Photo: UAVOS

UAVOS has collaborated with a client to conduct extensive testing of UAVOS’ autopilot system, which utilizes computer vision technology. UAVOS’ engineering service supported this testing with its advanced avionics system integrated into its unmanned helicopter.

The UAVOS autopilot system uses computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate the UAV in GNSS-denied environments with precision and reliability.

The system’s onboard computer vision-based alternative navigation module, powered by deep learning algorithms, provides the UAVOS avionics system with accurate geospatial coordinates. This innovative approach allows for seamless navigation in both daylight and nighttime conditions, ensuring safe take-off and landing procedures without relying on external GNSS signals. By enabling the drone to effectively “see” and interpret its surroundings, UAVOS has created a solution that grants UAVs unprecedented autonomy and operational flexibility.

<p>The post UAVOS tests AI navigation in GNSS-denied environments first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Credit: cullenphotos / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has awarded a contract to Zighra, an artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and cybersecurity provider, for its GenesysInsights platform. This technology will enhance the safety and security of Canada’s maritime territories by providing a previously unattainable level of analysis.

GenesysInsights combines AI interpretability and multi-sensor fusion, designed to offer automated threat detection and comprehensive situational awareness in maritime environments. The platform synthesizes information from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and terrestrial and space-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, which aids the CCG in detecting and responding to maritime threats. This initiative is part of the Innovative Solutions Canada program.

Position, navigation and timing (PNT) technology — integral to a range of critical applications, from military operations guidance to everyday smartphone navigation — has propelled commercial advancement. Despite its widespread utility, the susceptibility of these systems to manipulation presents significant threats, including unauthorized vessel activities and sophisticated cyber-attacks, such as jamming and spoofing.

GenesysInsights aims to transform the security of government infrastructure and operations by creating a cyber-secure digital environment across land, sea and space. The platform uses advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze a variety of sensor data inputs. By monitoring ship movements and communications alongside satellite signal integrity, the technology will detect unusual patterns or anomalies indicative of potential risks.

This pilot project will significantly improve real-time monitoring and analysis of maritime activities to boost safety and security across Canada’s maritime waterways.

It can quickly detect and respond to maritime threats, including sophisticated cyber-attacks, and has an integrated operational command system with automated alerts to enhance decision-making and coordination.

The CCG’s successful implementation of GenesysInsights could lead to broader adoptions in various critical infrastructure sectors such as aviation, ground transportation, logistics, space operations and national security, the company said.

<p>The post Canadian Coast Guard awards contract to Zighra first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: Steer

In recent years, laser leveling has been increasingly replaced by machine control systems that enable operators to compare the position of their machine’s blade with a digital grading map, and then guide it very precisely to cut the proper elevation. These machine control systems combine global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, to provide the position of the machine; inertial navigation systems (INS), to bridge short gaps in GNSS availability and to provide the platform’s attitude (pitch, roll, and yaw); and a variety of other sensors, to determine the movement of the machine’s attachments, such as booms, arms and buckets.

In this month’s cover story, we feature perspectives on machine control from:

• Microchip, which makes inductive position sensors that monitor the angular and linear movements of the attachments.
• Septentrio, which makes the AntaRX series of smart antennas.
• Gundersen & Løken, which makes the DigPilot kit for excavators.

Besides grading, other areas for machine control include trenching at a specific depth, spot-bulldozing to better prepare a site for grading, mass excavation and contouring edges. Artificial intelligence (AI) will soon start taking over the operators’ duties, but that’s for a future article.

<p>The post Guiding machines: Combining GNSS and other sensors is key to effective machine control first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: Stanford Engineering GPS lab

BlueSpace.ai, a Silicon Valley-based company specializing in off-road and unstructured autonomy, has released its assured positioning, navigation, and timing (A-PNT) solution. The solution — called BlueSpace Positioning Solution (BPS) — illustrates how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance navigation precision in GPS-denied and GPS-degraded environments for both manned and unmanned vehicles.

BPS is designed to address the challenges posed by weak GPS signals, susceptible to jamming, spoofing and unintentional blockages in various environments. It can support a cross-track error, or drift error, of less than 0.3%. This surpasses the industry standard of approximately 1% error over distance traveled. BPS also aims to maintain high performance while using industrial-grade inertial measurement units (IMUs), which leads to improvements in size, weight and power (SWaP).

The AI solution is designed to eliminate geofence limitations and remove dependencies on prior training data and ultra-HD mapping.

