Report Says GPS Backup Systems Could Save Billions
Report says $663 million could be saved a day by employing NextNav’s terrestrial PNT solution, others are not so sure…
A new Brattle Group report says that terrestrial augmentation systems could save as much as $14.6 billion if a worldwide GPS outage occurred. NextNav NN 0.00%↑ used the report to say its FCC proposal to reconfigure the lower 900 MHz band offers “the U.S. economy a $10.8 billion insurance policy to protect against GPS outages without taxpayer funding.”
NextNav, which offers its 3D terrestrial PNT solution in the lower 900 MHz band, also says it can save the U.S. economy $663 million each day of a global GPS satellite outage.
The report, conducted by Brattle Group economists Coleman Bazelon and Paroma Sanyal, not only discusses the economic impacts of a GPS outage, but says NextNav’s proposal will help first responders improve emergency services.
Not everyone thinks NextNav’s FCC spectrum proposal would constitute a viable GPS augmentation. “NextNav's proposal is not an augmentation of GPS. It is a private attempt to replace it with inferior terrestrial transmitters and take over precious ISM band in the 900 Mhz spectrum,” said Aaron Nathan, CEO of Point One Navigation, in a LinkedIn post. “We need more open and free communication bands, not less.”
For its part, the FCC, in its August request for comments, said it not only is seeking industry input on NextNav’s technical proposal, but “on the windfall that [NextNav] might receive as a result of its proposed spectrum swap for a new nationwide license, including the acquisition of accompanying rights as a licensee and lessor, the application of flexible use and less restrictive technical rules to this band, and how the [FCC] should address any such windfall.”
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Company Profile
Mappedin Becoming Indoor Mapping Powerhouse
Canada-based Mappedin, which started as a school project at the University of Waterloo, has grown into one of largest indoor mapping companies. A third of all malls worldwide now have Mappedin maps, Hongwei Liu, CEO and founder.
“We started it to as way to help people find stuff indoors. In fact, our first pitch [to investors] was to brand it as Google Maps indoors,” he said.
The company recently announced early access to its Mappedin Pro and a new SDK. The company even offers a free version to help first responders and others to quickly map areas of concern.
Many believe that indoor mapping is the last frontier for maps—and there is a reason for it. Lui cited Michael Goodchild’s 2011 article, “Looking Forward: Five Thoughts on the Future of GIS,” who said that the average American only spends 13 percent of the time outdoors. While GIS helps to find restaurants and hotels, it is no help navigating such complex indoor spaces as shopping malls, mines, hospitals and airports, Goodchild said.
Liu explained the challenges of indoor maps, including the fact that most indoor environments are privately owned to make mapping there even more difficult. In addition, he said that indoor environments constantly change with moving furniture, equipment and office changes.
“The [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] and Esri conducted a study in the early 2000s that said it would take 10 percent of the manpower, and 10 years working fulltime, to map indoors. Mapping the outdoors is much simpler as 99 percent of property indoors is private and things constantly change—including gates at airports,” Liu said.
Initially, malls were the big opportunity for indoor mapping companies. From malls, companies have been migrating and partnering with worldwide airports. In fact, Liu said that airports are a natural fit because they are like “big malls,” except with precise mapping requirements.
Another big market for Mappedin is mapping office buildings, where it has 10 percent of the Fortune 500 companies’ offices mapped. “Mapping buildings became important during [COVID-19] and then the return to work following it,” Liu said.
Liu said that the indoor positioning, analytics, asset tracking and other location features are not what they do. “We partner with others who do that. Our goal is to do white-label mapping products, like Mapbox, but indoors,” he said.
What’s the future hold for indoor mapping and Mappedin? Liu believes that vision-based indoor mapping methods will be increasingly integrated into map development. “What better to base [a map] on than human eyes?” he said.
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Autonomous Truck Startup Outrider Raises $62 Million
Colorado-based autonomous truck provider Outrider has raised $62 million in an oversubscribed Series D financing round. The round, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, raises the amount of equity capital the company has received to $250 million.
Outrider, which was founded in 2019, said it will be using the funding to continue launching and scaling autonomous yard operations as a service in such industries as package shipping, retail and ecommerce, consumer packaged goods, and automotive, the company said. The company says its customers represent more than 20 percent of all yard trucks in operation in North America.
Many of these customers have been involved in product testing and pilot deployments, the company said. “By automating yard operations, Outrider is empowering supply chain workers to maximize facility throughput and safety while minimizing their exposure to repetitive, manual tasks performed in dangerous environments,” said Andrew Smith, Outrider founder and CEO, in a statement.
The company also said that while it plans to focus on distribution center applications, its technology is also suited for intermodal rail and port terminals.
