Combating Covid-19: Gnss Helps Fight Coronavirus While Companies Adapt

In Memoriam
Javad Ashjaee
1949-2020
GPSWORLD.COM
COMBATING COVID-19
GNSS HELPS FIGHT CORONAVIRUS
WHILE COMPANIES ADAPT
JULY 2020 | Vol 31 | No 7

VO L . 3 1 N O. 7 G P SWO R LD.CO M
JULY 2019
2020
Image and cover photos: Draganfly

COVER STORY
28 COMBATING COVID-19
GNSS Helps Fight Coronavirus
While Companies Adapt
BY Matteo Luccio
29 Skyports Joins Thales in COVID-19 Drone-Delivery Trial

30 Taking to the Field During the Coronavirus Pandemic
31 Cleaning from Above
BY Tracy Cozzens
32 Using Location Data in the Fight Against COVID-19
BY Miranda Ashby-Annoon
IN MEMORIAM
12 Remembering
Dr. Javad Ashjaee,
Photo: Javad GNSS
Pioneer and Visionary
33 ALTERNATIVE PNT BY Matteo Luccio & Tracy Cozzens

Not just supporting players, alternative positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems strengthen,
augment and — when needed — replace GNSS. We explore how companies are using alternative PNT.
Matteo Luccio talks with John Fischer of Orolia and Alexis PLUS
Guinamard of SBG Systems about their companies’ latest 36 Parker LORD Launches RTK System
developments.
36 NovAtel SPAN Prepares for Road Ahead
34 Orolia: Taking Resilient PNT 37 OxTS Board Set Ready for System Integrators
to the Next Level 38 NASA’s Orion Travels with Honeywell, Lockheed
35 SBG Systems: Software Joins Hardware 39 SimINERTIAL Designed for GPS/INS Testing
39 Inertial Labs Offers Gyroscopes
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JULY 2020 WWW.GPSWORLD.COM GPS WORLD 3
JULY 2020
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
40 Keeping Interference at Bay

AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY and analysis on GNSS interference detection and localization systems reveal the path
forward for transportation and other critical infrastructure.
BY José Luis Madrid-Cobos, Ana Bodero-Alonso, Ignacio Fernández-Hernández,
Eric Châtre, Andriy Konovaltsev and Christopher Hegarty
LAUNCHPAD OPINIONS AND DEPARTMENTS

16 OEM 6 FIRST FIX 49 AD INDEX
GPS: Don’t Wait to Update
18 TRANSPORTATION GUEST COLUMN BY Paul Crampton 50 SEEN & HEARD
27 MAPPING
8 SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS
iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

MARKET WATCH First GPS III Maneuvered into Place
44 OEM 10 PNT ROUNDUP

MarRINav Project Calls for Terrestrial
46 TRANSPORTATION Navigation
47 SURVEYING BY Dana Goward
49 MAPPING 14 GPS World Welcomes New EAB Members
Why Users Will Need to Perform GNSS Occupations

as Part of a Leveling Project after 2022
BY David Zillkoski
GNSS-derived NAPGD2022 orthometric option for processing all types of surveys.
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR,
heights. It emphasized that after Users will be able, within OPUS, to adjust
SURVEY SCENE NEWSLETTER
NAPGD2022 is established, the primary their projects using any mix of CORS data
This column will means for deriving orthometric heights and passive control. Saying that, these
address why users will on monuments will be using GNSS same projects, on submission, will be
be required to perform observations combined with the geoid deconstructed at NGS and reduced to the
GNSS occupations when submitting a model... raw observations, then adjusted solely to
leveling project to the National Geodetic One major change is that leveling the NOAA CORS Network to determine
Survey (NGS) after 2022. It will highlight surveys will require GNSS occupations Final Discrete coordinates every GPS
a section of NGS Blueprint for 2022, Part to ensure orthometric heights computed Month...
3, “Working in the Modernized NSRS,” in leveling surveys are up-to-date and What does this really mean to the
that discusses the process of performing are connected to the NSRS through user when performing a leveling project
leveling projects after 2022. My October the NOAA CORS Network. After the in 2022? For a leveling project to be
2017 column briefly discussed NGS’ modernization of the NSRS in 2022, processed using NGS software and/or
preliminary plans for incorporating the NOAA CORS Network will be the submitted to NGS for inclusion into the
geodetic leveling data into the North primary access to the NSRS. This means NSRS database, the user must follow
American-Pacific Geopotential Datum leveling and classical surveys will require specific rules.
of 2022 (NAPGD2022) to establish GNSS surveys to be part of the project.
Read the full article at geospatial-solutions.com/category/opinions/.
orthometric heights consistent with NGS’ plans include creating an OPUS
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4 GPS WORLD WWW.GPSWORLD.COM JULY 2020
FIRST FIX Experts discuss GNSS/PNT news,
trends, obstacles and opportunities
GPS: Don’t Wait to Update WWW.GPSWORLD.COM

EDITORIAL
Editorial Director Marty Whitford
[email protected] | 216-706-3766
Delays to the implementation Senior Editor Tracy Cozzens
of GPS L1C may mean GPS Staff Editor Diane Sofranec
misses the interoperability [email protected] | 216-706-3793

Digital Media Manager Allison Barwacz
boat entirely. [email protected] | 216-706-3796
Art Director Charles Park
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
General Matteo Luccio | [email protected]
BY Paul Crampton, SPIRENT FEDERAL
A
Innovation Richard Langley | [email protected]
international interoperability with Defense PNT Michael Jones | [email protected]
s we bid farewell to the the current interoperability signals Professional OEM & UAV Tony Murfin | [email protected]
last GPS-IIA satellite and offered by existing BeiDou and Galileo GeoIntelligence William Tewelow | [email protected]
Survey Tim Burch & Dave Zilkoski |
read of delays to both satellites. [email protected] & [email protected]
the launch schedule for Delays to the implementation of BUSINESS
GPS III satellites and roll-out of the GPS L1C may mean that GPS misses Publisher Marty Whitford
OCX program, we are mindful of the the interoperability boat entirely. Associate Publisher Mike Joyce
need to maintain GPS as the “Gold During the delay, new interoperability [email protected] | 216-706-3723
Account Manager Ryan Gerard
Standard” in GNSS. capability with even more robust [email protected] | 216-363-7921
Certainly, new signals, enhanced signals could be devised and lofted Director of Audience Engagement Bethany Chambers
resilience and expanded capabilities aboard Galileo, BeiDou and GLONASS Director of Marketing & Events Michelle Mitchell
are offered by the modernized GPS satellites. By then, other countries could [email protected] | 216-363-7922
Event Manager Allison Blong
playbook. Delays relative to both the also develop their own constellations, [email protected] | 216-363-7936
BeiDou and Galileo constellations could possibly regional or even global Marketing & Sales Manager, Buyers Guide Emily Adkins
seriously impact the position of GPS on systems.
PUBLISHING SERVICES
the medals podium — maybe not in the Potentially, GPS could be left behind Manager, Production Services Chris Anderson
longer term, but certainly in the coming as other nations discuss non-GPS [email protected] | 216-978-5341
Senior Audience Development Manager Antoinette Sanchez-Perkins
few years. This may have a secondary internationally interoperable signals [email protected] | 216-706-3750
impact on the receiver market, shifting on yet-to-be launched satellites. This Reprints & Permissions Brett Petillo
focus away from GPS to more capable may have a profound impact on SBAS, Circulation/Subscriber Services
signals in the near term. Once GPS too. Differential corrections provided by [email protected] | USA: 847-513-6030
has caught up, receiver manufacturers the Japanese MSAS, Russian SDCM and NORTH COAST MEDIA LLC
may choose to retain the technology European EGNOS SBAS systems might 1360 East 9th St., Tenth Floor
Cleveland, OH 44114, USA
that they developed to capitalize on evolve to support “beyond L1C” inter- President & CEO Kevin Stoltman
BeiDou and Galileo signals, rather than operability signals. Aircraft landings
Vice President of Finance & Operations Steve Galperin
developing their legacy GPS capabilities. at world airports could mandate the [email protected] | 216-706-3705
G P S L 2 C is c u r re nt ly “pre - use of corrections to these new signals. Editorial Director Marty Whitford
operational,” transmitted by slightly This might mean that U.S. receiver Vice President of Graphic Design & Production Pete Seltzer
more than half the existing mixed- manufacturers could be frozen out, [email protected] | 216-706-3737
generation satellite fleet and waiting for or will have to incorporate these new
OCX support. As of Feb. 20, a realistic interoperable signal standards. MANUSCRIPTS: GPS World welcomes unsolicited articles but cannot be held responsible
for their safekeeping or return. Send to: 1360 East 9th St., Tenth Floor, IMG Center, Cleveland, OH
estimate for operational capability of GPS Block III satellites along with 44114, USA. Every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy, but publishers cannot accept responsibility
for the accuracy of information supplied herein or for any opinion expressed. REPRINTS:
GPS L2C is now 2023. OCX offer improved signals, capabilities Reprints of all articles are available (500 minimum). Contact 877-652-5295, Brett Petillo. Wright’s
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estimate for GPS L5 is 2027. is a must for Gold-Standard GPS. losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content.
The forecast for GPS L1C operational Published monthly
capability is the late 2020s. This is Paul Crampton is a Senior Systems Engineer
at Spirent Federal Systems with more than
intended to be the signal that offers 30 years of GPS experience.
|
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USE OF D.O.D. VISUAL INFORMATION DOES NOT

IMPLY OR CONSTITUTE D.O.D. ENDORSEMENT
SYSTEM
Policy and System
Developments
GPS Galileo GLONASS BeiDou
OF SYSTEMS
First GPS III Maneuvered into Place
BY Airman 1st Class
Screenshot: U.S. Air Force

Jonathan Whitely
50TH SPACE WING, SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE
T
he 2nd Space Operations
Squadron (2 SOPS) has
performed the first station-
keeping maneuver on a GPS
III satellite. The manuever — made
to SVN-75 on May 14 at Schriever
Air Force Base in Colorado — set a
new standard for how GPS maneuvers
should be conducted.
A station-keeping maneuver is per-
formed to keep vehicles in their node
2 SOPS director of operations, Lt. Col. Michael Schriever, reads promotion orders at
by burning the satellite’s thrusters and a ceremony April 1, which was held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
changing its speed at a particular point
in its orbit. This keeps the vehicle in was a bit of a guinea pig for future “Station-keeping maneuvers are
the ideal position to provide coverage. maneuvers.” essential to satellite operations and
“All operational GPS vehicles are The unit was able to complete the must be done for regular maintenance,”
assigned nodes. When all nodes are maneuver flawlessly. The maneuver was said 2nd Lt. Tyler Gorman, 2 SOPS
filled with healthy vehicles, there is completed in a special mission area, and navigation payload engineer. “This
good global GPS coverage,” said 1st Lt. there were no changes to the normal activity helped validate a nominal
Michael Gallagher, GPS subsystems operations floor. maintenance activity for a new
analyst. “When new vehicles are “This maneuver had no effect on the generation of vehicles.”
launched, they typically aren’t launched rest of the [GPS satellite] constellation,” The unit plans to continue to use this
directly into their final new method and program
node. This means that This was a new process that we could for future GPS satellites
the 2 SOPS analysis flight learn from as it was the first station- that are being launched
must perform a re-phase and need to be re-phased
maneuver to put a vehicle
keeping maneuver performed for the into their operation slots.
in its node.” newest generation of GPS satellites. T h e n e x t s at e l l it e
The maneuver required that will need a station
the satellite's signal to be turned off, Gallagher said. “SVN-45 was in the maneuver performed is SVN-76, which
preventing users from receiving node SVN-75 was being placed into, is scheduled to launch in the next few
inaccuracies generated by a change in so there was no decrease in GPS signal months.
satellite velocity. quality as a result of this maneuver.” “G P S m ai nt e n an c e re qu i re s
“This was a new process that we The procedure was also the first of its a coordinated effort to ensure our
could learn from as it was the first kind to be performed with the 2 SOPS worldwide service is preserved,”
station-keeping maneuver performed Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP), with Gorman said. “That means careful
for the newest generation of GPS which all active satellites in the program planning and execution from our
satellites,” said Senior Airman Harrison are operated. Because GPS III vehicles analysts in 2 SOPS, our satellite
Sherwood, 2 SOPS satellite systems are fully integrated into the program system operator and the operational
operator, who sent the commands to with this maneuver, all maintenance is support from Lockheed Martin and
the satellite during the maneuver. “It conducted through the AEP. the Aerospace Corporation.”
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Inertial Ranging & eLoran Wi-Fi Bluetooth
TERRESTRIAL
MarRINav Project Calls for Terrestrial Navigation
Image: Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation

