Organized by Defense Strategies Institute, the summit will bring together leaders from the military services, federal government, industry and academia to examine how the United States can strengthen a PNT enterprise that remains essential to military operations, civil infrastructure and commercial activity. The agenda reflects both urgency and breadth: military PNT overmatch, GPS modernization, space resiliency, multi-layered architecture and the need to counter threats to trusted PNT services.

That matters because GPS remains foundational to how the nation functions. It underpins battlefield maneuver, navigation and precision effects, while also supporting power grids, telecommunications networks, transportation systems, financial markets and civilian navigation. But reliance on a single source also creates vulnerability. The summit is designed to address that challenge directly, with attention not only to protecting GPS, but also to advancing complementary and alternative sources of PNT that can sustain operations when signals are degraded or denied.

Dana Goward, moderator of the summit and a longtime advocate for resilient PNT, says the conversation has become more urgent as recent events have made clear just how contested the signal environment has become.

“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East certainly underscores what we’ve seen in the Baltic, what we’ve seen in Ukraine and other conflict areas around the world,” Goward said. “We need to take lessons about the possibilities here in the homeland and the possibilities around the world for civil infrastructure and commerce.”

That broader lens is one of the most important aspects of this year’s event. While assured PNT is often discussed through a military lens, Goward argues that the implications are much wider. The same vulnerabilities that affect warfighters can also affect ports, communications, logistics, energy systems and the broader economy. In that sense, the summit is not simply about protecting a battlefield capability. It is about strengthening a national foundation.

The event will also highlight a point that Goward returns to often: the challenge is no longer just technological. It is also institutional.

“Governance is going to be one of my themes in the program,” he said.

That emphasis is especially timely. The summit’s sessions are expected to explore both mature and emerging technologies, but Goward argues that the United States already has access to many of the tools it needs. The larger issue is alignment: defining requirements properly, coordinating policy and making sure leadership is focused on building a resilient architecture rather than assuming GPS alone is enough.

“I would hope that attendees get an understanding that we need to start taking lessons for the homeland, for our infrastructure and all of our civil applications from what’s happening overseas,” Goward said. “Unlike our major adversaries, we have no complementary and backup capability.”

He added that the reason is “primarily a lack of leadership focus and getting governance process right.”

That message gives the Assured PNT Summit its real significance. This is not just another technical meeting about signal performance or component roadmaps. It is a forum for connecting policy, military requirements and infrastructure resilience in one conversation.

Goward also stresses that complementary systems should not be seen as an argument against GPS. In his view, they are a way to strengthen it.

“GPS is great,” he said. “It’s going to be around for a long time. We’ve got to get the bullseye off of it, and we’ve got to protect the users in the event something happens.”

He argues that resilient PNT will require a systems approach, one that blends space-based services with terrestrial and timing-based capabilities. That is why the summit’s agenda, with its focus on layered architecture and resilience, is likely to resonate well beyond the defense community.

Another theme likely to draw attention is the need to define requirements more intelligently. As Goward puts it, users should not confuse a tool with a requirement.

“My PNT requirement is GPS. Well, no,” he said. “Your requirement is articulated in terms of accuracy, availability, continuity and so forth.”

That distinction may prove central to the discussions ahead. The future of assured PNT will not be determined only by whether individual systems work in isolation, but by whether the nation can build an architecture that continues to support security, infrastructure and commerce under stress.

For attendees, that makes the summit especially relevant. It offers a chance to hear from senior leaders, evaluate the state of current solutions and engage in a more mature conversation about what national resilience in PNT really requires.

Registration is now open. Active-duty U.S. military and government employees may attend on a complimentary basis.

Visit pnt.dsigroup.org for more information.

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The technology event for autonomy – At XPONENTIAL 2024 you’ll discover the next-gen technologies to make your operations safer, cheaper, and more efficient — from drones to ground robotics to submersibles and more. Get hands-on with 700+ exhibits and learn how to put these tools to work with use cases from 20+ markets, including oil & gas, electric utilities, construction, mining, and more. Whether your robotics program is getting started or ready to get to the next level, you’ll find what you need at XPONENTIAL 2024.

