Robustness improved by dual-band support

<p>The post Robustness improved by dual-band support first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Securing pure and clean signals

Making the case for XF technology to enhance GNSS reliability

In today’s world, the radio frequency (RF) spectrum is more crowded than ever with signals from Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular networks, and more. This congestion poses a significant threat to the clear reception of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, crucial for various applications from autonomous vehicles to precision agriculture.

The interference primarily stems from LTE and 5G mobile networks, as well as satellite communication services, that closely encroaching on GNSS frequencies. Interference, out-of-band and in-band, degrades signal quality, impacting critical industries reliant on precise GNSS data.

Traditional GNSS antennas struggle to filter out this interference effectively, leading to compromised performance. This is where innovative solutions like eXtended Filtering (XF) technology come into play. XF technology, developed by Calian, tackles out-of-band interference, which helps provide uninterrupted GNSS reception.

Key market drivers, including the expansion of mobile networks and satellite communication services, highlight the urgency for advanced filtering solutions like XF technology. Additionally, regulatory bodies increasingly mandate stringent requirements for GNSS signal integrity, further emphasizing the need for robust solutions.

Calian’s XF antennas employ double-hump filtering at the input of the antenna’s Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), protecting subsequent amplifier stages from interference. This proactive approach ensures clean GNSS signal reception even in challenging RF environments.

While ideal bandpass RF filters face practical limitations, Calian’s XF technology strikes a balance between interference mitigation and signal fidelity. By incorporating LNAs with excellent linearity characteristics and utilizing advanced RF filtering techniques, Calian XF antennas offer reliable GNSS reception across diverse applications.

In an era where RF congestion continues to escalate, proactive measures are essential to safeguard the integrity of GNSS signals. Calian’s XF technology represents a clinical solution, helping to provide a pure and uninterrupted GNSS reception amidst the increasingly crowded RF spectrum.

Header image: Calian
Disclaimer: This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Calian. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Securing Pure and Clean Signals first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Enabling CM-Accurate and Robust Positioning For Mass-market IoT Devices

This GNSS white paper explains how the latest advancements in this form of connectivity are enabling mass-market IoT applications.

GNSS has been widely used for decades, but limitations in its accuracy and reliability have created implementation challenges for newer, mass-market IoT devices such as e-scooters, robotic lawnmowers, and autonomous robotic devices.

In this white paper, we explore how the limitations of traditional GNSS technology are being addressed, and show how enhancements such as multi-band GNSS, RTK and dead reckoning can allow positioning solutions to achieve high precision and consistent accessibility – so GNSS modules can reliably support a wide range of mass-market IoT applications once thought beyond their reach.

Header image: Quectel
Disclaimer: This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Quectel. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Enabling CM-Accurate and Robust Positioning For Mass-market IoT Devices first appeared on GPS World.</p>

For the fifth consecutive year, Wialon names the winners of the GPS Hardware Manufacturers Top 10 ranking, with Teltonika Telematics taking top position

11th July 2023: Wialon, the global fleet management, telematics and IoT software platform, today announces 10 leaders of 2023 in the telematics and GPS tracking hardware manufacturing market. The Wialon rankings highlight the most popular GPS hardware manufacturers across the globe, based on the number of devices installed by Wialon telematic service providers over the past year.

The Wialon platform is created by Gurtam, a European software developer with over two decades of experience in the telematics industry and the widest-ranging portfolio of telematics solutions. With over 3.6 million vehicles monitored and connected, Wialon is the largest fleet management platform worldwide by number of connected vehicles and other assets.

Wialon has developed integrations with over 3,100 types of GPS tracking devices from 700 manufacturers. Additionally, Wialon can process data received from after-market sensors (weight, humidity, light, temperature and many others), cameras, tachographs and various other types of GPS hardware and tracking devices.

Aliaksandr Kuushynau, Head of Wialon, says, “Our fleet management platform is used in 150 countries worldwide, and that’s why Wialon’s GPS Hardware Manufacturers Top 10 ranking is an accurate barometer for the most popular telematics hardware being used today globally. Inclusion in the list is a real testament to the scale and success of manufacturers in the global GPS tracking and telematics world, and we want to congratulate everyone that made it this year.”

The 2023 rankings reveal Teltonika Telematics hardware as the most frequently connected to Wialon, once again, with the Teltonika FMB920 ranking as the most popular device of the year – connecting to the platform in more than 132,000 instances from June 2022 to May 2023.