BY Dana
Goward
PRESIDENT / RESILIENT
NAVIGATION & TIMING
FOUNDATION
I
n 2018, the first-ever European
Radionavigation Plan said “It is
recognized that [..] GNSS should
not be the sole source of PNT
information. Alternative PNT
systems, not necessarily using radio
frequencies, should thus be put in place
where the criticality of the application
requires it.”
In 2019, the European Space Agency
(ESA) published a permanent open
call for proposals for positioning,
navigation and timing studies and
systems, including those that had
nothing to do with space.
One of the first fruits of this is the
ESA-funded Maritime Resilience and
Integrity of Navigation project, or
MarRINav, recently completed by
researchers in the United Kingdom.
“Maritime navigation and port
operations are critical for almost
every nation,” said Jonathan Turner,
member of the MarRINav project
team. “As an island nation with a strong
maritime heritage, we in the United
Kingdom perhaps have an even greater A GRAPHIC FROM THE MARRINAV REPORT shows a system of systems approach to PNT resilience and
appreciation of this.” reliability.
Turner is co-founder of the blue
economy solutions company NLA other nations. important parameters for maritime
International, which led a team of Maritime is one of the sectors most navigation.
eight organizations cooperating on dependent upon GNSS, according Maritime is also one of the sectors
the project. to the project reports, and a sector most ready to integrate space and
While MarRINav focused its with great awareness of GNSS terrestrial navigation systems,
analysis on the UK, the intent was to vulnerabilities and their consequences. according to the report’s authors. The
provide information and an analysis MarRINav concludes that integrity International Maritime Organization
framework that could also be used by and resilience are two of the most has already introduced a performance
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10 G P S W O R L D WWW.GPSWORLD.COM JULY 2020
standard for a multi-system receiver, A five-day GNSS outage would cost
or MSR, that will incorporate a wide the UK at least $1.3 billion per day.
variety of navigation signals.
Despite the distractions of Brexit
over the past four years, the UK Among the project’s findings: (eLoran) and the Ranging Mode
has been particularly focused on its ■ The UK needs a comprehensive ( R- Mo d e ) o f t h e V H F D a t a
vulnerability to GNSS outages. maritime PNT architecture with Exchange System (VDES), and are
A 2017 London Economics report multiple, diverse sources to ensure complemented by the development
concluded that a five-day GNSS outage continuity of maritime operations. of a specific Maritime Receiver
would cost the nation at least $1.3 ■ Such a “hybrid solution” could Autonomous Integrity Monitoring
billion per day. It cited eLoran and benefit other sectors, especially (M-RAIM) algorithm.
Satelles as likely parts of the solution. i f n on - m ar it i m e n e e d s we re ■ L O C ATA o r a s i m i l a r l o c a l
In 2018, the Government Office for considered early in the design. positioning system should be
Science released a Blackett Review of ■ Ne w PNT systems shou ld b e implemented at UK ports to provide
critical dependencies on GNSS. terrestrial and sovereign. a backup for container operations.
In February of this year, the UK ■ Establishing such a system for the ■ Satelles Satellite Time and Location
government announced it was UK has a very positive benefit to cost may have potential, but its utility has
establishing a virtual National Timing ratio. yet to be demonstrated for maritime.
Centre to protect the nation from the ■ Important aspects of the new All the MarRINav project reports
risk of GNSS failure, and in March the architecture are E-GNSS (Galileo are available at https://marrinav.com/
final MarRINav report was published. and EGNOS), Enhanced Loran marrinav-reports/.
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JULY 2020 WWW.GPSWORLD.COM G P S W O R L D 11
/ IN MEMORIAM
Photo: Javad GNSS

Remembering
Dr. Javad Ashjaee,
Pioneer and
Visionary
DR. JAVAD ASHJAEE
Founder and CEO of Javad GNSS
1949–2020
J
avad Ashjaee, founder of Javad GNSS, died in according to the provisions of our agreement, I founded
Moscow, Russia, on May 30 after a three-week fight Javad GNSS and introduced Triumph products. These were
with COVID-19. 216-channel receivers, integrated with several communication
A tribute on the company website shared, “It channels. We also introduced their Alpha, Delta, and Sigma
is with heavy hearts that we share the news of versions. We were again the first to offer European Galileo
the passing of our founder Dr. Javad Ashjaee, a GPS/GNSS and Japanese QZSS tracking in mass production. Triumph
pioneer and visionary. Over the course of 37 years, Javad technology has been shown to have the best signal quality
made an incredible and far-reaching impact on the GNSS and best multipath reduction capabilities against all others
community. He pioneered the world’s most advanced GNSS tested by the German Aerospace Center. We also introduced
technology through a multi-national effort that combined GLONASS inter-channel (group/carrier delay) calibration to
GPS and GLONASS and established more than a quarter 0.2 millimeter which made GLONASS FDMA as good as GPS
century of partnership between Silicon Valley and Moscow. CDMA. Javad GNSS is growing fast and gaining market share.”
He was always proud of this ‘success story of cooperation.’
Javad was a true industry disrupter long before the term and A Journey from Iran to the U.S.
concept became popular. His whole way of doing business was Dr. Ashjaee’s nephew Dr. Sol Adibnejad provided a short
challenging and disrupting to the status quo.” biography on his uncle via social media: “Javad was born in
Dr. Ashjaee described the founding of his company on the 1949 in Qom, Iran. After finishing his bachelor’s degree in
Javad GNSS website. “In 1998 I founded Javad Positioning electronic physics from the University of Tehran in Iran, he
Systems (JPS) and introduced Legacy, Odyssey and Regency left Iran in 1972 to continue his education at the University
products, followed by HiPer. It was a 76-channel geodetic of Iowa and earned his graduate degree, a doctorate in 1976.
receiver. Other companies later copied HiPer. “He went back to his native country Iran to teach at the
“In 2007, after my obligations to Topcon ended and university. He became the chairman of the Department of
MESSAGE FROM THE ASHJAEE FAMILY
“ Once in a while an individual comes along with a spirit seemingly superhuman, a resolve and constitution seemingly indestructible.
Dr. Javad Ashjaee was one such individual. His talent, intellect, commitment and sheer guts were head and shoulders above the
rest, much to the chagrin and frustration of his competitors and naysayers. But those closest to him know that he was also simply,
beautifully, erringly human. He brought out in the rest of us the strength and wisdom we could not always see in ourselves. Yes, he was
a force of nature, as many describe, but Javad never did anything alone. Throughout the years, he has had a sizable family and team, by
blood as well as by love, behind each of his many achievements and contributions to his field. He once told us his name, Javad, means
‘generous.’ And that he was. All that he has given to, and all that he has inspired in, his family, team, and professional industry, forms a
legacy that will continue for years to come. We, his family, his team, his protégés and protectors, are here to stay and stronger than ever.
If he were here, he would surely wonder how his competition would proceed without that fire only he could ‘light up their asses.’”
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/
A SAMPLING OF JAVAD
ASHJAEE’S KNOWLEDGE
Industry Stalwarts Remember
SHARING IN GPS WORLD Change Agent Javad Ashjaee
“How GPS and GLONASS Got The GNSS community was deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Javad Ashjaee — Javad, as he
Together — and Other Recent Events,”
June 2011, p. 60. liked to be called — on May 30. Following are excerpts of comments by GPS World Editorial
Advisory Board members and others, all of whom also expressed their heartfelt sorrow.
“Dealing with Interference: A
Proactive Approach for More Efficient
Spectrum Use,” December 2012, p. 30. JULES MCNEFF impressive amount of truly innovative
VP OF STRATEGY AND PROGRAMS solutions. He used the LightSquared
“Expert Opinions: What is the biggest
challenge facing designers of multi- OVERLOOK SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES crisis as an opportunity to add novel
constellation GNSS receivers today?”
January 2018, p. 8. “ Javad was a brilliant innovator,
although he could be a bit
infuriating at times. He loved to place
front-end filtering to his products,
and cleverly marketed it. His writing
was unmistakable, featuring the
“The Key to Accuracy for High-
Precision Applications,” February ads in GPS World in part to poke fun at wordsmithing of both an engineer
2019, p. 40. the DoD for our Selective Availability and a salesman. He was a role model
policies, for which I was the principal to many aspiring GPS entrepreneurs.”
defender at the time. Javad was
Computer Engineering at the Aryamehr a unique and talented person of TIM BURCH
University of Technology where he tremendous fortitude and intellectual DIRECTOR OF SURVEYING
founded and managed a UNIVAC-100 confidence who was never afraid of SPACECO
computer center. There, he created the
first Iranian microprocessor lab. In 1978
he created one of the earliest student
controversy. The GNSS community
will miss his energy.” “ Javad’s contributions to the
surveying profession helped turn
every practitioner into a geospatial
online and interactive registration MITCH NARINS information provider. From his
systems in the world. In a few years CISSP/FRIN early days at Trimble pioneering
and after the 1978 revolution and the STRATEGIC SYNERGIES the commercial-grade receiver to
political turmoil, things happened and
he had to flee the country in 1981.
“He went straight back to the U.S. and
“ When I think of Javad, the words
that come to mind are ‘brilliant,
dedicated, driven, and committed.’
creating his company at Ashtech and
embracing GLONASS with GPS, he
continued to expand the capability of
started the next chapter of his journey The last time I saw Javad at an ION the GNSS receiver. Many surveyors
in life, which led to the pioneering GNSS+ conference, he knew he was today, however, only know his name
of GPS. He spent the rest of his life on the side of an argument opposing through his latest company, Javad
designing and manufacturing many many other experts in our GNSS GNSS, and its unique line of receivers
generations of his [GNSS] products community. That did not bother and measuring devices, with their
at Javad GNSS, JAVAD ArWest and Javad. He was never one to go along distinct green color. Javad was a big
JAVAD EMS in Silicon Valley. Dr. Javad to get along — which was one of part of the GNSS revolution, so the
Ashjaee is listed as the primary inventor the reasons he was able to develop next time someone starts up his/her
in 102 granted patents, the last one in such innovative and capable systems. receiver to collect survey data, take a
April 2020.” Our GNSS community has lost a moment to thank him. His departure
leader, innovator and contributor to leaves a giant hole in the geospatial
the science and engineering behind world.”
position, navigation and time.”
MICHAEL SWIEK
PAUL MCBURNEY MANAGING DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE BRANCH
PH.D., CTO AND CO-FOUNDER AND INTERNATIONAL
Photo: GPS World
ONENAV GPS INNOVATION ALLIANCE
“ Javad was a one-man army

who was not afraid to fight.
From his days at Trimble, where he
“ The ‘Original Cast’ of GPS
innovators is dwindling. Javad
was a complicated, self-made,
DR. ASHJAEE LED THE SIGNALS TEAM of the
“Satellites vs. Signals” after-dinner debate at developed major advancements in innovative, and entertaining man.
the GPS World Leadership Dinner held during receiver software, and through all In the many years we knew each
ION GNSS 2008. of his endeavors, Javad produced an See JAVAD, page 14. >>
|
/ IN MEMORIAM
JAVAD GREG TURETZKY members of the GNSS community of

<< Continued from page 13. CONSULTANT which he was such an important part.”
other, we worked on shared visions,

many challenges, laughed a lot, and
“ I have very fond memories of Javad
from the many years we attended
ION GNSS+ and other industry
ALISON BROWN
PRESIDENT AND CEO
disagreed and argued more than a conferences. I will always remember NAVSYS
bit. We always remained friends,
honest to each other. Javad was a
true GNSS pioneer.”
a spirited ‘Satellites vs. Signals’
debate we had at a GPS World
Leadership Awards Dinner. We were
“ I am so sorry to hear about Javad’s
passing. He was an innovator and an
orginalist. We worked together after
equally passionate about the debate he left Trimble and was in the process
ELLEN HALL — despite not having chosen the of starting Ashtech. I particularly
PRESIDENT AND CEO opposite sides to which we were remember his championing the cause,
SPIRENT FEDERAL SYSTEMS attached. These are the memories of with me, against Selective Availability.
“ What a loss for everyone. Such a

talented person who truly made
his mark on the world.”
Javad I treasure. He was passionate,
informed, innovative and really good
at playing the game. His spirit of
He ran an ad with the iconic image of
the Mona Lisa as part of this cause,
with the slogan “Why ruin a work of
innovation will be missed, but I am art?” It is tragic that Javad fell victim to
confident it will be carried on by other COVID-19. He will be sorely missed.”
GPS World Welcomes New EAB Members

