Compiled by Jeff Salmon
Europe Kickstarts its Own Sat-Com
The European Union will soon boast its own secure communication satellites system similar to Starlink with the signing of a new space contract in Brussels, Belgium, in December.
IRIS², short for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellites, will be composed a multi-orbital constellation of 290 satellites that will provide Internet connectivity to Europe, including connectivity-deprived zones, using both Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Launch plans for the first IRIS² satellites will be in 2029.
The project consortium is composed of major European satellite and communication companies, including Airbus Defence and Space, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Eutelsat SA.
“The IRIS² program is a landmark initiative that embodies Europe’s commitment to digital sovereignty, resilience, and strategic autonomy,” said Eva Berneke, chief executive officer of Eutelsat.
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
The Year Ahead in Space
Expect 2025 to continue to be a bumper year in space events and launches as more countries and private companies join the race to reach beyond the skies. In Januarythe launch of the Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander marked the first privately funded U.S. spacecraft designed to land on the surface of the moon.
In February, Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams, astronauts from the International Space Station, return to Earth, and in March NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) was launched to scan the Earth’s land and ice surfaces, twice every 12 days.
And there’s plenty more to come:
May: 50th anniversary of the European Space Agency.
July: Galileo Emergency Warning Satellite System will transmit alert messages to smartphones or other devices that can receive Galileo signals.
August: Launch of Sentinel-1D, a two-satellite constellation carrying advanced radar instruments will provide all-weather imagery of the Earth’s surface.
Third Quarter: First flight of Ariane 64, Europe’s new rocket which has four boosters.
Fourth Quarter: Cluster-1 satellite will undergo the world-first ‘targeted reentry’ to make sure that any part of the spacecraft that survives the return to Earth’s atmosphere will fall over the open ocean.
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
Richer GIS Layer Now More Accessible
Mapmakers can now make use of popular NASA imagery products right on their desktops via Esri’s ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, all in GIS format.
The newly accessible NASA dataset includes true-color and corrected-reflectance Earth imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument which captures the image of the Earth every one to two days. MODIS data can be used to track land cover changes over time, such as monitoring deforestation and flooding. In the United States, it is being used to map wildfires.
While NASA imagery data have always been publicly available, this recent partnership Esri is a boon for GIS users. Previously, clients themselves had to download and process the imagery, requiring considerable computing resources and time. By making their data available in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World, NASA makes it far easier for GIS practitioners to access high-quality imagery datasets in a plug-and-playable GIS format.
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
Saildrone to Map Florida’s Coastal Waters
Saildrone has been selected by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to map Florida’s coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative (FSMI), a multiyear effort to provide statewide stakeholders with accessible, high-quality, and high-resolution seafloor data of Florida’s coastal waters within the continental shelf.
Updated mapping data of coastal systems is critical for protecting offshore infrastructure, habitat mapping, restoration projects, emergency response, coastal resilience, and hazard studies for the state’s citizens.
Saildrone has been tasked with collecting high-resolution multibeam data in a region known as Middle Grounds. The mission will use two 10-meter Saildrone Voyager uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) equipped with NORBIT WINGHEAD i80s echo sounders for high-resolution mapping and radar, AIS, and cameras for maritime domain awareness. Saildrone will map 2,817 square kilometers of seafloor, approximately 130 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg.
“Mapping the Florida coastline is vital for understanding our dynamic coastal environments, supporting sustainable resource management, and enhancing resilience against extreme weather events,” said Brian Connon, Saildrone VP Ocean Mapping. “FSMI will provide critical insights that empower policymakers, researchers, and local communities to protect vital ecosystems and infrastructure along Florida’s coasts. Saildrone USVs efficiently and safely collect high-resolution bathymetric data while minimizing environmental impact.”
St. Peter’s Basilica Gets a Digital Twin
The Vatican collaborated with Microsoft to create a digital copy of the St. Peter’s Basilica using artificial intelligence technology.
It took experts four years to capture some 400,000 high-resolution images using cameras, drones, and lasers of the entire religious complex. Microsoft’s AI technology stitched the photos together to create a 22-terabyte digital mosaic.
The project to build the basilica’s digital copy will now allow would-be visitors to virtually explore the Basilica in time for the 2025 Jubilee, while at the same time helping architects and engineers to identify structural problems. The Vatican expects more than 30 million pilgrims during this year’s jubilee, an event celebrated every 25 years.
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
Aquatic Treasure Hunters Take Note
A low-cost submersible drone has just added a new treasure-hunting upgrade. Chasing Innovation has introduced an upgrade to its affordable underwater drone, the Dory. The Chinese company is now offering a new version of the small remote-control sub, complete with a joystick remote, metal detector, and treasure-collecting net. Called the Dory Explore, the new model is identical to the standard Dory—but adds an attached metal detector and net.
The 1.1-kilogram (2.4-pound) drone can dive to a maximum depth of 15 meters (49 feet) and is linked via an electrical cable to a Wi-Fi buoy which is towed along the surface. Users control the Dory Explore (and view the real-time output of its 1080P high-definition camera) via an iOS/Android app that wirelessly communicates with the buoy.