REGISTER HERE

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The conference will cover regional developments, such as the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN), as well as updates from the major GNSS System Providers. The conference will provide a platform for GNSS professionals to explore solutions to risks and challenges, including the increasing threats in jamming, spoofing and cybersecurity.

Highlight sessions to include:

• Meeting of the CGSIC IIS: IGNSS2024 will be host to a meeting of the Civil GPS Service Interface Committee International Information Subcommittee (CPSIC IIS). This group focuses on the needs of the international GPS user community by hosting information exchanges throughout the world and collecting inputs from users outside the United States.
• PNT in Space: This session will explore the latest advancements in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing technology in the context of space applications. Speakers will hail from a variety of backgrounds and all with specialised expertise in the field. 
• Service Provider Updates: The IGNSS Service Provider Session is the perfect opportunity to hear directly from gloabl leaders in the field of PNT.  Representatives from the major service providers including GPS, Galileo, and QZSS will provide presentations on their advancements.
• Positioning Australia: Positioning Australia will be returning to the conference to share news and updates about their activities, infrastructure and services. The sessions will feature leaders discussing topics such as SouthPAN, Ginan Analysis Software, National Positioning Infrastructure and more.

For complete program information, including the many technical sessions, as well as registration options, visit the IGNSS 2024 website here.

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This panel will include the following invited speakers:

Lunar PNT invited panelists:

・Mr. JJ Miller (NASA, USA)

・Dr. Jung Min JOO (KARI, Korea)

・Dr. Javier Ventura-Traveset (ESA, Europe)

・TBD (GISTDA, Thailand)

・Prof. Xiongwen He (CAST, China)

・Dr. Masaya Murata (JAXA, Japan)

For more information, visit the conference website at https://www.mga-conference.com/

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Manufacturers of tactical-grade IMU and INS require highly stable and robust inertial sensors to meet the accuracy requirements of dynamic applications operating in constrained environments with high vibration and temperature variations. Traditional high-performance, analog open-loop MEMS inertial sensors often suffer limited performance while exposed to shocks and vibrations, and require complex and costly system integration techniques to maintain their key performances.

Experts from Tronics Microsystems will present how a closed-loop, digital and miniature MEMS inertial sensor architecture bring high stability and repeatability figures to demanding motion control, positioning and navigation applications, while significantly reducing the integration effort and bill of materials cost at the system level.

Rounding out the webinar, Parker Aerospace will provide a customer testimonial on the added value of incorporating tactical-grade digital MEMS sensors into demanding systems.

Join us for this in-depth technical webinar on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST.

The panelists:

Raphaël Lattion, Engineering Director, Parker Aerospace
Raphaël Lattion is Engineering Director at Parker Aerospace in France. He has been working in the aerospace industry for 28 years. Raphaël has an electrical hardware background on sensing conditioning for harsh environment and safety applications (Primary Flight Controls for aerospace). He has been exploiting inertial MEMS technology for 25 years.

Vincent Gaff, Director of Sales & Marketing, Tronics Microsystems, a TDK Group Company
Vincent Gaff is Director of Marketing & Business Development at Tronics Microsystems and has 25 years of experience in the MEMS and inertial sensor industry. He oversees the sales and marketing activities for Tronics’ inertial MEMS sensors and foundry services. Vincent received a graduate degree from École Centrale Paris.

Pierre Gazull, Product Marketing Manager, Tronics Microsystems, a TDK Group Company
Pierre Gazull is Product Marketing Manager for High-Performance MEMS inertial sensors at Tronics Microsystems. Prior to joining Tronics, he worked at STMicroelectronics in SoC and ASIC HW design, then he joined Dolphin Design as a Product Marketing Manager for ultra-low power IP. Pierre holds a MSEE and a Master’s Degree in Management of Technology and Innovation.

Dr. Antoine Filipe, CTO, Tronics Microsystems, a TDK Group Company
Dr. Antoine Filipe is C.T.O. at Tronic’s and has 30 years of experience in the semiconductor and MEMS industry. Dr. Filipe holds a Master of Science from Ecole Polytechnique and a Ph. D in Solid State Physics completed within the group of Dr. Albert Fert, Nobel Prize in Physics.

