Calgary, Alberta - April 5, 2006- CSI's Hemisphere GPS division announced today that it has signed a multi-million dollar OEM agreement with ComNav Marine Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada. Under the terms of the agreement CSI will manufacture its Vector GPS compass heading sensor under a private branding arrangement for ComNav. ComNav will have exclusive rights for the product in North America, and non-exclusive rights internationally, to market to the general marine navigation industry. The Vector heading sensor provides accurate heading, rate of turn and positioning for marine navigation applications.
Established in 1982, today ComNav boasts a global dealer and distribution network of more than 400 companies serving the Marine Electronics Industry, encompassing leisure boating, commercial, fishing and government fleet markets.
Designed by CSI, the Hemisphere Vector GPS compass calculates accurate heading and position utilizing Hemisphere's proprietary GPS technology. Incorporated into the Vector are two multipath-resistant antennas for receiving GPS signals. The Vector computes heading information with better than 0.6 degrees accuracy - exceeding the accuracy of competitors' products and maintaining affordability while offering significantly better performance and very simple installation.
Hemisphere Vector products can achieve sub-meter positioning accuracy using decoded correction data from land-based Coast Guard beacon stations or Space-Based Augmentation Systems such as North America's WAAS, Europe's EGNOS and Japan's MSAS.
This patented moving base station Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) technique, with integrated gyro and tilt sensors, provides heading update rates of 10 Hz along with the 0.6 degree heading accuracy - exceeding IMO type approval standards. The Vector replaces traditional gyrocompasses and magnetic sensors for many applications at only a fraction of the cost. And unlike more expensive gyrocompasses, the Vector technology is not effected by variations of magnetic north or metal on ships. Installation is simplified, while providing reliable operation anywhere in the world.
"As an OEM autopilot supplier to several major marine electronics manufactures, ComNav is a significant and recognized manufacturer in the marine electronics industry and will effectively pair the Vector with their extensive line of autopilots," stated Phil Gabriel, Vice President of the Precision Products Division of Hemisphere GPS. "To date, the Vector has been very successful for scientific and marine survey applications. This product, available through ComNav at consumer prices, addresses the mainstream high volume market for marine navigation."