Using the platform and its fleet management software solutions, Wialon’s over 2,400 channel partners – telematics service providers and solutions developers – have deployed applications in a broad range of markets and sectors: transportation and mobility, logistics, delivery services, construction, agribusiness, water and waste management, public utilities, railway, mining and processing, and security.

Denis Grebennikov, Head of Business Development Center, Wialon, said: “The breadth of functionality on offer to fleet managers has continued to grow in line with market demand over the past year, but what’s exciting for Wialon is how much software integration is improving access to these devices.”

He continued, “whilst the largest share of connections to Wialon continues to be occupied by budget devices with a 2G connection, used in projects with fairly basic functionalities, such as those requiring location and connection to 1-2 sensors, a wider shift to more complex transport solutions is also taking place.”

A key growth area for hardware manufacturers continues to be video solutions, driven both by national legislation across markets and by business necessity, driving applications such as traffic safety, driver activity monitoring and passenger traffic analysis to name a few.

Wialon is proud to publish the following companies made its GPS Hardware Manufacturers Top 10 list for 2023:

1. Teltonika Telematics
2. NAVTELECOM
3. Queclink Wireless Solutions
4. Shenzhen Jimi IoT Co.
5. Ruptela
6. Suntech International
7. GLONASSsoft
8. Sensata INSIGHTS
9. FleetGuide
10. ERM Electronic Systems LTD

Aliaksandr Kuushynau, Head of Wialon, concludes: “The data from the past year paints an interesting picture of transition, as fleet managers adopt devices to meet disparate local and national regulatory requirements. In turn, the requirement for flexibility in the functionality of devices is becoming more complex, and a number of manufacturers are responding by offering significant customization options to their customers. Wialon is proud to connect the players of this dynamic ecosystem of hardware manufacturers, fleet management solutions providers, and fleet managers at companies worldwide.”

About Wialon
Wialon is the ultimate platform for telematics and IoT, with 3.6 million connected vehicles in more than 150 countries. With more than 20 years of experience, Wialon has helped thousands of companies optimize their operations by effectively processing and analyzing telematics data.

Wialon is developed by Gurtam, a European GPS tracking and IoT solutions developer with headquarters in Vilnius and offices in Boston, Dubai, Tbilisi and Buenos Aires.

For more information, please go to top-10.gurtam.com

Photo: Wialon This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Wialon. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Global Fleet Management Platform Wialon Reveals 2023 Top 10 GPS Hardware Manufacturers Ranking first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Better GNSS/INS Simulation Through User Interface (UI) Design

Commercial and military customers use CAST Navigation simulators in many contexts. Some need simple yet accurate verification of GNSS antenna performance. Others run scenarios modeling multiple surface, aerial, and space vehicles operating in complex radio-frequency environments.

One lesson we learned from meeting such varied expectations is how people interact with CAST simulators matters as much as the underlying technology. Our simulator solutions include a user interface that provides simple, at-a-glance scenario summaries while providing rapid access to the detailed configuration options that make CAST simulators so powerful. With scenario design complete, our 3D visualization engine improves project outcomes by revealing insights that analysis of the simulation’s numerical output may not uncover.

Simple Yet Detailed Configurability

GNSS reception quality is a confluence of technical, environmental, and adversarial factors. To create a realistic simulation scenario, you must control every contributing factor, from the performance of each satellite in view to the vehicle’s GNSS/INS configuration.

Our UI design provides layers of abstraction to make this complexity manageable. Detail configuration screens lie beneath summary screens. For example, the constellation editor’s summary displays the status of every satellite and lays the path to the constellation event configuration screen shown in Figure 1.

This screen lets you determine when each visible satellite in each constellation appears above the horizon during the scenario. Your control extends to a satellite’s performance:

• Will the satellite’s signal power vary?
• Will a GPS satellite’s message on the L-1 signal include CODE and/or NAV data?
• What about the L-2 signal?
• When during the scenario will the changes take effect?
• Will the changes persist through the scenario, or are they duration-limited?

Fig. 1 Dynamically changing GPS satellite performance

From the GNSS constellation configuration, you can proceed to configure other aspects of the scenario, including:

• Natural and urban interference sources.
• Jammer locations and trajectories.
• Terrain obscuration or sea state.
• Vehicle type.
• GNSS/INS type and performance.
• Antenna configuration and in-vehicle placement.

With so many variables contributing to a realistic GNSS/INS simulation, you could get lost in the many options CAST simulators can present. We devote careful attention to designing a UI that lets you harness this complexity quickly, efficiently, and accurately.

