applications. It delivers enhanced performance, improved development capabilities and more dynamic web applications. With Luciad 2021, defense, aviation, maritime and other organizations can develop more effective and reliable web applications. It also features enhancements to the SDKs for desktop and on-board vehicle applications. LuciadLightspeed can now seamlessly integrate into JavaFXbased applications. This makes it easier to embed LuciadLightspeed map components into user interfaces and introduces new capabilities, such as high-resolution map printing. www.hexagongeospatial.com

GMV develops a new maritime Galileo receiver

Under the Advanced Shipborne Galileo Receiver Double Frequency (ASGARD) project GMV is collaborating with the defence and security company Saab, to develop a new civil, legislation-compliant, Galileosignal- using maritime receiver.

Co-funded by EUSPA (former GSA), ASGARD aims to boost Galileo take up in maritime transport by developing shipborne e-GNSS (European GNSS) data-processing receivers. Ships operating under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) have to be fitted with a maritime GNSS receiver compliant to the international standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The new maritime receiver represents a new generation of GMV’s Galileo receivers and will be integrated into a Saab navigation system in a format that is already well known by the maritime industry. The receiver will be tested according to the requirements of the European Maritime Equipment Directive for GNSS receivers. www.gmv.com

Septentrio announces partnership with XenomatiX

Septentrio and XenomatiX are starting a partnership enabling high-quality Lidar solutions.

XenomatiX will be using the compact and robust GNSS/INS receiver from Septentrio, AsteRx SBi3 Pro+, to provide millimeter accurate analysis of pavement conditions using global positioning coordinates. Septentrio’s high-quality GNSS/INS will be a part of Xenomatix’ Road LiDAR called XenoTrack, which has been the solution of choice for road surveyors and road management companies. www.septentrio.com

ULTRAHACK Drone precision tournament 2021

Launched in July, this international innovation tournament will assemble in late October, when the finals are organized in connection with the massive Assembly Summer ‘21 Fall Edition- event in Helsinki. The key objective of the tournament is to solve essential challenges regarding the utilization of drones, a.k.a. unmanned aerial minicopters. These challenges are especially related to equipment landing and precision flight in various demanding and changing environments. The contestants have an unprecedentedly wide spectrum of navigation- and sensor technology to utilize.

The competition consists of several challenges. Responsible for the execution of each challenge is Ultrahack and Robots Expert Finland, who are promoting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, the competition has a wide range of partners who offer their technology for the benefit of the competitors. Stara, the establishment of the city of Helsinki, offers a challenge for the competitors to solve, where the aim is to execute an urgent delivery in a simulated manner, by using Stara’s own system and subcontracting chain. The challenge includes all the steps between ordering and successfully delivering a product by drone to a construction site in an urban environment. www.ultrahack.org

Developing the “brains” behind Astroscale’s debris removal spacecraft

Developing the “brains” behind Astroscale’s debris removal spacecraft Astroscale UK has been working in partnership with RUAG Space to develop the “brains”, based on RUAG Space’s constellation On Board Computer (cOBC), to command Astroscale’s space debris removing ELSA-M Servicer spacecraft.

For these kinds of innovative missions, a high performing “brain” (On Board Computer) is needed. The computer from RUAG Space will include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and interface unit, all in one box. Once in orbit the computer controls the ELSA-M spacecraft, enabling repeated multi-debris removal manoeuvers and management of equipment, reaction wheels and magnetometers linked to it. www.ruag.com

Rx Networks announces StarCourse

Rx Networks™ GNSS assistance service Location.io™ adds StarCourse™, the next evolution of extended ephemeris services. Real-time ephemeris services have long-provided GNSS chipsets in connected mobile devices a headstart in determining position accurately and quickly. For devices with limited connectivity, typical extended ephemeris solutions have provided a head-start with 7-14 days of ephemeris data.

