INDUSTRY

MC-X Platform and MC-Max machine control solution by Topcon

Topcon Positioning Group has announced its MC-Max machine control solution. Based on its MC-X machine control platform, and backed by Sitelink3D — the company’s real-time, cloud-based data management ecosystem — it is a scalable solution for mixed-fleet heavy equipment environments. It is designed to adapt to owners’ machine control and data integration needs as their fleets and workflows expand. www.topconpositioning.com

Bringing high accuracy GNSS corrections to the China market

Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division has announced its partnership with Chinese positioning company Dayou. This collaboration will bring TerraStar X technology to the Chinese market, providing fast precise point positioning (PPP) corrections for autonomous vehicles and mass-market use such as smartphones. The partnership enables Hexagon and Dayou to provide consistent positioning solutions globally, including North America, Europe and China, so OEMs can deploy the same design worldwide. The GNSS corrections generated from TerraStar X technology enable lane-level accuracy with convergence in under a minute for consumer and automotivegrade GNSS receivers, supporting ADAS, autonomous applications, safety-critical applications, mobile phone applications and more. HexagonPositioning.com

SBG Systems drives GNSS+inertial in Paris

Autonomous vehicles require lane-level accuracy at all times and in all conditions. However, under many conditions, such as in urban canyons and tunnels, they may lose line-of-sight to enough GNSS satellites to achieve accurate and robust positioning or may have no signal at all. In these situations, they need data from other sensors, including an odometer and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Creating reliable and safe autonomous navigation requires fusing GNSS and inertial technology in a multilayered system. SBG Systems and its partners LeoDrive.ai and Intempora, have been doing this to develop solutions for autonomous vehicles. SBG’s technology enables multi-sensor integration while addressing such autonomous navigation challenges as time synchronization, integrity, precise positioning and highdefinition mapping. www.sbg-systems.com

Development of GNSS module by Alps Alpine and Furuno

Alps Alpine and Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. have jointly developed the UMSZ6 Series GNSS Module realizing highaccuracy positioning to within 50 cms without correction data for automotive applications. The GNSS Module uses a multi-frequency GNSS receiver chip based on Furuno’s Extended Carrier Aiding3 technology: the eRideOPUS 9 (model ePV9000B) and algorithm. Running costs associated with RTK4 base stations, correction data receiving, and correction data use are no longer needed, maximizing cost performance, while reliable vehicle positioning down to the lane level is possible even on general roads. www.alpsalpine.com

Test sequence fulfilling requirements of E112 emergency caller location

All smartphones sold in the European Union have to be compliant as of March 17, 2022, with the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/320. A supplement to the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU, it defines that 112 emergency calls provide caller location information to emergency services in a fast and accurate way, to make sure first responders can arrive at the site of an accident quickly. Compliance with Galileo, Advanced Mobile Location (AML) and Wi-Fi positioning will be mandatory.

Rohde & Schwarz has developed a software based extension to its well-established R&S TS-LBS location based services test system, making it a tailored solution in line with the European Commission’s guideline document and the upcoming ETSI standard TS 103 825 for AML protocol testing. www.rohde-schwarz.com

Testing the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems

The Nippon Foundation, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, and Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd., have successfully completed a demonstration test of the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a large car ferry, conducted on the Iyonada Sea from Shinmoji, Kitakyushuu City, on January 17.

This demonstration was part of MEGURI 2040, a project promoting the development of fully autonomous vessels supported by The Nippon Foundation. This test demonstrated the world’s first fully autonomous navigation system, on a 222-meter ferry, with autonomous port berthing and unberthing using turning and reversing movements and high-speed navigation of up to 26 knots. Other new technologies included in the advanced fully autonomous operation system include sensors to detect other ships using infrared cameras, a remote engine monitoring system, and a sophisticated cyber security system. www.mhi.com

New Vega 60™ Heading and Positioning OEM Board by Hemisphere GNSS

Hemisphere GNSS has announced another Vega™ heading and positioning OEM board using the Lyra II™ and Aquila™ chipsets. The board fits industry-standard 46 by 71mm form factors with a 60-pin connector. Vega 60 can be used to replace more expensive and lesser-abled 60-pin boards with either single or dual antenna capabilities. It also offers similar or lower power consumption than pin-compatible competitors. Hemisphere’s Lyra II™ and Aquila™ ASIC (applicationspecific integrated circuit) designs provide the ability to simultaneously track and process over 1100 channels from all GNSS constellations and signals including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC, SBAS, and L-Band. www.hgnss.com

mdGroup acquires GeoCu

mdGroup has bought aerial Lidar mapping technology provider GeoCue Group for an undisclosed sum from its founders. The company already owns Microdrones, a Germany-based business that supplies aerial data to make digital twins of industrial sites. www.group-md.com

New contract by Intermap with a leading European airline

Intermap Technologies has announced a new contract with a leading European airline to provide elevation data as a service for route planning operations through an online data subscription service. The European airline has subscribed to Intermap’s web services to access high-resolution NEXTMap® elevation datasets. This subscription enables the airline to access terrain data on-demand to visualize terrain and perform line-of-sight analyses to model safer and more efficient routes in parallel with other operations and engineering software tools.

EarthCam 4D by EarthCam

EarthCam has introduced EarthCam 4D, empowering virtual design and construction (VDC) teams to overlay and synch live imagery with their digital twins. An intuitive time-line allows users to scroll backward and forward in time to view live imagery in relation to their 4D models. https://earthcam.net

SAR Data for Geohazard Mitigation Projects in Philippines

AMH Philippines, Inc. and Synspective have signed a MoU to use SAR technology as part of an integrated and comprehensive approach to mitigate geohazards for infrastructure in the Philippines. The partnership includes the Land Displacement Monitoring (LDM) service, fully developed and automated by Synspective, and is empowered with AMH’s years of local experience in various projects in transportation infrastructure, energy, property, and mining sectors. Both parties will attempt to mutually leverage the strengths in their respective fields and deliver comprehensive end-to-end geohazard consultation to support local communities that are prone to frequent natural disasters.

New survey capabilities in 1Edit

1Spatial have extended the capability of their survey application, 1Edit, with increased support for photos and 2.5D data. It allows users to attach feature photos, including automated geotagging. The latest version now includes new validation functions and improved handling for Heights (2.5D data), typically useful for detailed asset and land management surveys.