FCC Establishes Space Bureau
Federal agency has more than 60,000 backlogged satellite applications.
To help administer a booming space business industry, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has opened a new space office that will manage more than 60,000 applications for new satellites and services.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced in November that the FCC would split its International Bureau into two new offices, a Space Bureau and an Office of International Affairs. Julie Kearney, previously FCC special counsel for space law and policy, will head the new space organization. The FCC unanimously approved the proposal in January.
“We see the opportunity to improve the economy and enrich our lives.” Rosenworcel said at a Washington press conference launching the Space Bureau. “The space section has been on a monumental run. We have applications for more than 60,000 new satellites before this agency.”
At the top of its priorities is how to manage the tremendous backlog of satellite applications. While many are for communications networks, the sector is seeing a boom in low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, which many industry experts say will be the next augmentation for GNSS.
In one example, the U.S. Space Force is planning to procure 72 satellites for a LEO orbit military constellation that will have a navigation payload. The Space Development Agency, in a draft solicitation, seeks input by March 1 on its Draft Tranche 2 Transport Layer – Beta Program.
The increased integration between terrestrial networks and those in space is also an area of concern for the agency.
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Qualcomm and Xiaomi Demonstrate Mobile Meter-Level Positioning
After tests in Germany, Qualcomm QCOM 0.00%↑ and Xiaomi have announced that they successfully verified meter-level positioning in the handset manufacturer’s 12T Pro. Powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform, and through Qualcomm Meter-Level Positioning for Mobile, the company said the accuracy can improve mapping, driving and other applications.
The company’s Meter-Level Positioning for Mobile, integrated with Snapdragon platforms, works in combination with Trimble TRMB 0.00%↑ RTX correction services to provide positioning capabilities.
Qualcomm contends this better accuracy is great for ridesharing applications to identify pick-up locations, fitness applications to track users’ movements in outdoor activities including biking and running and in-vehicle real-time navigation applications for increased lane-level accuracy with greater map details and more accurate directions.
Qualcomm, with Xiaomi and Trimble, conducted accuracy verification tests, including driving, in open-sky rural roads and urban highways. The companies say the tests showed meter-level positioning variance at a 95 percent confidence level.
Xiaomi has worked with Qualcomm for location capability since it rolled out its 11 Pro and 11 Ultra in China. “This level of accuracy will empower more users to leverage location-based services in their mobile applications,” said David Qin, Xiaomi general manager of chip platform, in a statement.
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Verizon Connect Expands New Asset Tracker, Updates Fleet Management Platforms
Verizon Connect VZ 0.00%↑ has announced new updates for mobile workforce management platforms and rolled out its new Equipment Asset Tracker (EAT) into Canada.
The company also said it upgraded OEM data support through AEMP 2.0 integration for heavy duty machinery from such OEMs as John Deere DE 0.00%↑. The new upgrades allow businesses to locate, find out the productivity and health of their equipment, the company said.
“By providing customers with a single-pane-of-glass view into their data through our platform, we’re able to help them make faster and better decisions when it comes to their equipment operations and management,” said Erin Cave, Verizon Connect’s global vice president of product management, in a statement.
Overall, Verizon Connect EAT is now available for its Connect Fleet and Reveal in the United States and Canada. The company’s AEMP 2.0 data points, for telematics integration, provide KPIs and metrics that can be used for maintenance planning and job allocation.
Contact: Erin Cheever, Verizon, erin.dowling@verizon.com, www.verizonconnect.com.
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Other Location News:
News tip? Send them to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Top News:
💰 Emerson Electric To Buy NI Corp for $8.2 Billion To Deepen Automation Push. “National Instruments NI 0.00%↑, which said in January that it was exploring its options for a sale, is set to be acquired by industrial conglomerate Emerson EMR 0.00%↑ for $2 billion, or $60 per share.”
☹ GM Cruise Recalls 300 Robotaxis After Crash Involving Bus. “Cruise says in government documents that the robotaxi inaccurately predicted how the bus would move as it pulled out of a bus stop on March 23.”
😦 US Union Opposes Driverless Trucks Waiver for Waymo, Aurora. “A major U.S. transport union opposed a request by Alphabet's GOOG 0.00%↑ self-driving unit Waymo and autonomous driving technology company Aurora Innovation AUR 0.00%↑."
😦 GPS Jamming in Israel Spikes Amid Regional Flare-up.
