Survey Systems News

The relationship between Datron Technology and OxTS developed in 2001 and was built upon common goals and enthusiasm. Both were small companies at the time looking to cement their respective places in the market place, and to develop together by sharing their experiences and expertise. Ten years on, the relationship has blossomed and the partnership is now influential in the automotive market. But any good and worthwhile relationship can't afford to stand still; businesses need to diversify and branch out into different sectors and niches within the market, particularly when that market is lacking confidence. Both Datron and OxTS have plans to expand their working partnership and take the joint venture into new areas over the coming months, particularly the surveying market. Brendan Watts, Director of OxTS, explains:

Direct geo-referencing of airborne images with high precision GNSS technology is an established practice used in aerial survey mapping projects. Unfortunately the use of integrated systems of high quality aerial cameras and orientation sensors has until recently been limited because it was prohibitively expensive.

Air travellers have faced a series of disruptions over the last few years, thanks mainly to volcanic eruptions and the lingering effects of ash particles in the air. First there was the eruption in 2010 of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, which caused the cancellation of thousands of flights and the closure of hundreds of airports through northern Europe: then there was the recent eruption of the Chilean volcano, Puyrhue-Cordon Caulle which caused chaos in South America and forced the cancellation of hundreds of Qantas flights in Australia and New Zealand.

Targeted at the survey market, the Inertial+ represents a big move in the Inertial+GPS navigation system market by being very cost-effective. The low price tag does not stop it from being highly accurate though. By combining an Inertial+ with your high accuracy RTK GPS receiver you can achieve 1cm precision, 0.03 degrees roll/pitch accuracy and have low drift rates when GPS is not available.