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The same 91 signers also sent an identical letter to President Biden.

Dear Senators and Members of Congress: 

Last year, many of the undersigned wrote in reflection of the unprecedented opposition to the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC’s”) Ligado Order (1) across the vast federal and commercial user base of Global Positioning System (“GPS”), satellite communications, and weather forecasting services. Three years after adoption of the Order, as eight petitions for reconsideration remain pending, (2) we again 

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 (1) Ligado Amendment to License Modification Applications, IBFS File Nos. SES-MOD-20151231-00981, SAT-MOD-20151231-00090, and SAT-MOD-20151231-00091, Order and Authorization, 35 FCC Rcd 3772 (2020) (“Ligado Order” or “Order”). 

(2) More than twenty parties in total signed petitions for reconsideration of the Ligado Order and all of these petitions remain pending before the FCC. See Petitions for Reconsideration of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; the Air Line Pilots Association, International; the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers; the Joint Aviation Petitioners; Iridium Communications Inc., Flyht Aerospace Solutions Ltd., Aireon LLC, and Skytrac Systems Ltd.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Trimble Inc.; and the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, IB Docket Nos. 11-109 & 12-340 (all filed on or about May 22, 2020). The ten “Joint Aviation Petitioners” consist of the Aerospace Industries Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, Aviation Spectrum Resources, Inc., the Cargo Airline Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the urge you to work together with the FCC to stay and ultimately set aside the Order. (3) Critically, this is now necessitated by the crucial, previously unavailable information that was produced at the direction of Congress: the independent technical review undertaken by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (“NAS”) (4) analyzing the potential interference issues related to the Ligado Order. 

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We greatly appreciate your administration’s opposition to the Ligado Order and commitment that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”), on behalf of the executive branch, will continue to actively pursue its petition for reconsideration of the Order. (5) As you know, the pending petitions for reconsideration convincingly demonstrate that the Ligado Order is legally and factually deficient. In the pending petitions, parties showed that the Ligado Order is fundamentally flawed, incompatible with the FCC’s rules, and inadequate in protecting incumbent services from the harmful interference from Ligado’s proposed operations. This substantial documentation, among many other concerns from federal and commercial users, resulted in Congress enacting bipartisan legislation in consecutive years after the FCC’s adoption of the Ligado Order, mandating NAS’s independent technical review and requiring the Department of Defense (“DoD”) to brief federal representatives across the government “at the highest level of classification” on the potential for widespread harm from Ligado’s proposed terrestrial operations. (6) On this basis alone, the FCC should stay the Order in an acknowledgement that it clearly did not account for the full, real-world risk of harm associated with a nationwide terrestrial deployment in the L-band. 

While the pending petitions have a strong likelihood of success on their own merits, the FCC’s rules and the public interest now require the FCC to reconsider the Order in response to the extensive analysis in the NAS Report.7 This new, previously unavailable information presented in the Congressionally-mandated independent technical review confirms that Ligado’s proposed terrestrial operations would cause harmful interference8 at significant ranges to incumbent L-band services across a broad range of deployment scenarios. This is consistent with the well-supported and robustly documented analyses and 

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Helicopter Association International, the International Air Transport Association, the National Air Transportation Association, and the National Business Aviation Association. 

(3) The Commission should also not proceed with any companion rulemakings causing harmful interference to weather forecasting and hydrology services that could result in Ligado deployments, particularly in light of the analysis and recommendations presented in the “Spectrum Pipeline Reallocation 1675–1680 MHz Engineering Study (SPRES) Program Report. See Allocation and Service Rules for the 1675-1680 MHz Band, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 34 FCC Rcd 3352 (2019); U.S. Department of Commerce. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Environmental Satellite Data Information Service. Spectrum Pipeline Reallocation 1675–1680 MHz Engineering Study (SPRES) Program Report. Silver Spring, MD: NESDIS, October 2020 (public release August 2022). 

(4) National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Analysis of Potential Interference Issues Related to FCC Order 20-48 (2022), https://doi.org/10.17226/26611 (“NAS Report”). 

(5) Letter from Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, to The Honorable James M. Inhofe, ranking member, U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services (June 22, 2021) (reiterating the NTIA’s position opposing the Ligado Order). 

(6) William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2021, Pub. L. 116-283, 134 Stat. 4074 § 1663; NDAA for Fiscal Year 2022, Pub. L. 117-81, 135 Stat. 1541 § 1613. 

(7) These statements are based on the publicly available portions of the NAS committee’s work. In addition, NAS prepared a classified annex, which further details the risks of Ligado’s proposed terrestrial network and additionally warrants FCC action. 

(8) The term “harmful interference” is herein used to describe the results of the NAS Report. In turn, the undersigned believe the results of the NAS Report dictate that the FCC must reach the legal conclusion that Ligado’s operations would cause harmful interference under the FCC’s rules.

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determinations of the federal government, (9) including fourteen federal agencies and departments, (10) and commercial parties (11) alike. Importantly, as concisely stated by DoD and detailed in the NAS Report, “[t]he terrestrial network authorized by [the Ligado Order] will create unacceptable harmful interference for DoD missions. The mitigation techniques and other regulatory provision [sic] in [the Ligado Order] are insufficient to protect national security missions.”(12) 

The unequivocal conclusions of the NAS Report constitute the exact type of previously unavailable information that the FCC’s rules (13) dictate must be addressed on reconsideration. Indeed, NTIA stated on behalf of the executive branch that the NAS Report “offers the [FCC] an important opportunity to reconsider Ligado’s Authorization.”(14) We therefore urge you to work with the FCC to address the harm from Ligado’s proposed terrestrial network to critical GPS, satellite communications, and weather forecasting services by staying the Order, addressing the previously unavailable information contained in the NAS Report, and resolving the pending petitions for reconsideration. 

