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Hoptroff’s Traceable Time as a Service to become an option for Orolia’s product portfolio; webinar scheduled for Dec. 15

Orolia and timing solutions provider Hoptroff are partnering to deliver a service combining Orolia’s resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solutions with Hoptroff’s timing synchronization software.

The collaboration will offer Hoptroff’s Traceable Time as a Service (TTaaS) as an add-on to Orolia’s suite of products, providing precise and verifiable time to customers in enterprise, financial, telecom, utilities, public safety, and other markets where traceable time is critical.

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Webinar scheduled

Orolia and Hoptroff will host a joint webinar to discuss the partnership and new resiliency options for customers on Dec. 15 at 12 p.m. EST. Register here.

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Hoptroff’s TTaaS offers an additional level of security and precision to meet stringent regulatory and resilient infrastructure requirements by delivering accurate time over the network using a VPN connection over broadband or fiber networks.

The bundled solution will simplify the challenge of getting accurate, traceable time in applications where GNSS access is not available or dependable. It can also serve as an accurate, reliable backup to GNSS to provide a high level of resiliency to timing systems being used in critical infrastructure.

“As industries evolve and computer applications become more complex and widely distributed, it is essential that devices in a distributed process share the same accurate timescale to reconstruct digital events after the fact,” said Tim Richards, COO at Hoptroff. “Network-based traceable timing, such as TTaaS, provides resilient backup to a GNSS installation in the case of signal disruption, monitors the quality of performance of time servers, and keeps a record of this timing quality at a location of the customer’s choice. Our partnership with Orolia means businesses will now be able to back up and monitor physical time servers and virtual servers in the cloud, so that they can be sure they share the same accurate timescale, and they have the records to prove it.”

“The partnership with Hoptroff aligns with Orolia’s resilient PNT strategy by providing a wireline solution to augment its space-based PNT solutions. This allows us to further simplify the challenge customers face when building a highly resilient timing solution,” said Jeremy Onyan, Orolia’s director of time sensitive networks. “By combining Orolia’s anti-jamming and anti-spoofing solutions, high-performance GNSS-based timing products, alternative signals like STL, a local high-quality oscillator, and now a wireline-based TTaaS we have one of the most robust portfolios of resilient PNT solutions in the market. Additionally, with the recent acquisition of Seven Solutions, we are well positioned to extend our capabilities into high-accuracy time distribution.”

Seven Solutions is a global innovator in White Rabbit sub-nanosecond time transfer and synchronization technology. “With the capability to distribute time with little to no accuracy loss, Orolia’s customers using Hoptroff’s TTaaS or other time references such as GNSS can extend that time to other parts of their networks and create a high level of resiliency against potential outages,” Onyan added.

Topcon Positioning Group has announced its MC-Max machine control solution. Based on its MC-X machine control platform, and backed by Sitelink3D — the company’s real-time, cloud-based data management ecosystem — MC-Max is a scalable solution for mixed-fleet heavy equipment environments. It is designed to adapt to owners’ machine control and data integration needs as their fleets and workflows expand.

MC-Max increases processing power, speed, accuracy, versatility and reliability, Topcon said. It can be installed on a full range of dozers and excavators, using the same basic modular components. Modern, redesigned user and product interfaces were developed based on real-world applications and customer feedback and provide a simplified and immersive user experience that allows operators to easily learn the system.

“With MC-Max, we’ve created a solution that is flexible and can continue to grow as a contractor’s needs and capabilities expand,” said Jamie Williamson, executive vice president, Topcon Positioning Group. “This new solution provides improved scalability and precision in the field and offers business owners real-time data integration, connectivity and resource management capabilities across their entire workflow.”

The MC-Max solution offers flexible mounting solutions, as well as optional automatic blade and bucket control for a variety of machines. The system also provides a full battery of positioning technologies ranging from slope control to laser, multi-constellation GNSS, robotic total station and millimeter GPS systems.

MC-Max provides project managers a real-time view of machine positions, activities and onsite progress, and is compatible with a wide range of site communications systems.

