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Bentley Systems will be focusing on smart cities, specifically digital twins for digitally advanced smart cities and other technology solutions, at Intergeo 2019, which will take place Sept. 17-19 in Stuttgart, Germany.

During the show, the company will offer demonstrations and discuss digital construction, digital cities, reality modeling and civil design. In the realm of digital construction, Bentley Systems will cover the use of a mixed reality solution for 4D construction featuring Bentley’s SYNCHRO (4D construction software) with Microsoft HoloLens.

The company also will demonstrate how its OpenCities Planner software enables visualization of 2D, 3D and GIS data in a 3D world. Bentley colleagues will discuss how OpenCities Planner’s capabilities combined with Bentley’s reality modeling offerings make city-scale digital twins broadly accessible, the company said.

In addition, the company will key in on reality modeling, including the process of capturing the physical reality of an infrastructure asset, creating a representation of it and maintaining it through continuous surveys. Bentley experts also will demonstrate the use of ContextCapture, which enables users to generate spatially-classified and engineering-ready reality models at any desired level of accuracy and scale, including entire cities.

Finally, the company will discuss how civil design can be made better though its open applications, including OpenRoads, OpenSite and OpenRail.

During the show, Robert Mankowski, vice president of Bentley Systems’ Digital Cities Business Unit, will present a keynote on Sept. 18 titled, “The Digitally Advanced City: Trusted Information Whenever and Wherever Needed.” Håkan Engman, business development director of reality modeling at Bentley Systems, also will present a spot talk on Sept. 19 titled, “Digital Transformation for Increased Efficiency and Sustainability.”

Bentley Systems will be in Hall 3 at booth A3.010 at Intergeo.

Higher rate, higher acceleration applications benefit from SWaP-C advantages of MEMS-based inertial systems.

Gladiator Technologies’ LandMark 007 inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines low noise, high range sensors and Velox high-speed output in a rugged IMU package measuring 0.7 inches square. With rate ranges up to 2000°/s and acceleration ranges as high as 200 g, the LandMark 007 IMU provides demanding, precision performance for a range of high dynamic, rugged applications.

All LandMark 007 IMUs feature Velox high-speed message timing to minimize digital message phase lag. They also include high-speed output data rates (up to 10 kHz) for measurement accuracy and flexibility.

These high-speed features are complemented by low-noise gyros with a gyro angle random walk (ARW) of <0.0035°/s/√Hz (0.15°/√hr) and low-noise accelerometers with a velocity random walk (VRW) of <6 mg/√Hz.

“The LandMark 007 IMU is uniquely designed to meet the industry’s need for a compact, rugged and high performance, cost-effective IMU. Extensive conditioning and testing ensure reliable, stable measurements for our customers with high dynamic applications,” said Eric Yates, Gladiator Technologies’ sales manager.  “We are seeing strong interest in the LandMark 007 and LandMark 007X IMUs from applications which otherwise have been limited to highly specialized, and therefore expensive, IMU solutions.”

IMUs with less than or equal to 98 g linear acceleration range are designated as LandMark 007 IMUs. IMUs with greater than 98g linear acceleration range are designated as LandMark 007X IMUs. The LandMark 007 IMU is exported categorized as ECCN7A994 and the LandMark 007X is export categorized as ECCN7A103.

A LandMark 007 IMU development kit is available for set-up, configuration and data collection.

A new case study focuses on improving the endurance and navigational precision of underwater autonomous systems.

Sonardyne, designer and manufacturer of underwater positioning and inertial navigation, describes the challenges to increase navigation capability for subsea monitoring and inspections. Sonardyne joined with the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and L3Harris ASV on a two-year project to develop new positioning technologies to extend the limits of AUVs and UUVs.

The project — Precise Positioning for Persistent AUVs (P3AUV) — is supported with £1.4 million  in funding through Innovate UK’s research and development competition for robotics and artificial intelligence in extreme and challenging environments.