GPS World magazine is excited to announce two additions Loran Association’s President’s
to our Editorial Advisory Board. Award and Medal of Merit.
Mitch Narins is the principal consultant and owner of Stuart Riley is vice president of
Strategic Synergies LLC, a technical and management GNSS technology responsible for
consulting firm that he formed after retiring following GNSS signal processing and prod-
over four decades of U.S. government service. He worked ucts for several Trimble business
at the Federal Communications Commission as an acqui- areas. In this role, he is responsible
sition engineer for the Field Operation Bureau; supported for the core GNSS technology
the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps as branch chief for from signal reception through to
Data Terminal Systems and Electronic Warfare Systems; the measurement engine that is STUART RILEY
and served more than 26 years at the Federal Aviation used in all Trimble GNSS preci-
Administration as a program manager, systems engineer, sion products. He oversees GNSS product development for
and finally as the chief systems engineer for navigation. Trimble’s GNSS Real-time Networks, Geospatial, Heavy
At the FAA, he was integrated into all aspects of avia- Civil Construction and InTech OEM Divisions.
tion sector position, navigation and Beginning his career at Trimble in 1995, Stuart has
time systems engineering, stan- worked on GNSS receiver development in various engi-
dards development, and enterprise neering roles, in addition to holding several management
architecture efforts in support of roles. He holds several patents filed and pending in the
the National Airspace System and field of GNSS and is often a guest speaker at international
the Next Generation Air Transpor- conferences.
tation System (NextGen) His research interests include improving GNSS perfor-
Narins is a recognized position, mance in harsh environments, and taking measurements
navigation, and timing (PNT) ex- from additional sensors along with optimizing the GNSS
pert, who has published numerous receiver architecture, especially for the newer GNSS signals
MITCH NARINS articles and delivered many papers BeiDou, Galileo, IRNSS, QZSS and next-generation GPS
at conferences and seminars worldwide. He is a Certified and GLONASS signals.
Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Fellow Riley has an electronic engineering Ph.D. in the field of
of the Royal Institute of Navigation, an active member of GNSS from the University of Leeds in England. After he
the Institute of Navigation (ION), and a member of RTCA, graduated, he was a research fellow at the university on a
RTCM, and SAE Standards Committees. He is a recipient European Space Agency-funded project to develop a pro-
of ION’s Norman P. Hays Award and the International totype GNSS receiver for space applications.
|
September 21-25, 2020
Exhibit Hall: September 23 and 24
St. Louis Union Station Hotel
St. Louis, Missouri
REGISTER TODAY!
NEW Virtual Registration Available, Including
FREE Virtual Access for First Time Attendees!
2020 The 33rd International Technical
Meeting of the Satellite Division of
the Institute of Navigation
ion.org
LAUNCHPAD | OEM
2
1
4
1. GEODETIC ANTENNA deployment scenarios, including regulatory to three separate devices can be tested
DESIGNED FOR GNSS NETWORKS and intelligence monitoring, telecom simultaneously using a single reference,
AND MONITORING APPLICATIONS deployment optimization, and RF enabling higher capacity for stability
application development. Users can deploy measurements.
The AT661 geodetic antenna for GNSS units in a variety of network architectures, Microchip Technology, microchip.com
networks or monitoring applications analyze signals in real-time or later, and
supports all current and future GNSS easily integrate with leading software 4. RUGGED ANTENNA
signals, including GPS, GLONASS, applications to conduct demodulation or FOR CONSTRUCTION
BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, IRNSS, SBAS deeper analysis of signals up to 27 GHz. The AND MACHINE CONTROL
and L-band. The antenna features both R5750 analyzer includes embedded GPS for
high-gain LNA and wide beamwidth to time and location data, and comes with an The IP69K ruggedized HX-CVX600A
provide excellent flexibility in applications optional IP66 rating for increased durability antenna provides end users with millimeter
requiring low-elevation satellite reception and ruggedness in difficult environments. accuracy, durability and productivity. The
and high availability of GNSS signals, ThinkRF, thinkrf.com antenna is designed for applications subject
especially in obstructed situations. The to high shock and vibration environments
accuracy of the antenna’s phase center 3. PHASE NOISE ANALYZER such as machine control. Integrated with
reaches the millimeter level with extremely FOR PRECISION OSCILLATOR reliable signal tracking and strong anti-
high stability and repeatability to ensure CHARACTERIZATION interference performance, the Harxon HX-
perfect processing of GNSS data regardless CVX600A offers full support for reliable
of the length of the baselines. The AT661 The 53100A Phase Noise Analyzer takes and consistent satellite signal tracking,
withstands all types of weather, including precise and accurate measurements including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou,
large temperature fluctuations, and is of frequency signals, including those QZSS, IRNSS and SBAS, as well as L-band
protected by a waterproof radome. generated by atomic clocks and other high- correction services. Its stable phase center
CHC Navigation, chcnav.com performance frequency reference modules adopts multipoint feeding technology,
and subsystems. It combines timing exceptional low-elevation satellite tracking
2. SPECTRUM ANALYZER technologies in a small, high-performance with symmetric radiation patterns,
PORTABILITY FOR SIGNAL ANALYSIS measurement instrument designed for high gain with ultra-low signal loss, as
engineers and scientists who rely on precise well as outstanding wide-angle circular
The ThinkRF R5750 Real-Time Spectrum and accurate measurement of frequency polarization. The aerodynamic enclosure
Analyzer with GPS offers high spectral signals generated for 5G networks, data withstands exposure against dust, rain,
performance, low power consumption, centers, commercial and military aircraft splash or sunlight.
and portability. The R5750 analyzer is systems, space vehicles, communication Harxon, harxon.com
built for outdoor, mobile and distributed satellites and metrology applications. Up
|
Keep the lights on!
Protect Critical Infrastructure
if GPS is disrupted or manipulated
Introducing the PNT-6220 Assured Reference – the only
product combining Low Earth Orbit (LEO), GNSS,
terrestrial, wireline, and atomic clock services in one
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Infrastructure applications.
The PNT-6220 is the first reference that can seamlessly

combine concurrent L1, L2, L3, and L5 GNSS reception
with a secure STL (LEO-based) timing receiver, terrestrial
receivers, and full PTP/IEEE-1588 Edge-Grandmaster
(EGM) and PTP/IEEE-1588-slave capability.
Whether you are looking for an Assured PNT reference for

Critical Infrastructure applications in response to the
directives of the recent Presidential Executive Order 13905,
a timing reference for 5G equipment, an ePRTC-capable
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and Location (STL), RF distribution, and multi-frequency
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Let us configure a version for your

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LAUNCHPAD | TRANSPORTATION
1 2
3 4
1. MARINE RECEIVER 2. TRACKING SYSTEM solution. The Trace 5 GPS tracker has LTE
QUAD-BAND GNSS FOR MARINE SUPPORTS INTERNET-OF-THINGS (IOT) Cat M1 (4G) connectivity and an integrated
ENVIRONMENTS DEPLOYMENTS battery. TrustTrack is an advanced telematics
platform for businesses to manage transport
The LD900 is a quad-band GNSS receiver The edge-to-cloud IoT platform Particle is resources. It connects dispatchers and drivers
capable of tracking GPS, GLONASS, offering a new tracking system that allows and enables real-time monitoring and
BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS constellations to organizations to track the locations of a drivers’ management. It also generates trip
provide reliable and accurate positioning. wide variety of mobile assets. Particle’s reports.
The LD900 also receives L-band signals Tracker system-on-module (SoM) provides Ruptela, ruptela.com
on multiple channels, providing access to a powerful GNSS, microcontroller and
Veripos’ worldwide independent correction advanced peripherals in a compact form 4. VEHICLE MANAGEMENT
services. Using the independent L-band RF factor. Tracker SoM serves as a starting USES IRIDIUM, GPS, LTE
input on the LD900 allows the connection point for organizations that require a
of a dedicated L-band antenna ensuring tailored tracking solution for sophisticated The HawkEye 5500 is the a dual-mode
optimal reception of correction services, applications, as well as a fully certified real-time tracking and vehicle management
especially at high latitudes. Veripos provides foundation for OEMs developing system that supports Iridium, GPS and
accurate and reliable positioning for all commercial products. All of the company’s 2G/3G/LTE. A GNSS/Iridium antenna
marine applications via their redundant tracking solutions come with a high-gain is included in the kit. The HawkEye 5500
positioning and multi-frequency precise GNSS antenna accurate to 1.8 meters. The offers full integration of on-board systems,
point positioning (PPP) Apex and Ultra field-ready solution is configurable and can support for both light and heavy-duty
services. The Apex5 correction service track the real-time location of critical assets vehicles, two-way messaging, a remote
utilizes all GNSS constellations delivering and capture additional intelligence via sensor emergency switch, collision detection,
5cm positioning accuracy for use in the data including temperature and acceleration audible alerts, RFID and Bluetooth driver
most demanding offshore applications. Real- as well as remotely controlled mobile identification and customizable application
time kinematic (RTK) corrections can be equipment and vehicles. integration. It provides global always-on
utilized by the LD900 for applications where Particle, particle.io coverage with high-resolution tracking
this service is required. The intuitive color and communication. Users can customize
display and navigation menu makes setup, 3. TELEMATICS PLATFORM reporting rates based on movement or
configuration and system status monitoring DESIGNED IN EUROPE, NOW AVAILABLE location and provide driver feedback when
simple. The display also helps troubleshoot IN NORTH AMERICA safety violations occur. All operations are
issues with the LD900, allowing faults to be tracked via Blue Sky Network’s portal,
quickly diagnosed and resolved. The LD900 The Trace 5 plug-and-play GPS-based SkyRouter, which allows for effective high-
can also be configured remotely through the automatic vehicle location (AVL) tracker and security command and control of fleets
Veripos Quantum software. multifunctional fleet management platform anywhere on the planet.
Veripos, veripos.com TrustTrack provide a ready-to-use telematics Blue Sky Network, blueskynetwork.com
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C
E
J-SHIELD
Al
lG ds
N SS B a n
MAPPING | LAUNCHPAD
1. MOBILE MAPPER
1 FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, MINING, FORESTRY, CONSTRUCTION
The Stencil Pro, now in beta testing, is a professional-grade mobile mapping

platform with dimensional and visual fidelity. The all-in-one system can scan,
process and view captured data in real time. It offers panoramic high-definition
4K imagery and colorized point clouds, and is optimized for both indoor and
outdoor lighting. Its simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) capabilities
enable it to operate in GNSS-denied areas such as indoor, underground, under
thick canopy, or in urban canyons. However, it is also fully geo-enabled with an
integrated Trimble BD-990 receiver, AV-28 antenna and a range of other third-
party GNSS antennas. It supports accuracy enhancements through live RTK/
NTRIP processing as well as PPK corrections. GNSS positioning data is used to
align and geo-register data for accuracy. The onboard GNSS and color cameras
are fully integrated into real-time capture. If a colorized point cloud is not
2 required, or GNSS is not available, reliance on other sensors is seamless.
Kaarta, kaarta.com
2. MOBILE APP
WITH TOOL FOR GEOLOGISTS
Touch GIS is a powerful mobile app for field data collection and visualization.
Version 1.3 features a digital clinometer to assist field geologists in recording
strike and dip readings as well as a new attitude attribute type, which makes it
easy to record and display these readings on the map. Touch GIS has powerful file
support for industry-standard types, offline mapping capabilities, and accurate
drawing tools for points, lines and polygons.
Touch GIS, touchgis.app
UAV | LAUNCHPAD
1. DRONE PLATFORM
FOR PRECISE AERIAL INSPECTIONS AND DATA COLLECTION
The Matrice 300 RTK is DJI’s most advanced commercial drone platform to
date. It integrates modern aviation features, advanced artificial intelligence
capabilities, a six-directional sensing and positioning system and a UAV health
management system. It has 55 minutes of flight time. The drone platform has
AES-256 encryption and an IP45 weather-resistant enclosure. A built-in all-
new OcuSync Enterprise transmission system provides a triple-channel 1080p
video transmission signal reaching up to 15 kilometers away. The M300 RTK
can support up to three payloads simultaneously and up to a total payload
capability of 2.7 kg.
DJI, dji.com
1
2. GNSS/INS BOARD
ROBUST POSITIONING IN DEMANDING INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS
The AsteRx-i D UAS combines centimeter-level positioning with 3D orientation,