Topcon MC-X Platform. The Topcon MC-X Platform is designed to make machine control easy to use and affordable for contractors. The platform ties together mixed fleets by interacting with multiple versions of 3D-MC, providing connectivity to Sitelink3D and taking advantage of the multi-constellation capabilities of GNSS antennas.

Tallysman Wireless Inc. has added the TW7976 to its surface mount line of antennas. The TW7976 covers GPS/QZSS-L1/L2, QZSS-L6, GLONASS-G1/G2, Galileo-E1/E6, and BeiDou-B1/B3, as well as L-band correction signals.

The addition of L6 and E6 coverage supports the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) and the QZSS Centimeter Level Augmentation Service (CLAS) correction signals. Regional augmentation services such as WAAS (North America), EGNOS (Europe), MSAS (Japan), GAGAN (India) and high-precision L-band correction services are also supported.

The TW7976 features a patented Tallysman Accutenna, which provides multi-constellation and multi-frequency support. Accutenna technology offers an excellent axial ratio that mitigates multipath signals and produces clean code and phase measurements. Accutenna antennas enable high-precision techniques, such as real-time kinematic (RTK) and precise point positioning (PPP), which provide accurate and precise position estimates (< 0.1 m).

Another key feature of the TW7976 is a deep pre-filter that attenuates out-of-band signals. This is crucial in challenging urban environments where near-band and inter-modulated signal interference from LTE and other cellular bands is common.

The surface-mounted TW7976 weighs 180 grams, is IP67-rated, and supports direct screw, magnet or adhesive-tape attachment. The TW7976 is ideal for many applications, including autonomous vehicle navigation (land, rail, sea, and air) and high-precision automotive and agricultural positioning.

Inertial Labs has acquired Memsense, a developer of inertial measurement units (IMUs) and a long-time business partner. Inertial Labs is a developer and supplier of orientation, inertial navigation and optically enhanced sensor modules.

The Inertial Labs and Memsense workforce will address the rapidly evolving needs of global customers. The combined company of more than 100 employees and 500 customers expects to introduce breakthrough technologies at an accelerated pace across high-value areas such as autonomous vehicles, GPS-denied navigation, industrial machines, and aerospace and defense.

In addition, Inertial Labs and Memsense have a strong balance sheet to support critical business initiatives, deliver with short product lead times, and invest in promising integrations, the company stated in a press release.

“Our strategic acquisition of Memsense brings together two high growth companies with proven performance in solving some of the world’s most difficult stabilization and navigation problems,” said Jamie Marraccini, president and CEO of Inertial Labs. “Our customers will benefit from our combined capabilities and resources.”

“As we move forward, Inertial Labs and Memsense will define the future of MEMS IMUs,” said James Brunch, CEO of Memsense. “Our focus on innovation, our world-class team, and our strength in customer collaboration allow us to deliver the exact specs needed by our customers.”

Inertial Labs cites the following benefits for current and future customers:

• increased production capabilities of up to 50,000 units annually to meet the needs of larger aerospace and defense contracts for guidance and navigation applications
• low-cost, consumer-grade IMUs, ruggedized industrial-grade models, affordable tactical-grade IMUs, and IMUs with near-FOG level of performance (0.1 deg/h bias instability)
• a larger range of devices for unmanned ground vehicles (UGV); unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); autonomous and automated ground vehicles (AGV).
• expanded research and development efforts to accelerate delivery of IMUs for stabilization applications, such as electro-optical systems, pan-and-tilt platforms, and remote weapon stations (RWS)
• new IMU models with improved performance will increase capabilities of the company’s GPS-aided inertial navigation systems (INS), wave sensors, motion reference units (MRU) and attitude heading reference systems (AHRS)
• development of new high-performance systems including a MEMS-based gyro-compasses (3 MILS azimuth and 1 MIL elevation accuracy).

Unicore Communications is delivering its high-precision GNSS technology to the North American market through Rx Networks.

Unicore is a manufacturer of GNSS hardware and a sister-company to Rx Networks within the BDStar group of companies, which is headquartered in Beijing, China.

Unicore GNSS receivers have been deployed in a wide variety of applications, including reference stations, surveying, mapping, precision agriculture, machine control, drones and robotics, vehicle navigation, timing, internet of things (IoT) and more.