Biden Announces $96 Million in Grants
In other connected and autonomous vehicle news, the Biden administration announced more than $96 million in advanced technology grants. One of the recipients is the California Department of Transportation, which will receive funding for its Interoperable V2X Deployment for User-focused CAV Using Existing Infrastructure project to expand connected vehicle infrastructure that was recently deployed by Caltrans.
Other Location News
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Top News:
😦 America Is at Risk of High Impact GPS Jamming and Spoofing From Space. Dana Goward: “Unlike many of its adversaries, the United States has made few preparations for such attacks on its homeland and infrastructure, despite mishaps at home that have disrupted air traffic control systems and regular press reports of American weapons systems degraded by jamming and spoofing overseas.”
😮 Arm Cancels Qualcomm License as Row Escalates. “Bloomberg reported Arm ARM 0.00%↑ issued a 60-day notice to cancel an architectural license, an agreement which allows Qualcomm QCOM 0.00%↑to use the UK company’s basic computer code to run software such as operating systems within its chips.”
📌 JAXA Selects ArkEdge to Study LEO PNT System. “JAXA tapped ArkEdge Space, a Tokyo-based nanosatellite company, to study the feasibility of putting a PNT constellation in LEO. ArkEdge has won multiple JAXA contracts and has worked on a navigation and comms system for the Moon. In this contract, the company is hoping to show that operating a GNSS closer to Earth can vastly improve the terrestrial applications of PNT data.”
🏛 Chinese Drone Maker DJI Sues Pentagon Over 'Military' Designation. “The lawsuit reflects how the company is going on the offensive as it faces a congressional push to ban DJI’s drones from use in U.S. airspace.”
☹ Airbus To Cut Up to 2,500 Jobs Amid Space Segment Losses.
🙁 GPS Jamming in Myanmar. “Drone warfare in the country has become a potential nuisance for airline pilots.”
🛰 Invest Now in Vital Space Systems for Safety, Security and Economic Resiliency. “NOAA’s newest generation of GOES-R weather satellites, manufactured by Lockheed Martin LMT 0.00%↑, transmitted more weather data in the first six months of operation than previous GOES satellites.”
Maps:
👍 Overture Maps Foundation has launched its October release that includes:
New addresses in 10 countries, bringing the total to 344 million across 23 countries. This release builds on contributions from government sources and the open data community, including efforts by OpenAddresses and AddressForAll.
Over 30,000 kilometers of roads in Italy and Saudi Arabia from TomTom.
New building height data from Microsoft MSFT 0.00%↑ and Esri Community Maps contributors.
🗺 PTV Logistics has launched its PTV Map & Guide. PTV Map & Guide offers standardized measures in mileage to simplify expense reporting and in emissions reporting. Map & Guide also features route calculation, planning and sequencing of vehicle fleets.
📱 Google Maps Is Moving the Weather for a Slightly Cleaner Map. “Earlier this year, Google Maps started showing the weather in the top-left corner, but that’s now being moved to another part of the Android app. Instead of appearing over the map layer, Google is moving the rectangular weather widget to the “Latest in the area” — named after the current city, neighborhood, or attraction — sheet that slides up from the bottom.”
💲 Indoor Mapping App WYA Secures £2.5 Million. “The platform aims to become ‘Google Maps for indoor spaces.’”
😕 I Used the Google Maps Feature Everybody Wanted, And Here's Why Waze Is Better. “2024 brought major updates for Google Maps in the navigation space, including support for incident reporting, a feature that has been exclusive to Waze until now. The ability to pin hazards on the map has been around for several years in Google Maps, but it was exclusive to mobile devices.”
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🏛 U.S. Probes Tesla's Full Self-Driving Software in 2.4 Million Cars After Fatal Crash. “The [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla TSLA 0.00%↑ vehicles equipped with the automaker's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash.”
👍 Qualcomm Revs Up Connected-Car Ambitions at Snapdragon Summit. “Mercedes-Benz will build future vehicles around Qualcomm’s QCOM 0.00%↑ Cockpit Elite and Ride Elite platforms.”
😐 Failed Apple Car Project Did Result in Some Breakthroughs, and China's BYD Is Thankful. “Despite Apple AAPL 0.00%↑ wasting $10 billion on its failed car project, the development achieved some breakthroughs. China's BYD benefitted from the partnership to become one of the world's biggest EV makers using battery tech jointly developed with Apple.”
🤞 Move Over Waymo, Here Comes Wayve: A New Self-Driving Player in California. “Wayve, a well-funded London-based autonomous vehicle startup backed by Uber UBER 0.00%↑ and Softbank, will begin testing its “Tesla-like” self-learning automated driving software in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The move marks its first on-road trials outside of the UK.”