enabling automated navigation of aerial drones and robots. It is compact and
lightweight, with a high-performance inertial measurement unit from Analog
Devices integrated directly into the receiver board. Its small form-factor
combined with exceptionally low power consumption results in extended battery
life and longer flight times. Both single-antenna and dual-antenna versions are
available. The single-antenna version provides a lightweight solution optimizing
the system size, weight and power (SWaP). The dual-antenna version is designed
for machines that need reliable heading from the start.
Septentrio, shop.septentrio.com
2
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/
COVERSTORY COVERSTORY
COMBATING
COVID-19 GNSS Helps Fight Coronavirus
Photo: Draganfly
While Companies Adapt
BY Matteo Luccio
crowds. The collaboration, called to discuss the use of UAVs for this
A
CON T RIBU TING EDITOR /GP S WORL D
The Vital Intelligence Project, utilizes mission.
s part of the effort to technology developed with help from The technology was originally
combat the spread the DOD’s Science and Technology designed to be deployed on helicopters
of COVID-19 in Group. Draganfly was selected as the in disaster relief operations, to measure
the United States, exclusive integration partner on March the vital signs of survivors. It was
UAV c o m p a n y 25, with an initial budget of up to $1.5 then adapted to measure the health
Draganfly has million to commercialize and deploy of wildlife populations, such as herds
partnered with Australia’s Department the technology. migrating or threatened by drought or
of Defense (DOD), the University The UAV uses u-blox LEA-M8S fire, and in hospital neonatal wards to
of South Australia (UniSA), and GNSS modules integrated into the monitor the vital signs of newborns.
Vital Intelligence, a company that company’s own interface printed To provide core temperature
collects and analyzes healthcare circuit boards. readings as well as measurements of
data, to remotely detect and monitor In late January, recalledDraganfly’s heart rate and respiratory rate, the
people with infectious and respiratory CEO Cameron Chell, the company technology uses RGB and thermal
conditions. began to consider what kinds of cameras, both fixed and mounted
Draganfly’s UAVs will be fitted with health data it could collect and analyze on UAVs. “The public sector and the
a specialized sensor and computer that could help public officials and private sector are both interested in
vision system that can monitor private-sector managers flatten the this technology, but are approaching
people’s temperature, heart rate, and pandemic’s curve. It then contacted it very differently,” Chell said.
respiratory rate, as well as detect Javaan Chahl, a UniSA researcher The system’s capabilities include
people sneezing and coughing in who had been a customer for 20 years, detecting people who are coughing,
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/
Skyports Joins Thales in COVID-19 Drone-Delivery Trial
S
Photo: Wingcopter
kyports and Thales are partnering to conduct a
drone delivery trial for the National Health Service
(NHS) to support the United Kingdom’s COVID-19
response. The trial aims to prove the feasibility of delivering
urgent medical cargo, such as COVID-19 test kits and
personal protective equipment (PPE), between remote
medical facilities by delivery drone.
Skyports will conduct the trial and operate the flights
using delivery drones supplied by Wingcopter, because
of its proven capability through numerous delivery
operations around the world. The trial flights are planned SKYPORTS’ DELIVERY DRONE, manufactured by Wingcopter, in flight.
through Thales’ drone operations management platform,
SOARIZON, which offers digital tools to maintain ferry, to 15 minutes for on-demand delivery by drone. The
compliant and safe drone flying operations. speed would contribute to keeping front-line medical and
Based at Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban, Scotland, delivery personnel safe.
the trial will consist of two-way flights between the hospital The two-week trial is a crucial milestone for unmanned
and Mull and Iona Community Hospital in Craignure 10 aviation in the UK. To undertake these flights beyond
miles (16 km) away on the Isle of Mull. visual line of sight (BVLOS), the project team has been
As COVID-19 testing picks up pace in the UK, the in close consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority.
proposed delivery service will help ensure that isolated Thales and Skyports are also working together within
communities have access to tests, delivered in a fast and the CAA Regulatory Sandbox program, exploring how
efficient way. The drone service would cut delivery times regulatory approvals can be granted for more widespread
from up to six hours one way by ground transport and BVLOS drone operations in the UK.
not wearing masks, or clustering in reports to make decisions about for entranceways — for example, to
violation of social-distancing rules. where and when to travel. monitor workers entering a warehouse,
The objective is to provide population To o b t a i n a c c u r a t e c o r e a factory or a shipyard to guard against
health information to public agencies temperatures, Draganfly’s thermal people who are infectious or have a
to help them make better decisions sensor needs to be about 20 feet away respiratory disease. “We have seen
by measuring the effectiveness of from its subject, and uses software to several announcements by companies
their COVID-19 policies in real time, zoom in on the tear ducts. To obtain that they are using thermal cameras
rather than react to past information. heart and respiratory rates requires to do this,” Chell said. People pass
The system, Chell stressed, does not about 25 seconds of footage with at through the company’s fixed system,
record data on individuals but reports least a 4K camera, magnification to which uses both thermal and RGB
such figures as “84% of the people are detect body micromovements, and cameras, in less than three seconds,
socially distancing 24% of the time.” machine vision to detect skin tone according to Chell, which is good
“Based on what I see unfolding biometric measurements. The system for such facilities as parks, office
with the measurement and data also picks up movements — such as of buildings and convention centers.
industry as it relates to health the shoulders, lumbar area and upper Private organizations can then ask
technology,” Chell said, “six or eight torso — that indicate coughing, Chell people who exhibit certain symptoms
months from now you are likely to see points out. “The results certainly have to consent to a secondary screening in
health measurement reports the same been promising in terms of having real exchange for access.
way that you see weather reports. quantitative data,” he said. Additionally, Draganfly will prov ide
Eventually, it will be broadcast to The scenario is somewhat different UAV services for disinfecting outdoor
the consumer. That is our objective.” in the private sector, which typically facilities.
People, he predicts, will use these relies more on fixed-based cameras
|
COVID-19
Photo: Eos Positioning

HANDS-ON TRAINING took place in the Sarasota City Hall parking lot, with trainees practicing social distancing.
Taking to the Field During the Coronavirus Pandemic
C
ity officials in Sarasota, Florida, kept their staff would otherwise cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if
actively working during COVID-19 social we outsourced the work,” Rockwell said.
distancing mandates by training and tasking Training from a Distance. Rockwell obtained affordable
them with mapping utility data in the field. Arrow 100 GNSS receivers from an Eos Positioning
The city’s plan to rebuild its GIS database had an estimated distributor and hosted small-group training sessions in
five-year timeline. GIS Coordinator William Rockwell the city hall parking lot. Employees from a multitude of
suggested to city manager Tom Barwin that those unable different departments were trained, such as a parking
to work from home be trained to collect the data. Rockwell enforcement officer and a transportation planner.
worked with Sarasota IT Director Herminio Rodriguez to All employees were carefully kept six feet apart. From a
calculate the cost of acquiring enough GNSS receivers for maintained distance, Rockwell explained the basic concept
the idle staff to use, and discovered a substantial cost savings. of data collection using high-accuracy Arrow 100 receivers
“By implementing this project, we not only keep city with ArcGIS Collector.
staff productive, but we’ll also be collecting data that The employees took turns collecting sample data so
Rockwell could address any initial concerns. He also gave
each of them a printed map series, created in ArcGIS Pro,
that showed the city divided into 28 grids. This allowed
the team members to easily mark off where they collected
data each day.
At the end of each day, the workers synced their data,
collected by the Arrow 100s, to ArcGIS Online, which
allowed Rockwell to monitor progress.
To date, 14 field workers have collected 93% of the city’s
6,000 street lights and 16,000 road signs. Although the
30-day project pilot has finished, the city plans to collect
the remaining lights and signs, as well as the city’s 35,000
trees, later this year. High-accuracy GIS data collection
Photo: Eos Positioning
has received encouraging feedback from management.

“I’m thrilled the city is supporting this initiative,”
Rodriguez said. “To be able to take employees doing
very, very different jobs and put them in the field — this
THE NEW TEAM mapped 93% of street lights and road signs in one wouldn’t have been possible in a normal environment. We
month. are excited that everyone is chipping in.”
|
COVID-19
Cleaning from Above /
Photo: TopXGun/Septentrio
I
n early February, the TopXGun Robotics — based in
Shanghai, China — started to use 10L drones for spraying
disinfectant to help fight COVID-19. Six volunteers
provided free disinfectant spraying service to more than
10 large companies, factories and universities, covering
about 800,000 square meters in the Shanghai area.
TopXGun outlined the advantage drones have over
manual spraying.
Safety. Using a UAV means no wokers inhale disinfectant.
Pilots stay distant, and no one enters a sprayed building
until it is safe.
Effectiveness. By spraying from above, drones can reach
difficult locations, such as a landfill or a roof. Reportedly, With reliable real-time kinematic (RTK) technology
the spray can kill the virus in the air. from the Septentrio receiver, the survey drone accurately
Cost-savings. Only one pilot and one assistant are generated a map of the operation area, marking the flight
required to operate, reducing labor costs. route. In this way, the spraying drone could fly and spray
The 10L drones are equipped with Septentrio’s high- automatically in most cases. If the operation area is in
precision GNSS, which provides robust anti-spoofing an irregular shape or has obstacles in the middle — such
and anti-jamming capabilities, important in urban areas. as poles or trees — the mapping pilot can use markers
Before spraying, TopXGun used a XC-05 vertical- to indicate these obstacles so the spraying drone will
takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) drone to survey the area. avoid it.
COVID-19
/
Using Location Data in the Fight Against COVID-19
BY Miranda Ashby-Annoon
Image: HERE
SENIOR DIREC TOR, P UBLIC SEC TOR
AMERIC A S AT HERE
I
n 1854, English physician John
Snow mapped the London cholera
epidemic to determine the exact
location of a contaminated water
pump on Broad Street, pioneering the
use of location mapping and data to
manage public health crises.
Today, governments and public
health officials are utilizing location
data to help fight the COVID-19 SAN FRANCISCO, captured by HERE’s 3D mapping technology.
global pandemic. Location data and
maps are at the frontlines to aid of valuable datasets during times By tracking the efficacy of these
emergency responders and healthcare of emergency. In response to the measures and regulations and
providers, while GIS professionals, pandemic, we have seen incredible ensuring that citizens are complying
data scientists and many others rely agility from facilities that have been with shelter in place, we’re able to
on maps and location data to allocate converted to provide critical medical predict how we are able to slow or
supplies, manpower and assets where services. flatten the spread.
they are needed most. For example, the Javits Center in • Predicting the economic impact. As
New York City has been used as a we consider reopening America
Data as a Source of Truth field hospital, a sports facility has for business, it’s important to
Location data has been one of the been converted into a drive-through understand where the virus is most
most valuable tools to guide crisis testing center, and schools are being prevalent, and the timeline for
response. By referencing professionally used to distribute food. By tracking recovery.
managed, comprehensive geospatial these updates, authorities have real-
databases, public health officials are time awareness of these facilities and Use Case #2
able to precisely locate key medical their availability to provide services. The Strained Medical Supply Chain
and emergency resources, including The coronavirus has caused strain
hospitals, medical centers, medical and Use Case #1 across most industry supply chains,
emergency services, pharmacies, and Social Distancing Efficacy but most notably, the medical supply
food and water distribution centers. At this stage of the pandemic, the chain. Medical resources, including
For example, the HERE location Federal Emergency Management hospital beds, masks and life-saving
platform continually validates the Agency has tapped into location ventilators have become scarce and
freshness and features of its map data to track the efficacy of social unevenly distributed.
through thousands of data sources. distancing policies and the spread In times of crisis, with thousands
This includes field-collected data, of the virus. It’s valuable to map the of lives at stake and the potential
third-party data from government virus’s spread for many reasons, but for further economic fallout, it’s
sources, and crowdsourced data a few key reasons include: critical that public health officials
from expert communities. Taken • Predicting the movement of COVID-19. are equipped with authoritative,
together, the process rapidly delivers By mapping the spread, we can comprehensive datasets to guide
clear, timely location information proactively align the medical supply decision-making. When organizations
to end-users such as key medical chain behind these predictions. are equipped with this valuable
stakeholders. • Understanding the effectiveness of data, they can harness the power of
It is critical that all levels of social distancing. Social distancing location data for good and follow
government — local, state and is one of the most powerful ways in the footsteps of the location data
federal — have access to these types to stop the spread of the virus. pioneer John Snow.
|
Image: NovAtel ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
NOVATEL HAS DEMONSTRATED its SPAN technology in a sensor-fusion project aimed at autonomous vehicles. Read more on page 30.
Alternative PNT
Not just supporting players, alternative positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems strengthen, augment and —
when needed — replace GNSS. We explore how companies are using alternative PNT, and talk with John Fischer of Orolia and
Alexis Guinamard of SBG Systems about their companies’ latest developments.
BY Matteo Luccio and Tracy Cozzens, GP S WORL D
S
ince the 1990s, GPS has provided the United States also developing alternative sources of PNT data and ways
military with a substantial tactical edge. Civilian to integrate them into the myriad systems that currently
GPS applications are now deeply embedded in rely on GPS.
every aspect of our lives. The U.S. Department of The National Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2018
Transportation recently reaffirmed that GPS’ positioning, (passed by the U.S. Senate as part of that year’s Coast Guard
navigation, and timing (PNT) services are critical to the safe authorization act), called for “a complement to and backup
and efficient use of the national transportation system, and for” the GPS timing component “to ensure the availability of
a Feb. 12 presidential executive order declared that satellite- uncorrupted and non-degraded timing signals for military
based PNT services “have become a largely invisible utility and civilian users in the event that GPS timing signals are
for technology and infrastructure.” corrupted, degraded, unreliable or otherwise unavailable.” It
It has long been equally well known, however, that GPS mandated the procurement of a wireless, terrestrial system
is vulnerable to accidental and intentional interference (the that would provide wide-area coverage and be synchronized
latter known as jamming), spoofing, and degradation or with UTC, resilient and extremely difficult to disrupt
denial of signals. Additionally, GPS satellites are increasingly or degrade, able to penetrate underground and inside
vulnerable to damage or destruction by space debris buildings, and capable of deployment to remote locations.
or intentional attack. The executive order mentioned A report released on April 8 by the Department of
above declared it U.S. policy “to ensure that disruption or Homeland Security (DHS), however, recommends “that
manipulation of PNT services does not undermine the responsibility for mitigating temporary GPS outages
reliable and efficient functioning of [the country’s] critical be the responsibility of the individual user and not the
infrastructure.” responsibility of the federal government.” It points out
Protecting PNT requires not just strengthening GPS, but that research by one of DHS’ agencies “shows that users
|
ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
<<Continued from previous page.