Sending autonomous and unmanned underwater vehicles (AUV, also known as UUVs) out on missions that will last for days or weeks, unaided by vessels or other supporting offshore infrastructure, is a major goal for the ocean science, offshore energy and defense sectors.

Sustained Ocean Observation. The research community aims for sustained ocean observation without the need for ship support, especially in ice-covered polar areas. Long-duration navigational capability is also a key enabler for persistent covert surveillance operations in the defence sector. And emerging applications include resident seabed-based systems, deep-sea mining, aquaculture and UXO surveys for renewable installations.

Autonomous AUVs would remove the need for a surface vessel, reduce risk to personnel, and reduce costs. Users could survey more seabed for longer and with fewer or even no people offshore.

The team is developing ways to provide greater positioning accuracy for long-endurance operations in deep water, while also reducing power requirements. The team will also be increasing the use of autonomy to make long baseline (LBL) positioning transponder box-in faster and easier, with onboard data processing and calibration.

High-power INS input. Central to this work is the AUV’s acoustic and inertial navigation system (INS). Low-power sensors have much lower navigation accuracy and often have to surface to correct positioning error with a GPS fix. The team seeks to integrate low- and high-power sensors to achieve high performance at much lower power consumption.

For instance, the NOC’s Autosub Long Range (ALR) uses a low-power microelectronic mechanical system (MEMS) supported by separate Doppler velocity log (DVL) and ADCP input to calculate how far it has traveled on missions, which can be several months long. To increase the ALR’s positioning accuracy over longer distances, the team is using the Sonardyne SPRINT-Nav all-in-one subsea navigation instrument alongside MEMS technology to work towards high-precision solutions that save space and power.

Accuracy during ascent and descent. The project also involves improving positioning accuracy when subsea vehicles transition through the water column. This is a notoriously difficult area for AUV deployments, because it relies on the Doppler velocity log (DVL) being able to lock on to the seafloor (bottom lock), so that vehicle XYZ velocities can be calculated, supported by pressure data.

However, DVLs are range limited, so there is often a period where the DVL is out of range. When there are thousands of meters of water between the surface and the seabed, this can introduce significant positioning uncertainty.

By using the acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) capability in Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav INS instrument (looking down) and a second Syrinx DVL (looking up), the team could then build up a layer-by-layer profile of the water column velocities to be used as tracking layers.

The objective is to reduce positioning errors significantly during both the dive and surfacing phases of an operation. Results depend on the variability of the current in any given area.

The data collected during the descent and surfacing phases can be processed to provide a full ocean-depth current profile — collection of which is required for many offshore energy projects and can be valuable for ocean research.

Read more about the case study here.

GPS OCX will maneuver satellite into final orbit over 10 days  

The U.S. Air Force used Raytheon Company’s (NYSE: RTN) GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as GPS OCX, to support the launch of its second GPS III satellite into space. The ground system will now spend 10 days maneuvering the satellite into its final orbit, demonstrating GPS OCX’s ability to simultaneously support multiple GPS III spacecraft on-orbit throughout the checkout and calibration process.

Raytheon’s GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) has obtained the highest level of cybersecurity protections of any Department of Defense space system.

“GPS OCX performed extremely well during the first launch and has exceeded performance requirements in the months since,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “The team was well-prepared for this launch, and we’re confident the system’s performance will continue to be positive.”

GPS OCX, the enhanced ground control segment of America’s GPS system, has achieved the highest level of cybersecurity protections of any Department of Defense space system. Its open architecture design allows it to integrate advanced protections as they become available, and the system’s industry-leading cyber protections are why it will be used to support all future GPS III launches and GPS constellation operations upon operational acceptance.

Earlier this year, the team completed final qualification testing of the system’s modernized monitor station receivers, which can receive and decrypt all GPS III military and civil signals. Global installation of the receivers starts next month and keeps the program on track for full system delivery by the program’s June 2021 contractual deadline.