Sponsored by:

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It’s been 50 years since the GPS project began, with pioneers developing what has become the robust, remarkable system so many people rely on today. During the ION GNSS+ Plenary Session, Satellite Division Chair Sandy Kennedy, who is the VP of innovation at Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, recognized this milestone and those early pioneers, including Brad Parkinson, who was in the audience.

Plenary Chair Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska went on to introduce the presenters, which included Brian “Bam” McClendon, who leads ArGeo at Niantic. In his presentation, “Where Pokémon GO: Building a Dynamic 3D AR Map of the World,” he discussed 2016’s Pokémon GO craze and the mapping story behind it.

McClendon gave background on the 2005 Google Maps launch, and the problems with the map data that came from GPS and Street View. The challenges faced led to the Ground Truth Project, where the goal was to build better quality maps that didn’t solely rely on satellite and aerial imagery. Today, data collected is sent to a machine learning algorithm that provides a precise geographic location, vastly improving accuracy.

In 2014, a Google engineer had the idea to start Pokémon GO in Google Maps as an April Fool’s joke, McClendon said, and it “turned out to be the most popular April Fool’s joke of all time.” Niantic asked players to send in video scans of the areas around Poké Spots, which has led to millions of videos that can be used for mapping that’s precise to the centimeter level.

“The goal is to have as much information around where people play games as possible,” he said. “The mapping solution is crowd sourced and constantly refreshed.”

Collecting geometries at scale allows for high-quality augmented reality game play, McClendon said, improving the quality of the reconstruction as well as the visual position. True world position is an absolute must or the experience doesn’t work.

Shared AR is another application, he said, making it possible for multiple players to see the same thing at the same time. The company is also working on taking geometric meshes and allowing players to co-locate, meaning multiple people can have a shared experience even from different locations.

“Building maps at scale is very hard,” McClendon said. “At Google, we spent a lot of time working on precision. The goal is to allow all devices to have the same experience at the same time.”

John Raquet followed up McClendon’s presentation with “UAV vs. Natural Autonomous Vehicles (NAVs)—Are We Closing the Gap?” Raquet, the director of the Dayton Business Unit of Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S), compared where we are with UAV development to birds using various specifications, including range per unit weight, number in formation and cross domain performance.

Though UAVs are making progress, Raquet was able to find a superior bird in almost every category.

“There’s still a sizable gap between the capabilities of UAVs and NAVs that won’t be closed any time soon,” he said. “But NAVs can be a source of inspiration. It’s proof of existence. If something else can do it, we know it’s possible.”

The conference continued with technical sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Presenters covered a variety of hot-button topics, including alternative technologies for GNSS-denied environments, advanced processing of terrestrial signals of opportunity, high precision and high integrity navigation, and lunar positioning, navigation and timing, to name a few.

On Wednesday and Thursday, attendees had the opportunity to visit the exhibit hall and talk with vendors about the latest technologies and advancements. Exhibitors included CAST Navigation, GPS Networking, GPS Source, Hexagon | NovAtel, Ideal Aerosmith, LabSat, NavtechGPS, Safran-Electronics and Defense, SBG Systems, Silicon Sensing, Spirent Communications, Syntony, Trimble, Tualcom and Xona Space Systems.

During the conference, NextNav highlighted Pinnacle, which delivers precise, floor-level vertical positioning for 911 calls and other applications, and TerraPoiNT, a resilient position, navigation, and timing (PNT) system that supplements and enhances GPS. The two combined create 3D PNT that can be deployed around cities with a strong signal and high-precision, Co-Founder and CEO Ganesh Pattabiraman said.

The company demonstrated a new dedicated system at the conference that Pattabiraman said is the answer for scaling high-precision applications like autonomous vehicles and drones, as well as electrical grids, timing centers, infrastructure and public safety. It’s a solution that can be quickly and easily integrated in both urban and more rural areas, providing a resilient, precise alternative solution that can be scaled without having to put a transmitter “in every nook and cranny.”

“Many customers were using us for vertical and WiFi and GPS, which are both vulnerable, for horizontal. So there’s a gap,” Pattabiraman said. “To address this, we needed a solution that’s more scalable.”

