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FJDynamics has released the Trion P1, a compact handheld lidar scanner and the Trion V10i GNSS system, both with visual positioning. These systems were unveiled at INTERGEO 2023.  

Trion P1 lidar scanner

The simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based lidar scanner allows users to accurately digitize environments. With the ability to capture indoor, outdoor and underground environments, this compact scanner can be used across a variety of industries such as property management, disaster preparation, forestry and more.

“Our goal at FJDynamics is to bridge the gap between advanced technology and practical applications,” said Mike Zhao, senior product manager. “With the Trion P1 lidar scanner, we’re putting the power of reality capture into the hands of both seasoned professionals and those curious about 3D scanning.”

Key features of the scanner include a lidar capacity of 200,000 points per second, and real-time point cloud visualization on mobile devices via Trion Scan. In addition, it can calculate distance, area and volume.

Trion V10i GNSS system with visual positioning

The FJD Trion V10i GNSS System integrates two cameras for vision-guided surveying operations, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for tilt surveys and an OLED screen for easy status checks. This technology is designed to enhance productivity in the field, even in hard-to-access locations.

The technology features IMU-based tilt compensation for precise measurements of up to 60 ° with no calibration needed. It also comes with a built-in 4G LTE and UHF and supports NFC, WiFi and Bluetooth. It also offers users seamless connectivity through Trion Survey Cloud for real-time data sharing between field and office teams.

Ligado Networks has sued the U.S. federal government for $39 billion, alleging officials at the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) misappropriated Ligado’s exclusively licensed L-band spectrum to support secret DoD systems without permission or compensation. 

“The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims against the United States, the Defense Department, the Commerce Department and NTIA, seeks just compensation for the government’s physical, categorical, regulatory and legislative takings of Ligado’s property,” the company said in a press release. 

According to the company’s lawsuit, the DoD embarked on a “misinformation and disparagement campaign” against Ligado starting shortly after the company received its FCC approvals in 2020. That campaign, according to the lawsuit, sought to revive concerns that Ligado’s 5G plans would interfere with GPS services. 

Ligado alleges the DoD’s claims about spectrum interference “are a pretext” to conceal secret Pentagon systems that depend on Ligado’s spectrum. 

The company claims multiple former and current senior government officials have acknowledged the DoD wants Ligado’s spectrum for its own, undisclosed purposes, and that the DoD’s activities cannot co-exist with Ligado’s authorized use of its spectrum. 

“High ranking U.S. government officials have acted deliberately to deprive an American company of its rightfully licensed property,” said Ivan Seidenberg, chairman of Ligado’s board of managers. 

Its Complaint states the DoD, U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have deprived Ligado of all the economic benefits it could have expected from using and developing its exclusively allocated and licensed spectrum for terrestrial services. 

Ligado is asking the court for “just compensation in an amount to be determined at trial for its past, present, and future taking of Ligado’s rights.” 

SpaceX has signed a deal to launch four of Europe’s flagship navigation and secure communications satellites into orbit, reported The Wall Street Journal. The European Commission and the European Union (EU) member states have yet to give a final approval for the deal, the report added.

SpaceX and the European Space Agency recently signed an agreement for two launches next year, each carrying two Galileo satellites.

The deal states the satellites will be launched from the U.S. on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket

European space officials said last month they face crucial timing decisions in the coming weeks on the return to flight of Europe’s flagship space launchers following a series of delays.

CNH Industrial has completed its purchase of the global satellite navigation technology company Hemisphere GNSS for a total consideration of USD $175 million.

The acquisition, first announced in March 2023, is said to strengthen CNH’s capabilities in precision, automation, and autonomy technology. It also furthers the company’s efforts in vertical integration to provide cutting-edge technology to customer fleets.

With Hemisphere’s expertise and network, CNH says that it can accelerate its strategic plan to develop its automation technology, expedite the delivery of a fully autonomous farming cycle, and extend and enhance automation and autonomy across a broad range of construction applications.

“Bringing Hemisphere’s talent and resources into CNH reflects the energy and momentum of our investments in tech innovation,” said Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital & Information Officer at CNH. “From 2024 onwards, we will bring notable value to customers through significant advancements in our journey from automating certain tasks to fully autonomous operation.”

This year marks 50 years since the U.S. Department of Defense approved the design for GPS and first funded the program. It is also the 30-year anniversary of an important milestone – initial operational capability of GPS. Please don’t let its longevity fool you into thinking it is past its prime! GPS is, and will remain, one of the most innovative systems ever designed, funded and operated by the U.S. government.

Today, GPS represents a highly successful public and private partnership, one in which diverse stakeholders continue to coordinate through fora such as the National Executive Committee for PNT and its Advisory Board. and the Civil GPS Service Interface Committee. How did this system become a military, public safety, critical infrastructure, and economic success? The world-class GPS community is made up of the teams and individuals who design, develop and operate these critical technologies as well as the people and organizations that benefit from its applications. From pioneers, scientists, engineers, and Guardians to civil servants, lawmakers, and entrepreneurs, the GPS community has transformed, is transforming, and will continue to transform lives across the globe, and soon, the moon.

GPS World highlighted the important roles played by many early GPS pioneers in a two-part series aptly titled, “Heroes” in the May and June 2010 issues. It has also covered Dr. Gladys West, who is one of the most consequential mathematicians and programmers to contribute to the global success of GPS. Her geodetic models helped refine our understanding of Earth’s shape, which proved fundamental to the success of GPS and its myriad applications. In 2021, the Trimble Foundation established the Dr. Gladys West Scholarship Program. Virginia State University (her alma mater!), North Carolina A&T State University, and Florida International University award four-year scholarships to one student per year to honor Dr. West’s achievements as a woman of science and a woman of color.