can mitigate short-term GPS disruptions (e.g., inability to in diversity of solutions. Therefore, it recommends that the
read a GPS signal) with various strategies, ranging from federal government “encourage adoption of multiple PNT
using local backup capabilities to delaying operations until sources [to expand] the availability of PNT services based
GPS is restored.” The report then focuses on “mitigation on market drivers.”
against long-term or permanent disruption or loss of GPS In the interview below and on the following page,
PNT capabilities.” It determines that the PNT functions in I discussed these challenges with John Fischer, vice
critical infrastructure “are so diverse that no single PNT president of Advanced R&D at Orolia, and Alexis
system, including GPS, can fulfill all user requirements and Guinamard, chief technical officer of SBG Systems.
applications” and notes that maximum resilience is found — Matteo Luccio
Orolia: Taking Resilient PNT to the Next Level will start to go away and there are other things we can do to
improve the accuracy. Meanwhile, we can get rather good
GPS World: What are Orolia’s latest advances and products performance with what we have today.
regarding alternative PNT?
John Fischer: Regarding timing, which we have been doing GPS World: What are some of your most recent advances,
for decades, our big alternatives to GNSS are internal atomic releases, or products?
clocks and network-based timing, such as precision time JF: On the timing side we have what we call a mini-
protocol (PTP). Regarding positioning and navigation, the Rubidium, the mRO-50, which we launched on June 4. [See
two areas on which we focus are IMUs and getting updates page 44 of this issue.] Smaller, better, cheaper atomic clocks
from GNSS, so that, when you lose GNSS momentarily, you are coming out very soon.
have something on which to coast. The breakthroughs in
MEMS technologies are astounding —they are getting better GPS World: Do you have any comments on the recent
and cheaper every day. That shows wonderful promise. executive order on resilient PNT?
The other area is doing satellite navigation using low JF: We coined the term “resilient PNT,” so we are glad to
Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, which are much closer to the see it in use. We fully support those efforts.
Earth than GNSS ones and give you 30 dB or more of
signal strength. We are focused the most on the Satellite GPS World: What about other alternative sources of PNT data,
Time and Location (STL) signal because it is available such as radar, lidar, and signals of opportunity?
today. Supplementing your navigation system with updates JF: Yes, they are that next level. Loran is ideal because it
from LEO satellites provides you some great non-GNSS is so different from GNSS. When you are trying to design
navigation capability. a reliable system, you want a lot of diversity, because if two
systems have the same kinds of failure modes you have not
GPS World: The positions of LEO satellites are not monitored gained in redundancy. Loran is literally at the other end of
as closely as those of GPS satellites. Is that an issue? the spectrum from GNSS: It is a low-frequency microwave
JF: That is correct. You are losing accuracy by using what system. Instead of being space-based, it is land-based; instead
is available today because you do not know the positions of being low power, it is high power. However, there still are no
of those satellites as well as you know those of the GNSS stations up. It requires big equipment, so it will take some time.
satellites and maybe you do not have the best geometry. When it comes to what you can do today, Loran does not
All the GNSS satellites are in medium Earth orbit (MEO) contribute much. We support efforts to implement Loran
because they have much better geometries for a small very much, because we do need non-GNSS ways to make
constellation. With just 24 satellites in MEO orbit, you things resilient. Prior to GPS, we had to depend only on
get great geometries. When you go lower, you need an Loran. Today, with modern digital signal processing (DSP)
increasingly greater number of satellites. techniques and receivers, I think we can expect the new
The first generation of LEO satellites, the Iridium STL, Loran system to have much better accuracies than we had
are a much larger constellation, with 66 satellites, but still in the bad old days of the first generation of Loran.
not enough to give you the good geometries. Today, you The auto industry is doing a marvelous job of doing
are getting less accuracy, but there are all kinds of new navigation using lidar or cameras. They are pretty much
satellites being launched and the capability to track them will navigating driverless cars the way that humans drive, by
improve. We expect to be able to use signals from hundreds, just using visual cues. Those things have promise in certain
if not thousands, of LEO satellites, so the geometry problem unique areas.
|
ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
Photo: SBG Systems

SBG Systems: Software Joins Hardware
GPS World: What are the main challenges to GNSS that require
developing alternatives?
Alexis Guinamard: GNSS technology can be easily
disturbed by a wide variety of factors. Urban canyons or
foliage environments can obstruct GNSS signals or cause
multipath effects. Intentional and unintentional jamming
and spoofing are also a big concern for PNT users.
Alternative technologies are developed to add robustness
to GNSS positioning and useful features like orientation THIRD GENERATION of the Ellipse Series of IMUs. Clockwise from top:
tracking (inertial + GNSS), or ultimately to work in pure Models D, E, A and N.
GNSS-denied environments (SLAM).
and RTK capability, within a miniature form factor.
GPS World: What is your range of products? A multi-constellation, multi-frequency receiver is much
AG: We develop and produce GNSS-aided inertial harder to jam or to spoof, which makes the Ellipse-N very
navigation systems, but also provide a post-processing robust and able to operate despite interference.
software (Qinertia). Our latest innovation is the third Finally, the new Ellipse-D, which provides dual-antenna
generation of the Ellipse series — our best-selling heading capability, has been drastically improved in terms
product — which is an industrial-grade INS. Based of size, weight and power.
on the same inertial core, we integrated cutting-edge Our post-processing software is compatible with all our
technologies, such as a multi-frequency GNSS receiver See SBG, page 37. >>
ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
Parker LORD Launches RTK System
P
arker LORD’s new 3DM-GQ7 is a dual- Justin Bessette: T h e k e y
Photo: Parker LORD

antenna real-time kinematic markets for the 3DMGQ7
m
(RTK) inertial iinclude: autonomous or mildly
navigation ssupervised delivery drones and
system with multiple vvehicles, as-built construction
integrated aiding sensors ssurvey platforms, automated
and support for external agriculture vehicles, and many
aiding. other platforms that demand high-
It has two integrated output rate precise position, velocity and
RTK-capable multi- attitude information.
band multi-constellation GPS World: Does the sensor fusion take place in real
GNSS receivers, integrated time on the device?
barometric pressure sensor, JB: The 3DMGQ7 is powered by MicroStrain’s next
magnetometer, and hardware support for generation adaptive Kalman filter, which fuses raw
wheel odometry. It also has an application programming satellite measurements, RTK base-station corrections,
interface (API) for external sensor measurements. dual-antenna heading measurements, and other corrective
The 3DM-GQ7 offers advanced sensor fusion for sources with IMU measurements in real time, resulting in
accurate measurements in challenging environments. a 1-kHz position, velocity and attitude output.
It provides seamless operation during temporary GPS World: What are some use cases for the barometric
GNSS signal outages and online tracking of inertial pressure sensor? For the magnetometer?
measurement unit (IMU) error sources for superior JB: For many applications, the barometric pressure
dead-reckoning. sensor can be used when GNSS altitude sources are
An optional network RTK receiver, the 3DM-RTK, perceived as unreliable or temporarily unavailable.
allows users to connect and communicate to the The same logic can be applied to the magnetometer for
company’s SensorCloud RTK Connection network. heading information. In general, the magnetometer is a
This makes for an all-in-one solution (GNSS-INS + backup heading reference; since our product has a dual-
RTK + SensorCloud RTK). antenna GNSS receiver, heading information is generally
Justin Bessette, manager of technology for Parker derived from that source. When transitioning through
LORD, answered questions for GPS World about the areas of poor GNSS reception, our product can revert
3DM-GQ7. to using both these sensors to aid the inertial position,
GPS World: What are its key markets and applications? velocity, and attitude solution.
NovAtel SPAN Prepares for Road Ahead
G
NSS positioning is highly accurate and reli- bilities in a sensor-fusion project alongside AImotive and
able — until satellite signals are disrupted. STMicroelectronics. Leveraging sensors on a moving
Hexagon | NovAtel has developed SPAN tech- vehicle — GNSS, inertial measurements, and cameras for
nology that integrates GNSS positioning with visual odometry — allowed the teams to produce prom-
inertial measurements for a three-dimensional understand- ising results for continuous positioning on real roads,
ing of position and orientation. in underground parking garages, and through tunnels.
SPAN technology delivers accurate heading, velocity, NovAtel’s PwrPak7-E1 enclosure was used as a reference
azimuth, pitch, and roll. NovAtel SPAN-enabled receivers system in the project, gathering data to confirm the ac-
and enclosures are effective across applications, including curacy of the sensor-fusion solution.
marine environments to monitor heave movements from Through this project, NovAtel and its partners validated
waves and autonomous vehicles requiring a higher level how alternative PNT like SPAN and other sensor fusion
of precision and integrity. solutions complement and extend GNSS positioning
NovAtel has demonstrated SPAN technology’s capa- availability, accuracy, and reliability.
|
ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
OxTS Board Set Ready for System Integrators
O
xford Technical Solutions (OxTS) offers
Photo: OxTS
a future-proof inertial navigation system
(INS) board set for system integrators.
The xOEM v3 includes the architecture
from the company’s IP65-encased xNAV v3 as well as a
full range of software interfaces, providing integrators
maximum configuration flexibility, real-time monitor-
ing, post-processing and analysis. Software interfaces
can be customized using the OxTS NAVsuite. Plugins
can be created using the company’s NAVsdk, allow-
ing the xOEM v3’s software to be easily packaged and
included as part of a product.
The board set is compact at 150 grams, which en- sophisticated boresight calibration tool.
ables manufacturers to seamlessly integrate and build The high-grade MEMS inertial sensors and real-
a high-performance INS into their products, such time kinematic (RTK) capable GNSS receiver within
as commercial mapping applications on land and in the xOEM v3 board set deliver high performance
the air. Its light weight means more payload capacity capabilities. The board set provides 0.1° heading
for other critical components. An add-on lidar geo- accuracy, 0.05° pitch/roll accuracy and 2 cm global
referencing software package is also available with a position accuracy.
SBG
<<Continued from page 35.
INS products. So, we can post-process these data to obtain
centimeter precision in a PPK mode. Qinertia is running
a tightly coupled navigation filter to obtain the best
navigation performance in post-processed applications.
Thanks to the raw data output of the Ellipse’s sensors, it’s
really straightforward to do post-processing with Qinertia
PPK software and obtain the highest level of accuracy.
We worked hard to make the user experience as easy
as possible. The latest version of Qinertia allows the
customer to process either INS systems with GNSS or
purely GNSS data.
GPS World: What are primary uses of your systems?

AG: We have many advanced robotics applications,
including UAV, driverless cars, and agricultural robots. We
divide them into mapping applications, remote-sensing
applications and control applications.
Inertial sensors can help a lot for the control applications
because we are able to reject false GNSS measurements in
both loosely and tightly coupled schemes. We can also use
them to provide a precise heading, which is required by
many of these applications. So, I would say that advanced
robotics is one of the major growth areas for us.
|
ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
NASA’s Orion Travels with Honeywell, Lockheed
H
oneywell, under a contract
Artist’s concept: NASA

with Lockheed Martin,
will supply guidance and
navigation systems for
NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions,
which will fly humans to the moon
for the first time since 1972.
The companies are supplying
key components to NASA’s Orion
spacecraft fleet for the Artemis
missions. Components include the
barometric altimeter, the inertial
measurement system, and the GPS
receiver.
Honeywell will provide 14 product
types for Artemis missions III
through V, including both hardware
and software solutions, to support
ARTEMIS MISSIONS: Flown on the Orion spacecraft, the missions will gather information to help
NASA’s lunar missions. NASA take humans to Mars.
awarded Lockheed Martin a long-
term, multibillion-dollar production
contract for the Orion spacecraft, the vehicle management computer, Honeywell will provide
aimed to meet the space agency’s which acts as the central computing 14 product types for
anticipated needs into the 2030s. platform supporting flight and Artemis missions III
Working in collaboration with the vehicle control, as well as spacecraft through V to support
Orion team over the next decade, communication functions.
Honeywell will support Lockheed Displays and Controls. Three display NASA’s lunar missions.
Martin and its partners through units and struts, seven control panels,
Photo: NASA
the development and production of and two hand controllers used inside
essential guidance and navigation the spacecraft to help astronauts
systems, command data handling, in the Orion capsule monitor and
and display and control products. control the vehicle.
The focus of the missions is to Core Flight Software. Includes
conduct science and learn lessons the integrated modular avionics
that will help take humans to Mars. software, a key system responsible for
Hon e y w e l l w i l l s up p l y t h e supporting maintenance functions
following types of technology for sharing flight data information.
the Artemis missions: The contrac t to supply ke y
Guidance and Navigation Systems. components of the Orion crew
Ke y navigat ion and guidance module and service module is being
solutions, including the barometric managed and performed out of
altimeter, which tracks the altitude Honeywell’s facility in Clearwater,
of the Orion capsule in Earth’s Florida. Work is also being conducted
atmosphere, as well as the inertial at the company’s facilities in Glendale, FIRST ORION SPACECRAFT: In this March 30
measurement system (INS) and GPS Arizona, and Puerto Rico. photo, Orion I is moved to the Final Assembly
and Systems Test cell at Kennedy Space
receiver, which track the position and Honeywell was part of NASA’s Center. The spacecraft returned from Ohio
movements of the capsule. previous crewed space missions, after a successful series of environmental
Command Data Handling. Several including those that took humans tests at Glenn Research Center’s Plum Brook
data-handling products, including to the moon. Station.
|
ALTERNATIVE PNT Q+A
SimINERTIAL Designed for GPS/INS Testing
T
esting the full operational performance of GPS/ sensor error modeling and supports a range of popular
inertial systems usually requires expensive inertial formats. SimINERTIAL architecture is also avail-
and time-consuming field testing on an ap- able in configurations to support transfer alignment and
propriate moving vehicle platform. Spirent’s multiple sensor architectures. SimINERTIAL solutions can
SimINERTIAL system emulates inertial sensor outputs also be equipped to deliver a barometric altitude output
while simultaneously simulating GPS RF signals. This via a MIL-STD-1553B card installed in the SimINERTIAL
enables controlled, repeatable testing of integrated GPS controller PC.
and inertial units, reducing the need for field trials.
SimINERTIAL is housed in a PC platform equipped
Photo: Spirent
with the appropriate data interface card. The simulated
motion data is streamed from Spirent’s state-of-the art
SimGEN application via Ethernet to SimINERTIAL, which
translates this simulated motion data into representative
real-time data streams at the data rate and with the data
format appropriate to the unit being tested.
SimINERTIAL is equipped with fully user-configurable
Inertial Labs Offers

