INDUSTRY

NovAtel to Develop WAAS G-III

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NovAtel have exercised a bi-lateral option to produce a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) G-III – Galileo prototype receiver to advance research on multi- GNSS constellation operation.

The new receiver will operate in the WAAS reference station test environment while maintaining core NovAtel WAAS G-III functionality for GPS and the U.S. satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) signal processing. The prototype receiver will also add functionality to support tracking and demodulating associated navigation data for Galileo satellites including:

• Galileo E1 and E5a tracking

• ephemeris and almanac reporting/ processing from E1 or E5a

• automatic channel assignments

• time solution computed from Galileo

• correlator information for signal deformation on Galileo signals

The WAAS G-III – Galileo prototype receiver will be built on NovAtel’s existing WAAS G-III receiver hardware and application software and delivered as a field-loadable firmware package.

SANDIS upgrades with Leica

Engineering and surveying company SANDIS has upgraded its capabilities with the purchase of 15 Leica Geosystems CS20 Controllers powered by Leica Captivate software. The Leica CS20 Controller, coupled with a Leica Geosystems total station, enables accurate electronic distance measuring and displays the 3D data captured on its screen. The controllers include an integrated BT module designed for long-range robotic total station communication, a 5-megapixel internal camera and an integrated DISTO for accurate distance measuring.

Satlab SL600 & SL-55

The Satlab SL600 configuration incorporates several eye-catching features. The receiver board is the same as found in the latest Trimble receivers on the market: the BD970, utilizing the 220-channel Maxwell 6 ASIC. This is a very good, proven receiver board. As tested, the integrated radio modem is a PacCrest XDL, with a maximum output of 2 Watts. Onboard power is supplied by two hotswappable 10,000 mAh batteries. A reasonable 1Gb of internal memory is good for many days of recording raw GNSS data for post processing.

SL-55 data collector with the everpopular Carlson SurvCE software. The SL-55 is a Windows Mobile handheld with an 806MHz processor, 256MB of RAM and an 8GB internal Flash drive, with a micro-SD card slot. It’s equipped with WiFi as well as Bluetooth communications, which the latter allowed me wireless accessibility to the SL-600 base and rover. The battery life is a little less stunning as compared to the SL-600 at only 8 hours, but the battery is user accessible and field replaceable for long days.

M12M Concurrent GNSS PNT Replacement Receiver Module

Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc has announced the availability of the M12M Replacement Receiver GNSS module. The module uses an 8th generation GNSS timing-enabled receiver allowing 72 GNSS channel reception with any two GNSS systems being received simultaneously, is form-fit-function compatible to the very popular legacy Motorola M12M and M12+ Timing and Navigation receivers, and adds easy configurability via USB ports as well as DIP switches and various status displays. GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS, and SBAS signals can be received.

The M12M Replacement Receiver supports NMEA, Motorola Binary, uBlox Binary, as well as SCPI (GPIB) communication protocols for easy configuration and monitoring, and is designed to allow plug-and-play retrofit of equipment designed for the legacy Motorola receivers, as well as provide an easy design-in for new customer applications. www.marketwire.com

OriginGPS Introduces the Smallest Multi-GNSS Modules

OriginGPS has announced the launch of a new family of products, the first of which is the ORG1510-MK, the world’s smallest fully integrated multi- GNSS (GPS, Glonass and BeiDou) module. The miniature low-power architecture supports an update rate of up to 10Hz and contains onboard flash, making it the perfect GNSS component for devices that require fully-featured components with small footprints, such as UAVs designed to follow action sports and other fast-moving activities or wearables. It contains the MediaTek MT3333 chip, which supports the fastest update position calculation rate of all leading modules. The chip also contains an onboard flash memory that does not erase when power is off. http://m2mworldnews.com

Telit secures $220 million supply contracts with tierone automotive OEMs

Telit Communications PLC has recently secured supply agreements for its cellular modules with two tier-one automotive suppliers, with expected revenues of up to $33 million.