A celebration of GPS must also recognize our lawmakers — the people who authorize and appropriate funding for GPS and its augmentation programs. Nearly every U.S. federal department and agency uses these systems to fulfill their missions on behalf of the American people. They also leverage their technical, programmatic, operational, and experiential expertise to ensure that GPS and its augmentation systems remain the best in the world. This work is possible thanks to congressional committees, members of Congress, and staff. The Senate Appropriations and House Appropriations committees, the Senate Armed Services and House Armed Services committees, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation and the House Energy and Commerce committees, the GPS Caucus and many more members of Congress, provide critical oversight and funding. Their support ensures that GPS continues to bring $1.7 trillion and counting in economic benefits to the U.S. economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs while enhancing national security, public safety and critical infrastructure.

The future is bright for GPS manufacturers and those developing new applications. To realize their success, projects funded by the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act will depend on GPS to continue to deliver signals that are accurate, have integrity, and are available and continuous in nature. The next enterprising GPS entrepreneur is waiting in the wings

Thanks to a network of determined individuals, GPS-driven technologies — used to support precision agriculture, safe transportation, synchronized global banking, cutting-edge emergency response, elite and amateur sports, and more — are transforming our lives, creating jobs, and promoting growth across the economy.

GPSIA joins other members of the GPS community by celebrating 50 years of GPS and looks forward to the innovations and applications that will shape the next 50 years and beyond.

Septentrio has introduced two new open-source hardware projects available to integrators of satellite-based positioning.

By expanding their ecosystem of open-source hardware and software, Septentrio aims to make reliable GNSS positioning more accessible to integrators and developers.

The first project, mosaicBus, is a reference design of a board compatible with mikroBUS add-on board standards primarily used in embedded systems. MikroBUS enables easy plug-and-play sensor integration into development boards from major companies such as MikroElektronika, who developed the mikroBUS standard.

The second project, called mosaicAlto, is a carrier board embedding the mosaic-X5 or mosaic-H GNSS receivers, which transforms Arduino Pro Portenta into a single-board computer with a GPS/GNSS receiver.

The mosaicBus board can be used in applications such as automation, robotics or Internet of Things (IoT).

Mosaic is a compact high-precision multi-frequency GPS/GNSS receiver module known for its performance in harsh environments and resilience to jamming and spoofing. The module is designed for systems where accuracy and reliability are required. It has been widely adopted through existing projects such as the mosaicHAT, a shield board for Raspberry Pi and Mowi, a wireless communication board using the mosaic receiver.

In addition to hardware reference designs, Septentrio also supports ROS and several other UAV autopilots.

In recognition of the indispensable role GNSS plays in shaping the modern world, the Institute of Navigation (ION) has established “International GNSS Day,” which would occur annually on October 23.

This date, written as 10/23, was chosen in honor of the frequency of 10.23 MHz, the original heartbeat of all GPS satellites, signals and receivers. This frequency was later adopted by all GNSS service providers and serves as the basis of L-band signals for over 100 navigation satellites today.

International GNSS Day aims to highlight the global impact of satellite navigation in diverse sectors, including transportation, agriculture, aviation, surveying and more. It provides a platform to recognize the collaborative efforts of nations, organizations and individuals in advancing GNSS technology. ION pays special tribute to the developers of GPS, celebrating 50 years since its inception this year.

By declaring “International GNSS Day,” ION seeks to raise awareness and appreciation for the critical role GNSS plays in navigating the course of our interconnected world.

Trimble has launched IonoGuard, designed to reduce ionospheric disruptions in positioning and navigation by minimizing performance impacts caused by scintillation or signal noise.

Referred to as solar activity, ionospheric disturbances peak every 11 years. The next major disruption, Solar Cycle 25, is expected to peak between 2024 and 2026. Ionospheric activity can directly impact the quality of GNSS signals, leading to the degradation of position accuracy. While this type of disturbance has the greatest impact on high precision GNSS users operating around equatorial and high latitude regions, global disruptions are possible during the height of the solar cycle.

IonoGuard leverages Trimble’s high-precision receiver hardware design and signal tracking, offering improved positioning performance in challenging environments. This will minimize the probability of a complete loss of GNSS signals and improve the signals’ accuracy and integrity.

For Trimble’s geospatial, civil construction and OEM GNSS receivers supporting the ProPoint GNSS positioning engine, IonoGuard is a free downloadable firmware update expected to be available in late 2023 for receivers under warranty.

Geo Week 2024 is set for Feb. 11-13 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. This event was created in response to the changing needs of  built world and geospatial professionals, and to acknowledge the current convergence of technology.  

Geo Week’s conference program and tradeshow floor will feature commercial applications of 3D technologies, innovations and case studies in the built environment, advanced airborne and terrestrial remote sensing solutions, smart products for a full project team and more. 

Attendees and exhibitors can register here. The conference schedule can be found here.  

Septentrio has partnered with SparkFun Electronics to broaden market reach and the availability of satellite-based positioning products for integrators in a variety of industrial and emerging sectors. As part of the partnership, SparkFun has released its first product, the mosaic-X5 Triband GNSS RTK Breakout board.  

The mosaic-X5 Triband GNSS RTK Breakout features the mosaic-X5 receiver module from Septentrio.

The mosaic module is a compact GNSS receiver that delivers high-accuracy tri-band positioning with built-in technology that is resilient to signal interference, including jamming and spoofing. The SparkFun breakout board enables users to log data as well as control and monitor the receiver via the web interface, without the need for additional code.  

The mosaic-X5 Triband GNSS RTK Breakout is now available for purchase via the SparkFun website.