Rx Networks is a supplier of high-accuracy services and assistance data to a growing list of GNSS hardware manufacturers. As high-precision GNSS becomes ubiquitous, those seeking precise positioning solutions can now make use of Unicore GNSS hardware made even more accurate with Rx Networks data services.

“Unicore GNSS hardware has shown to have outstanding positioning performance,” said Cameron Baird, head of Business Development, Hardware Sales. “I am excited to see the democratization of inexpensive high-precision GNSS hardware with Rx Networks’ TruePoint.io PPP-RTK correction services.”

On Nov. 9, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) announced the release of a new Beta NGS Map. This web application allows users to view multiple datasets that are useful to anyone planning or performing a survey project, or anyone that’s just looking for NGS marks.

The map enables users to access NGS datasheets, OPUS Shared Solutions, and the NOAA CORS Network. It also provides a measuring tool, multiple basemaps, and the ability to export data.

I recently used this tool on my iPhone to locate marks when I was traveling. It’s an amazing tool that is easy to navigate, and a useful tool for identifying marks to be included in a project.

The NGS homepage provides a link to the Beta NGS Map (see below).

When you first click on the NGS Map link a short narrative appears that provides a brief set of instructions on how to use the map (see below). There’s a box that you can check so that the narrative will not appear every time you access the site. It’s important to note that the data for the CORS and OPUS Shared results are updated monthly. This could be an issue in some instances, therefore users should always check the NGS website for the latest information for the NOAA CORS Network or OPUS Shared map.

After you click OK at the bottom right of the page, a sample map will appear.

The map allows the user to type in a location (geographic location, CORS Site ID, OPUS PID, Datasheet PID or Datasheet Name) to start a search. See the “Waxhaw, North Carolina, Region” map as an example of entering a geographic location.

The bottom navigation bar has eight buttons.

When clicked, a window pops up providing information about that particular button. (For example, see “Map with Legend Information” below.) The legend will include all layers that have been selected. In my example, the datasheet layer was the only layer I had selected (see “Map with Layer Information”.)

When the user clicks on a symbol, a box will appear with information about the mark. See “Information for Station UNN 12” below.

The box contains information from the NGS datasheet as well as a link to the actual NGS database. A nice feature of this webtool is that it provides a link to NGS’s Beta Passive Mark webtool. My October 2020 Survey Scene column highlighted the features of the NGS’s Passive Mark tool. The box captioned “Passive Mark Page for Station UNN 12” is an example of the tool. I’ve highlighted several items important to individuals planning surveys, such as the mark’s coordinates, datums and source, and the Orthometric Height residual (the difference between the estimated geoid height and the modeled hybrid geoid height).

Another great feature is that the user can click on the Mark Recovery link to provide the latest recovery information for a mark (see the box titled “Mark Recovery Link for Station UNN 12 “).

When a user clicks on the More info link for the Recovery Mark option, a Mark Recovery Form is provided for the user to enter the recovery information for the mark. The routine fills in the fields based on the current data in NGS’s database (see the box titled “Mark Recovery Form for Station UNN 12”). The user can enter changes or new information about the mark. This information is very important to users planning surveys. Just because a mark has been occupied by GNSS in the past doesn’t mean that it’s still a good station for occupation by GNSS. The environmental conditions around the mark could have changed since the last time it was occupied; for example, new buildings and/or growth of trees may now obstruct the GNSS signals.

As previously stated, the NOAA CORS Network is one of the layers available. The box titled “Map of NOAA CORS Network in the North Carolina Region” depicts the locations of the NOAA CORS in North Carolina. The layer list provides some of the attributes of the CORS, such as the sampling rate and which GNSS signal are collected at the site.

When a user clicks on a specific CORS, a box appears with information for that particular CORS. I’ve highlighted several items in the box titled “Information on CORS Site ID NC77.” In my example, CORS NC77 collects GPS, Galileo,and GLONASS data. Also, users can obtain long-term and short-term plots of the CORS.

