Trimble has acquired the Terralite assets from Novariant, Inc., to expand the Sunnyvale, California–based company’s portfolio of positioning solutions.
Trimble has acquired the Terralite assets from Novariant, Inc., to expand the Sunnyvale, California–based company’s portfolio of positioning solutions.
Introduced by Novariant in 2004, Terralite XPS (for eXtended Positioning Signal) technology is a scalable infrastructure that generates proprietary signals for real-time positioning to augment existing GNSS coverage. The Trimble technology uses a network of ground-based stations (pseudolites) to transmit a proprietary single-channel XPS code/carrier signal to mobile GPS+XPS receivers.
Using Terralites enables operators of GPS-equipped machines, such as drills, bulldozers, shovels and haul trucks, to receive continuous real-time positioning information in locations where conventional GPS satellite signals may be obstructed or unavailable.
"The Terralite asset acquisition expands Trimble’s technology portfolio and can enable us to offer an even broader range of positioning solutions," said Bryn Fosburgh, vice president of Trimble. "The solution can improve the efficiency and productivity of surface mining and other high-value site operations challenged by limited or no GPS coverage."
GPS may require augmentation in areas with obstructed views of the sky, such as heavily forested areas, near high walls in open pit mines, and areas with overhead obstructions such as bridges and cranes. A variety of technologies have been implemented to augment GPS, including the development of receivers that track GPS along with additional GNSS signals, and the use of optical technology, inertial systems, cellular network–assisted GPS, LAN-based positioning, laser augmented GPS, and others.
In 2005 Novariant installed its first Terralite system at a Phelps Dodge Corporation mine in Morenci, Arizona.
The Terralite business will be reported as part of the Trimble’s engineering and construction business segment. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition.