🚘 BMW To Produce v2x Vehicles in China From 2025. “BMW has established the largest R&D and digitalization footprint outside Germany in China to promote the local development and cooperation of intelligent connected technology. BMW envisions the future of mobility as a fully connected intelligent transportation network, rather than isolated smart vehicles.”
🤷♂️ Ford Authority Is Removing Feature From All New Cars To Cut Manufacturing Costs. “According to a recent announcement from Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s F 0.00%↑ COO, the company will no longer include its enhanced active park assist in future models.”
🚙 Emile Weber and Pony.ai Sign MoU to Promote Autonomous Mobility in Luxembourg.
👉 Waymo Leads Autonomous Vehicle Revolution in San Francisco and Waymo Riders to Get $3 Credit for Public Transit Trips.
Fleet:
Financial:
✔ CACI Reports Results for Its Fiscal 2025 First Quarter and Raises Fiscal Year Guidance.
✔ Iridium Hits Record Revenue in Q3.
Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
John Deere, Trimble Partner for SmartGrade Access
Trimble TRMB 0.00%↑ has partnered with John Deere DE 0.00%↑ to integrate its Earthworks Grade Control technology with the John Deere SmartGrade platform. John Deere, which has offered a Trimble Ready option on select aftermarket machines, said those equipped with SmartGrade technology will make Trimble Earthworks available direct from the factory or as a field upgrade.
Integrating Trimble Earthworks will provide John Deere customers greater access to Trimble's construction technology ecosystem, the company said.
Contact: Trimble, www.trimble.com.
GPS Innovation Alliance Announces accesSOS as New Affiliate
The GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA) has announced that accesSOS will become its newest affiliate. The company joins 11 other national organizations who are part of GPSIA’s affiliates program as well as member companies John Deere, Garmin GRMN 0.00%↑, Trimble, Apple AAPL 0.00%↑, Lockheed Martin LMT 0.00%↑ and TrustPoint. The GPS Innovation Alliance’s goals include championing innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship in GPS, GNSS, and complementary space-based PNT technologies.
Contact: Elizabeth Rothenberger, GPS Innovation Alliance, (202) 257-5843, elizabeth.rothenberger@fticonsulting.com, www.gpsalliance.org.
Septentrio Collaborates With GNSS OEM Store
Septentrio said it is collaborating with GNSS OEM Store, which provides centimeter-level GNSS modules, antennas, and development kits for individuals and professionals. The store has developed evaluation boards, dongles, smart antennas and other plug-and-play systems, the company said.
Septentrio is offering its mosaic GNSS receiver to deliver tri-band positioning with reliability due to built-in technology that allows it to be highly resilient to signal interference including jamming and spoofing, the company said. The receiver is tailored for precision agriculture, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and robotic applications, the company said.
Contact: Septentrio, www.septentrio.com.
FleetPulse launches FleetGO: Track
FleetPulse has rolled out its FleetPulseGO: Track, which provides trailer data to improve fleet security, reduce time spent locating assets, and enable quick parts retrieval, the company said. Developed with customers and partners, FleetPulseGO: Track offers fleet visibility and asset recovery.
FleetPulseGO: Track features an integrated accelerometer, motion detection and GPS tracking.
Contact: FleetPulse, media@fleetpulse.com, www.fleetpulse.com.
STMicroelectronics Rolls Out ST87M01 Module
STMicroelectronics STM 0.00%↑ has launched its ST87M01 module platform. The module is NB-IoT certified, with an optional ST4SIM embedded SIM (eSIM) for accessing connectivity services, the company said.
In addition, a Vodafone VOD 0.00%↑ profile is available in the ST87M01 variant that integrates NB-IoT with a multi-constellation GNSS receiver to enable location-based applications such as safety monitoring for remote workers, asset tracking, and general intelligent logistics. The embedded GNSS receiver saves power by operating during NB-IoT sleep time slots.
Contact: Alexander Jurman, STMicroelectronics, alexander.jurman@st.com.
Safran and Trustpoint Partner for GNSS Simulation
Safran Electronics & Defense and TrustPoint have partnered to integrate TrustPoint’s C-band LEO PNT capabilities into Safran’s Skydel GNSS. Through the partnership, Safran’s Skydel software will simulate TrustPoint’s LEO GNSS constellation and signals.
The companies say, through this joint development, receiver manufacturers can leverage Safran’s Skydel-based simulators to generate and showcase the value of C-band GNSS directly to end users. The Trustpoint constellation will be available on all Safran GNSS simulators in early 2025, the company said.
Contact: Safran Electronics & Defense, www.safran-navigation-timing.com.