Gyroscopes
I
nertial Labs has released its TAG-200 two-axis and
TAG-300 three-axis gyroscopes, developed for electro-
optical systems, gimbals, line-of-sight, and pan-and-tilt
platforms for stabilization and pointing applications.
TAG-200 and TAG-300 use advanced performance,
tactical-grade MEMS-sensitive elements, with the size,
power consumption, reliability and performance needed for
complex tasks requiring accurate stabilization of assorted
platforms. Designed for use in harsh environments,
they can withstand
Photo: Inertial Labs
e xt reme sho ck
and vibration, in
accordance with
MIL-STD-810
ground mobile
use. They are fully
digitized, include
built-in test functionalities and have no moving parts.
Features of the gyroscopes include low noise, low latency,
wide bandwidth, high data rate, low bias drift, low VRE
and high MTBF. The gyroscopes are factory calibrated over
operational temperature range with low non-orthogonality
and misalignment between sensitive elements. They are
also ITAR-free, QA/QC tested and supplied with individual
calibration and acceptance test certificates.
|
CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
Keeping Interference at Bay

AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY and analysis on GNSS interference detection
and localization systems reveal the path forward for transportation and other critical infrastructure.
BY José Luis Madrid-Cobos AND Ana Bodero-Alonso, ENAIRE,
Ignacio Fernández-Hernández and Eric Châtre, EC, Andriy Konovaltsev, DLR, AND Christopher Hegarty, MITRE
T
h e re c e i v e d p ow e r part of the EU–U.S. Working Group
Photo: ENAIRE
of GPS and Galileo C Sept. 2017–Sept. 2019 Work Plan,
navigation signals at with contributions of the European
the antenna output of a Commission (DG DEFIS), the German
user receiver is typically Aerospace Center (DLR), the U.S.
extremely small, from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
approximately –165 up to –150 Eurocontrol, the MITRE Corporation
dBW, which makes them inherently and Stanford University. Working Group
vulnerable to radio-f requenc y C promotes cooperation between the
interference (RFI) caused by the U.S. and EU on design and development
emissions of other radio systems. This of the next generation of civil satellite-
interference is often unintentional, based navigation and timing systems.
such as from malfunctioning or The survey was conducted within
spurious emission from a transmitter the Resilience Subgroup focused on
in the vicinity of the GNSS receiver. counteractions required in view of
However, we have seen numerous growing concerns over jamming and
reports about the deliberate jamming spoofing threats.
of GNSS signals. The most frequent
examples of such interference reports Manufacturers and Users
are caused by so-called personal The survey was provided in two
privacy devices (PPDs) — low-power versions: one targeted to manufacturers AN ENAIRE GNSS RFI monitor close to the
Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain.
GNSS jammers used to locally disable and another to the users of interference
the operation of GNSS receivers. detection systems. The two surveys
Although the use of PPDs is illegal, were implemented online July 12–Oct. even less. Most RFI systems demodulate
they can be easily acquired on the 26, 2018. There were 23 responses: 11 or analyze the GPS L1 C/A signal. Only
internet. A $10 jammer with 100 mW from manufacturers and 12 from users 8% and 17% of users analyze GPS L5
of transmitter power is enough to (see Acknowledgments on page 35 for and Galileo E5a, respectively.
degrade performance or disrupt GNSS companies that participated). Regarding Capabilities. 55% of the industry, and
receivers in a range of 10–100 meters. the manufacturers’ responses, the nine 25% of the users’ surveyed products,
In the past decade, more complex and surveyed companies represent about provide RFI localization capabilities,
powerful jammers have also become 50% of the market of RFI monitoring while 45% of the industry, and only
available, along with spoofers — products available in 2018. 33% of the users’ surveyed products,
devices that create GNSS-like signals detect some type of spoofing.
that fool receivers to provide false RFI Equipment Used Power and Antenna Gain. Most of the
location or time solutions. A $100 We present here the aggregated results systems achieve a sensitivity better
software-defined radio bought online of the RFI equipment manufactured than or equal to –120 dBm, meeting
can be used as a spoofer. and used by the participating entities. the International Civil Aviation
ENAIRE (the Spanish air navigation Frequency Bands and Signals. The Organization requirement for GPS
service provider) conducted an L1/E1 band is covered by all of the and SBAS L1 airborne receivers to
international survey and associated manufacturers’ and users’ surveyed withstand interference (–120.5 dBm
analysis of GNSS RFI detection and products. L5/E5a and other bands are CW, in-band) after steady-state
localization systems. The survey was monitored in only 42% of the cases, or navigation has been established. The
|
CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
Charts: Authors
gain of antennas used in RFI detection
systems ranges from 2 dBi up to 45
dBi.
Real-Time Bandwidth. The maximum
real-time monitored bandwidth of
the surveyed products ranges from
16 MHz up to 60 MHz in L1. Most
of the products monitor a 20-MHz
bandwidth (similar to the GPS L1 C/A
reference bandwidth for pre-GPS III
satellites, which is 20.46 MHz).
Spectrum Refresh Time. The time FIGURE 1 Jamming detection technique.
needed by the RFI detector to
capture and process a plot of the RF Event Recording. For an interference the same level as jamming detection).
spectrum in a specific band to look event, most products record the Multi-constellation and dual-frequency
for interference signals ranges from time stamp, received power, central spoofing detection should be promoted
1 microsecond to 2 seconds. frequency, frequency spectrum, the (not only L1/E1 spoofing).
Jamming Detection Techniques. The spectrogram (frequency versus time GNSS RFI monitoring with enough
most widespread jamming detection plot) and the jammer type. Only 8% bandwidth: The maximum real-time
technique is RF power monitoring of surveyed users perform spoofing monitored bandwidth of the surveyed
(45% industry, 92% users), followed event recording (see FIGURE 3). 92% of products ranges from 16 MHz to 60
by digital beamforming (CRPAs), users record RFI/spoofing events; MHz, while most of the products
carrier-to-noise-density ratio (C/N0) half also report them to their national monitor only a 20-MHz bandwidth.
monitoring and spectral analysis/ spectrum administration. Users have The receiver reference bandwidth for
transforms (see FIGURE 1). Note that from one to 11 jammer detectors. E1 is 24.552 MHz, while for L1 GPS
RF power monitoring and automatic Only four users have been registered III it is 30.69 MHz. U.S.-EU GNSS
gain control (AGC) monitoring are in with spoofing detectors, each using RFI detection systems for critical
essence the same detection technique: one. infrastructures should be designed to
AGC voltage levels — after calibration Event Sharing. 75% of surveyed monitor at least 31 MHz of bandwidth
with a reference RF generator — can users are willing to collaborate in the in the L1/E1 band, with 50 MHz
be converted into RF input power creation of an international RFI and recommended to cope with typical
levels. spoofing events common database, –3 dB bandwidth of pre-low-noise-
Spoofing Detection Techniques. but the remaining 25% explicitly do amplifier (LNA) GNSS L1/E1 receiver
The most widespread spoofing not want to share their databases. filter. The same rule should be applied
detection techniques are PVTF to other GNSS bands. Even more
consistency monitoring (industry Future RFI Monitoring Equipment bandwidth for monitoring could be
products, 27%) and correlation peak Based on the analysis of the aggregated needed to cope with rare interferers,
monitoring (users, 25%), followed results from the survey, we identified such as a high-power source, whether
by digital beamforming (CRPAs), C/ some recommendations for improving intentional or unintentional, radiating
N0 monitoring and spectral analysis/ RFI monitoring: in near-band L1/E1 but not in the
transforms (see FIGURE 2). L5/E5a band. To be ready for passband frequencies, bypassing the
Localization. The most widespread introduction of the L5/E5a band into rejection of the receiver’s filters and
RFI localization technique is direction/ aviation operational use (expected degrading the GNSS signal reception.
angle of arrival (DOA/AOA): 55% in by 2025), it is suggested that aviation
industry products and 25% in users’ organizations increase efforts to Air Navigation
systems. AOA techniques used are monitor and analyze the RFI situation In the EU, performance-based
correlative interferometer (phase- in the L5/E5a band. navigation (PBN) will become the
difference), Watson-Watt (amplitude- Spoofing detection. Nat iona l norm in all flight phases, and GNSS
difference) and array signal processing. organizations in charge of critical (with or without SBAS) will be the
The AOA accuracy of surveyed infrastructures should increase their main position source, by June 2030. A
products ranges from ±3° to ±10°. efforts to detect spoofing (at least at similar scenario is being developed in
|
CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
Other Sectors
Shipping. RFI detection systems should
be installed at and around harbors, where
positioning requirements are the most
stringent. Mobile AOA detectors can be
installed in vessels. A DLR experiment
integrated its GALANT GNSS RFI
detector on a ship sailing from Spain to
Charts: Authors
South Korea and back.

Railroads. Detection and localization
systems should be installed at train
FIGURE 2 Spoofing detection technique. stations and main railway junctions or
the U.S. Conventional procedures and initial design for airborne detection switches. It is possible to install mobile
ground-based navigation aids will be and localization systems, using current detectors in trains to detect jammers
used only in contingency situations. avionics receivers with no hardware inside the train apart from outdoor
GNSS RFI can degrade the current modification or new hardware such coverage to detect jammers outside the
GBAS CAT I (GAST-C) service in as additional antennas in the aircraft. train.
airports and could jeoparize safe Future airborne RFI detection systems Roads. Most PPD jammers in use
operation of upcoming GBAS CAT should include indoor coverage to detect are on roadways. Jammers not only
II-III (GAST-D) service. GNSS also is jammers and spoofers in the airplane jeopardize aviation and timing systems;
the key enabler for ADS-B. itself. EUROCONTROL is leading one they can jeopardize the safety of the
Therefore, it is critical for air of these initiatives using ADS-B. Given coming autonomous road vehicles. We
transportation to improve its capability a reliable ADS-B data feed with suitable strongly recommend that police and road
to detect radio frequency interference to coverage information, a search algorithm surveillance systems include jammers
GNSS and mitigate its harmful effects, could scan for outages. If the data is and spoofers as a daily target, to detect,
both on the ground and in the air. dense enough, it is possible to locate localize and punish their users.
Ground Detection and Localization. the source, even if the GNSS airborne Supporting proposals include
These systems should be installed at antenna is omnidirectional with no installing fixed detectors at tollbooths,
and around all airports. ENAIRE has AOA features. Another commercial road gantries or other points near
recently deployed an AOA RFI detection initiative, GATEMAN, uses new GNSS roads; and using mobile detectors —
and localization system around the antennas and components to provide for example, on police vehicles for
Madrid airport called DYLEMA. It AOA detection and localization features. locating a car that carries a jammer.
consists of nine AOA RFI and spoofing UAV-Embedded Detection and Public transport services with enough
detectors, two spoofing-only detectors, Localization. Detection and localization vehicles (such as taxis or busses) could
an IP communication network and a systems embedded in UAVs are not also detect RFI.
GNSS monitoring center operated 24/7. widely commercially available, but they Smartphone Platforms. Initiatives
From this center, ENAIRE will report will be useful to complement fixed are using smartphone crowdsourcing
RFI events to the Spanish spectrum or ground RFI monitoring systems, platforms to detect interference based
agency. Similar systems will be deployed especially to detect fast moving mobile on C/N0 or AGC measurements. At
in other large Spanish airports in the jammers and spoofers. A jammer this time, only prototype apps for
next years. In small airports, ENAIRE moving at high speed could be found Android phones are available. The
is deploying single-unit RFI detectors by a fixed detector, trigger the UAV Apple iOS does not allow access to
(one detector per airport, currently take-off (collocated with the detector GNSS raw data. Android applications
without the AOA feature). These systems or close to it), and start tracking the can include localization capabilities
are complemented by handheld and target. If equipped with a camera, it based on Time Difference Of Arrival
airborne spectrum analyzers equipped could identify the vehicle carrying the (TDOA) or Power Difference Of Arrival
with directional antennas and RFI AOA jammer or spoofer. Such a system has (PDOA). Having a detection system in
features, used if an RFI event of high to function in GNSS-denied scenarios, a mass-market product would create
power or duration takes place. and needs to use sensors other than millions of detectors around the world.
Airborne Detection and Localization. GNSS. Stanford University has recently Reward programs by national or local
Several initiatives are under study or developed a prototype of such a system. administrations would encourage use
|
CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
RFI data format to be registered and