BlueSpace.ai has participated in a variety of defense and commercial applications, including applications in challenging underground mining environments, truck and bus automation and off-road autonomy.

<p>The post BlueSpace.ai launches AI-powered solution for GPS-denied environments first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: IBM/NASA

IBM, a global technology provider, has released its latest geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) initiative to address climate change. These efforts involve collaborations across various regions and uses advanced AI models designed for geospatial applications. 

Central to these initiatives is IBM’s geospatial foundation model, developed jointly with NASA. These models aim to generate environmental insights and solutions related to climate change. Unlike traditional AI models, these use a vast amount of climate-relevant data to accelerate the analysis of various environmental aspects that are affected by climate change. 

“AI foundation models utilizing geospatial data can be a game-changer, allowing us to better understand and address climate-related events with unprecedented speed and efficiency,” said Alessandro Curioni, IBM fellow and vice president of Accelerated Discovery. 

Analyzing urban heat islands in UAE 

IBM and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) have partnered to map urban heat islands in Abu Dhabi using a fine-tuned version of IBM’s geospatial foundation model. The goal of the project is to understand the impact of local landscapes on temperature anomalies, the company said. The initial results show a decrease in heat island effects, which can provide valuable insights for future urban design strategies. 

Reforestation and water sustainability in Kenya 

 In partnership with Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Ali Mohamed, IBM is supporting the National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign. The initiative aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, particularly in critical water tower areas affected by deforestation. IBM’s geospatial model powers a digital platform to track tree planting activities, aiding local efforts in restoring forests and measuring carbon sequestration impact.  

Elevating climate resiliency in the UK 

In collaboration with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Royal Haskoning DHV, IBM is developing AI-driven tools for climate risk assessment in the UK. These tools will focus on assessing weather impacts on aviation operations, the company said. Additionally, the TreesAI research project aims to map areas suitable for tree planting to mitigate surface water flooding and offer urban developers a digital planning platform.  

IBM extends collaboration with NASA for weather forecasting 

IBM and NASA have partnered to develop an AI foundation model dedicated to weather and climate applications. The collaboration aims to enhance the accuracy and speed of weather forecasting, predict wildfire conditions and understand meteorological phenomena. IBM researchers will work closely with NASA to train and validate this model, IBM said.  

<p>The post IBM advances geospatial AI to address climate change first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: GSMA

The Mobile World Conference (MWC) returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 26 to 28, 2023.

The event will feature exhibition from major U.S. operators, including AT&T business, T-Mobile business, and Verizon business as well as new sessions dedicated to sports and entertainment, software developers and the GSMA’s SEC CON event.

MWC, in partnership with the Cellular Telephone Industries Association (CTIA), invites industry leaders and attendees to connect and discuss topics such as the industry’s transition to a circular economy, the future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in society, and what comes after 5G.

To reflect the United States’ position as a global technology hub and a market at the forefront of 5G innovation, the event is centered around four key themes:

• 5G Acceleration, as adoption explodes to become the most common mobile technology in North America by 2025.
• Age of AI, as the world awakes to the opportunities and challenges of generative AI.
• Digital Everything, as the expansion of digital technologies is felt across every industry, from sports and entertainment to manufacturing, financial services and smart mobility.
• Enterprise Mobility, as the revolutionary phase of 5G in enterprise is well underway.

The event will feature a variety of keynote speakers, including Amanda Toman, the director for the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

For the first time, the GSMA will bring its SEC CON event to MWC Las Vegas on day two, welcoming leading security experts to explore the importance of keeping telecoms infrastructure secure in times of conflict.

A full directory and registration can be found on the MWC Las Vegas website.

<p>The post MWC returns to Las Vegas first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: Hyundai Motor Group

Qualcomm has entered a technology agreement with Hyundai Motor Group to integrate its Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platform into Hyundai Motor Group’s purpose-built vehicles (PBV).

The infotainment systems on the PBVs will use Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms for a “holistic, seamlessly connected and smart user experience,” Qualcomm said.

The PBVs are designed to deliver transportation, comfort, logistics, commercial and healthcare services. The latest generation of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform benefits from optimized power consumption, high-definition graphics and immersive multimedia and audio.

According to Qualcomm, the latest generation of Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms offer optimal power consumption while providing top-tier graphics as well as top immersive multimedia and audio experiences.

