INDUSTRY

NovAtel launches CORRECT with TerraStar PPP promotion

NovAtel has announced a promotion for existing customers for the company’s recently launched NovAtel CORRECT with TerraStar PPP subscription service. Customers using NovAtel legacy equipment (OEMV generation receivers or earlier) or NovAtel’s current OEM6 technology qualify for the following offers:

• Trade in legacy NovAtel hardware for a FlexPak6, antenna, and one-year TerraStar subscription for $4,995.

• Buy a minimum 1-year TerraStar subscription for any OEM6 receiver and get a NovAtel CORRECT PPP receiver firmware upgrade for free. The promotion will run until September 30, 2014.

Spectra Precision SP80 GNSS Receiver Sets New Industry Standard

Spectra Precision SP80 GNSS receiver is designed to meet the evolving needs of the survey market. It combines GNSS technology and a combination of communication capabilities with a distinctive and ergonomic design. It features Z-Blade GNSS-centric technology running on a new-generation, 240- channel 6G chipset. It is capable of fully utilizing all six available GNSS systems, but also can be configured to use only selected constellations in an RTK solution (GPS-only, GLONASSonly or BeiDou-only).It is the first GNSS receiver on the market to be compliant with the new RTCM 3.2 standard, including the recently approved MSM RTCM messages, which also makes it the only receiver ready to support all available GNSS corrections. www.spectraprecision.com

Trimble acquires the Omega Group

Trimble has acquired the assets of privately-held The Omega Group, headquartered in San Diego, California. The Omega Group is an industryleading provider of cloud-based and on-premise operational performance support software that integrates mapping, analytics, intelligence and mobile technologies, allowing public safety agencies to optimize patrol strategies and daily field work. Financial terms were not disclosed. www.trimble.com

Leica precision technology for Nottingham tram extension

A pioneering, mechanised system for track construction, developed by Alstom Transport and Leica Geosystems, is driving the speedy, high accuracy delivery of two new tram lines for Nottingham E xpress Transit (NET). Construction work features Appitrack™ (Automatic Plate and Pin Insertion), an automated system designed to lay concrete slab track and insert base plates with speed, certainty and to millimetre accuracy. Leica Viva TS15 total stations and Leica PaveSmart3D software position, guide and control the concrete paver and base plate insertion vehicle as they progress in convoy. The Appitrack™ system allows the construction team to work within these limitations, as the slab track can be laid in congested urban environments in a patchwork arrangement. www.leica-geosystems.com

Rockwell Collins joins European GNSS project

Rockwell Collins’s flight management system (FMS) and GNSS receiver enabled the first successful demonstration of advanced arrival and departure flight operations for the EU’s new airspace enhancement project. Known as FilGAPP (filling the gap in GNSS advanced procedures and operations), the programme aims to develop efficient and accurate methods of navigating airspace using satellitebased navigation and advanced FMS functions. www.flightglobal.com

RTK receiver for the Esri community by Altus

Altus Positioning Systems has unveiled new GNSS RTK receiver designed and developed specifically for the Esri user community. The new Altus APSNR2 provides a never-before-available combination of performance and features. It is light weight – 1.5 lbs., the APSNR2 has a dual cellular antennae with automatic switchover ensuring minimum downtime due to signal loss. It works on virtually all RTK networks and has built-in Wi-fi. www.altus-ps.com

Topcon FC-500 Handheld Data Collector for GIS

Topcon Positioning Group has released FC-500 data controller. It is a “perfect fit for any mapping application to maintain GIS databases for electric utilities, gas pipelines, disaster management, water and wastewater operations, forestry, highway maintenance, environmental applications and more. Compatible with either the Topcon eGIS or MAGNET® Field GIS software, the FC-500 is designed to create smooth and speedy dataflow between the field and office. www.topconpositioning.com

GEO Business 2014 show unites geospatial industry

The inaugural GEO Business show, held in Business Design Centre in London on 28- 29 May 2014, was a big success. Queues of enthusiastic visitors marked the opening of the two day show, which was attended by over 1,600 attendees from 39 countries.

Combining a bustling central trade exhibition featuring 118 exhibitors showcasing the latest geospatial technology and services, with a packed conference programme of cutting-edge keynotes and presentations plus 96 commercial workshops, GEO Business delivered on its promise to provide an essential focal event – the first of its kind in the UK. It was organised in collaboration with The Survey Association (TSA), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES) and the Association for Geographic Information (AGI). GEO Business will return to The Business Design Centre in London on 27-28 May 2015. www.geobusinessshow.com

Optech Lidar Sensor for OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Optech is pleased to announce that one of the company’s lidar systems will be a critical part of NASA’s Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification- Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRISREx) mission to study asteroid Bennu and return a sample from its surface to Earth. Scheduled for launch in late 2016, the probe will use its OSIRISREx Laser Altimeter (OLA) to survey the entire surface of the 500-m wide carbonaceous asteroid repeatedly over the course of several months. The OLA will help OSIRIS-REx complete its scientific and technical goals by creating a precise 3D model of the asteroid that details its structure and volume, giving scientists insight into Bennu’s density and composition. It will also provide exact ranges to Bennu to help interpret data from the probe’s other sensors. Astronomers have determined that Bennu has a small chance of colliding with Earth in the next century, so this mission is crucial for determining the exact risk it poses and deciding how to steer it away from our planet if it does come too close.

US Air Force GPS technology exceeds technical requirements in critical test

The U.S. Air Force has demonstrated successful operation of its next-generation Military-code GPS signal in a jamming environment using a Raytheon Company receiver. In a recent test, the Raytheonbuilt Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receiver 2000 (MAGR2K) maintained GPS satellite tracking and provided accurate navigation at jamming levels far exceeding technical requirements. The MAGR2K was integrated with the Raytheon Advanced Digital Antenna Production (ADAP) system and equipped with a specialized M-code receiver card. www.raytheon.com

Free SilvAssist Software To SAF Accredited Forestry Schools

F4 Tech shall contribute to future foresters’ education with complementary SilvAssist software to the Society of American Foresters (SAF) accredited schools. SilvAssist is a set of compelling GIS tools for managing forest inventory data. Institutions with SAF accreditation will be eligible for licensing of the cutting-edge SilvAssist solution to integrate within their curriculum.

Students to use mapping technology on urban challenges in Singapore

For the first time, students taking part in the Singapore government’s annual geospatial challenge worked with town leaders to solve problems such as improving mobility for the disabled, promoting healthy lifestyle among residents, and encouraging community bonding. The government recognised 22 student teams from the Singapore Geospatial Challenge recently for their use of mapping technology to solve such urban challenges. Teams used geospatial analytics to create accessibility maps, based on factors such as locations of sheltered pathways, time taken to walk between destinations and wheelchair-friendly areas.

Large-Area Projects with Riegl LMS-Q1560 Airborne LiDAR

Eagle Mapping Ltd has become the first commercial firm in North America to take delivery of the new Riegl LMS-Q1560 airborne laser scanner system. Designed to capture ultra-wide swaths and complex environments,the high-performance Riegl LiDAR will enable Eagle Mapping to expand into new markets including large-area, forestry and urban mapping applications for governments and first nation organizations. www.eaglemapping.com