Once again, this feature is important to users planning and performing GNSS survey projects. As in the other features, clicking on the More Info link will bring up the plots. The plots for CORS NC77 are provided in the boxes titled “Long-Term Plot Information on CORS Site ID NC77” and “Short-Term Plot Information on CORS Site ID NC77” below.

In the short-term plot, the red line is the published position, and the green hashed area is the tolerance of the NGS position, that is +/- 2 cm horizontal and +/–4 cm vertical. All the error bars are 1 sigma values. This information is useful when selecting NOAA CORS to be included in a survey project.

The short-term plot contains the mean, standard deviation and RMS values for the north, east and up components of the site. When planning a GNSS project, users typically identify several NOAA CORS to be included in the project. However, not all CORS are equal.

I evaluate CORS using the following criteria:

1. Designated as “operational”
2. Computed (i.e., measured) velocities rather than modeled (i.e., predicted) velocities.
3. “Consistent” data depicted in short-term time-series plots.
4. Network accuracies ~1 to 1.5 cm horizontally and less than ~2 to 3 cm in ellipsoid height.

Clicking on the More Info button for Site Info of NC77 provides a webpage where most of this information can be obtained.

Before conducting any post-processing, the analyst should ensure that all CORS included in the project have data for all of the occupations and that the station’s short-term plots indicate stability.

Tool buttons are situated in the top right section of the map. Included are a measurement tool to measure distances between marks and areas, a bookmarks tool to zoom to areas, and a basemaps tool to change the basemap. See the box titled “Useful Tools.”

Some users may find the measurement tool helpful when planning a survey. The box titled “Using the Measurement Tool” is an example of measuring the distance between two stations.

The last item that I’d like to highlight is that on Nov. 18, NGS has officially extended the GPS on Bench Marks campaign’s cut-off date for one year until December 31, 2022. See the box titled “NGS GPS on Bench Marks Notice.”

NGS is anticipating that this extra time will allow users to provide additional GPS on Bench Marks data using the recently released beta version of OPUS Projects 5.0.

OPUS Projects 5.0 enables users to incorporate their RTK and RTN observations and post-processed vendor data using the GNSS Vector eXchange file format (GVX). My October 2018 Survey Scene column described NGS’s GPS on Bench Mark program, and my October 2021 Survey Scene column described NGS’s Beta OPUS Projects 5.0.

As stated in the NGS news release, this extension reflects NGS’ commitment to include as much data as possible in determining the Reference Epoch Coordinates (REC) that will be used to create the Transformation Tools to be released with the Modernized NSRS.

I encourage everyone to try the new Beta NGS Map. As in all of NGS beta products, NGS would like users to try the tools and provide feedback on what they liked and what they didn’t like. They are trying to develop tools useful to everyone, but that won’t be possible unless they hear from users.

GNSS correction service receivers and the firmware-upgraded ZED-F9P upgraded to achieve reliable centimeter-level accuracies in seconds

U‑blox is offering a suite of products and feature additions that simplify access to reliable centimeter-level positioning accuracies for the industrial navigation and robotics markets.

The upgraded ZED-F9P high-precision GNSS receiver module and the corresponding NEO-D9S and NEO-D9C GNSS correction data receivers offer customers flexibility in assembling scalable solutions for their specific use cases, including robotic lawnmowers, unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV) and semi-automated or fully automated machinery.

The software-upgraded u‑blox ZED-F9P-04B high-precision GNSS receiver is the first to support a secure SPARTN GNSS correction data format. It seamlessly connects to two new GNSS correction service receiver modules that stream correction data from communication satellites:

• The u‑blox NEO-D9S will initially cover the European and U.S. markets before rolling out to the other areas of the globe.
• The u‑blox NEO-D9C will cover Japan.

The NEO-D9S receives correction data using the SSR SPARTN data format over the satellite L-band channel. It uses cryptography to securely deliver PPP-RTK GNSS correction data, such as that offered by u‑blox’s PointPerfect service.

The NEO-D9C leverages the subscription-free Centimeter-Level Augmentation Service (CLAS) broadcast over mainland Japan provided by the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) constellation on the L6-band channel.