When sand-covered ferrous metal is detected, users are alerted by a flashing red LED on the detector itself, which can be seen in the drone’s camera feed. The net simply gets clipped onto the detector as needed.
If you are looking to join the ranks of legendary treasure hunters like Mel Fisher, but are a little light in the wallet, then at just $509 the Dory Explore is for you.
Carlson Software Announces the Purchase of DotSoft
Carlson Software has bought the assets of DotSoft, which include numerous CAD-related products such as ToolPac, LidarTools, MapWorks, RevitOffice+, PDF2DWG, and others. Terry Dotson, the author of all DotSoft products, was a fully self-taught programming expert who developed hundreds of utility programs to make the work of surveyors, engineers, mapping technicians, and CAD operators in general more productive. His programs have functioned as add-ons to AutoCAD, Intellicad and BricsCAD. Terry had worked directly for Carlson for over a decade, bringing his products to the company, before returning to private business.
RIEGL’s New Long-range Scanner: VZ-4000i25
RIEGL’s new long-range scanner features on-board processing, one-touch-button operation, customized workflows and pre-settings, as well as real-time registration enabled by GNSS/IMU to provide a fast and efficient workflow from data acquisition to post-processing results.
The unit provides remarkable long-range performance of up to 4,600 meters at eye-safe operation in laser class 1. The IP64 certification ensures that it can be used in harsh environments. RIEGL’s Ultimate lidar technology provides multiple-target capability and valuable data attributes for every measurement.
The versatility of the scanner allows use in various applications and survey routines. An internal camera, internal IMU for pose estimation, an optional external GNSS RTK receiver, support for user apps, and pre-installed RIEGL apps are further key features. Integrated WiFi, high-speed data download via TCP/IP, automatic and fast data transfer with CF-express card, cloud data synchronization via internet and exchange formats for further analysis provide superior connectivity.
Stonex’s New X40GO SLAM Laser Scanner
The X40GO is a compact system providing high-precision point cloud data, based on SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology. With a 70-meter range, its lidar orientation has been designed to maximize coverage and a built-in 12-megapixel camera provides texture information to the 3D model.
An affordable and simple solution, X40GO offers a host of features including Geotagging, real time preview, automatic control point measurement, and high-performance computation.
Post-processing is handled by the included GOpost software for colorizing point clouds and creation of panoramic images. Users can also import control points to georeference the point cloud. Also bundled is GOapp, Stonex SLAM’s dedicated mobile application to manage projects, real time point cloud display, image preview, firmware upgrade, and other operations. The APP runs on either Android or iOS operating systems.
The X40GO, combined with bundled software, is a superior solution for interior surveys with floor plan generation and BIM.
Teledyne Geospatial Introduces New Topo-bathy Solution: ‘Fathom’
Teledyne Geospatial has introduced Fathom, a fast and intuitive coastal mapping solution. Fathom is comprised of a lidar sensor for deep and shallow water bathymetry. Also included is a built-in topographic lidar and a multispectral camera for the most complete coastal survey at a coverage of 50 square kilometers per hour. Fathom delivers data quickly by leveraging real-time quality control with onboard and scalable processing with a CARIS workflow.
Fathom is engineered to address common challenges in topobathy projects: cost and complexity. Designed for use in small aircraft for cost reduction, Fathom also features real-time quality control for confidence in data collection with onboard in-air software. Simplified post-processing software, Fathom Flow, provides fast data turnaround to deliver projects quickly. Compared to traditional methods, Fathom captures data 45 times more productively in the intertidal zone, according to the manufacturer.
Trimble, Qualcomm Partner on Positioning Tech for Autonomous Vehicles
Trimble has expanded its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to offer precise positioning solutions for automated vehicles, ranging from passenger cars to heavy trucks.
The partnership will integrate Trimble’s ProPoint Go positioning engine with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2, to provide positioning accuracy within 10 centimeters.
The joint solution is expected to be available in vehicles by 2028, supporting Level 2+ and potentially higher levels of automated driving (AD) applications. It will enable high-accuracy positioning for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) applications for automotive manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers, Trimble claims.
VertiGIS Studio Offers Low-code/No-code GIS App Development
VertiGIS Studio is a suite of tools designed to empower organizations with the ability to create robust GIS applications without writing a single line of code. Thousands of organizations have already said goodbye to the cumbersome effort of grappling for developer assistance to build and maintain their apps. VertiGIS Studio offers a low-code/no-code environment with a collection of pre-built and easily configurable widgets, streamlining the creation process and bringing GIS to the forefront of an organization’s success, making it accessible for people who rely on spatial data in comprehensible ways.
Typical applications include:
- Asset and document management: Improve data accuracy and save substantial time
• CAMA, imagery, and data processing: Gain actionable insights within your apps
• Parcel reporting: Utilize dynamic report templates
• Citizen engagement: Enable self-service capabilities to reduce the burden on GIS teams
• Process automation: Regulatory adherence without the tedious, manual oversight