In addition to GPS OCX’s role, RGNext, a joint venture between Raytheon and General Dynamics Information Technology, provided operational launch support to ensure the safe launch of the United Launch Alliance’s Delta-IV rocket that was carrying the GPS III satellite. RGNext operates the launch range on behalf of the U.S. Air Force, providing maintenance, range safety, weather monitoring, communication and surveillance support for all launches conducted by defense, civil and commercial companies at the range.
To access our press kit, which includes photos, videos and an animation, please visit us here. To learn more about the program’s progress and additional capabilities, visit us here.

SenseFly, a drone solutions provider, will be demonstrating its drone solutions at Intergeo 2019, which will take place Sept. 17-19 in Stuttgart, Germany.

According to the company, visitors to its booth will be able to explore the flexibility of senseFly’s eBee X drone and its role in optimizing GIS and surveying workflows to achieve high quality outputs, such as centimeter-precise 3D point clouds, orthomosaics and digital surface models.

Attendees will be able to learn about the range of payloads and software solutions the eBee X platform can be used with, including the senseFly Aeria X, senseFly Duet T, senseFly S.O.D.A., senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D, MicaSense RedEdge-MX and Parrot Sequoia.

The senseFly team will also be hosting a series of Meet the Experts sessions on-stand featuring guest speakers and demos from senseFly partners such as Pix4D, ALLNAV and Harxon. The 10-minute talks will be followed by Q&A sessions.

“Our expert team also enables us to deliver the knowledge and insight our users need to navigate the changing landscape as drone technology continues to garner greater public and legislative attention worldwide,” said Gilles Labossière, CEO of senseFly. “Our customers’ needs are constantly evolving, and it’s vital for us to ensure that our products and solutions are as dynamic and versatile as they are to meet their unique and complex challenges.”

SenseFly’s can be found at booth B3.078, Hall 3, at Intergeo 2019.

Allystar Technology Co. Ltd. has launched its QZSS L6 decoder technology in module TAU-1303, which supports tracking the QZSS signals L6D (CLAS) and L6E (MADOCA).

The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) satellite positioning system is operated by Japan as complementary to and an augmentation for GPS. The four satellites in the system broadcast the L6 signal, including L6D and L6E.

CLAS — the Centimeter-Level Augmentation Service — is provided through the L6(D1) signal, and the experimental augmentation service with MADOCA (Multi-GNSS Advanced Demonstration tool for Orbit and Clock Analysis) is provided through L6(D2) signal.

For QZSS, which will be fully operational in the future, Allystar’s latest solution can decode the corrections data broadcast from L6D and L6E signals, and assist developers in applying the centimeter-level accuracy by PPP-RTK algorithm with the correction data, according to Justin Yang, Allystar product manager.

Within its 7.6 x 7.6-millimeter tiny size, the TAU-1303 module provides six dedicated tracking channels  to support tracking L6D and L6E at the same time.

For professional applications, the TAU1303 comes with built-in support for standard RTCM Protocol (MSM) and Proprietary Protocol, supporting 2,000 bits per second QZSS L6 raw data output directly for third-party integration and application.

CLAS on L6D channel provides the following error corrections: satellite clock, orbit, code bias, phase bias ionosphere. delay and tropo. MADOCA on L6E channel provides the following error corrections: satellite clock, orbit, code bias and phase bias.

Allystar TAU-1303 offers superior performance thanks to an on-board 26-MHz temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) and a reduced time to first fix because of its dedicated 32-KHz real-time clock oscillator. Based on 40-nanometer manufacturing processes of the Cynosure III GNSS chipset, the TAU-1303 has very low power consumption of less than 40 mA at 3.3V.

Engineering samples are available.

China’s super-thin rubidium atomic clock, which is just 17 millimeters thick, has been put into mass production, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The clock, developed in 2018 by a research institute under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. Ltd, (CASIC) is the key to the positioning and timing accuracy of BeiDou navigation satellites.