Sincerely, 

AccuWeather, Inc. 

Aerospace Industries Association 

Agricultural Retailers Association 

Airborne Public Safety Association 

Aircraft Electronics Association 

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association 

Airlines for America 

Alabama Agricultural Aviation Association 

ALERT Users Group 

Allied Pilots Association 

Air Line Pilots Association, International 

American Geophysical Union 

American Meteorological Society 

American Rental Association 

American Road & Transportation Builders Association 

American Weather and Climate Industry Association 

Arizona Agricultural Aviation Association 

Arkansas Agricultural Aviation Association 

Associated Equipment Distributors 

Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International 

Association of Aerial Applicators Washington 

Association of Equipment Manufacturers 

Association of Marina Industries 

Association of Montana Aerial Applicators 

Aviation Spectrum Resources, Inc. 

BoatU.S. 

California Agricultural Aircraft Association 

Cargo Airline Association 

CNH Industrial 

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(9) See, e.g., National Telecommunications and Information Administration Reply to Ligado Networks LLC’s Opposition to Petitions for Reconsideration or Clarification, IB Docket Nos. 11-109 & 12-340, at 10 n.26 (filed June 8, 2020); U.S. Department of Transportation, Global Positioning System (GPS) Adjacent Band Compatibility Assessment, Final Report (Apr. 2018) (“DOT ABC Report”), https://www.transportation.gov/pnt/global-positioning-system-gps-adjacent-band-compatibility-assessment. 

(10) See Memorandum from Thu Luu, Executive Agent for GPS, Department of the Air Force, to IRAC Chairman (Feb. 14, 2020). 

(11) See, e.g., Letter from J. David Grossman, Executive Director, GPSIA, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, IB Docket Nos. 11-109 et al., at 6 (Sept. 17, 2020); Letter from Bryan N. Tramont, Counsel to Iridium Communications Inc., to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, IB Docket Nos. 11-109 et al. (Jan. 19, 2022); Update to 2016 Technical Assessment of Ligado User Terminal Interference to Iridium attached to Iridium Communications Inc. et al., Petition for Reconsideration, IB Docket Nos. 11-109 et al. ( May 22, 2020). 

(12) NAS Report at 6, 73. 

(13) 47 C.F.R. § 1.106(c)(2). 

(14) Press Release, NTIA, NTIA Statement on National Academies of Sciences Report (Sept. 9, 2022), https://ntia.gov/press-release/2022/ntia-statement-national-academies-sciences-report.  

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Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations 

CoBank 

Colorado Agricultural Aviation Association 

EarthScope Consortium 

Florida Agricultural Aviation Association 

General Aviation Manufacturers Association 

GeoOptics, Inc. 

George Washington University 

Georgia Agricultural Aviation Association 

Helicopter Association International 

Idaho Agricultural Aviation Association 

Illinois Agricultural Aviation Association 

Indiana Agricultural Aviation Association 

International Air Transport Association 

Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association 

Iridium Communications Inc. 

Kansas Agricultural Aviation Association 

Land Improvement Contractors of America 

Lockheed Martin Corporation 

Louisiana Agricultural Aviation Association 

Marine Retailers Association of the Americas 

Michigan Agricultural Aviation Association 

Microcom Environmental 

Minnesota Agricultural Aircraft Association 

Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association 

Missouri Agricultural Aviation Association 

Narayan Strategy 

National Agricultural Aviation Association 

National Air Carrier Association 

National Business Aviation Association 

National Cotton Council 

National Society of Professional Surveyors 

National Weather Association 

Nebraska Aviation Trades Association 

NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots 

New Mexico Agricultural Aviation Association 

North Carolina Agricultural Aviation Association 

North Dakota Agricultural Aviation Association 

Northeast Agricultural Aviation Association 

Ohio Agricultural Aviation Association 

Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association 

Oregon Agricultural Aviation Association 

Pacific Northwest Aerial Applicators Alliance 

PlanetiQ 

Recreational Boaters of California 

Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation 

Seafarers International Union 

South Dakota Aviation Association 

Southeast Aero Cultural Fair 

Space Science and Engineering Center at the 

University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Subsurface Utility Engineering Association 

Tennessee Aerial Applicators Association 

Texas Agricultural Aviation Association 

The Airo Group, Inc. 

The Semaphore Group 

Trimble Inc. 

U.S. Geospatial Executives Organization 

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research 

USA Rice 

Vertical Flight Society 

Westwind Helicopters 

Wisconsin Agricultural Aviation Association 

The Mw 7.8 and Mw 7.5 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence struck near Nurdağı, Türkiye, on Feb. 6. It collapsed several buildings and has claimed more than 50,000 lives. The impact of the initial earthquakes was very severe, but to make matters worse, later in February, a Mw 6.4 tremor struck near Antakya, a city near Türkiye’s border with Syria. This created further damage to infrastructure and claimed more victims.