Visualizing GNSS/INS Simulations

Fig. 2 Model GNSS reception on or above Earth

CAST simulators include a 3D visualization engine that displays the simulated vehicle moving through the scenario in real time. Far from window dressing, these visualizations deliver insights that would be difficult to draw from the simulation’s settings or numerical output.

Observing the simulation in real time helps you confirm the scenario has been configured correctly. In Figure 2, you can see the state of signal reception by a simulated spacecraft. Each line represents the signal path from a GNSS satellite. One satellite, labeled PRN_16, appears in this view along with its trajectory during the scenario. A quick inspection provides another check that the satellite configuration is correct.

Fig. 3 Observe simulation in real time

Visualizations can generate insights when GNSS/INS simulations support mission planning. For example, pilots may observe a simulated aircraft advance through a scenario as in Figure 3. They can see the terrain through which the aircraft flies as well as the relative motion of jammers’ spheres of influence. Throughout the simulation run, a panel displays the aircraft’s simulated avionics data. The pilots can draw insights based on their experience that feed back into the mission planning process.

Streamlining GNSS/INS Simulation in the Lab

CAST Navigation has delivered robust and accurate simulation solutions for over four decades. We apply this industry-leading heritage to what matters most: our customers’ experience. Our solutions can create GNSS conditions at any time, anywhere on Earth, in the convenience of your lab.

Beyond the simulation itself, ­­the customer experience extends to how CAST simulators help customers achieve their missions. We designed the CAST user interface to accelerate scenario design so customers can meet tight project schedules. You can easily access the most detailed configuration options without getting overwhelmed by our simulators’ complexity.

At the same time, customers need to perform the most robust simulation campaigns possible. Numbers can’t tell you everything. Our real-time 3D visualization engine generates intuitive perspectives that help refine your scenarios and produce better outcomes.

Visit CAST Navigation to learn more about how our powerful GNSS/INS simulation capabilities, scalable usability, and visual insights can support your projects.

Photos: Cast Navigation

This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Cast Navigation. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Better GNSS/INS Simulation Through User Interface (UI) Design first appeared on GPS World.</p>

It starts with a heavy amount of research, as Andrew Clarke, Field Operations Coordinator at SE3, a civil engineering firm in Kansas City, will tell you. There are many options available, some from well-known names that come with a comparable price tag, some are open source and buggy, and there are options in between. You may know the downsides to your current software, but how can you anticipate what new issues will arise when adopting new software? SE3 began by identifying the major issues they needed resolved from their current setup to help guide their search.

Accuracy First

For SE3, they had not been able to gather data at the required level of accuracy for their mapping efforts. Before they could worry about the software component, they needed to improve their GPS hardware. The Geode GNSS Receiver, by Juniper Systems, stood out to them because of the sub-meter, sub-foot and decimeter accuracy options, where before they had only been working with consumer tablet that only provided accuracy to within 15 or 20 feet.

As part of a municipal contract with Kansas City, SE3 undertook an inspection of the city’s sewer lines, pumping smoke through the system and marking locations that needed repair. The Geode allowed them to map highly accurate points that would allow city workers to then navigate to those areas in need of repair.

Ruggedness Second

Their contract with Kansas City resembled much of the other work performed by SE3: outdoors, directly in the elements with heavy machinery, and the work would have them traveling all over the city. They needed a tablet that would withstand variable and challenging conditions while performing consistently and accurately. They found their answer with the Mesa® 3 Rugged Tablet. Between all-day battery life, a large 7” sunlight-readable display and both IP68 and MIL-STD-810G ratings, the Mesa 3 was able to keep up with the SE3 users and their atypical work environment.

Accessible Third

The final piece of the puzzle for SE3’s mapping needs was software that isn’t prohibitively expensive, is user friendly and provides data in a format that’s easily shared. The software they used previously was one of those with a higher price tag which did not exclude it from also having application issues. Uinta Mapping and Data Collection software, launched in 2020, has allowed SE3 a more intuitive and organized platform on which to capture and export coordinates. As Andrew Clarke put it: “What has stuck out about it is the user-friendliness, Geode compatibility, and being able to use the software without being connected to the internet.”

Being capable of working both on- and off-line is essential for users who are out in the field. Uinta allows users to download area maps before even leaving the office, then the Geode captures accurate points on the downloaded maps. The templates for data capturing within Uinta are highly customizable and shareable, so once a user creates a template it can be used over and over again.

One unexpected feature that the SE3 team found useful was the ability to associate a photo with a mapped data point. This allowed them to provide visual confirmation of the mapped location and document areas of the sewer that needed repair with a photo of the damage. Uinta solved several pain points for SE3 and helped them develop a workflow that was unique to them.

