Changes to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operational drone restriction were recently proposed in order to allow some flights over people. This proposed rulemaking appears to be a major step forward. Mail-order delivery flights, newsgathering, real-estate sales movies and building inspection, to name a few markets, all begin to make more sense, maybe even become viable. Some night operations could... read more
By Daniela E. Sánchez, Harvey C. Gómez and Thomas Pany, Institute of Space Technology and Space Applications (ISTA) This paper presents how our system, consisting of a GNSS receiver antenna, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a lidar, is used to obtain high-precision maps through the geo-referencing of lidar point clouds. An accuracy assessment of the system is conducted, which... read more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued additional drone flight restrictions over U.S. federal prisons, military bases and Pearl Harbor, effective Feb. 26. At the request of its federal security partners, the FAA is using its existing authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 99.7 — “Special Security Instructions” — to address concerns about drone operations... read more
The NavIC Indian constellation is now supported in NovAtel’s latest firmware release for its OEM7 series of GNSS receivers. The 7.05.04 firmware release for OEM7 provides the following benefits: Users can achieve a single point position accuracy of 2.5 m (rms) using NavIC L5 signals (from the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) with GPS L1 on the newly available JSN... read more
Aspects and advantages to laser use Why abandon well-worn mapping methods in current use? It has to be for one or more forms of gain: time, money or staffpower. UAV-borne lidar can save a lot of field time, eliminate the need for site revisits, capture more data than previously possible, and provide a better product using more automated extraction tools.... read more
Foxcom, a subsidiary of Global Invacom, has launched a solution that enables aircraft ground engineers to undertake 24/7 avionics testing of Inmarsat, Iridium and GPS satellite signals indoors. The Hangar Repeater Solution enables engineers involved in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of aircraft to undertake testing 24/7 regardless of the weather, without having to move aircraft in and out of a... read more
Point-process mapping links Easter Island statuary to freshwater sources. By Robert DiNapoli, University of Oregon; Carl Lipo, Binghampton University; Tanya Brosnan and Matthew Becker, California State University, Long Beach; Terry Hunt, University of Arizona; Sean Hixon, Pennsylvania State University; Alex E. Morrison, University of Auckland. Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) is famous for its elaborate ritual architecture: more than 300... read more
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