In 2015, Chinese scientists developed a rubidium clock that is tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand but was almost 40 millimeters thick. The new clock, with a length of 76 millimeters and width of 76 millimeters, is only 17 millimeters thick.

Compared with the previous generation, the new clock is smaller in size but performs better. It adopts a plug-in design, making it easy to insert and remove on circuit board. With stronger resistance to high temperatures, it can work at 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit).

In addition, it has a taming function, enabling the clock to be automatically recognized and tamed by the pulse per second (PPS) signal provided by navigation satellite systems, improving the accuracy of local frequency.

The clock can be used in fields such as aviation, aerospace and telecommunications. According to its developers, the ultra-accurate clock will have a broader market prospect in the future.

Atomic clocks are the most accurate time and frequency standards. They use vibrations of atoms to measure time. Due to its small size, low cost and high reliability, rubidium clock is the most widely produced atomic clock.

A large number of self-developed rubidium and hydrogen atomic clocks have been carried by satellites that provide accurate positioning for China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.

The atomic clocks are the workhorses that send synchronized signals so sat-nav receivers can triangulate their position on Earth.

China began to construct the BDS in the 1990s. The system started serving China with its BDS-1 satellites in 2000 and started serving the Asia-Pacific region with its BDS-2 satellites in 2012. China will complete the BDS global network by 2020.

The U.S. Air Force’s second next-generation GPS III satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, is responding to commands, under control and now using its own internal propulsion system to get to orbit following its successful launch this morning.

At 11:01 a.m. ET, Air Force and Lockheed Martin engineers at Lockheed Martin’s Launch & Checkout Facility near Denver declared they had full control of GPS III Space Vehicle 02 shortly after the satellite’s separation from its United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket booster. The satellite, nicknamed “Magellan” by the Air Force, began its rocket ride to space with a 09:06 a.m. ET launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

GPS III SV02 is now climbing towards its operational orbit about 12,550 miles above the earth under the power of its own Liquid Apogee engines. Engineers at Lockheed Martin Space’s Waterton, Colorado facility are commanding the satellite using elements of the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) Block 0.

“GPS III SV02 is receiving and responding to commands just as planned. In the days ahead, we’ll finish orbit raising to our operational slot and then send the satellite commands telling it to deploy its solar arrays and antennas,” said Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin Space’s Vice President for Navigation Systems. “Once we are set up, we’ll begin on-orbit checkout and tests, including extensive signals testing with our advanced navigation payload.”

The payload is provided by L3Harris. The first GPS III satellite launched in December 2018 and its navigation payload has performed beyond expectations on-orbit during pre-operational testing, according to L3Harris.

GPS III SV02 is the second GPS III satellite designed and built by Lockheed Martin to help the Air Force modernize today’s Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation with new technology and capabilities. GPS III satellites provide 3x greater accuracy and up to 8x improved anti-jamming capabilities. GPS III also provides a new L1C civil signal, compatible with other international global navigation satellite systems, like Europe’s Galileo.

The First GPS III Satellite Completes On-Orbit Testing

GPS III SV02 will be the second GPS III satellite in orbit and the second GPS III satellite now being commanded from Lockheed Martin Space’s facility.

On Dec. 23, 2018, the Air Force launched the first GPS III satellite. Nicknamed “Vespucci,” GPS III SV01 underwent months of checkout and thorough testing of its advanced, new navigation payload provided by Harris Corporation.

“GPS III SV01’s performance exceeded expectations during testing,” Caldwell said. “On July 12, we officially completed all On Orbit Check Out & Test activities. We are excited to see this satellite move to the next phase and perform in an operational environment.”

That’s expected to happen later this year once the first satellite is handed over to the Air Force.

Thinking Ahead From the Ground Up

In preparation for this handover, in 2016, the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) contract to upgrade its current GPS ground control system – the Operational Control Segment (OCS) – to be able to fly today’s 31-satellite constellation, as well as the new, more-powerful GPS III satellites, until OCX Block 1, still in development, is delivered.