Support From the Start

While the SE3 purchase journey is unique to their work and their needs, the deciding factor in any search comes down to what is important to that business and those users. What really drew the SE3 team to the Juniper solution was the offered post-purchase support so they knew they could get help throughout the adoption period. Learning Uinta and its unique features is intuitive for professional surveyors and beginners alike and the Juniper support team is primed to help your team over that learning curve. Andrew Clarke said: “Our roll-out was smooth and easy. It was also so easy to call and find a solution to any question that we had. The customer support is unlike what you get with other products.”

Here’s where the magic of the Juniper total solution comes into play: the Geode, Mesa 3 and Uinta software are designed to work together and the support you receive comes from the company that designs all three. In fact, Juniper products are designed and assembled in Northern Utah and customer support is housed under the same roof. With the help of Juniper customer care, SE3 was able to onboard users and begin working without any downtime.

To learn more about how to build a Juniper total solution for your team to capture, organize and share mapping data, reach out to Juniper Systems here.

Photos: Juniper Systems

This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Juniper Systems. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Evolving Mapping Solutions: Making the Switch first appeared on GPS World.</p>

The GNSS Constellations incorporated Beidou Global and Galileo signals in the recent years so almost everywhere, a GNSS receivers can track more than 35 satellites. At the same time, triple frequencies are now a standard for each constellation. All those are making GNSS surveys much faster than before and accurate.

What remains a hassle is to measure the offset points (points that cannot be surveyed with the pole tip). Attempts has been in the past by using camera and photogrammetry, laser and compass. However, direct measurements to these points are much easier and accurate.

We solved that problem with the Venus Laser IMU RTK. These three combined technologies into a handy housing are the game changer for surveyors but also for anyone interested in taking 3D positions everywhere.

After few years development, the first Venus RTK is coming out!

As a surveyor, it’s often challenging to survey in obstructed area. For instance, imagine to survey in a trench or sewage pit, on top of buildings or earthworks, beside fences or walls or water, etc. Field measurements and stakeouts at dangerous areas are inevitable in the surveyor’s jobs. These include hidden points, utility piping across a river, manhole covers on the road and slopes, railway tracks, polluted area etc.

In all these scenarios, the Venus Laser RTK is the winning equipment.

The Venus laser RTK is equipped with a millimeter-level distance meter on its bottom. It sends a laser pulse towards an object and measures the time taken by the pulse to be reflected off the object and returned to the emitter to determine precisely the distance between the receiver and the object.

The laser module embedded into the Venus receiver can dynamically detect light intensity, adjust signal amplification factor, then optimize signal-to-noise ratio, ensuring high-quality and high-frequency data output under various lighting conditions.

The Venus laser RTK comes with ComNav 3rd generation IMU to obtain the tilt angle. We consider the line connecting the GNSS antenna phase center and the laser point as a vector (vector L), in the local coordinate system (n-system), If we align the Z-axis of the accelerometer of the inertial device (IMU) parallel to vector L, and set the carrier coordinate system (b-system) parallel to the sensitive axis of the 3-axis accelerometer, with the origin at the intersection of the sensitive axis, a right-handed coordinate system is formed.

Therefore, no matter how the module moves with the receiver, vector L in the b-system is a constant vector. By utilizing this deterministic relationship and performing real-time calculation with a GNSS/INS integrated navigation system, we can obtain the heading and tilt angle.

The laser is replacing the bulky pole for measuring distances and therefore breaks the usual limitations.

Simply take the Venus Laser RTK out of your pocket and start working right away with the correction services from your GNSS RTK network to get positions fixed and use the laser to shoot to the points you need to survey.

The compact design of this product looks like a mug, and its 380g weight makes it convenient to be carried lightly around.

As for the accuracy, on the pole mode, it has tilt compensation up to 60 degrees with an accuracy of 2.5 cm; in laser mode, it achieves an accuracy of 5.5 cm in handled mode. Thus, Venus delivers precise 3D coordinates to everyone, anywhere, and safely.

“Safely” here refers not only to increase the user’s safety, especially in dangerous situations, but also the laser’s safety. Because Venus uses a laser of 3R Class that is considered safe when handled carefully. Normally, it won’t hurt the eyes in a momentary exposure and can be sold as “pointers” or for pointing purposes in the USA.

When “GNSS + INS” RTK is becoming standard, ComNav Technology solves the offset points issue with direct measurements. It is clearly an impressive innovative way and the next measuring revolution: the first rodless GNSS receiver!