With the evolution of IoT, low power consumption and a limiting of connection time are essential for extending the usable life of the device. This creates a challenge for IoT vendors seeking an extended ephemeris offering which can minimise onboard resource usage without compromising on accuracy. StarCourse exceeds this challenge with a 50% reduction in RAM requirements, 90% reduction in CPU cycles, and ephemeris accuracy exceeding that of previous market offerings. www.rxnetworks.com

NavVis announces the launch of NavVis VLX

NavVis has announced the launch of NavVis VLX 2nd generation, a new iteration of the flagship mobile mapping system optimized for scanning both indoor and outdoor environments. NavVis VLX 2nd generation will enable more professionals in the surveying and architecture, engineering & construction (AEC) industries to complete a wider variety of reality capture projects with high speed and precision. www.navvis.com

Management of “Terrestrial Time” and “Live-Sky Time” sources

Microchip Technology Inc. has integrated its BlueSky GNSS Firewall with its TimePictra 11 synchronization monitoring and management platform to protect 5G networks and other critical timing infrastructure from GPS signal jamming and spoofing while providing single-console visibility across the entire timing architecture.

In addition to requiring precise timing from GNSS sources, critical infrastructure operators need accurate timing to be distributed across their networks so they can ensure reliable performance and service delivery. TimePictra provides full control and monitoring for resilient timing architectures created with Microchip’s broad product portfolio including its TimeProvider 4100 grandmasters for 5G network synchronization. www.microchip.com

Products to protect critical infrastructure

GPS Patron Provides products and services to protect equipment, especially critical infrastructure that depends on GNSS. Its GP-Probe TGE2 is designed to protect your time server from threats such as spoofing, jamming, ionospheric scintillation, and system errors. The built-in PPS phase error measurement feature ensures that you can monitor the status of your time server by measuring the time offset between the internal PPS and the external PPS. https://gpspatron.com

HawkEye 360 Formation- Flying microsatellites

HawkEye 360 Inc. successfully launched its Cluster 3 radio frequency geolocation microsatellites built by Space Flight Laboratory (SFL). Carried aboard the June 30 SpaceX Transporter 2 mission, the Cluster 3 formationflying microsatellites join in orbit the HawkEye 360 Cluster 2 and Cluster 1 Pathfinder satellites – all built by SFL.

The HawkEye 360 Constellation detects and geolocates RF signals for maritime situational awareness, emergency response, national security, and spectrum analysis applications. Cluster 3 significantly expands HawkEye 360’s global revisit and collection capacity, stated the Herndon, Va., company. www.utias-sfl.net

New rate sensors for small satellites by Honeywell

Honeywell has unveiled a new rate sensor specifically intended to help small satellites navigate increasingly crowded orbits above the Earth’s surface. The new micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based product will provide lower cost and power consumption in a smaller size, all while maintaining high levels of performance. At only 145 grams, Honeywell’s HG4934 Space Rate Sensor is roughly the same size and weight as a golf ball. aerospace.honeywell.com

Mapping Venice Beach during the Pandemic

SimActive announced the use of its Correlator3D product by GEO1 to produce colorized point cloud data of Venice Beach, CA. The project took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in the hope of capturing a pedestrian free dataset along the strand, which is typically populated with tourists and locals alike. www.simactive.com

Pix4D partnership with Beijing Skymap

Pix4D have announced the signing of an exclusive reseller partnership with Beijing Skymap Technology Co., Ltd. in mainland China. With the diversification of Pix4D’s product portfolio to meet the specific needs of industries like surveying & mapping, inspection, construction, agriculture, and public safety, it was natural to partner with an experienced company such as Beijing Skymap Technology Co., Ltd.

Two New Arrow Series GNSS Receivers: The Plus Models by Eos Positioning

Eos Positioning Systems (Eos) have released two new Arrow Series GNSS receiver models: the Arrow Gold+™ and Arrow 100+™.

The Arrow Gold+™ includes all the features of the standard Arrow Gold GNSS receiver model. However, the plus model includes several enhanced features:

• 3.5 hours longer battery life for a total of 11 hours of field autonomy

• Support for additional GNSS signals including concurrent use of BeiDou B3 and GPS L5 signals when using RTK corrections

• Support for the upcoming Galileo E6 High-Accuracy Service (HAS)

The Arrow 100+™ includes all the features of the standard Arrow 100 GNSS receiver model. However, the plus model includes several enhanced features:

• 6 hours longer battery life for a total of 18 hours of field autonomy

• Support for Atlas H50 (Basic) service subscriptions

Both Arrow Gold+™ and Arrow 100+™ have built-in capabilities of the Eos Bridge™ to connect with external sensors. Also, both have the ability to connect multiple mobile devices to a single Arrow GNSS receiver via Bluetooth (sometimes called “multipoint”)