The Specifics

The United States Geological Survey reports that the earthquake resulted from strike-slip faulting at shallow depths. The earthquake sequence displaced numerous fault segments within the East Anatolian Fault zone. Early estimates indicate about 185 miles of fault length ruptured. Parts of the North Anatolian Fault shifted 10 feet, while segments of the East Anatolian Fault slid more than 30 feet.

Historic Site Suffers

Gaziantep Castle dates back to the second millennium B.C. It has been used in many capacities throughout history, and more recently, stood as a museum for visitors to learn about its rich history. The castle was reduced to rubble in the earthquake. Other historical sites that sustained damage include the Yeni Mosque and the ancient city of Aleppo in Syria.

Earth Opens Up

The earthquake destroyed cities all over Türkiye and northern Syria, but they are not the only areas that suffered dramatic effects. A verdant olive grove in Tepehan, Hatay Province, Türkiye, was completely divided when the ground split, creating a 984-foot-long valley in the middle of the grove. The valley is more than 130 feet deep and has created issues for the 7,000 people that inhabit the area.

Inertial Labs has released the OS3DM, a multi-purpose sub-miniature 3D orientation sensor designed for real-time orientation tracking applications.

The OS3DM contains three types of sensing elements including tri-axial MEMS gyroscopes, tri-axial MEMS accelerometers, and tri-axial magneto-resistive magnetometers. The sensor also has an onboard processor and orientation algorithms embedded, enabling direct integration into systems without interfacing a PC.

Additionally, for PC-based integrations, the system includes a set of libraries that allow users to modify algorithm and sensor parameters to match the needs of individual applications.

The device offers real-time heading, pitch and roll, orientation information and embedded magnetic calibration on hard and soft iron.

Data from the gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers and the internal temperature sensor are gathered and processed by the on-board digital signal processor. The fusion algorithm processes data and outputs the final orientation solution directly from the sensor.

Raw inertial sensors data quaternion data types can be requested. An OEM version is also available.

Follow the cobblestone road through the narrow streets of Leuven, Belgium, and you will likely come out to the medieval-looking main square surrounded by a gothic church, lavishly architected restaurants and the breathtaking city hall, ornamented by hundreds of historical statues. Don’t let it fool you — this culturally rich city produces some of the most cutting-edge technology today, right next to the world-famous Stella Artois beer factory. In fact, Leuven was named as the European Capital of Innovation by the EU Council in 2020.

In this city is the headquarter of Septentrio, a manufacturer of high-precision GNSS positioning solutions and a fast growing company. Septentrio’s recently launched products, including the compact mosaic-X5 GNSS module and AsteRx-i3 GNSS/INS OEM board, are further fueling its growth and market share gains.

There is an intricate link between the city of Leuven, its university, and the high-tech industry that results in such a bubbling cauldron of innovation. The powerful synergy between the university and the city makes Leuven unique. Established in 1425, the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It uniquely combines a very high standard of education with openness and inclusiveness.

This combination of excellence and inclusiveness is rather unique, as most top-quality universities have a more exclusive approach. While ranked as one of the top universities by Reuters, KU Leuven is accessible to students from around the world and actively collaborates with industry players in the surrounding area. At the same time, Leuven’s local government enables and supports the university with housing, student life, events, grants and more. With more than 150 nationalities living in Leuven, the city is a hotspot of diversity in terms of cultural background, experience and talent.

As early as 1972, the university established the Leuven Research and Development Tech Transfer office, to valorize know-how. Since then, hundreds of spin-offs have emerged and settled in the Leuven area, including the Haasrode Research-Park, where 12,000 professionals work today and where Septentrio is situated.

Another important player tightly linking KU Leuven and the industry is the IMEC research center. IMEC is the world’s largest independent research center dedicated to semiconductor technology, housing the most advanced wafer fab equipment and employing more than 5,000 researchers. It has more than 4,000 active patents today. As the chairman of its board, I can personally vouch for IMEC as a center of excellence, with the highest standards for quality, fueled by the most talented post-graduates of KU Leuven and professionals from all around the world. For example, IMEC has recently built a new clean room, totaling 12,000 square meters, operating 24/7 to produce next-generation integrated circuit technology and nanoelectronics. Once a new idea or technology is identified, it is sometimes spun-off as a company. That’s exactly how Septentrio started 22 years ago, and it still works very closely with IMEC as a partner and a source of talent for semiconductor and hardware development.

Another key partner of Septentrio is the European Space Agency (ESA), which enables us to be at the forefront with the latest GNSS technology. From the very inception of Galileo, the European GNSS constellation, ESA has given us the opportunity to be involved as the developer of the Test User Receiver, which acquired the very first signals. Septentrio has also been providing reference receivers for the ground segment of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), which is Europe’s regional satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), aimed at providing higher accuracy positioning for airplanes. Working with ESA as a strategic partner allowed us to gain the expertise and insights needed to be the first to market with many key technologies, for example the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) anti-spoofing authentication on the mosaic module.

Our strategic partnership with ESA and close collaboration with the IMEC semiconductor technology hub has enabled Septentrio to produce mosaic-X5. This compact module is one of the highest performing and resilient GNSS receivers on the market. It is used in a wide array of applications, especially where the position is mission-critical. Examples include a wide variety of autonomous devices, including UAVs that benefit from mosaic’s lightweight and low-power design. The mosaic-H provides accurate heading and is used in applications such as faster set-up and directing of 5G telecom antennas

In short, Leuven offers us an exciting and innovative working environment, as we continue to push out the limits of technology to deliver better solutions to our customers.