Agri Automation Partners With GEODNET Foundation
Australian robot company Agri Automation has partnered with the GEODNET Foundation to deploy its Real-Time Kinematics network. Under the partnership, Agri Automation is deploying GEODNET RTK stations and using GEODNET’s RTK coverage in rural Australia and New Zealand.
GEODNET is a Web3 RTK Network that uses DePIN principles, the company said. The company says its RTK enables a 100 times improvement in position accuracy as compared to standalone GPS.
Contact: GEODNET, info@geodnet.com.
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ORBCOMM Launches Satellite IoT Tracking Device
ORBCOMM has announced the release of the SC 1000 satellite IoT tracking device—what the company is calling the first terminal developed for its next-generation satellite service, OGx.
The SC 1000 is designed to give IoT solution providers the opportunity to improve agricultural production output and asset utilization; enhance maritime shipping and rail cargo safety and security; support responsible fishing practices; reduce the environmental impact of resource extraction in mining; and manage and track multi-modal global supply chains.
Contact: Lina Paerez, ORBCOMM, (613) 875-1485, paerez.lina@orbcomm.com, www.orbcomm.com.
Zūm Rolls Out New Features
Zūm said it is recognizing National School Bus Safety Week (Oct. 21-25) with several initiatives and new features. The company offers its SafeGuard vehicle safety technology and driver training/certification program.
In addition, Zum is offering a new, tech-enabled communication tool that sends messages to drivers in real-time. Drivers are equipped with a GPS-enabled tablet that provides real-time route updates, personalized information on every student's needs and easy-to-use incident reporting capabilities, the company said.
Contact: Jenny Mayfield, Zum, press@ridezum.com, www.ridezum.com.
Konexial Partners With Lytx for Fleet Management Solutions
Konexial has partnered with Lytx to offer the Surfsight AI-powered dash camera network technology for its customers. Lytx offers machine vision and artificial intelligence-powered video telematics, analytics, safety, and productivity solutions for fleets and transportation companies, the company said. The Surfsight intelligent dash cam integrates with Konexial's telematics platform as a service, the company said.
Contact: Kristin Rakoczy, Konexial, (865) 898-0592, 384825@email4pr.com, www.konexial.com
EVERYWHERE Communications Partners With goTenna
Narrowband mesh radio company goTenna has partnered with EVERYWHERE Communications to integrate their technologies to provide users situational data in austere environments. The companies plan to deliver force-tracking, location data, secure messaging, and one-touch SOS functionality.
EVERYWHERE combines the commercial-off-the-shelf inReach Mini2 from Garmin GRMN 0.00%↑, custom AES-256 encrypted firmware. Coupled with goTenna’s Pro X2 lightweight narrowband mesh radio, the solution enables TAK device connectivity and communications reach-back in off-grid environments.
Contact: goTenna, press@gotenna.com.
Optym Integrates Kestrel's Geofencing in RouteMax
Optym has partnered with Kestrel Insights to integrate Kestrel's geofencing solution into its RouteMax platform. The integrated solution provides users with location intelligence data for optimizing pickup and delivery, trucking routes, detention times, and auto arrival/auto departure notifications, the company said. Optym's RouteMax helps LTL carriers optimize their networks, resulting in reduced planning time, driver requirements, and overall operational costs, the company said.
Contact: Jacob Eischen, Optym, 3523347283, jacob.eischen@optym.com, optym.com.
People
Ali Soliman has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing at Rx Networks.
CACI International CACI 0.00%↑ has announced that Charles Szews has been elected by shareholders to its board of directors. From 2012 to 2015, Szews served as CEO of Oshkosh Corp. OSK 0.00%↑.
Torc Robotics has named Jamie Swaim as Chief People Officer.
Woolpert has named Aaron Scro director of mergers and aquisitions.
Ed Cheesman has been named director of business development at Teledyne Marine Europe.
The LoRa Alliance has named Actility’s Alper Yegin and Semtech’s Olivier Beaujard, as chief executive and board chair, respectively. Ahmed Kasttet, of IoT company Birdz, joins the board of directors.
Darren Walker has been named senior automotive account executive, IoT sales, at T-Mobile.
Pointr has announced the appointment of Daniel Lindblom as customer success manager. The company also named Ian Burgess as inside sales representative.
Jobs
Business Analyst. Septentrio.
Product Owner - Location Intelligence. National Energy System Operator.
Senior Grants & Proposal Specialist. AURA Network Systems.
Field Safety Lead. Waymo.
Senior Demand Generation Manager. Mappedin.
Senior Director, Project Data Solutions & Optimization. Bentley.
Senior Application Engineer. STMicroelectronics.
ServiceNow Developer - SE II. TomTom.
Director, Product Management (Cloud). BlackBerry QNX.
Navigation Algorithm Engineer. ANELLO Photonics.
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