INDUSTRY

EUSPA taps ESSP for EGNOS service provider role

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is Europe’s regional satellite based augmentation system (SBAS). Used to improve the accuracy and reliability of GNSS positioning information, EGNOS is designed to provide safety of life navigation services to aviation, maritime and land-based users across the EU.

While the exploitation of EGNOS is the responsibility of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), its services are delivered by the EGNOS service provider under a contract with EUSPA. Recently, EUSPA formally announced that it has signed its new EGNOS service provider contract with European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP)

The new 10 years contract sees ESSP continuing its role as the EGNOS service provider for the Open Service and Safety of Life Service (SoL) while EUSPA is in the process of taking over the responsibility of EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS) service provision. During this time, ESSP will be responsible for EGNOS service provision (including EGNOS operations and part of its maintenance).

Expanding and evolving

With EGNOS constantly expanding and evolving, the new contract will see ESSP performing some new tasks as well. For example, in addition to bolstering EGNOS’ use in the aviation sector, the company will look to further develop the service for the maritime, rail and drone sectors. It will also help improve the security of EGNOS V2 through the addition of new functions and by upgrading the system.

Then there’s EGNOS V3, the next generation of EGNOS that will augment Galileo signals. With ESSP set to play a major role in this transition, the company has brought on new partners, including Airbus Defence and Space currently in charge of the development of EGNOS V3.

Under the new contract, ESSP will work to further expand the EGNOS services in European Neighbourhood Policy South countries (ENP South) and Ukraine. The company is in the process of setting up new RIMS in Nigeria and Chad, the operation of which will be subcontracted to the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA).

EASA’s C2 certificate for eBee X Series drones

senseFly, announced that eBee X, eBee Geo and eBee Ag are the first commercial drones to be designated with the C2 class identification label in accordance with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations. As of August 22, 2022, drone operators flying C2 labeled eBees will be able to conduct missions in the “Open Category”, with all the advantages that this entails.

The C2 certification allows the eBee X series, with correct labelling, to fly at a horizontal distance of 30 meters from uninvolved people. By contrast, heavy drones like VTOLs or quadcopters must maintain a distance of 150 meters from people and any residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas, limiting their operational capabilities to remote zones. www.sensefly.com

T-Mobile’s network connects window-cleaning drones

T-Mobile for Business will provide the 4G LTE connectivity for Lucid Drone Technologies’ fleet of industrial drones, which do cleaning for commercial building surfaces and windows.

It will deliver 4G LTE connectivity to Lucid Drone to facilitate real-time sharing of flight data, battery utilization information, hardware diagnostics, and delivery of firmware and software updates. Intermap & Lufthansa Systems join OneSky Future of flight program

Intermap Technologies together with Lufthansa Systems has joined the OneSky Future of Flight program. It aims to help ecosystem partners to navigate the challenges of integrating their technology with air traffic management solutions. Intermap and Lufthansa Systems will combine their powerful terrain data, including vegetation and buildings, with OneSky’s airspace management system. The integrated technology will empower users with best-of breed data and analytics to enhance flight safety. www.intermap.com

Next-gen precision farming system by Trimble and CLAAS

As part of a strategic alliance, Trimble and CLAAS have developed a next-generation precision farming system for CLAAS tractors, combines, and forage harvesters. The precision farming system includes the new CLAAS CEMIS 1200 “smart” display, GPS PILOT steering system, and the SAT 900 GNSS receiver. The CEMIS display utilizes Trimble’s new embedded modular software architecture for positioning, steering, and ISOBUS technology for a seamless connection to control and monitor implements in the field. www.trimble.com

Geneq Inc releases the SXblue SMART

Geneq Inc. has just released the SXblue SMART to meet the requirements of professionals looking for accuracy and flexibility for field work. It features a GNSS engine capable of tracking allin-view GNSS signals with high speed, saving time on the field. In addition, its mechanism and antenna design are at the forefront of interference mitigation technology and optimize its ability to handle a wide frequency band. Geneq.com

Maxar to build 14 spacecraft platforms for L3Harris

Maxar Technologies has been selected by L3Harris Technologies for the design and production of 14 spacecraft platforms and associated support for its Tranche 1 Tracking Layer contract with the Space Development Agency (SDA).

