Hydromagic Dredging software supports dredging operators working on the Wislok reservoir in Rzeszów. The computer system with precise sensors provides information about the dredger’s performance.

Working on the Wislok

Dredging on the reservoir is a complex engineering project aimed at turning the area over its retention functions in the event of a flood and making it an attractive point on the map of the city of Rzeszów. The dredging process visualization system, based on the Hydromagic Dredging software, has been implemented there by K2sea on the cutter dredger operating in the area. It increases the efficiency of work by providing operators with the necessary data on the sediment extraction from the bottom of the river.

Hydromagic Dredging – proffesional solution for all kinds of dredgers

Hydromagic Dredging is a software package dedicated to monitoring the work of various types of dredgers. It can be a separate product or an extension of the Hydromagic Survey version. It provides real-time insight into work parameters and the progress of dredging operations. More at: https://k2sea.pl/produkt/hydromagic-dredging/.

This webinar will review the role of PNT, unmanned system ecosystem risks caused by GNSS vulnerabilities, and available technologies that can ensure greater resiliency, protection and safety for unmanned missions. It will also consider how industry can support agencies such as FAA, DHS and DOT to ensure that unmanned systems operating environments are not compromised by GNSS interference or attacks.

When? Thu, Oct 29, 2020 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CET

Where? Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5414636680472007949?source=infiniDome

Who?

• Dana Goward, President, Resilient Navigation & Timing Foundation
• James Platt, Chief, Strategic Defense Initiatives, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Karen Van Dyke, Director, Positioning, Navigation and Timing U.S. Department of Transportation
• Omer Sharar, CEO, infiniDome
• John Fischer, VP Advanced R&D, Orolia

InfiniDome is a leader in the production of GPS positioning continuity protection devices, also available for civil users. The InfiniDome devices are offered by K2sea.

The OtoSphere ™ device is the first professional anti-jammer available to civil users and various industries. It protects the GPS receiver against satellite signal loss caused by jamming, ensuring the continuity of GPS positioning in jamming conditions.

OtoSphere is now available at K2sea store! Check here or ask us for the personalised offer at info@k2sea.pl.

Jamming – why so serious?

Jamming is the deliberate jamming of a signal in order to prevent telecommunications or positioning by jammed devices. The GPS signal, with a very low signal-to-noise ratio, is extremely susceptible to jamming, and jammers can be found at many online auctions, at prices allowing them to be purchased by virtually everyone. GPS jamming is a method commonly used by thieves of equipment equipped with GPS locators or dishonest drivers of cars covered by GPS tracking. In the context of autonomous cars, drones or watercraft, jamming the GPS / GNSS signal can lead to loss of control over the vessel, or even the loss of the vessel itself and cause unforeseeable damage.

Solution

The OtoSphere ™ by Infinidome is a compact device, compatible with any GPS / GNSS receiver working with an antenna with an SMA connector. The Null Steering algorithm implemented in the OtoSphere ™ enables the maintenance of GPS positioning in conditions of interference. LED diodes indicate the correct operation of the device and the fact that jamming has been detected. The EPS version also enables the transmission of the jamming detection signal to an external user device.

Application

• ensuring the continuity of positioning and control of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with speeds up to 150 km/h;
• protection against theft of vehicles, yachts, trailers, containers and all other objects equipped with GPS locators;
• Continuity of GPS tracking for business, heavy and special vehicles (vehicles convoying valuables, ambulances, police cars and many others) under jamming conditions.

OtoSphere ™ comes in two power versions:

OtoSphere ™ v2-EPS (External Power Supply) – powered by an external 3-wire 5 VDC – 32 VDC cable with transmission of jamming detection information.

OtoSphere ™ v2-PPS (Phantom Power Supply) – powered by the GPS receiver via the “R” link. The product is available on request. Contact us at info@k2sea.pl.

Assembly

Small dimensions of the housing (70 x 48 x 24 mm) and a high level of resistance to environmental conditions (IP67, operating temperature range from -40°C to + 85°C) enable safe and discreet installation in various types of vehicles, both land, floating and and flying. The assembly is intuitive and the operation is maintenance-free. The device should be connected to the antenna input of the GPS / GNSS receiver using a cable with SMA connector. Two external GPS antennas are connected to OtoSphere ™ to ensure proper operation of the jamming detection algorithm and positioning continuity.

The OtoSphere ™ device requires the connection of two independent GPS / GNSS antennas to operate. The antennas of the renowned U-blox brand recommended by us are available in our store.

Operation

Thanks to a unique solution based on the analysis and filtering of signals received by two GPS antennas, OtoSphere ™ ensures the continuity of determining the GPS position under conditions of interference emitted by the jammer.

