GPSat Systems in Phase 1 of the ASA GRAS Project

GPSat Systems is playing a key role in the early stages of the AirServices Australia (ASA) Ground Based Regional Augmentation System (GRAS) project. GRAS involves the replacement of Australia’s air navigation system used by the commercial and private aviation industry with a modern system using GNSS technology. The existing system, in some cases using technology dating back to World War II, is approaching its end of life. GRAS is designed to be suitable for other countries and so has attractive export prospects.

GPSat Systems is sub-contracting to the prime contractor, Honeywell International Inc, providing specialised GNSS skills to the project team. Key members of GPSat’s Senior Engineering staff, Dr Cedric Seynat and Joe Fleming, have contributed to the project working from Macleod or Minneapolis USA. Phase 1 is the project definition and architecture design stage of the project and is due to end in January 2006. Further system testing, system engineering and hardware analysis tasks are planned to involve further GPSat staff as the project progresses.

UPDATE:
Phase I of this project drew to a close at the end of February, with Phase II due to commence immediately. GPSat Systems provided Honeywell Inc (Defense Space and Electronics division in Minneapolis) with continuing GNSS engineering assistance during Phase I, including algorithm development, ionospheric data analysis, receiver trade studies and hardware comparison testing. Our staff worked in Minneapolis for extended periods of time closely integrated with the Honeywell project team. GPSat Systems expects to continue its involvement with Honeywell into Phase II.

NEW Application Programming Interface Firmware

GPSat Systems provides specialised support for NovAtel’s Application Programming Interface (API) option, which hosts customer applications on NovAtel receivers. Using a standard C/C++ development environment and the API library, software tailored for your application can be developed to run on the GPS receiver platform, eliminating system hardware and reducing development costs and time to market. The
API library includes such features as a virtual
interface to the receiver, the ability to interface with external devices, and support for multiple tasks and priority levels.

GPSat Systems has now developed and is currently
field testing with a customer RTAttitude, a firmware application designed to operate on a NovAtel receiver with API functionality enabled. RTAttitude runs on a NovAtel receiver and processes input messages from a second NovAtel receiver to produce attitude information. There are several system setup options that are available within the RTAttitude firmware
application.
If you are already processing data from your NovAtel on another computer to get the information you require and need to reduce the complexity of the systems associated with your GPS, Contact us about custom API applications.

GNSS Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) project

Progress in the company’s GNSS Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) R & D project gained exposure when we made presentations at important local and international meetings. Dr Cedric Seynat, one of the principal project engineers, presented a session on GEMS to the GNSS 2005 – Munich European Navigation Conference in June. In July Graeme Hooper reported project progress to the Global Navigation Coordination Committee (AGCC), at a meeting in Canberra. The project aims to provide total environmental monitoring for operational control of GNSS systems

UPDATE:
GNSS Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) project

This project is being further refined as development continues. Progress has been given a shot in the arm with the availability of new graduate engineers in December 2005 and the release of the senior project engineers from the ASA/Honeywell GRAS project in early 2006. The fixed baseline monitoring algorithms and monitoring system are due to be field tested in the next few weeks, and the master control station module continues its development.

Precision GPS Container Postioning System.

Patrick Stevedores is a publically listed company who's core activity is container handling at each of Australia’s major
ports, moving over a million containers per year. Over recent years, the company has substantially upgraded it’s port
infrastructure, container handling equipment and introduced “newtechnologies” to all it’s facilities Australia wide. In
order tofully capitalise, the company has also implemented a container yard positioning systemwhich records the “setdown”
and “pick-up” positions of all terminal container movements. The actual container positions are then passed to
a central management system via data radio. In 1997, Sanderson Logistics and GPSat Systems Australia were selected
to design and implement the new high accuracy and high reliability positioning system based on Real time Kinematic
GPS technologies.

Backup Anti Collision System (BACS)

Recently, the company commissioned a unique Backup Anti Collision System (BACS) for the HI
Marandoo Mine site. The system uses high precision NovAtel GPS equipment mounted on each of the two
Stackers and the one Bucket Wheel Reclaimer to continuously monitor 3D boom positions and intermachine
separations. The BACS was specifically designed to provide independent backup protection
against unforeseen failures of the primary plant PLC system. If the BACS central Processing Unit detects
an imminent collision, OPTO22 hardwired circuits will be tripped, shutting down the offending machines.