SDA selected L3Harris as a prime for its Tranche 1 Tracking Layer as part of the initial Missile Warning/Missile Tracking warfighting capability of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA). It will provide limited global indications, warning and tracking of conventional and advanced missile threats, including hypersonic missile systems. www.maxar.com

New Mesa Pro Rugged Tablet

Juniper Systems has announced its entry in the 10-inch rugged tablet segment with the introduction and launch of the all-new Mesa Pro Rugged Tablet. Featuring 11th Generation Intel Core processors, a Windows 11 operating system, device customization options, a large sunlight-readable display, and Juniper Rugged design, the Mesa Pro will be the most robust 10-inch rugged tablet on the market. www.junipersys.com

Antenova adds Agosti corner placement antenna

Antenova Ltd is adding a new offering to its range of miniature Surface Mount Designed (SMD) antennas and modules for GNSS applications. The new antenna, Agosti, part number SR4G080, measures 9.0 x 5.8 x 1.7 mm and operates with exceptional efficiency in a reduced space on a corner of a PCB.

The key advantage of the antenna is its small ground plane requirement. www.antenova.com

Trimble RTX Integrity validates positioning data accuracy

Trimble has introduced data integrity monitoring for its precise point positioning (PPP) correction service, CenterPoint® RTX Fast. The Trimble RTX Integrity™ monitoring system is an innovative, patented solution, built in direct response to client requirements for production-ready applications. It continuously validates the reliability of correction data processed by the network, which is broadcast to users in the agriculture, geospatial, construction and automotive industries, ensuring positioning data is right the first time.

Through a unique two-step process, the Trimble RTX Integrity system verifies the integrity of GNSS data received from satellites and filters faulty information in the network server before the data is broadcast. A secondary post-broadcast check is conducted on the entire data transmission process where additional errors may be detected and removed. The integrity monitoring system is fully automated and reacts in seconds to detect, isolate and block faulty data to provide even more highly accurate and reliable positioning. www.trimble.com

Nextech AR launches AR Wayfinding

Nextech AR Solutions Corp. has launched a major new technology advancement with AR wayfinding into the events spaces as well as upgrades to its augmented reality spatial mapping platform, “ARway.”ARway and Map D, a self-serve event management software solution, are now offering clients a total package event management product that now includes AR wayfinding, opening up another major potential revenue driver. www.arway.ai

RS2+ GNSS receiver with LTE modem

Emlid has launched the Reach RS2+ GNSS receiver. An evolution of Emlid’s popular flagship RS2 multi-band receiver, it has a built-in 4G LTE modem and features a range of design improvements to enhance Reach usability in the field. It has been developed based on surveyor feedback to further improve reliability, effectiveness and robustness. heliguy™ has partnered with Emlid to offer its affordable and highly-accurate GNSS solutions which provide professional grade positioning information to empower land surveying and drone mapping workflows. heliguy™ in-house specialists can offer technical and workflow support to integrate Emlid solutions into clients’ operations. www.heliguy.com

Unicore releases GNSS RTK module

Unicore Communications has released its new generation of high-precision GNSS module. The UM980 uses realtime kinematic (RTK) technology to achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy. It is based on the small high performance system-on-chip NebulasIV, which integrates radio frequency, baseband and high-precision algorithms on a single chip. It has 1,408 channels to concurrently receive satellite signals from multiple constellations and multiple frequencies. https://en.unicorecomm.com

NHAI organises workshop on GNSS based tolling

National Highway Authority of India organised a day-long stakeholder consultation workshop on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based tolling in India. The objective of the workshop was to seek input and suggestion from various industry experts and stakeholders on different aspects of the GNSS-based tolling system. The workshop will help strategise and design the future roadmap for free-flow tolling system in India based on GNSS technology.

Various stakeholders including relevant government departments, ISRO, NIC, and industry players such as Vehicle Manufacturers, AIS-140 On-Board Unit (OBU) manufacturers, Global GNSS service providers, Banks, Payment Aggregators/Gateway Service providers were invited for deliberations on GNSS based tolling system. Sessions and presentations were held with consultants & industry experts on global best practices for GNSS based tolling, discussions were held on the findings of the pilot carried out by NHAI on Delhi – Mumbai corridor and various aspects of GNSS architecture, payment settlement process, proposed enforcement measures and discussion on legal framework requirements were also discussed.

In the proposed GNSS technology-based tolling system, the NH stretch will be geo-fenced and shall consist of virtual tolling points. Whenever a vehicle fi tted with GNSS OBU shall pass through this virtual tolling points, information on distance travelled will be calculated based on satellite signals from multi constellation such as NaVIC, GPS etc. and applicable fee shall be computed by the central GNSS software system and deducted from the users’ bank account linked to the OBU. https://pib.gov.in