shared in an international database,
including a possible RFI classification
(also defined and agreed to as part of
the standard). One initiative related
to the creation of an international
GNSS RFI threats database was
proposed by the EU-funded STRIKE
Charts: Authors
3 project in 2017.
Acknowledgments
FIGURE 3 RFI events recording/database. Jammer classifications: Class I — continuous wave The work presented in this report
signal; Class II — chirp signal with one saw-tooth function; Class III — chirp signal with multi has been performed under the
saw-tooth functions; Class IV — chirp signal with frequency bursts.
U.S.-EU Agreement on GPS-Galileo
of the app. User consent to obtain the service providers should increase Cooperation, Working Group C,
data will be needed. their efforts to deploy GNSS RFI Resiliency Subgroup. The authors
Space-Based Detection. Space-based detection and localization systems. thank the participants of the Working
detection is feasible to find medium- In parallel, governments should Group and the Resiliency Subgroup
to high-power jammers and spoofers. punish individuals or organizations — in particular, Eurocontrol and
Several projects have performed using jammers or other types of illegal the FAA for distribution of the
simulations, such as the ground to transmitters or emissions. Jamming survey in the EU and the U.S.,
space threat simulator from Qascom and spoofing is illegal in the EU and respectively. The authors also thank
and Spirent Communications. In this the U.S. An increased RFI monitoring the organizations that participated in
project, simulations achieved an error effort should be coordinated at the the survey: Spirent Communications,
of less than 1.5 km using a medium- national or regional level to find G M V, C e n t u m S o l u t i o n s ,
Earth-orbit (MEO) satellite as the RFI synergies and avoid duplications. THALES, IDS AirNav, Chronos
sensor and a 20-dBm static jammer on Planned Interference. Government Technology, Innovationszentrum
Earth, with 15 minutes of observation a g e n c i e s , i n c lu d i n g n at i on a l für Telekommunikationstechnik
time. Also, an experimental program radiofrequency spectrum agencies, (IZT), Collins Aerospace, German
from the International Space Station has should coordinate nationally and Aerospace Center (DLR), Netherlands
demonstrated that RFI can be detected inter nat iona l ly wit h air, rai l, Aerospace Centre (NLR), Deutsche
from low Earth orbit. road, maritime and other critical Flugsicherung (DFS), Direction des
The main issue of such detection infrastructure entities before any Services de la Navigation Aérienne
systems is the cost to deploy all the planned intentional interference (DSNA), Polish Air Navigation
satellites needed to have a global coverage is conducted, such as militar y S e r v i c e s A g e n c y ( PA N S A ) ,
with a low response time (2 hours or exercises or protection of special Belgocontrol, ENAV and ENAIRE.
less to detect RFI). The performance events from potential terrorist
of a space-based RFI system is better attack. This coordination includes José Luis Madrid-Cobos is the technical
manager of GNSS interference detection
when using a LEO constellation (as, an analysis of the estimated area and localization systems at ENAIRE,
compared to an MEO system, it detects and airspace volume affected by the the Air Navigation Service Provider in
RFI with a lower transmitted power). RFI, the associated notification to Spain. Ana Bodero-Alonso is the head of
One such system by HawkEye 360 was the GNSS users before and during the Satellite Navigation Department at
ENAIRE. Ignacio Fernández-Hernández
deployed in 2019. The company plans the RFI radiation period (such as a is responsible for Galileo high accuracy
to operate a fleet of 30 satellites in LEO NOTAM, Notice to Airmen), as well and authentication at the European
orbit, enabling it to gather new signals as the indication to use established Commission. Eric Châtre is the head of
from any point on the planet within 30 alternative procedures (non-GNSS). the GNSS Exploitation and Evolutions
Sector at the European Commission.
to 45 minutes. A Common Database. The creation Andriy Konovaltsev is a research
of an international common database assistant at Institute of Communications
General Recommendations of GNSS RFI events could boost the and Navigation of the German Aerospace
Center (DLR). Christopher Hegarty is
Increased Effort Needed. Public fight against GNSS RFI. A specific
a technical fellow with The MITRE
administrations and transport action could define a standard of the Corporation.
|
MARKET Segment Snapshot:
Applications, Trends & News
OEM WATCH
2
Orolia Offers Miniaturized Oscillator
O
rolia has x 19.5 millimeters. It takes high-precision atomic clock
Photo: Orolia
introduced a up only 51 cc of volume — technology.
miniaturized about one-third the volume Orolia’s Atomic Clocks
rubidium of st and ard r ubi d iu m team received the 2019
oscillator, the Spectratime clocks — and consumes PTTI Distinguished Service
mRO-50, to meet the latest only 0.45 W of power. Aw ard i n Janu ar y for
commercial, military and The Spectratime mRO- advancing the state of the
aerospace requirements 50 provides accurate art in high-stability atomic
where time stability and frequenc y and precise underwater applications. cl o ck s and pro du c i ng
power consumption are time synchronization to Orolia is a leader in the space-based passive
critical. The oscillator is mobile applications, such space-based atomic clocks hydrogen maser operating
low SWaP-C — size, weight, as militar y radio-pack and h ig h-e nd cr y st a l, on all Galileo satellites. and
power and cost. systems in GNSS-denied rubidium, hydrogen is the most stable clock
The Spectratime mRO- environments. Its operating m a s e r an d i nt e g r at e d ever flown for GNSS. The
50 provides a one-day temperature of –10° C to GPS/GNSS clocks. The Spectratime mRO-50 is the
holdover below 1 µs and a 60°C (the military version company also provides latest technology solution
retrace below 1 x 10-10 in a extends to –40° C to 75° C) testing instruments for from this team.
form factor sized 50.8 x 50.8 is also suitable for UAVs and space missions that rely on
Xsens Embeds RTK in Motion Sensors

X
sens has launched real-time-
Photo: Xsens
kinematic (RTK)-compatible MTI-680G

motion trackers to bring FEATURES
centimeter-accurate positioning within ■ Precise factory calibration
reach of a new generation of affordable ■ High immunity to magnetic
commercial devices. interference
The RTK extension to conventional ■ Adaptive firmware operation
satellite positioning signals reduces to optimize performance in
the maximum positioning error various types of scenarios
from around ±1 meter in standard ■ Free MT Software Suite
commercial GNSS receivers to typically developer tools to accelerate
±2 centimeters. accelerates the module’s internal signal integration into end-product
The MTi-680G is a new product processing compared to non-RTK designs
in the Xsens MTi 600-series. The modules. ■ Out-of-the-box operation with
MTi-680G, an integrated GNSS/ Synchronizing the global position Xsens’ MTi development kits
inertial navigation system (INS) coordinates with the module’s attitude, ■ Applications include smart
module, features an integrated RTK heading and velocity outputs, the MTi- farming, autonomous
GNSS receiver, as well as providing 680G can provide a comprehensive vehicles and coastal maritime
synchronized 3D attitude (tilt, positioning and navigation output for equipment.
inclination) and heading outputs. any carrier device, including drones
The MTi-680G also features that move at high speed, at a maximum
upgraded firmware that substantially output data rate of 400 Hz.
|
MARKET WATCH
OEM 2
Tersus Board Provides All-in-View Tracking
Photo: Tersus GNSS

ersus GNSS has released reliability of the RTK solution, even
the BX40C RTK board, the in harsh environments. Its enhanced
latest addition to its series of positioning accuracy and constellation
GNSS boards that provide tracking can control deviation within
highly accurate and fast positioning. 3 centimeters for sur veying and
Powered by the company’s new mapping applications.
ExtremeRTK GNSS technology, the It also is suitable for high-precision
BX40C board can support multi- positioning. It can be integrated with
constellation and multi-frequency autopilots and inertial navigation
all-in-view satellite tracking. units to meet various developing
The Tersus BX40C is a compact requirements.
GNSS real-time kinematic (RTK) It offers 4 GB of built-in memory
board that supports 576 channels for data collection, and is compatible
and can achieve centimeter-level with other GNSS boards on the
position easily. It supports multiple market via flexible interfaces, smart
c onstel l at ions and f re qu e nc ie s hardware design and commonly used
to improve t he cont inuit y and log/command formats.
GNSS Simulation for

Every Testing Environment
From automotive factories to defense test
ranges, and fixed hardware to flexible software
solutions, Orolia delivers proven GNSS
simulation for every testing environment.
Easy to Use – Skydel

– Powerful – Simulation
– Affordable GSG-5/6 Engine
Essential GNSS Advanced Simulation
Simulator for Smart Software
GSG-51/61 Applications
• Runs on your own
• StudioView scenario hardware or an Orolia
Essential Single Satellite generation software turnkey system.
GNSS Simulators
• All GNSS constellations • 1000Hz simulation
supported iteration rate
orolia.com • Single satellite per
constellation • Up to four frequency • Scalable to multiple
[email protected] • All GNSS constellations bands in a single chassis GPU’s
• Intuitive UI and
supported • Up to 64 simultaneous
signals automation
• Multi-frequency
• Hardware-in-the-loop • Comprehensive API
• Front panel (Python, C#, C++,
operation/lockout • Premade scenarios LabVIEW)
Orolia PNT Coffee Talk • Full remote API and included
• Advanced jamming
web interface • Test suites for and spoofing
PNT Vulnerability Testing for Critical Infrastructure: • Small, portable form automated testing
• IQ file generation and
factor • Small, portable form
Lessons Learned from Defense playback
factor
July 16, 2020 2pm EST • All-in-view simulation
orolia.com/resources/webinars
|
MARKET WATCH
TRANSPORTATION 2
Swift Drives with Skylark across US
S
wift Navigation has driven over 116 hours and 14 minutes
completed a demonstration logged. A Swift vehicle was equipped DEMO HIGHLIGHTS
drive test across the with 20 different GNSS devices, tested Performance highlights from the
continental United States. using six unique chipsets that included drive include:
The goal of the drive, from San Swift’s Piksi Multi, Duro and multiple ■ Sub-meter horizontal accuracy
Francisco to New York and back, was to leading GNSS silicon providers. (2-sigma) achieved across all
measure the efficacy of Swift’s recently The results of the drive confirmed environments
expanded Skylark cloud corrections that Swift’s precise positioning ■ 100% Skylark availability
service and to demonstrate true solution — composed of Skylark and ■ Highly repeatable results with
nationwide lane-level GNSS correction the Starling positioning engine — Starling + Skylark across a variety
coverage at the accuracy, reliability and delivers consistent lane-level accuracy of dual-frequency GNSS chipsets
availability levels required by Swift at continental level. Skylark delivered
customers. 100% availability, with sub-decimeter Skylark performed as intended and
The drive took the Swift team across accuracy, over the entire United expected in both open-sky and urban
26 states and Washington, D.C., with States, wherever cellular coverage was environments. It also demonstrated
6,614.7 miles (10,645.3 kilometers) available. that “Skylark is truly a cross-continental
corrections network delivering the high
integrity and high availability required
by automotive OEMs, last-mile
applications, rail, mobile and micro-
mobility companies,” according to
Anthony Cole, executive vice president
of engineering.
In addition to full contiguous U.S.
coverage, the Skylark corrections
service is now available in Europe and is
Image: Swift Navigation
being built out to support autonomous

applications across the globe.
Download a complete write-up
of the cross-country drive test at
www.swiftnav.com.
NovAtel Delivers OEM Driver Built on Robot Operating System

Hexagon | NovAtel has released its first GitHub repository or as a ROS Binary Hexagon | AutonomouStuff platform,
purpose-built driver, powered by Robot Package for direct installation. the driver ensures that the data
Operating System (ROS), to support its With the new driver, developers can received accurately reflects the output
OEM7 family of GNSS receivers. now access the critical data needed provided by the receiver, while also
The driver, developed by NovAtel to build autonomy algorithms for giving users the ability to record raw
engineers, provides an optimized academic investigations, ride-share data for post-processing.
interface enabling users to accelerate programs, and other applications. The driver’s development is a result
autonomous development projects by Data from numerous sensors can of collaboration between NovAtel
quickly incorporating NovAtel OEM7 be combined to help move projects and AutonomouStuff in support of
receivers into custom applications. into higher levels of autonomy faster Hexagon’s Smart Autonomous Mobility
The driver is available for immediate without the need to adapt community- (SAM) initiative, unveiled at CES 2020 in
download through the new NovAtel developed drivers. Tested using the Las Vegas.
|
MARKET WATCH
SURVEYING 2
Septentrio to Integrate Sapcorda Corrections
S
eptentrio has entered into to and maintaining a corrections service integration and proof-of-
a commercial agreement service. concept guidance for upgrading the
with Sapcorda, a global S u c h G N S S re ce i ve r s a c q u i re integrators’ GNSS systems to
provider of sub-decimeter corrections via the internet as well deliver down-to-centimeter-level
GNSS corrections. Through the as via satellite broadcast and deliver positioning accuracy.
collaboration with Sapcorda, reliable, broadly available sub- The program also includes the
Septentrio will integrate corrections decimeter positioning to high-volume offering of free service data, used to
into a new line of products for the industrial applications. validate positioning performance on
high-accuracy industrial market. S a p c o r d a r e l e a s e d i t s S A PA the target application. The program
The new products will consist augmentation service integration participants also receive commercial
of Sapcorda’s SAPA Premium program on May 14, following the support for introducing the correction
corrections integrated directly into launch of its SAPA Premium service. data on their marketed products.
Septentrio’s latest GNSS receiver The program targets companies The SAPA service is delivered using
t e c h n o l o g y. T h e r e s u l t i s s u b - integrating GNSS chips or receivers an optimized data format and can be
decimeter accuracy, available to who are looking to enable their integrated by modern or traditional
users out of the box. This significantly systems to perform in high-accuracy high-accuracy receivers compatible
s i m p l i f i e s r e c e i v e r s e t- u p a n d mode. with open standards such as SPARTN
eliminates the hassle of subscribing The program offers step-by-step and RTCM.
GOOSE© - GNSS RECEIVER WITH