And because of its extensive application scenarios, the Venus Laser has been made for everyone: surveyors, GIS operators, city planners, architects, engineers, construction managers, gardeners, students at school, police for surveying crash scenes, road managers …

If you are interested in learning more about Venus Laser RTK, send us kindly a mail at sales@comnavtech.com and we will help you to get yours.

All photos:ComNav
This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with ComNav. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Venus Laser RTK – Innovation Makes a Difference first appeared on GPS World.</p>

As technology improves and becomes more accessible, more use cases come to the fore. This can particularly be seen with the emergence of LiDAR.

As far back as 1960, LiDAR technology had its roots firmly planted in the aerospace technology industry. Fast-forward to 2023 and LiDAR sensors are used across a multitude of industries and for a wide range of applications.

Many of the applications we see LiDAR being used for today however, wouldn’t be possible, were it not for its ability to synchronize with GNSS and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) technologies. In fact, it was the emergence of these technologies in the 1980s that enabled scientists to really extract the benefits from LiDAR.

A LiDAR sensor is able to build up a picture of its surroundings, but it has no intrinsic knowledge of where in the world it is, or where it’s heading. GNSS and IMU technology can, when paired with a LiDAR sensor, provide it with this information. The GNSS receiver will tell the LiDAR where in the world it is, while the IMU will give it an understanding of its heading and pitch, and roll.

An Inertial Navigation System (INS) takes things one step further by using position updates from a GNSS receiver to aid the inertial measurements created by an IMU. When paired, the INS is able to output cm-level accurate position. When the navigation measurements from the INS are subsequently paired with the data from a LiDAR sensor, all of the information together enables the creation of a pointcloud.

Over the past several years, surveyors and test engineers across the world have begun to use LiDAR to help them understand their environment better. Capturing data linked to a specific location, with a high degree of accuracy, enables users to visualize, analyze and subsequently make better, more well-informed decisions about their surroundings.

However, simply pairing (georeferencing) LiDAR sensor data with the navigation measurements from an INS isn’t always enough to create a pointcloud accurate enough to service many industries.

There are many other factors to consider. One of these being boresight calibration. To survey an environment using LiDAR, an autonomous vehicle developer, or survey and mapping professional, need to first build a payload. Once created, its vitally important that the coordinate frames of the INS and LiDAR are measured accurately in respect to one another. If not, then the final pointcloud could be susceptible to blurring and double-vision, making the final result unusable.

Traditionally these angles have been measured using CAD models or even by eye. Creating a CAD model of your payload can be time-consuming, especially if you need to create more than one, or you regularly repurpose your sensors, whilst measuring coordinate frames by eye is particularly difficult to do accurately.

Overcoming the challenge

To overcome this challenge, a new way of working is necessary. Using their calibration expertise, Oxford Technical Solutions (OxTS), an INS manufacturer based in the UK, has developed a solution that can increase the accuracy of a pointcloud using the sensors already in use on a payload.

The data-driven method can be completed in a matter of minutes and can utilize the measurements from whichever sensor combination is present on your payload.

It requires the user to conduct a short survey of two retro-reflective targets, and using a ‘drag and drop’ method, upload the relevant navigation (.csv) and LiDAR (.pcap) data files to the OxTS Georeferencer software. Once uploaded, and further to a few simple steps, all that is required is for the user to click the ‘run boresight calibration’ button and the new measurements will be presented.

Once the boresight calibration has taken place, the measurements can be input prior to the georeferencing phase to ensure blurring and double-vision is kept to a minimum.

Using the new anyNAV feature, LiDAR users can georeference and boresight their payloads using whichever navigation data they choose.

OxTS Georeferencer at Geo Week

OxTS Georeferencer recently won the ‘pitch the press’ award at Geo Week where the judges commented…

“OxTS introduced their OxTS Georeferencer tool, a game-changing LiDAR georeferencing tool simplifying incredibly complex technology to a truly impressive level. This software tool enables surveyors to quickly and effectively boresight their payload, and georeference their LiDAR sensor data, allowing professionals to produce accurate pointclouds in just minutes. Judges were particularly blown away by how simple this ‘absolutely essential’ process has been made, with the presentation indicating that just a quick tutorial video and a simple click of a button produces the results a surveyor is seeking.”
– GEO Week ‘pitch the press’ judging panel

Readers of GPSWorld can request a free 14-day trial of OxTS Georeferencer here to test the concept for themselves.

All photos: OxTS
This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with OxTS. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The GPS World editorial staff did not create this content.

<p>The post Improve the accuracy of your pointclouds in minutes using the devices already on your payload. first appeared on GPS World.</p>