New Release: POSPac Go! from Applanix

Applanix has recently introduced POSPac Go! – a new feature to their industry leading GNSS-aided inertial post-processing software POSPac. It is an automated method of processing RTK corrections used during data acquisition to develop a smoothed best estimate of trajectory (SBET) file for use in a wide array of hydrographic survey packages. As with the standard POSPac processing, the option to use Trimble’s CenterPoint RTX satellite-based corrections is available as well. This functionality is available to current POSPac users running the latest POSPac firmware, as well as POS MV v10.3 or newer.

Looking for more information about POSPac Go!? Please call us at (863) 644-8712.

Trimble RTX is now available for the Marine market!

Trimble’s satellite-based correction service, Trimble RTX, have seen a few updates recently, but the most recent is a game changer for Measutronics. Trimble RTX is now available for marine markets, including ALL inland rivers and lakes, harbors and ports, and Great Lakes – up to 5km offshore.

This comes just a month after Trimble announced that their flagship RTX service, CenterPoint RTX Fast Correction service, has reached full coast-to-coast coverage of the continental United States. This capability has become more prevalent over the years, especially in the last few years now that the US Coast Guard is nearly done decommissioning their nationwide Differential GPS service.

For more information about Trimble RTX and how to subscribe, contact us.

GPS Week Number Rollover (WNRO) Information

Summary: GNSS receivers that rely on Global Positioning System (GPS) face a notable event on April 6, 2019, because it marks a reset of their date information known as the GPS Week Number Rollover (GPS WNRO). Receivers that are not current with their firmware risk incorrectly reporting the GPS week which may cause additional unforeseen consequences.

Background: GPS dates are expressed as a week number and a day-of-week number, with the week number transmitted as a ten-bit value. This means that every 1024 weeks (about 19.6 years) after Sunday 6 January 1980 (the GPS epoch), the date resets again to that date; this happened for the first time at 23:59:47 on Saturday 21 August 1999 and will happen again at 23:59:42 on 6 April 2019 and on 20 November 2038.

Solution: To address this concern, modernized GPS navigation messages use a 13-bit field, which only repeats every 8,192 weeks (157 years), and will not return to zero until near the year 2137. Legacy systems with current firmware will also be unaffected. To verify you’re using the current firmware, refer to Trimble Installation Manager. All Trimble receivers with firmware version ≥2.32 will continue to operate normally following the rollover.* It is always recommended to have quality checks in place before or during the collection of data, such as checking into known control points, to ensure equipment is working properly.

*NOTE: New Trimble GNSS receivers MPS865 and SPS785 MUST use the most recent FW despite being greater than v2.32.