On April 15, TrustPoint, an aerospace startup that provides GNSS products and services, launched its first satellite. The satellite, named It’s About Time, enables TrustPoint to demonstrate core technologies as it progresses towards delivering GPS-independent global time and positioning services.

“TrustPoint’s platform is the first commercially funded, purpose-built PNT microsatellite,” Patrick Shannon, CEO of TrustPoint, said. “With this mission, we are expediting the impact of commercial technologies and innovation cycles on the world of timing and navigation, arguably one of the most far reaching and critical satellite services today.”

Maverick Space Systems, a launch services provider and rideshare aggregator, supported the launch of It’s About Time on SpaceX’s Transporter-7 mission out of Vandenberg Space Force base in California. This first mission focuses on testing, calibration and optimization of TrustPoint’s microsat-compatible GNSS payload technology.

After an initial commissioning period, TrustPoint will take control of the satellite and operate it through a series of tests and demonstrations.

TrustPoint aims for its constellation to deliver secure high precision time and positioning services within the next few years. This capability will help fortify existing critical applications and enable the proliferation of nascent use cases in autonomous navigation, national security and smart infrastructure.

Qualcomm Technologies and Xiaomi have verified meter-level positioning in the Xiaomi 12T Pro powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform, in Germany.

Accuracy verification tests, including driving tests, were conducted by Qualcomm Technologies, Xiaomi, and Trimble in various scenarios such as open-sky rural roads and urban highways. The companies’ solutions demonstrated meter-level positioning variance at a 95% confidence level.

This level of accuracy in a commercial smartphone is enabled through Qualcomm meter-level positioning for mobile in combination with Trimble RTX correction services. When integrated with Snapdragon mobile platforms, Trimble RTX enhances the phone’s positioning capabilities.

Meter-level positioning accuracy can improve smartphone user experience in several scenarios, including mapping, driving, and other mobile applications. It enables greater accuracy when using ridesharing applications to identify pick-up locations for both driver and rider, fitness applications to track users’ movements, and in-vehicle real-time navigation applications for increased lane-level accuracy with greater map details and more accurate directions.

Topodrone and Rasa Surveying have partnered to advance airborne surveying approaches and accommodate coastal management and monitoring demands in the Philippines.

The approach of Rasa Surveying synchronizes current photogrammetry and lidar practices with the bathymetric data collection capabilities of Topodrone’s Aquamapper. The coupling of orthophotos, above and below waterline point clouds, and bathymetric data aims to support authorities in managing coastlines and enhance the resilience of coastal communities.

“Coastal cities in the Philippines are vulnerable to the effects of climate change and climate-related disaster events,” Maxim Baklykov, Topodrone CEO, said. “However, coastal areas are expensive and challenging to map using conventional technologies. UAV-based surveying of coastal environments allows quickly and accurately to collect shallow water data and details on the land-sea interface.”

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has adopted international standards for Galileo and future satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS). This is a milestone for the aviation industry, as the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) can now fully leverage the potential of satellite navigation services developed in Europe — in combination with GPS — to make air travel safer, more efficient, and more reliable.

Galileo will provide advanced navigation capabilities to aviation, improving the availability and reliability of services. The risk of loss or interference will be significantly reduced with a more accurate and secure signal for positioning and timing.

Additionally, the evolution to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) v3 will augment Galileo and enable the use of its dual-frequency bands — E1 and E5, protected for aviation use — in combination with GPS. This enhances vertical guidance to enable precision approach and landing capabilities for all equipped aircraft across Europe.

The adoption of these international standards is a result of the work done by the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, in partnership with EUSPA, DG-MOVE, European Aviation Safety Industry, the European Space Agency and in coordination with the EU Member States and their ANSPs.

A couple of stories about unmanned air vehicles in the war in Ukraine and a response to the recent Open Letter by the “Future of Life Institute” with more than 200,000 signatures on advanced AI, which urged a six-month moratorium to allow the development of seemingly much needed AI regulations.

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The war in Ukraine

It has been reported that Ukrainian forces were operating the commercially available Chinese Mugin 5 UAV, presumably for surveillance of Russian forces inside Russian-occupied territory. The Mugin 5 can be bought commercially for $10-15,000 and is manufactured by Mugin, which is based in the port city of Xiamen, on China’s eastern coast. In a previous statement posted on the company’s website on March 2, Mugin Limited said that it “condemns” the use of its products during warfare and that it ceased selling products to Russia or Ukraine at the start of the war. However, Russian forces claimed in January 2023 that it had actually shot down one of these Chinese-made UAVs being flown by Ukrainian forces over their territory.

Then, just this week, Ukrainian forces apparently were able to track a low level, slow-moving air vehicle coming at them from Russian occupied territory. After some time, they were able to intercept the UAV, which carried a flashing navigation light, from the ground, and were able to bring it down using small arms. The remains of the crashed UAV were found in a clearing in the forest; a single 44 lb bomb was removed from the wreckage and safely exploded by the Ukrainian team.

Somewhat worse for wear, the Mugin 5 UAV appears to have been held together in places by duct tape and other patches. Is it possible that having shot down a Ukrainian surveillance UAV the Russians recovered these remains and crudely restored the unit to flying and navigating capability, then sent it back to Ukraine owners carrying a bomb? Anything is possible in this conflict.