These agreements are the 5th and 6th such supply agreements Telit has secured over the past 12 months representing in aggregate up to $220 million of revenues over the life of the agreements. Supply periods range from four to six years with shipments on one contract already begun and peak volumes being reached in 2018, with deliveries into the U.S., Germany, Japan, China and Korea. http://m2mworldnews.com

Trimble Field Link Adds GNSS Capabilities

Trimble has announced that its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) construction layout software, Trimble® Field Link, can now be used with the Trimble R8s GNSS receiver. This addition extends Trimble’s portfolio of positioning and scanning solutions for MEP contractors. The solution enables MEP contractors to take advantage of GNSS technology when performing outdoor construction layout tasks including utility, open deck, or long distance field layout, while using software designed for the MEP construction layout process. The Trimble Field Link software offers an easyto- use interface for MEP contractors to view and locate their layout points with a robotic total station, a GNSS receiver or both. buildings.trimble.com

Hexagon Geospatial to develop information services using OS data

Ordnance Survey and Hexagon Geospatial have announced a new agreement, with a shared focus on enabling Hexagon Smart M.Apps to support key initiatives such as Smart Cities. Through the new agreement, Ordnance Survey content, including aerial imagery, will be a part of the Hexagon Smart M.App experience, delivering a wide range of innovative information services.

This provides geospatial solution providers with an opportunity to develop Hexagon Smart M.Apps to address targeted industry concerns.

3-D indoor mapping; 007 Spectre series

Kozo Keikaku Engineering Inc. has signed a partnership agreement with Munich-based NavVis GmbH to sell and market NavVis’s products, services and value-added services in Japan. One of the products is the M3 Trolley, a 3-D indoor mapping system that captures and digitalizes all details of a building with high-resolution images (16 megapixels) and 3-D point clouds. Applicable to any type of building or underground mall, indoor digitalization automatically processes the captured data and a 3-D map can be opened in any web browser using IndoorViewer. www.japantimes.co.jp

Trimble Acquires Telog Instruments

Trimble has acquired privately held Telog Instruments, Inc. based in Victor, New York. The acquisition extends Trimble’s smart water strategy by adding advanced water management technology and productivity solutions to the portfolio.

Telog, founded in 1984, manufactures a suite of wireless remote monitoring, analytics and data acquisition systems that are used by thousands of water, wastewater and stormwater management utilities and private contractors throughout North America. www.TrimbleWater.com

Story Map Navigates Cause and Effects of Climate Change

Esri, released an interactive map illustrating the earth’s natural and human systems and how they have changed—and will change—over time. With the Atlas for a Changing Planet Story Map, scientists, policy makers, planners, and activists can examine detailed spatial information that is critical for adapting to a warmer future.

Atlas for a Changing Planet explores a sample of maps, imagery, and data from Esri ArcGIS Online. The Story Map covers five themes: understanding natural systems, mapping human systems, mapping ocean impacts, predicting the future, and international cooperation.

The Story Map also models data from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in three scenarios. With this data, users navigate the Story Map to see projected changes in temperature and precipitation based on the level at which greenhouse gas emissions increase or decrease over time.

FARO® launches new FOCUS3D X 30 Laser Scanner

FARO Technologies, Inc has announced the release of the new FARO Focus3D X 30 Laser Scanner. With a scanning range of up to 30 meters, the Focus3D X 30 is ideal for a variety of short-range scanning applications such as architectural preservation, as-built documentation, building information modelling (BIM), engineering, facility management and forensics. The ultra-portable Focus3D X 30 enables fast, straightforward and accurate measurements of interiors, such as small architectural façades, complex structures, crime scenes, mechanical rooms, and production and supply facilities.

OPAL-ECR 3D LiDAR by Neptec Technologies

Neptec Technologies Corp. has announced the OPAL-ECR (Enhanced Close Range), a new addition to its OPAL™ 2.0 family of rugged, obscurant-penetrating 3D LiDAR scanners. It is specifically designed for real-time applications in low-reflectivity target environments (like coal or iron ore), for distances up to 240 meters. It is well suited for use in automation and collision avoidance applications on stacker/reclaimers, shiploaders, excavators, haul trucks and other heavy machinery, and for applications where reliable and predictable detection of targets, even with low reflectivity, is essential. www.neptectechnologies.com

HERE powers connected navigation for Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars has chosen HERE to power connected navigation for the next-generation in-car control system for new and future Volvo models as part of a multi-year agreement between the two companies.

Volvo’s in-car system, called Sensus, offers customers a fully connected experience and incorporates advanced maps and services enabled by the HERE location cloud to provide drivers with smart guidance both in and out of the car. The first model featuring the new Sensus system is the XC90, Volvo’s new luxury SUV which started shipping earlier this year. https://company.here.com