Earlier this year, NextNav tested its assured PNT TerraPoiNT system with LTE and 5G signals, demonstrating the solution is a viable alternative to conventional GPS and GNSS. With these initial tests, TerraPoiNT delivered accurate 3D positioning and timing information after being integrated with existing cellular signals.

Anello, another exhibitor, talked with customers about its SiPhOG-X3 IMU that’s set to be released at the end of the year or early next. The unit leverages three SiPhOG (Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope) units, with each containing its own independent 6-axis redundant IMU sensor. It can operate in GNSS-denied environments and has garnered a lot of interest in areas like drone cargo delivery and other aerial applications, Senior Systems Engineer Kirstin Schauble said.

LabSat announced updates to its LabSat simulator and SatGen software at the conference. SatGen now has an improved dynamics engine and can simulate space scenarios, Technical Sales Engineer Elijah Owens said. Other features include improved route drawing with road, pedestrian, rail and straight-line routing, as well as route drawing and static point using Google Maps, Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap or AMAP. A new user interface offers users intuitive navigation and control.

The new LabSat 4 GNSS simulator was also unveiled, featuring 12-bit I&Q quantization and a flexible 10 to 60 MHz bandwidth. It has a wider dynamic range, more resolution in the signal, improved data transfer and larger storage capacity than its predecessor, Marketing Manager Jennifer Edis said.

StarNav announced PNT results for its receiver using Xona LEO Pulsar signals during a recent test. The 20 cm positioning accuracy results were produced using Safran’s simulator. This is the first test with StarNav receivers, with more planned as additional Xona test satellites are deployed.

“In the beginning, we built a multi-frequency receiver to provide a more robust PNT solution over just GPS,” StarNav CEO Joshua Morales said. “We see value in adding Xona into our receiver box as it gives additional positioning precision and added safety.”

Xona recently launched a privately funded PNT mission progressing from concept to on-orbit in less than 12 months. Since then, Xona has validated the capability of its technology on-orbit and built out a growing ecosystem of GNSS receiver and simulator partners with companies that include StarNav as well as Hexagon | NovAtel, Septentrio, Spirent, Safran and Syntony.

FocalPoint also made an announcement at the show. It has added new functionality to its Supercorrelation technology, S-GNSS, that makes it easy for chipset companies to integrate.

Attendees also had a chance to attend social events, including the Rocky Mountain Jam sponsored by GPS Networking and Inside GNSS. Held at The Black Buzzard at Oskar Blues, talented musicians from the GNSS community entertained a packed house of their peers.

Next year’s ION GNSS+ technical conference will move to Baltimore, taking over the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. You don’t want to miss it, so mark your calendars for Septer 16 to 20.

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In this webinar, we’ll delve into the current state of automation and autonomy — and how Trimble is helping enable the development of these solutions. Trimble GNSS for OEMs Product Manager Gordon Hain will highlight the company’s guiding principles of autonomy with strong technical expertise in robust positioning and orientation in all operating environments. He will cover options that provide accurate positioning and orientation for entry level GNSS receivers to high-precision INS systems; real-time and ground-truthing for development, prototyping and testing; HD mapping and path planning that creates customizable libraries to optimize workflows; and localization and perception that, through sensor fusion, enables operation in GNSS-denied environments.

During the webinar, Dynapac Application Specialist Fredrik Akesson and SAGA Robotics Senior Robotics Engineer Michael Hutchinson will share real-world use cases from the agriculture and construction industries. They’ll provide a deep dive into sensor integration in off-road environments that bring automation and autonomy alive.

Our expert panel:

Gordon Hain, Product Manager, Autonomy Sector, Trimble Inc.
Gordon is a Product Manager in Trimble’s Autonomy division. He has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechatronics. His professional background is deeply rooted in the construction and mining industries which has given him extensive experience in this domain.
His association with Trimble commenced with the acquisition of Loadrite, during which he served as the Product Manager overseeing excavator payload measurement systems. Following this, he spent several years immersed in the realm of GNSS Aided Inertial Navigation Systems, where he collaborated closely with enterprises engaged in ventures spanning from deep-sea exploration to the fringes of our atmosphere.
His current role at Trimble focuses on steering the autonomous compactor project and other cutting-edge autonomy-related products.