Staying with this conflict and the use of UAVs by both sides, its seems that Australia has come up with a low-cost surveillance UAV that is virtually undetectable and it’s proving quite popular with the Ukrainians. Most defensive detection involves some form of radar scanning, which relies on radar returns bouncing off a flying target. The Australian company SYPAC in Melbourne has developed the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS). It is a wax-coated cardboard UAV, held together with elastic bands and glue, but carrying sophisticated guidance and control electronics.

SYPAQ has developed the CORVO UAV under an AU $1.1 m government contract with the objective of creating a low-cost, disposable UAV to deliver urgent needs — such as medical supplies or to resupply small arms ammunition to the Australian military. CORVO is autonomous once launched, using GNSS guidance, or dead reckoning if GNSS signal is lost or jammed. Apparently, hundreds of these disposable UAVs have already been shipped to Ukraine.

While a surveillance role was originally envisaged in Ukraine, it is reported that, “They have been very good at inflicting lots of damage on the enemy,” according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia. So, CORVO UAVs may well have already been weaponized.

Open Letter on AI development

Following a recent open letter supported by Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak that proposes a six-month halt on advanced AI development, I was recently approached on behalf of Professor Ioannis Pitas, director of the Artificial Intelligence and Information Analysis (AIIA) lab at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and management board chair of the AI Doctoral Academy (AIDA) with somewhat different views.

In order to further the on-going discussion, I thought it would be appropriate to give some space to an alternate view on AI development. So here are some paraphrased comments approved by Pitas:

Could AI research be stopped even for a short time? It is doubtful. Further AI progress is necessary for us to transition from an information society to a knowledge society.

Maybe we have reached the limits of AI research carried out primarily by Big Tech, which appears to treat powerful AI systems as black boxes whose functionality may be poorly understood.

It seems that the open letter reflects welcome and genuine concerns on social and financial risk management. Are expensive lawsuits in an unregulated and unlegislated environment inevitable as a consequence of ill-advised AI pronouncements?

However, it is doubtful whether the proposal for a six-month ban on large-scale experiments is the solution. It’s impractical for competitive commercial and geopolitical reasons, with very few benefits.

Of course, AI research can and should become more open, democratic and scientific.

Here are a number of suggested options:

• Should elected parliaments and governments make the important decisions on AI rather than corporations or individual scientists?
• Every effort should be made to facilitate the positive aspects of AI social and financial progress and to minimize any negative aspects.
• The positive impact of AI systems can greatly outweigh their negative aspects if proper regulatory measures are taken.
• It is possible that the biggest threat is that AI systems could deceive too many people who have little related knowledge. This can be extremely dangerous.
• We should counter the big threat coming from the use of AI in illegal activities — cheating on university exams is a rather benign use — while the possibility of criminal exploitation may be very much worse.
• The impact of AI on labor and markets will be very positive in the medium to long term.
• AI systems should be required by international law to be a) registered in an ‘AI global register’, and b) users should be notified when they converse with or use the results of an AI system.
• As AI systems have a huge impact on society, and in order to maximize their benefit and socio-economic progress, it is recommended that:
  o advanced key AI system technologies should become mostly open
  o AI-related data should be at least partially open.
• However, strong financial compensation schemes should be established now for AI technology developers to compensate them for any component that becomes open source.

Well, this is a bit of a departure from our nominal UAV/AI report, but there does seem to be a growing number of voices calling for some form of AI regulation and more extensive discussion might well help this movement come to a conclusion. And it would seem that the U.S. administration is listening, as the U.S. Commerce Department has announced that it is seeking inputs from interested parties for methods to test the safety of AI systems — to ensure that they are “legal, effective, ethical, safe and otherwise trustworthy.” In order to enforce these standards, the department is investigating whether audits and inspections to certify AI systems should be required before their release on the unsuspecting public.

The U.S. Commerce Department is apparently not alone in these concerns, as China is also looking to ensure that systems such as Alibaba Cloud’s Tongyi Qianwen, a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, are socially beneficial. Meanwhile, following the release of ChatGPT and similar products from Microsoft and Google, awareness has grown of the capabilities of the latest AI tools that generate human-like text passages, and even new images and video. The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Office for Artificial Intelligence on the other hand, seem to be looking for an approach to regulation that will not restrict AI innovation.

A roundup of recent products in the GNSS and inertial positioning industry from the April 2023 issue of GPS World magazine.

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TIMING

Global Timing Module
Supports L1 and L5 GNSS signals

GT-100 is compatible with all GNSS constellations. The GT-100 realizes high robustness and standard of time accuracy and stability. The GT-100 features advanced multipath mitigation, anti-jamming and anti-spoofing as well as short-term holdover, ensuring superior performance even if L1 or L5 are jammed. The module delivers nanosecond precision for 5G wireless systems, radio communications systems, smart power grids and grand master clocks. Along with the GT-100, GT-9001 and GT-90 achieve a level of time stability of 4.5ns (1σ) and offer superior features and performance.
Furuno, furuno.com