The platforms offer location services, emergency calling, noise reduction, and dual SIM capability as well as cloud-based monitoring and management systems. Using Qualcomm’s artificial intelligence (AI) engine and machine learning (ML) capabilities for intuitive and intelligent systems, Snapdragon can support digitally advanced applications, including in-vehicle virtual assistance and adaptive human interfaces. It can also facilitate natural communication between the vehicle and passengers for added safety and comfort.

The platform also employs dynamic configuration management to ensure vehicles are kept up to date. Reliable cloud-based vehicle monitoring and management also is possible through cloud service solutions.

Qualcomm and Hyundai Motor Group have been collaborating since 2011 on in-vehicle mobile communications using Snapdragon Automotive Connectivity Platforms.

<p>The post Qualcomm, Hyundai partner for PBV infotainment first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Image: Kara Capaldo/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Whether preparing for natural disasters or responding to everyday emergencies, first responders depend on the accuracy and dependability of GPS data to keep our communities safe. However, the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters, such as wildfires and hurricanes, and ongoing first responder staffing shortages have pushed the industry to look for ways to combine the tried-and-true benefits of GPS with new artificial intelligence (AI) technology to alert sooner, respond faster, and restore better than ever. The integration of AI’s adaptive learning capabilities with the ability of GPS to operate in areas of low or no connectivity make for cutting-edge emergency service solutions.

New technologies incorporating both AI and GPS have already proven to save time and protect lives by quickly identifying and assessing potential fires. For example, in 2022, Sonoma County, California, used FireScout — an AI-powered fire detection solution — to monitor live footage for signs of fire and alert authorities. In one instance, the county found that FireScout’s AI solution detected and located — using GPS data — a fire 10 minutes before the 911 service was alerted about it, giving responders a head start on containing the fire. FireScout looks to integrate GPS functions more fully into their AI-enabled cameras with exact coordinate information. Investments in innovations that facilitate rapid response to natural disasters will lead to greater safety for first responders and their communities across the country.

One way the industry is investing in GPS-powered AI innovation is through problem-solving competitions such as XPrize Wildfire, which encourages the development of cutting-edge solutions to wildfires. Teams will compete in one of two tracks: the Autonomous Wildfire Response track, which requires teams to combine AI and GPS data to differentiate between high-risk actual fires and decoy fires and then quickly suppress the real fires, and the Space-Based Wildfire Detection and Intelligence track, which requires teams to use satellites to accurately pinpoint fires across vast areas then relay that information to stations on the ground. GPS industry leader Lockheed Martin is providing a $1 million Accurate Detection Intelligence Bonus Prize to the winner of the XPrize Wildfire competition. Competitions such as XPrize Wildfire will result in products that can identify fires faster, reducing response times and minimizing damages to communities.

Additionally, new GPS-powered AI solutions are bringing emergency resources to more people in the wake of hurricanes. In the aftermath of hurricanes, emergency personnel are tasked with identifying and allocating resources to restoration efforts. GPS-powered AI technologies such as the University of Connecticut’s hurricane monitoring system, compare pre-storm and post-storm satellite imagery to spot potential environmental and safety issues, such as flood water or damaged neighborhoods. The system then highlights those areas on a map and shares the coordinates of high-damage areas with emergency personnel. Services such as these support communities and allow restoration efforts to begin sooner with less risk to surveyors and responders.

Beyond natural disasters, GPS also is being used with AI technology to shorten response times for emergency vehicles. Many towns, including St. Louis, Michigan, and Leon Valley, Texas, have implemented AI traffic light systems that use location data to detect the location of ambulances and fire trucks to give the vehicles a path of green lights, clearing out any traffic that might have slowed response times. Similarly, researchers at the University of Southern California are using UAVs — guided and tracked using GPS data — to carry automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to remote locations. These UAVs use coordinates provided by GPS receivers to operate in areas of limited connectivity and AI to determine the most efficient landing locations for different terrains. Ongoing research and further investment into the critical intersections of GPS and AI technology will help promote a safer future by supporting first responders and protecting communities in emergencies.

The GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA) welcomes innovations in GPS and AI technologies that continue to revolutionize the way we respond to natural disasters and life-threatening emergencies. GPSIA is proud to support the expansion of these disaster-mitigating solutions by uplifting innovative research and design efforts, promoting new ideas, and ensuring adequate regulation is in place to protect users across the globe.

<p>The post GPS and AI collaborate on lifesaving emergency service solutions first appeared on GPS World.</p>