Maps:
👍 Overture Maps Foundation Pre-releases Collaboratively-built Map Dataset as Shared Asset for Location-based Apps. “The release showcases new features planned for integration into previous open-sourced releases. The updated map data now includes over six million building heights across 34,000 square miles in major U.S. cities such as Boston, Chicago and Santa Clara.”
🙂 Google Maps Is Getting Four Big Upgrades — Here's What's New. “This suite of new features has been announced via a Google blog post and is confirmed for the Google Maps app on both iOS and Android. Initially, these upgrades will be limited only to the 63 National Parks in the U.S. but later this year parks around the world will receive these new improvements as well. “
🗺 Meta’s Rapid 2.0: Improving Speed and Efficiency in Map Editing. Meta META 0.00%↑ rolled out Rapid editor for OpenStreetMap (OSM).
📱 Apple Rolls Out All-new Map Across Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. “Maps now brings more detailed road coverage, better navigation, three-dimensional landmarks, and incredible features like Look Around, Natural Language Guidance, and more”
😮 This Navigation App Just Got an Update to Convince Google Maps Users to Jump Ship. “Huawei looks very committed to building an advanced alternative to Google Maps, and the company has just released another big update for the app.”
🤔 New Apple Maps Features, Trouble for Google Maps. “Recent Apple Maps features release says a lot about the company’s plan to beat Google Maps. The new features are being rolled out to six new countries.”
Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🚚 Aurora Aims To Roll Out Self-driving Trucking Service Between Houston & Dallas by End of 2024. “The Pittsburgh-based company, which was founded in 2017, is not the only firm developing self-driving technology to ship goods between Texas' two largest cities. Last August, California-based Kodiak Robotics began using self-driving 18-wheelers to transport IKEA products between the Houston and Dallas areas.”
🚛 GE Appliances Folds EV and AV Tech Into Fleet Operations. “The giant appliance manufacturer is using Einride electric and autonomous trucks to transport parts and more among ports and facilities in three southern states.”
🏛 Central State Gets Share of $15M Fund To Investigate Self-driving Car Safety. “Central State University is one of eight higher institutions partners to receive a share of $15 million in federal funds for research on the safety of self-driving cars.”
Indoor Location and Tracking:
✈ Hamburg Airport Trials Intelligent Track System Trolleys. “The airport is the first in Germany to test the ‘intelligent’ trolley concept, which aims to make it easier for passengers to find their way at airports. 30 ITS trolleys are in operation at Hamburg Airport’s Passenger Pier.”
Drones:
🛩 Drone Delivery Startup Gets Approval in New Zealand. EU and Australia Could Be Next. “SkyDrop won permission to run a delivery hub south of Auckland. FAA faulted for holding back US rollout of unmanned aircraft.”
🤞 Drones To Be Used To Deliver Packages on Remote Scottish Islands.
Financial:
✔ Connexion Telematics Ltd's Stock Is Going Strong: Have Financials a Role To Play?
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Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
u-blox and Position Partners Launch PointPerfect GNSS in Australia
Thalwil, Switzerland-based u-blox [UBXN] has partnered with Position Partners to expand coverage of the PointPerfect GNSS augmentation service to Victoria and New South Wales, including Melbourne and Sydney as an initial step to rolling out the service in Australian and New Zealand.
Available via Thingstream, PointPerfect is the first Precise Point Positioning, Real-Time Kinematic positioning solution commercialized in the region, the company said. Position Partners and u-blox rollout positioning for services ranging from autonomous shuttles and public transport to service robots and other IoT uses, the company said.
Contact: Gina Velde, Position Partners, 61 402 066 962,
gvelde@positionpartners.com.au, www.positionpartners.com.au.
Innoviz Grabs Lidar Order From Commercial Vehicle OEM
Innoviz Technologies INVZ 0.00%↑ has announced that it has received a several hundred unit purchase order from “a commercial vehicle [OEM]” for its InnovizTwo lidar. The order will be delivered to the customer throughout 2023, beginning in the second quarter, the company said. Innoviz has four series production awards, including Volkswagen, BMW and an Asia-based electric vehicle OEM.
Contact: Innoviz, media@innoviz-tech.com, www.innoviz-tech.com.
Esri and EVERYWHERE, WhatsApp Partner
EVERYWHERE has partnered with Esri to bring geospatial intelligence to its Always Connected platform. The ability for users to see their Esri base maps, relative to where both their personnel and assets are located, is crucial to making informed and global timely decisions, the company said.
