GNSS positioning is highly accurate and reliable — until satellite signals are disrupted. Hexagon | NovAtel has developed SPAN technology that integrates GNSS positioning with inertial measurements for a three-dimensional understanding of position and orientation.
SPAN technology delivers accurate heading, velocity, azimuth, pitch and roll. NovAtel SPAN-enabled receivers and enclosures are effective across applications, including marine environments to monitor heave movements from waves and autonomous vehicles requiring a higher level of precision and integrity.
NovAtel has demonstrated SPAN technology’s capabilities in a sensor-fusion project alongside AImotive and STMicroelectronics. Leveraging sensors on a moving vehicle — GNSS, inertial measurements, and cameras for visual odometry — allowed the teams to produce promising results for continuous positioning on real roads, in underground parking garages, and through tunnels. NovAtel’s PwrPak7-E1 enclosure was used as a reference system in the project, gathering data to confirm the accuracy of the sensor-fusion solution.
Through this project, NovAtel and its partners validated how alternative PNT like SPAN and other sensor fusion solutions complement and extend GNSS positioning availability, accuracy, and reliability.