While u‑blox GNSS receivers are designed to work with most correction services on the market, pairing the ZED-F9P with the NEO-D9C or the NEO-D9S correction data receiver enables customers to save data transmission cost and operational efforts, the company said.

ZED-F9P-04B offers a new feature called protection level, which increases the trust applications can place in its position output. By continuously outputting the upper bound of the maximum likely positioning error, referred to as the protection level, the receiver lets autonomous applications, such as UAVs, make efficient real time path planning, increasing the quality of their operations.

In the case of robotic lawnmowers, the increased accuracy and reliability of the position will, for example, make it possible to do away with boundary wires, which today are buried under the turf to delimit the mowing area. Furthermore, it will allow lawnmowers to systematically cover a plot based on a digital map, as opposed to the random mowing approach commonly used today.

First samples of these products are available today, in professional and automotive grade. The correction data receivers will be available in automotive grade for the automotive markets.

Harxon has introduced the HX-CUX005A to its family of helix antennas.

The HX-CUX005A is an embedded helix antenna designed for high-precision positioning. It offers superior satellite signal tracking, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou as well as L-band correction service.

Upgraded with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tunable (BT) for better integration, the HX-CUX005A is designed to be an all-in-one solution for surveying, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), personnel and vehicle monitoring, and many more applications.

The powerful antenna has Harxon’s patented D-QHA technology and multi-point feeding technology. It is able to provide reliable and consistent signal tracking with centimeter-level accuracy by exhibiting a stable phase center, 2.5-dBi high gain with ultra-low signal loss, wide beam width and exceptional low-elevation satellite tracking.

In addition, the HX-CUX005A is optimized in circuit layout and equipped with robust pre-filtered low noise amplifier that guarantees excellent out-of-band rejection performance and strong multipath reduction capacity. In this way, unwanted electromagnetic interference is restrained for improved signal filtering over all GNSS frequency bands.

The integration of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (2.4 GHz/5.8 GHz) provides 1-dBi gain (typical value) to enable easy connection and configuration for mobile device users. Its highly integrated design simplifies development process and reduces costs for device engineers, Harxon said.

Key Features of the HX-CUX005A

• Comprehensive GNSS support: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and L-band correction service
• Centimeter phase-center repeatability, high gain at low elevation
• Improved signal filtering and excellent multipath rejection
• Weighs 10 grams in small form factor to facilitate integration
• Integrated with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tunable (2.4 GHz/5.8 GHz).

Spectranetix Inc., a Pacific Defense company, has announced the SX-124 ruggedized 3U OpenVPX high-performance positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) card.

With an ability to provide timing and positioning information in a GPS-denied environment through sensor fusion, the SX‑124 switch is designed for highly integrated systems with a requirement for the U.S. Army’s C5ISR Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) and alignment with the Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) technical standard.

The SX-124 can accept external sources or use its onboard GNSS receivers as reference inputs for timing and positioning data. The positioning data can be fused with internal and external inertial measurement units (IMUs). It distributes 11 100-MHz outputs and 11 1PPS outputs in a phase coherent manner.

The SX-124 provides timing and position holdover from an internal chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) and IMU. A built-in time-of-day clock provides accurate network time stamps on system startup without GPS availability.

The SX-124 also provides enhanced location information and can be connected to an external IMU as well as a controlled reception pattern antenna (CPRA).

The SX-124 supports the standard VICTORY shared PNT services from a built-in GNSS timing receiver with an optional built-in M-code GB-GRAM receiver, CSAC and barometer to provide altitude information.

With the option for expansion to support over-the-air rekeying (OTAR), external fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG), alternative navigation (ALTNAV), and additional GNSS systems such as Galileo, the SX-124 supports the defense community’s need for a high-performance assured PNT (A-PNT) solution in the 3U VPX form factor and aligned to the latest open set of standards.

“Reliable situational awareness and cooperative, networked maneuvers demand assured PNT capability,” said Daniel Kilfoyle, CTO of Pacific Defense. “Our A-PNT solution embraces the pntOS open sensor-fusion framework and supports multiple sensor connections including GNSS receiver, GB-GRAM, IMU, FOG, CRPA and a two-channel software-defined RF receiver for added flexibility. Combined with exquisite timing and frequency performance and CMOSS alignment, this PNT card is yet another example of our commitment to CMOSS and SOSA.”