In other company EVERYWHERE and WhatsApp have partnered to integrate Iridium satellite connectivity with global event notifications. The company said that WhatsApp, through its Always Connected platform, now can be used globally.
Contact: Jake Bailey, EVERYWHERE, (585) 749-9733, jake.bailey@everywherecomms.com, www.everywherecomms.com.
Veripos Launches Apex PRO Correction Services
Veripos has launched Apex PRO Correction Services with Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division’s RTK From the Sky technology. RTK From the Sky enables global, centimeter-level precise point positioning (PPP) accuracy in as fast as 3 minutes, the company said.
With RTK From the Sky, Apex PRO becomes the world’s first high-accuracy, quad-frequency and quad-constellation correction service for offshore positioning, the company said. Apex PRO is compatible with existing Veripos hardware and software, including the LD8, LD900 and Quantum visualisation software.
Contact: Jessica Fielding, Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, (403) 919 3388, jessica.fielding@hexagon.com.
Air Force Test Pilot School Partners With StarNav
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School has partnered with StarNav to test a unique GPS system on a special T-38C Talon from Holloman Air Force Base. The system aims to provide more reliable and accurate positioning and timing information to aircraft by using existing onboard antennas, the company said.
With the successful test, StarNav said that more accurate navigation information using the L5 GPS signal is becoming enabled with Air Force aircraft.
Contact: StarNav, info@starnav.io, www.starnav.io.
Sheeva.AI Launches SheevaLocate
Sheeva.AI has announced the launch of its SheevaFence and SheevaLocate products. SheevaLocate is a patented software solution to enable highly accurate vehicle location within 2 meters, the company said.
SheevaFence is a patent-pending, cloud-based platform and associated APIs that enables a proprietary geofencing and mapping solution for point-of-service localization (for individual fuel dispenser, EV charging plug, parking space), the company said. The products are currently in trials with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers globally.
Contact: Trevor Curwin, Sheeva.AI, (415) 646-6063, tcurwin@sheeva.ai, www.sheeva.ai.
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Kontakt.io Partners With Signify For Indoor IoT Location Services
Kontakt.io has partnered with Signify to incorporate BLE-powered indoor IoT and location services into Signify’s connected lighting solutions. This allows healthcare providers to future-proof building infrastructure, the company said.
The connected lighting solutions come with cloud services and IoT sensors that track the real-time location of BLE tags carried by staff, patients and medical devices, the company said. This connectivity will also enable input from patient-room sensors through APIs, offer room-level location as-a-service and support mobile indoor navigation.
Contact: Olivia Wang, Kontakt.io, pr@kontakt.io.
Klika Tech Wins Best in Show at Embedded World
Klika Tech won Best in Show Award for its ASTRA Asset Tracking Solution, co-created with Amazon Web Services and 1NCE, at Embedded World 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany. Klika Tech leveraged 1NCE's CoAP broker and AWS’ IoT Core Device Location service to power ASTRA. ASTRA allows partners to select their preferred asset trackers and seamlessly integrate them into their existing platforms, the company said.
Contact: Klika Tech, contact@klika-tech.com, www.klika-tech.com.
Platform Science Partners With ConMet
Platform Science has partnered with ConMet Digital to offer a telematics portfolio in Platform Science's marketplace. The ConMet Digital suite of products provides fleet managers, drivers, and dispatchers with real-time visibility of a vehicle, including critical component condition and asset location, the company said.
Platform Science's innovative transportation solutions make it easier for fleets to develop, deploy, and manage mobile devices and applications on commercial vehicles.
Contact: Platform Science, www.platformscience.com.
RedFlag Introduces Location-Targeted Messages
RedFlag has released functionality features including hyper-targeted messages based on real-time location, visual and customizable geofencing and a new recipient mobile app. Companies with location-based needs now have the ability to deliver hyper-relevant communication to their entire workforce within seconds, the company said. RedFlag's new geofencing map allows administrators to see a view of app recipients, static locations, mobile fleets and physical assets, the company said.
Contact: RedFlag, www.pocketstop.com/redflag.
GeoJunxion and Wizzy Maps Partner For Location Services
GeoJunxion has partnered with Amsterdam-based WizzyMaps for mapping and location services. The first product of the collaboration includes an outdoor interactive venue plan of the Zuiderzeemuseum.
WizzyMaps and GeoJunxion recently collaborated on a last-mile mapping solution for the soccer match Netherlands-Gibraltar.
Contact: GeoJunxion, 31 (0)10 885 1200, info@geojunxion.com.
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