Novatel News

NovAtel, part of technology company Hexagon, has unveiled a new GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) device amid heightened interference and jamming in marine environments worldwide. The low size, weight and power (SWaP) GAJT-410MS is designed to protect civil and military operations from interference and jamming, with jammer direction-finding capabilities for enhanced situation awareness in the marine environment.Interference, both benign and malicious, is a challenge facing civilian and military operations.

THOR is the brain-child of CTruk’s Military and Security team, who between them have amassed approximately 200 years of military experience, skills and knowledge. Realizing that new designs must be right the first time, the company has established a Military Design Advisory Panel (MDAP), which acts as an advisory body, steering design to ensure that vessels are fit for task. The result of all this expertise, not to mention CTruk’s proven offshore support vessel designs, is THOR…

KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) announced that it has received a new $1m order for its CNS-5000, a self-contained navigation system that combines fiber optic gyro (FOG)-based inertial measurement technology from KVH with global positioning system (GPS) technology from NovAtel. This navigation solution provides the precise position and orientation of a host platform on a continuous basis, even during periods where GPS signals are blocked by natural or man-made obstructions or conditions. “This latest order, following on the heels of another $900,000 order a month ago, is evidence of the rapid acceptance of the CNS-5000 and the demand for a self-contained, commercial navigation solution,” said Dan Conway, KVH’s vice president of business development.

Leica Geosystems and NovAtel Inc. have entered an agreement to develop new technologies for global positioning systems (GPS). This is particularly relevant for equipment that will be based on the new upcoming Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In the mid-eighties Leica Geosystems was one of the first companies to develop and market GPS surveying systems. NovAtel, founded in 1978, also has the reputation of being one of the most successful innovators of advanced concepts in GPS technologies. These include significant contributions to the development of Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as WAAS, MSAS and EGNOS.

NovAtel has been granted a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) for definition work on Galileo, the proposed European satellite navigation system. The $126,700 contract calls for NovAtel to provide input to ESA on signal validation and receiver development requirements. The company will also review draft Galileo signal specifications and provide feedback on receiver performance, development requirements and cost implications. Working directly with ESA technical management, NovAtel expects that the study will be complete during the next six to eight months. Jointly initiated by the European Union and ESA, the Galileo project aims to launch a series of Medium Earth Orbit satellites in three orbital planes at 20…

NovAtel was granted orders to supply another 13 reference receivers to the MTSAT Satellite-based Augmentation System (MSAS) in Japan. With the order estimated at more than $1 million, these receivers are scheduled for delivery during Q3 1999. NovAtel had previously supplied receivers to the MSAS program in 1998.

NovAtel Inc., has announced the appointment of Jonathan W. Ladd to the position of president and CEO, effective February 19, 2002. David Vaughn, who has acted in this capacity since February 2001, will continue in consulting capacity for an indefinite period of time. With over 20 years of experience in commercial and precision-focused GPS companies, Ladd brings 12 years of senior management experience in the GPS industry to NovAtel. Recently, he was senior vice president engineering and president at Magellan Corporation Russian subsidiary, Ashtech A/O. He has also held several other senior management positions at Magellan Corporation, including senior vice president of the Advanced Technology Group, and vice president and general manager of Ashtech Precision products business unit.

NovAtel Inc. was awarded a $142,000 (CDN) contract by Public Works & Government Services Canada for an Interoperability study on the receiver requirements for Galileo. Galileo is the European Union's state-of-the-art Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which is expected to be fully operable by 2008 with up to 30 satellites orbiting the earth. This contract, sponsored in Canada by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), focuses principally on both GPS and Galileo receiver requirements and system performance. NovAtel will study the requirements for a combined GPS/Galileo receiver. The University of Calgary, also located in Calgary, Canada, will work under a subcontract to NovAtel to analyze the performance of the system using system constellation modeling techniques.