PTP Grandmaster
Designed for mobile networks

The SyncRing XGM30E precision time protocol (PTP) grandmaster is designed for mobile networks and other applications requiring accurate time and frequency synchronization. It is an addition to the SyncRing line of network synchronization equipment. The SyncRing XGM30E is an indoor PTP grandmaster offering echo time accuracy of more than ±40 ns, which can meet the stringent timing requirements of demanding applications, including 4G and 5G networks. The clock complies with the PTP IEEE 1588-2008 standard, supporting major ITU-T frequency and phase and time profiles. SyncRing XGM30E supports synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) output on all service interfaces for accurate frequency synchronization, and SyncE input for enhanced time holdover operation during GNSS outages. The grandmaster includes an indoor rack-mount design and power supply redundancy with AC or DC built-in options and has flexible management options. The SyncRing XGM30E is available now.
UTStarcom, utstar.com

Copper-Free Data System
For precise timing synchronization for high-performance networks

The GNSS and Power over Fiber GPSoF System receives, transmits and expands GNSS timing signals for the purpose of timing synchronization in data centers, central offices, distributed antenna systems or enterprise applications. It enables greater distances between the radio frequency source and the receiver system. It is also immune to RFI, EMI and EMP, contains remote control and monitoring via a web interface, and supports infrastructure installation due to direct GNSS signal evaluation.
Huber+Suhner, hubersuhner.com

M-Code Device
With advanced timing for military applications

The OSA 5422 grandmaster clock meets key requirements of military networks by providing advanced positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities and improved resilience. The OSA 5422 grandmaster clock is integrated with a highly reliable M-code receiver, which meets stringent frequency and phase synchronization needs. The device is equipped with multi-band, multi-constellation GNSS receivers for when M-code is not available. The OSA 5422 also has long holdover and precision time protocol backup, which enables it to maintain accurate timing even in the event of M-code disruption. The OSA 5422 supports legacy interfaces such as BITS and IRIG and features eight field-upgradable 10G bit/s ports and 1G bit/s interfaces. The device is suitable for most demanding military edge applications.
ADVA, adva.com; Brandywine Communications, brandywinecomm.com

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AUTONOMOUS

GNSS RTK Steering System
Suitable for agriculture applications

The NX510 SE Auto-Steer is an automated steering system that retrofits several types of new and old farm tractors and other vehicles. It can be connected to local real-time kinematic (RTK) networks or GNSS RTK base stations. NX510 SE is a guidance controller powered by multiple corrections sources and five satellite constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS. It has a built-in 4G and UHF modem that connects to all industry-standard differential GPS and RTK corrections to achieve centimeter-accuracy steering. NX510 SE contains GNSS and inertial navigation system terrain compensation technology, which maintains high accuracy in challenging environments and terrain. This makes NX510 SE suitable for ditching, planting and harvesting applications. In addition, AgNav multilingual software, operating on a 10.1 in industrial display, supports multiple guideline patterns that include AB line, A+ line, circle line, irregular curve and headland turn.
CHC Navigation, chcnav.com

Module for Rail Monitoring
For automated and semi-automated rail monitoring

The T4D Rail Module enables simple data collection and reduces office work required to automate movement detection for rail monitoring projects. The T4D software offers four main elements for automated monitoring: sensor management and data integration for GNSS; total station, geotechnical, vibration and environmental sensors; geodetic processing and adjustments for accurate results; analysis and visualization through several tools that provide real-time updates to support in-depth analysis and data presentation; and alarming and reporting. The T4D Rail module enables integration of rail as-builts collected with the Trimble GEDO system or with a track measuring bar paired with the Trimble Access Gauge Survey app. It also can automate calculations for track geometry parameters, generate analysis charts, and trigger alarms. The T4D software is offered in five editions to fit various project requirements. The editions include T4D Access, T4D Field, T4D Intermediate, T4D Geotechnical and T4D Advanced. T4D Access and T4D Advanced are the two editions that support the add-on Rail Module.
Trimble Geospatial, geospatial.trimble.com

C-UAV Device
Anti-UAV protection device

The Iron Drone system is an advanced counter-UAV device, designed to defend against hostile drones in complex environments with minimal damage. Iron Drone is an automated intercepting system designed to eliminate small drones without using GPS or radio frequency jamming. The Iron Drone system is launched from a designated pod and flies autonomously towards targets under radar guidance. It identifies the target using computer vision capabilities. The intercepting UAV follows the target then uses a net and a parachute to incapacitate it, capture it and lower it to the ground.
Airobotics, airoboticsdrones.com

Drone-based analyzer
For UAV inspections

EVSD1000 VHF/UHF nav/drone analyzer provides highly accurate UAV inspection of terrestrial navigation and communications systems. The EVSD1000 VHF/UHF nav/drone analyzer is a signal-level and modulation analyzer for medium-sized UAVs. It features measurements of instrument landing systems, ground-based augmentation systems and VHF omnirange ground stations. The mechanical and electrical design is optimized for UAV-based, real-time measurements of terrestrial navigation systems with up to 100 measurement data sets per second. The analyzer provides high-precision signal analysis in the frequency range from 70 MHz to 410 MHz. This also includes the needed measurement repeatability to ensure that results from UAV measurements can be compared to flight and to ground inspections in line with ICAO standards. The EVSD1000 VHF/UHF nav/drone analyzer reduces runway blocking times, provides necessary measurement repeatability and offers measurement precision and GNSS time and location stamps. While streaming measurement data during a drone flight via the data link to a PC on the ground, the analyzer can also buffer data internally to ensure no results are lost if the data link is lost.
Rohde & Schwarz, rohde-schwarz.com