The SX-124 card is on track for production release early next year.

News from the European Space Agency

Europe’s first prototype satellite for Galileo, GIOVE-A, has been formally decommissioned after 16 years of work in orbit. The GIOVE-A mission in 2005 secured Galileo’s radio frequencies for Europe, demonstrated key hardware, and probed the then-unknown radiation environment of medium-Earth orbit.

“If not for GIOVE-A, the 26 Galileo satellites in orbit today would not exist,” said Paul Verhoef, ESA’s director of navigation. “Its speedy development and launch opened the way for our working constellation to follow.”

ESA had begun designing Galileo at the turn of the century, and radio frequencies had been set aside for the new system by the International Telecommunications Union. But these frequency filings came with a deadline attached: the frequencies had to be used from orbit by mid-2006 or they would lapse.

GIOVE-A Sped to Orbit

Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element-A, or GIOVE-A, was produced at a breakneck pace to meet this deadline. Developed in the second half of 2003, the satellite was designed, built and tested before the end of 2005, and launched on Dec. 28 of that year.

“At the time there was a lot of uncertainty: Would we make it or not?” recalled Javier Benedicto, head of the Galileo Project Department, ESA. “GIOVE-A transmitted its first Galileo signal-in-space on Jan. 21, 2006, meaning that Europe was formally in the navigation business.”

That March, ESA formally confirmed it had brought the Galileo-related frequency filings into use, three months ahead of the official ITU deadline.

The mission also carried a prototype rubidium atomic clock — proving its functionality for the operational Galileo satellites that would follow — as well as a radiation instrument. Medium Earth orbit, 23,000 km altitude, was terra incognita at this point for European satellites, but it was known to possess enhanced radiation levels from the impinging of the outer band of Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts.

A second Galileo prototype, GIOVE-B, followed in 2008, this time hosting a prototype passive hydrogen maser — the second type of atomic clock that Galileo relies on — along with an enhanced payload able to transmit for the first time the GPS-Galileo common signal.

GIOVE-A Succeeded at New Mission

Once the first Galileo satellites were in orbit and working well, ESA ended use of GIOVE-A in 2012. The satellite was placed in a graveyard orbit 100 km above the operational satellites’ orbits, as was GIOVE-B after its own four-year mission.

Control of GIOVE-A passed to manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) in the United Kingdom. GIOVE-A was then employed for various in-orbit experiments, including demonstrating the reception of satellite navigation signals from GPS satellites orbiting below it — based on spillover sidelobe reception from satellites on the other side of Earth.

This proof that satnav can be relied on further out into space means that satellites in geostationary orbit are making use of satnav for positioning. As a next step, ESA is planning to extend satnav coverage all the way to the Moon.

The satellite also continued its radiation survey of medium-Earth orbit, acquiring a unique record extending across more than 10 years, analyzed by the Surrey Space Centre with ESA support. Multiple scientific papers have been written on these results, which encompass the “electron desert” of 2008-9 during the lowest levels of solar activity of the space era, followed by one of the largest electron storm events on record in April 2010.

A new model of the outer Van Allen belt electron fluxes, MOBE-DIC, has been produced from this dataset, helping to guide future satellite designs.

“Actually, the satellite itself is still operating well,” said Sarah Lawrence, SSTL. “The reason for ending the mission is software obsolescence in our control center. The decommissioning procedure involved transitioning the satellite to Earth-pointing mode, turning off the reaction wheels and setting the attitude and orbit control system to standby mode, before finally switching off the on-board computer and transmitter.”

“GIOVE-A over-delivered on its original lifetime and mission goals – an inspiring and game-changing mission on so many levels,” said Martin Sweeting, SSTL executive chairman.

SSTL went on to provide navigation payloads for operational Galileo satellites. Today, 26 Galileo satellites orbit the Earth. Galileo has become the world’s most precise satnav system, delivering meter-scale accuracy to more than 2.3 billion users around the globe.

Two more Galileo satellites are being readied for launch Dec. 2.