OPEN SOFTWARE INTERFACE
The rapid prototyping solution for leading-edge GNSS receiver development
Technology licensed by Fraunhofer IIS https://teleorbit.eu
|
MARKET WATCH
SURVEYING 2
Photos: CHC Navigation

CHCNAV’s P5 geodetic GNSS receiver is now atop Everest, carried there by China’s National Survey Team.
CHC Navigation’s Receivers Summit Everest
C
HC Navigation’s P5 geodetic satellite navigation system to perform temperature range of –45°C to +85° C,
GNSS receiver was successfully GNSS measurements; the second is to while redesigned lithium-ion batteries
used by a Chinese team of use Chinese surveying and mapping offer 12 hours of operation even at
surveyors to complete the 2020 equipment to complete the task. extremely low temperatures. Also used
Mount Everest Elevation Survey. Meeting Harsh Challenges. In October were antenna cables with a specific
This is the first time BeiDou-based 2019, CHCNAV received a request from compound material to avoid cracking
Chinese GNSS receivers have been the Ministry of Natural Resources to or signal attenuation.
used to measure the height of Mount provide GNSS equipment for the 2020 T h e re c e ive rs h ave bu i lt - i n
Everest, known in China as Mount Everest Elevation Project. A dedicated waterproof and breathable valves
Qomolangma. team combining different departments, to maintain internal and external
The Everest Project. To promote from R&D to manufacturing, was set pressures. Ruggedized reinforcement
research on Mount Everest’s elevation up. The team worked with National prevents damage in the event of
and to ensure the scientific character Survey engineers on the specific accidental receiver drop, keeping the
and accuracy of measurements, technical requirements to meet the display and connectors safe.
the Ministry of Natural Resources difficulties related to the altitude of A h e a d o f t h e c l i m b, t h i r d -
mobilized the Shaanxi Bureau Everest. party organizations performed
of Topography and Geographic At over 8,800 meters, the minimum environmental testing and reliability
Information Mapping from the temperature can reach –45° C, while verification, including storage and
Chinese Academy of Topography atmospheric pressure is only 30 operating at high/low temperatures,
and Mapping to plan and implement kPa (compared to the normal 101 vibration, shock, rain, dust, humid heat,
the measurements Mount Everest’s kPa). Operation of the instruments salt and fog. The National Photoelectric
elevation. China’s National Geodetic needed to be as simple and reliable as Rangefinder Testing Center also gave
Survey Team and its Mountaineer’s possible — surveyors wear thick winter the equipment rigorous evaluation.
Team would undertake the arduous clothing and lack oxygen, making every Reaching the Summit. On April 5,
climb. movement an extreme challenge. 2020, at the Everest Elevation Survey
The plan set out the technical Military-Grade Solution. To meet Expedition Ceremony in Lhasa,
guidelines and required that the t he s e st r i nge nt re qu i re me nt s , CHCNAV officially donated GNSS
Everest Elevation Project be designed CHCNAV provided military-grade equipment to the National Survey
to achieve innovative and technological GNSS receivers that passed rigorous Team. Both product and technical
breakthroughs in several areas of environmental and reliability tests. training was provided to the team.
research. The first is to use the BeiDou Its material supports an operating Continued on next page. >>
|
MARKET WATCH
MAPPING 2
NavVis Launches N avVis has launched NavVis VLX, a wearable mapping
system that captures high-quality data in built environments
Wearable Mapper such as construction sites, staircases and technical rooms.
The all-in-one reality capture capabilities of NavVis VLX
include both survey-grade point clouds and high-resolution
panoramas. The compact, economical design enables high-
quality data to be captured for architecture, engineering and
construction (AEC) projects. Uses include conventional
building documentation such as CAD drawings and BIM
models, as well as web-based digital-twin solutions, such as
NavVis IndoorViewer.
NavVis VLX is equipped with two lidar sensors and
captures survey-grade point clouds using the company’s
SLAM technology, originally developed for the NavVis M6
indoor mobile mapping system. NavVis VLX also captures
high-resolution panoramic images in a 360-degree field of view.
The wearable device gives the operator more control over
Photo: NavVis
where the sensors are scanning. A built-in screen provides live

feedback of what has been scanned and the quality of the data
being captured.
<< Continued from previous page. ADVERTISER INDEX: COMPANIES FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
Editor’s Note: This ad/edit index is for reader convenience only.
Publisher accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions.
The 53 members of the first National Survey Team
overcame the difficulties related to the environment, bad
ADVERTISER PAGE(S)
weather and the additional impact of COVID-19, and
conducted a series of measurements on Mount Everest and CAST NAVIGATION INSIDE FRONT COVER
surrounding areas including snow depth, level, gravity and
GNSS position. INSTITUTE OF NAVIGATION (ION) 15
Thirty of the 60 points of the GNSS control network were JACKSON LABS 17
measured with CHCNAV GNSS receivers, including three
of the seven Everest elevation intersection points. JAVAD 19-26
On May 27, the CHCNAV GNSS receivers finally reached
L3 HARRIS 7
the summit and successfully completed the task.
The successful achievement of the Everest elevation NOVATEL BACK COVER
measurement reflects the performance of the Chinese
surveying and mapping industry, confirms BeiDou as a major OROLIA 31, 35, 45
part of the GNSS systems, and demonstrates the technical RACELOGIC 9
success of CHCNAV as a major player in the GNSS industry.
Results to Come. it will take two to three months for sci- SBG SYSTEMS 11
entists to calculate and release the mountain’s exact height.
SPIRENT FEDERAL 5, 39
Scientists will use multiple measurement techniques to per-
form comprehensive calculations of the measurement data. SUZHOU FOIF 37
After data analysis and processing, they will carry out
theoretical studies and repeated verifications to determine TELEORBIT 47
the accurate height. Complex calculations are needed to
UNICORE COMMUNICATIONS INSIDE BACK COVER
eliminate errors caused by factors such as temperature, air
pressure and the refractive environment.
|
JULY 2020 WWW.GPSWORLD.COM GPS WORLD 4
49
9
SEEN HEARD
WHERE’S THE BEEF? USE THAT APP IN GERMANY?
A new mapping app is NO WAZE!
helping Los Angeles The German
County residents find government has
more than 2,000 food amended its road
resources, during and traffic regulations
after the COVID-19 to outlaw apps
pandemic. Sponsored that alert drivers
by the non-profit 211 to speed cameras.
LA County, the LA The law makes it
FoodFinder is powered by Slingshot Earth, which aggregates clear that any app
food resources and service data from multiple public and private used for traffic-
sources. The app enables residents to find resources for child monitoring alerts
nutrition, meal services, groceries/food pantries, senior food is forbidden,
needs and government food benefits programs. Since the whether it runs on a phone, tablet or a GPS
COVID-19 outbreak, 211 LA County has experienced a 10-fold navigation system. Violating the traffic laws
increase in website traffic for food needs. and using speed camera apps inside a car could
result in a fine of up to €75 (about $83). Both
Garmin and TomTom have emailed registered
users alerting them to the news.
MAKING THE MOST OF GPS DATA

University of Nevada 2020 Outstanding
Researcher Geoffrey Blewitt has made the
most of GPS data to study changes in Earth’s
crust, from the Ice Age to today. Nevada Today
outlines his significant discoveries, including
that GPS data may hold a key to detecting
dark matter. Other discoveries: Nevada is the
fastest growing state, geologically speaking,
as it spreads apart. Drought in the western
U.S. is causing the Sierra Nevada to lift, and the
melting of ice sheets in Greenland is changing
the shape of Earth.
KOALA CARE
Drones equipped with FLIR thermal-imaging cameras helped
save koalas injured in this summer’s Australia bushfires. In
a search-and-rescue operation, Victoria wildlife experts and
police used DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual drones to scan the
forest for injured koalas, many found clinging to scorched
eucalyptus trees. The images were relayed to a ground
station in a nearby van for closer inspection. When a koala
was located, the experts stepped in to assess the animal, and
if needed, provide healthcare and relocate it. The team used
cherry pickers to retrieve the little animals.
PHOTO CREDITS: Grocery store/Drazen Zigic/iStock/Getty Images/Getty Images Plus; speed control in Hamburg/Symbiont/iStock/Getty Images Plus; Geoffrey Blewitt/ Debra Vigil;
koala/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
COPYRIGHT 2020 NORTH COAST MEDIA LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical including by photocopy, recording, or information storage and retrieval without permission in writing from the publisher.
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PRIVACY NOTICE: North Coast Media LLC provides certain customer contact data (such as customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses) to third parties who wish to promote relevant products, services and other opportunities which may be of interest to you. If you do not want North Coast
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GPS WORLD (ISSN 1048-5104) is published monthly by North Coast Media LLC, IMG Center, 1360 East 9th Street, Tenth Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: For U.S., Canada and Mexico, 1 year $89.95 print and digital; two years $148.95 print and digital. All other countries, 1 year print
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|
· 5ns RMS PPS output - best in the industry
· 0.1°pitch and roll (1σ)
·"WINS" (Wheel INS) optimized technology for vehicles and wheeled robots
· Integrated INS/ GNSS/ Odometer
· 100 Hz positioning output/ original IMU measurement output highly synchronized by PPS
· Supports BDS B1/ B2 + GPS L1/ L2 + GLONASS L1/ L2 + GalileoE1/ E5b
· Supports both single and dual-antenna modes
· 3.3 ~ 5 VDC input
· Ideal for applications such as autonomous driving, mobile mapping,
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and various attitude stabilization platforms
MORE PROVEN
ANTI-JAM PROTECTION
FROM A NAVWAR LEADER
DEFEND MORE OF YOUR FORCES AGAINST CYBER
ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTIVITY
The lower SWaP-C GAJT-410ML (GPS Anti-Jam Technology) joins our GAJT-710ML to
provide you with even more Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) protection options.
GAJT technology easily installs on just about any land or sea platform (new or legacy)
to provide more of your people with proven PNT protection right now.
We are experienced Navigation Warfare professionals. Military forces around the
world trust NovAtel Navigation Warfare technology thanks to our battle tested
quality, integration support and manufacturing capability. You can, too.
Autonomy & Positioning – Assured | novatel.com
NAVWAR SUPERIORITY

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In Memoriam

JULY 2020 | Vol 31 | No 7

Image and cover photos: Draganfly

29 Skyports Joins Thales in COVID-19 Drone-Delivery Trial

Pioneer and Visionary

33 ALTERNATIVE PNT BY Matteo Luccio & Tracy Cozzens

40 Keeping Interference at Bay

LAUNCHPAD OPINIONS AND DEPARTMENTS

iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

44 OEM 10 PNT ROUNDUP

49 MAPPING 14 GPS World Welcomes New EAB Members

Why Users Will Need to Perform GNSS Occupations

GPS: Don’t Wait to Update WWW.GPSWORLD.COM

misses the interoperability [email protected] | 216-706-3793

The forecast for GPS L1C operational Published monthly

YOU NEED M-CODE.

USE OF D.O.D. VISUAL INFORMATION DOES NOT

Screenshot: U.S. Air Force

MarRINav Project Calls for Terrestrial Navigation

Image: Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation

Photo: Javad GNSS

MESSAGE FROM THE ASHJAEE FAMILY

ONENAV GPS INNOVATION ALLIANCE

“ Javad was a one-man army

JAVAD GREG TURETZKY members of the GNSS community of

other, we worked on shared visions,

“ What a loss for everyone. Such a

GPS World Welcomes New EAB Members

The PNT-6220 is the first reference that can seamlessly

Whether you are looking for an Assured PNT reference for

Let us configure a version for your

www.jackson-labs.com | (702) 233-1334 | [email protected] JACKSONLABS

The Stencil Pro, now in beta testing, is a professional-grade mobile mapping

The AsteRx-i D UAS combines centimeter-level positioning with 3D orientation,

While Companies Adapt

Photo: Eos Positioning

Taking to the Field During the Coronavirus Pandemic

has received encouraging feedback from management.

Cleaning from Above /

<<Continued from previous page.

Photo: SBG Systems

Parker LORD Launches RTK System

Photo: Parker LORD

NovAtel SPAN Prepares for Road Ahead

OxTS Board Set Ready for System Integrators

GPS World: What are primary uses of your systems?

NASA’s Orion Travels with Honeywell, Lockheed

Artist’s concept: NASA

SimINERTIAL Designed for GPS/INS Testing

Inertial Labs Offers

Keeping Interference at Bay

South Korea and back.

RFI data format to be registered and

Xsens Embeds RTK in Motion Sensors

kinematic (RTK)-compatible MTI-680G

Photo: Tersus GNSS

GNSS Simulation for

Easy to Use – Skydel

being built out to support autonomous