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SURVEYING & MAPPING

Coherent Vision Solution
Suitable for advanced products

The Eyeonic Vision System is a frequency-modulated continuous wave lidar solution, which delivers high levels of vision perception to identify and avoid objects with low latency. At the core of the system is a fully integrated silicon photonics chip. It provides more definition and precision than legacy lidar solutions, with roughly 10 milli-degree of angular resolution coupled with millimeter-level precision. These features enable this solution to measure the shape and distance of objects with high-precision and at a large distance. The system combines the Eyeonic Vision Sensor and a digital processing solution based on a powerful field-programmable gate array. The flexible architecture enables synchronization of multiple vision sensors for unlimited points per second. The compact, powerful, vision solution is suitable for autonomous vehicles, smart cameras, robotics and other advanced products. It is available now. Pricing varies depending on configuration.
SiLC Technologies, silc.com

GNSS-Aided INS
Easily integrated with lidar or other third-party sensors

Quanta Plus is a GNSS-aided inertial navigation system (INS). The device combines a MEMS inertial measurement unit (IMU) with a resilient GNSS receiver to get reliable position and attitude, as well as providing real-time kinematic (RTK) fixes. Quanta Plus includes motion profiles, which enable users to optimize the sensor parameters to suit different use cases. The built-in precise time protocol server ensures sub-microsecond synchronization with external devices such as lidar. The device also has a built-in datalogger, Ethernet interface for easy integration, and a web configuration interface for simple setup and control. The INS can be integrated with Qinertia, SBG System’s post-processing software. Qinertia improves the performance of acquired data during a mission using reliable RTK corrections from a wide range of continuously operating reference station networks, or by importing base-station data during the process. Quanta Plus also improves the accuracy of the position and attitude using forward and backward processing and by integrating a tight coupling between GNSS and IMU data.
SBG Systems, sbg-systems.com

Survey Laser
Suitable for remote-sensing applications

The Resepi Hesai XT32 laser is designed for accurate remote-sensing applications. It can be used with commercially available lidar scanners, including Velodyne, Quanergy, Ouster, RIEGL, LIVOX and Hesai, as well as with UAVs. Resepi is completely modular, so users have full control for customization. The remote-sensing device uses a GPS-aided inertial navigation system with a NovAtel RTK/PPK single- or dual-antenna GNSS receiver, integrated with a Linux-based processing platform. It also comes with a 2 TB USB memory drive and has an embedded Wi-Fi cellular modem. Resepi has 3 cm to 5 cm point-cloud accuracy and can reach heights of more than 200 m above ground level. It is compatible with most UAV models; however, it is typically used with DJI M300, DJI M210 or DJI M600 models. The device is suitable for scanning and mapping, precision agriculture with lidar, simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm development, utility inspection and construction site monitoring. Resepi-supported software includes Hexagon NovAtel, PCPainter and PCMaster.
Inertial Labs, inertiallabs.com

IMU-RTK GNSS Receiver
Provides robust and accurate positioning

The i90 GNSS receiver combines a GNSS real-time kinematic (RTK) engine, a high-end inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor and advanced GNSS tracking capabilities to increase RTK availability and reliability. The embedded 624-channel GNSS receiver is compatible with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou signals. The i90 GNSS combines high-end connectivity modules: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, 4G and a UHF radio modem. The internal UHF radio modem allows long-distance base-to-rover surveying up to 5 km. The built-in IMU ensures interference-free and automatic pole-tilt compensation in real time. An accuracy of 3 cm is achieved with pole-tilt range of up to 30°. The i90 GNSS receiver is suitable for construction and land surveying projects.
CHC Navigation, chcnav.com

Field Application
For Android devices

LandStar8 is designed to be flexible and user-friendly for surveying and mapping tasks. It is versatile, modular and customizable for topographic tasks such as surveying, stake out, cadastral, mapping and geographic information systems (GIS). Building on the legacy of LandStar7, the LandStar8 provides features such as a refined user interface, streamlined workflows, faster operation, and integrated cloud services. Cloud connectivity is built in for backup, data storage or remote technical support. LandStar8 has a simple and intuitive layout with large map windows and sharp graphics. Users can hide features they rarely use and display only those they need. They also can copy coordinate settings, control and staking points from another handheld controller by scanning a QR code. Projects can be edited and sorted by history and attributes. Custom coordinate systems, geoid models and coding libraries can be updated at any time by using resource packages. LandStar8 also features a terrain calibration wizard designed for non-expert users.
CHCNAV, chcnav.com

Survey Rover
For accurate, survey-grade aerial mapping and photogrammetry

SmartSurveyor facilitates accurate, survey-grade aerial mapping and photogrammetry without the need for a connection between a camera shutter and a GNSS receiver. The fully compact, handheld aerial mapping survey rover is compatible with DJI Mavix 2 and 3 series and Phantom 4 Pro UAVs. The design is dissimilar from other UAV mapping systems in that it works from a UAV or smartphone and with two or more ground control points (GCPs) while using an ultra-matching technique. Once SmartSurveyor captures data, all photos and the GNSS file are uploaded to a PC and analyzed through the Agisoft UltraMatch workflow to confirm their accuracy before they are exported. Data can be managed in the cloud or on a local PC using software designed by MapSender. Additionally, this mapping tool works in tandem with the AllDayRTK subscription GNSS network service so that collected data can be uploaded to Tokara to remotely manage a project.