Fredrik Åkesson, Application Specialist, Dynapac
Fredrik Åkesson currently serves as Application Support Engineer at Dynapac, overseeing autonomous technology implementation for the compaction business unit. Previously, he joined Dynapac as technical training manager in 1998 and has held several training, application support and portfolio management leadership roles at the business. Fredrik holds a degree in construction engineering from Högskolan Karlskrona/Ronneby and previously served as an Officer in the Swedish Navy.

Michael Hutchinson, Senior Robotics Engineer, SAGA Robotics
Michael Hutchinson joined Saga Robotics as a Senior Robotics Engineer in 2019 where he leads development of the autonomy software for the Thorvald platform. Previously, he gained a PhD in Robotics and Automation and a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering from Loughborough University, UK.

This can’t-miss free webinar is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern on September 20. Register today.

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Launched in 2015, Commercial UAV Expo gathers the international drone ecosystem under one roof. With top-notch education, unparalleled networking, and more exhibits than any other commercial drone event, Commercial UAV Expo is the must-attend event if keeping up with the newest technology and developments is a priority.

The event draws qualified vertical industry end-users, leaders guiding the safe integration of UAS into the airspace, solutions pioneers and more. Exhibits showcase best-in-class UAS from the world’s top solutions providers, ensuring an efficient way to qualify and compare solutions. It is presented by Commercial UAV News and organized by Diversified Communications, organizer of GEO Business, Digital Construction Week and Geo Week which is comprised of International LiDAR Mapping Forum, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference and AEC Next Expo & Conference.

Use code SAVE100 for a $100 discount and/or FREE expo admission. 4,000 attendees from 75 nations. Visit www.expouav.com.

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Join us on Thursday, June 29, for Inside GNSS’ upcoming webinar, Space Weather’s Impact on GNSS.

Adrian Stimpson and Paul Alves, from Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, will discuss GNSS errors and corrections, the ionosphere and what impacts its behavior, what that means for GNSS positioning in safety-critical applications like autonomous vehicle navigation, and how Hexagon is mitigating disruptions. The ionospheric error is one of the most volatile GNSS errors; Hexagon observes and models these errors from a global network of ground stations and sends corrections to the receivers.

Also presenting is subject matter expert Dr. Jade Morton, of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who will cover how space weather impacts society, detailing the three different types of space weather and providing examples of how it’s caused significant GPS outages over the years. She’ll also highlight space weather/ionospheric effects on GNSS, why GNSS/GPS receivers are sensitive to space weather and the different types of space weather impact forecasting.

The panelists:

Adrian Stimpson, Business Development Manager, Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division

Adrian has been working in the satellite and positioning industry for 35 years. At Hexagon he works with industry partners and customers to develop future uses for high accuracy positioning such as on smartphones and for autonomous vehicles. He is also an active Amateur Radio operator where he monitors and uses the ionosphere daily for worldwide HF communications.

Jade Morton, Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

Dr. Jade Morton is Helen and Hubert Croft Professor and Director for Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research in the Ann and H. J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at University of Colorado Boulder, and a visiting research scientist at Google. Her research interests lie at the intersection of satellite navigation technologies and remote sensing of the Earth’s ionosphere, atmosphere, and surface. Dr. Morton received her PhD in electrical engineering from Penn State. She is a fellow of IEEE, ION, and UK’s Royal Institute of Navigation.

Paul Alves, Director of Positioning Services, Algorithms, Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division

Dr. Paul Alves received a Ph.D. from the Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary. Since then he has focused on RTK, Network RTK, and PPP positioning algorithms in development, research and management roles. He is currently the Director of Positioning Services, Algorithms at Hexagon.

Unable to attend the live webinar on June 29? REGISTER TODAY and you will receive an invitation to view on-demand at your convenience.

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Join the highest impact gathering of the year at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL, as attendees design a plan for the future of the industry by building a blueprint for autonomy. Hear the latest ideas for integrating technology across industries and help shape the standards and systems to get there. Attendees can sit in on keynotes, share their perspectives during workshops, visit an expanded list of exhibitors on the show floor and see new educational theaters.

Register Here

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