Toronto, Canada – Optech Incorporated, a manufacturer of advanced lidar survey instruments, is proud to offer its airborne survey clients the latest developments in inertial navigation solutions. Applanix Corporation’s recent release of POSPac Air 5.0 represents a huge leap in maximizing data collection efficiencies when using Optech’s industry-leading ALTMs (Airborne Terrain Laser Mapper), and ultimately increases return on investment (ROI).

POSPac Air 5.0 now incorporates GNSS network data and more tightly integrated inertial processing methods. This minimizes the restrictions currently associated with airborne GNSS surveying requiring high accuracy solutions. New additions to the software suite include Applanix SmartBase, a module that generates atmospheric corrections at the aircraft location from GNSS observables collected from public or private GNSS reference stations. When combined with data from the inertial measurement unit and Applanix’ new IN-Fusion technology, it enables GNSS ambiguities and aircraft position and orientation to be solved simultaneously.

GNSS ambiguities are now maintained in memory during cycle slips or complete GPS outages, thereby enabling aircraft bank angles in excess of 40º. Users now have the ability to automatically access reference station data over the internet and generate a network using up to 50 reference stations at a time, reducing reference station infrastructure requirements. “This improvement can only be seen as a benefit to our customers’ current tool kit, which we believe will increase their processing competitive advantage while maximizing their rate of ROI on their projects,” said Glenn Farrington, Optech's General Manager, Airborne Survey Products.

“Applanix is extremely pleased to partner with Optech to bring this new technology to their customers,” said Joe Hutton, Director of Airborne Products at Applanix. “The unique capabilities of POSPac Air 5.0 provide the Optech ALTM with the highest level of georeferencing accuracy and productivity on the market today, something that is a must for high-performance airborne lidar.”

For more information visit www.optech.ca .