Position Partners, positionpartners.com

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OEM

NB-IoT Industrial Module
Complete with GNSS geo-location capabilities

The ST87M01 is a fully programmable, certified LTE Cat NB2 NB-IoT industrial module that covers worldwide cellular frequency bands and integrates advanced security features. The ST87M01 is an integrated native GNSS receiver with multi-constellation access, which ensures enhanced and accurate localization. The module has a diminutive 10.6 mm x 12.8 mm land grid array footprint, making it suitable for applications where a small form factor is key. The STM8701 offers flexibility for product developers, presenting a fully programmable internet of things (IoT) platform enabling users to embed their own code into the module for simple applications. A variety of protocol stacks are available to handle popular IoT use cases. It targets wide-ranging IoT applications that require ultra-reliable low-power wide-area network connectivity and has ultra-low power consumption with less than 2 µA in low-power mode and transmit output power up to +23 dBm. Suitable applications for the module include smart metering, smart grid, smart building, smart city and smart infrastructure applications, as well as industrial condition monitoring and factory automation, smart agriculture and environmental monitoring. The module also can be combined with a separate host microcontroller, permitting many more use cases.
STMicroelectronics, st.com

GNSS Module
Designed for battery-operated, ultra-low power GNSS devices

The LC76G module is a compact, single-band, ultra-low power GNSS module that features fast and accurate location performance. The module can concurrently receive and process signals from the GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS constellations. The LC76G has an internal surface acoustic wave filter and integrated low-noise amplifier, which can be connected directly to a passive patch antenna and provides filtering against unwanted interference. With a compact size of 10.1 mm × 9.7 mm × 2.4 mm, the footprint of the LC76G is compatible with other industry solutions, as well as Quectel’s legacy L76 and L76-LB modules. The LC67G is designed for battery-operated, ultra-low power GNSS devices, such as wearable personal trackers, wildlife and livestock tracking, toll tags, portable container trackers, as well as several traditional markets such as shared mobility and low-cost asset trackers.
Quectel Wireless Solutions, quectel.com

Inertial Navigation System
Incorporates NovAtel and Honeywell technology

The INS-DH-OEM utilizes a dual-antenna NovAtel GNSS receiver and a Honeywell HG4930-CA51 inertial measurement unit (IMU). The INS-DH-OEM contains Inertial Labs’ on-board sensor-fusion filter, navigation and guidance algorithms, and calibration software. The INS-DH-OEM has three axes, a full operational temperature range, advanced MEMS accelerometers and new-generation tactical-grade MEMS gyroscopes to provide accurate position, velocity, heading, pitch and roll. It is small and lightweight, measuring 85.5 mm x 67.5 mm x 52.0 mm and weighing 280 g. The dual-antenna NovAtel GNSS receiver is operational with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS constellations. The INS-DH-OEM is compatible with most commercially available lidars including Velodyne, Riegl and Faro. The algorithms are suitable for different dynamic motions of vessels, ships, helicopters, UAVs, gimbals and land vehicles.
Inertial Labs, inertiallabs.com

Speed Sensor
Multi-use sensor for workflow

The Speed Wedge MKII is a true-ground speed sensor and active motion detector for moving objects, based on radar doppler technology. This sensor is suitable for use in indoor and off-highway vehicles, conveyor belts, material flow and open channel water surface flow. The sensor contains a dead-reckoning system component for inertial measurement units and integrated management systems (IMS) in GPS/GNSS-denied environments such as in tunnels and underground mining operations. It also features sensor fusion with GNSS and IMS improving positioning accuracy, quality and reliability. Speed Wedge MKII deploys a radar front-end with planar antennas continuously emitting electro-magnetic waves at 24 GHz. It is designed for contactless measurement of speed and distance travelled independent on wheel/drive slip. For demanding applications Speed Wedge MKII is sealed and potted in a rugged encasing. Speed Wedge MKII is available in variants with pulse, serial RS232 and CAN-Bus output. High-speed up to 200 km/h is available.
MSO, mso-technik.de/home-en.html

GNSS Simulations Software
For simulation and testing needs

Skydel GNSS simulation software can now generate more than 500 simulated satellite signals. This platform is suitable for GNSS users, experts and manufacturers, as well as users needing a low-Earth-orbit-capable simulation system. Skydel contains a feature that includes multi-constellation and multi-frequency signal generation, remote control from user-defined scripts, and integrated interference generation. In addition to generating a high channel and satellite count, Skydel also can produce navigation warfare signals without any additional hardware.
Orolia, orolia.com

Compact Add-On Board
Provides access to L-band GNSS corrections

LBand RTK Click is a compact add-on featuring the NEO-D9S-00B, a professional-grade, satellite data receiver for L-band corrections from u-blox. Operating in a frequency range from 1,525 MHz to 1,559 MHz, the NEO-D9S-00B decodes the satellite transmission and outputs a correction stream. This enables a high-precision GNSS receiver to reach accuracies down to centimeter-level. An independent stream of correction data, delivered over L-band signals, ensures high availability of position output. LBand RTK Click also uses several mikroBUS pins. In addition, LBand RTK Click contains an SMA antenna for connecting a Mikroe-brand antenna. This antenna easily allows positioning in space, supporting GNSS L-band frequencies. LBand RTK Click implements advanced security features such as signature and anti-jamming mechanisms. It also can be integrated with other GNSS receivers from the u-blox F9 platform.
Mikroe, mikroe.com