Lockheed Martin delivered the GPS III COps software upgrade in May and it is currently undergoing preparations for installation.

COps is the latest GPS ground control upgrade project Lockheed Martin has had since it began sustaining the OCS in 2013. In November 2018, the company completed the AEP 7.5 upgrade — the largest architectural change in the system’s history — replacing significant code, hardware and software to improve the system’s cybersecurity capabilities and positioning the Air Force to better operate in contested, degraded and operationally limited environments.

In December 2018, the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the GPS Control Segment Sustainment II (GCS II) contract to continue to further modernize and sustain the OCS through 2025.

In 2020, the OCS is expected to receive the M-Code Early Use (MCEU) upgrade, which will allow control of M-Code, an advanced, new signal designed to improve anti-jamming and anti-spoofing, as well as to increase secure access to military GPS signals for U.S. and allied armed forces.

With GPS III SV01 and SV02 now on orbit, GPS III satellites continue to roll off the production line at Lockheed Martin’s advanced $128-million GPS III Processing Facility near Denver. On May 27, the Air Force declared the GPS III SV03 Available for Launch (AFL) and had the company place it into storage waiting for a launch date. GPS III SV04-08 are now in various stages of assembly and test.

In all, Lockheed Martin is under contract to build up to 32 next-generation GPS III/IIIF satellites for the Air Force. Additional IIIF capabilities will begin being added at the 11th satellite. These will include a fully digital navigation payload, a Regional Military Protection capability, an accuracy-enhancing laser retroreflector array, and a Search & Rescue payload.

As the U.S. Air Force prepares to launch its second next-generation GPS III satellite, L3Harris Technologies delivered its eighth navigation payload to GPS III satellite prime contractor Lockheed Martin.

The first GPS III satellite launched in December 2018 and its navigation payload has performed beyond expectations on-orbit during pre-operational testing, L3Harris said in a press release.

In May, the Air Force declared the third GPS III satellite Available for Launch, pending a launch date. L3Harris payloads are also already fully integrated in the GPS III 4-6 space vehicles currently in production and testing at Lockheed Martin.

The GPS III navigation payload features a mission data unit (MDU) with a unique 70-percent digital design that links atomic clocks, radiation-hardened processors and powerful transmitters — enabling signals three times more accurate than those on current GPS satellites. The payload also boosts signal power, which increases jamming resistance by eight times and helps extend the satellite’s lifespan.

In 2017, L3Harris announced that it completed development of an even more-powerful, fully digital MDU for the Air Force’s GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) program. The new GPS IIIF payload design will further enhance the satellite’s capabilities and performance.

In September 2018, the U.S. Air Force selected Lockheed Martin for a fixed-price-type production contract for up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites. L3Harris is Lockheed Martin’s navigation signal partner for GPS IIIF satellites, and in January received a $243 million award to provide the navigation signals for the first two GPS IIIF satellites, space vehicles 11 and 12.

L3Harris’ expertise in creating and sending GPS signals extends back to the mid-1970s — providing navigation technology for every U.S. GPS satellite ever launched. While the Air Force originally developed GPS for warfighters, millions of people around the world and billions of dollars of commerce now depend on the accurate, reliable signal created and sent by L3Harris navigation technology.

Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil have hit record numbers, and satellites have been able to capture imagery of them.

According to NASA, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on its Aqua satellite captured images of several fires burning in the states of Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará and Mato Grosso on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13.

There have been 72,843 fires in Brazil this year, with more than half in the Amazon region, Brazil’s space research center, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), said. This marks an 84% increase over the same period of 2018 and is the highest since records began in 2013, INPE added.

Amazonas, the largest state in Brazil, recently declared a state of emergency over the forest fires, said Euro News.

In the Amazon region, fires are rare for much of the year because wet weather prevents them from starting and spreading. However, in July and August, activity typically increases due to the arrival of the dry season, NASA said.