In the absence of interference, both receivers – OtoSphere ™ protected and unprotected – correctly determine position from multiple satellites (see the picture below):

When the jammer is turned on, only the receivers protected by the OtoSphere ™ can maintain positioning integrity. The other receiver immediately loses its ability to receive the signal and fix its position:

Dependence on GPS / GNSS positioning is one of the most frequently raised accusations regarding the safe use of unmanned vessels at sea. In case of loss of satellite positioning, the operator or the control center on land is deprived of information about the location of its unit, and thus their impact on the safety of the USV and the environment becomes significantly limited. What can be a reason of positiong loss? For example GPS jamming.

Can GPS be jammed?

While the level of reliability of the GNSS systems themselves over the years of their use is beyond doubt, disrupting the receiver at the user level is extremely easy and achievable for everyone. Jammers preventing the location of for example a car, can be purchased at online auctions for tens of USD. More powerful devices can disrupt GPS signal reception over many kilometers.

Reports of GPS jamming incidents regularly appear in the media. American pilots of aircrafts, from Cessnas 172s to Airbus A300s, reported nearly 80 cases of GPS jamming observations in the USA in 2013-2016¹. Multiple incidents of disruption of positioning devices were reported in 2019 on ships operating in the Persian Gulf².

The problem also concerns land applications, in particular the use of GPS locators to secure vehicles or valuable cargo against theft or unauthorized use. A spectacular case from Poland was the theft of nearly 8 million zlotys from a convoy transporting money for one of the banks. A GPS jammer was used to hide the position of the van. The initiators of the jump were captured, but the loot was never found³.

What then?

Techniques for defending against GPS jamming were available on the military market, but few civilian users could afford to protect their cargo or vehicles. Until now. K2sea has become the official distributor of the InfiniDome brand – the manufacturer of the first GPS positioning protection systems on the market, available to a wide range of civilian users. A small, easy-to-use device protects against GPS jammers, using the so-called null steering and thus ensuring the continuity of GPS positioning.

Provide your vehicles and loads with certainty of GPS positioning using OtoSphere.

Sources:

1 Are GPS Jamming Incidents a Growing Problem for Aviation?, https://www.aviationtoday.com/2017/01/31/are-gps-jamming-incidents-a-growing-problem-for-aviation/, 20.07.2020.

2 Shipping Industry Faces GPS Disruption in Persian Gulf, https://www.satellesinc.com/shipping-industry-faces-gps-jamming-in-persian-gulf/, 14.07.2020.

3 “Katarzyna Binkowska, “Czwarta kupka była dla Grzegorza”, Angora nr 15, 12.04.2020.

The professional hydrographic software Hydromagic, dedicated to bathymetric measurements with a single-beam echosounder, is already in the K2sea offer.

The simplicity of configuration, intuitiveness of use and favorable price make Hydromagic one of the most popular software packages for small, manned and unmanned measurement units.

For detailed information, please visit the product page and contact us: info@k2sea.pl.

The most spectacular show of RTK positioning? Of course drawing!

RTK antenna in a (slight) movement

We put our small but powerful RTK kit to a difficult test. We used the antenna to draw a drawing on the ground, on the pavement in front of the building. What does this mean for satellite positioning? Significant terrain barriers were preventing or significantly hindering the signal reception from some satellites. The corrections were provided to our “drawing rover” by a nearby base station, created by us ourselves from the components included in the U-blox GNSS RTK C94 – M8P evaluation kit.

What were we drawing? Of course, our nice logo. How big? Look at the photo. Yes, the height of the logo is two ordinary paving stones. One is 6 cm wide!

Static positioning

We checked the positioning accuracy of a single point by placing two identical GNSS antennas next to each other. One of the receivers received RTK corrections from our base station, the other used standard GNSS. We have marked the deviations from the average recorded position on the chart below. Green is GNSS. It is not bad, it is only about + -2 m, with moderate visibility of the satellites (except for a few points with significant error, at the very beginning of the registration). What can we say about RTK? With the scale used, it is simply one point. We need to zoom this chart.

The accuracy of determining the position in real time reached the order of 1 cm. In our opinion, this is a fantastic result. The absolute positioning accuracy depends on the accuracy of the base station positioning. More on that soon.

The possibilities of using these techniques are huge: hydrographic and geodetic measurements, positioning of drones, autonomous vehicles, unmanned units or agricultural tractors. Wherever accurate positioning is necessary, and it is not possible to set up your own base station, specialized services, e.g. state-owned ASG-EUPOS in Poland, transmitting corrections come to the rescue. For everyone who would like to learn more about the techniques used here, a great guide on RTK and RTN systems is available here (in Polish): http://www.asgeupos.pl/webpg/graph/standards/Poradnik%20ASG-EUPOS%202014.pdf.

The heart of any sonar is the transducer – the part that converts the electrical signal into an acoustic wave. Generated signal, reflected from the bottom, returns to the sonar. Again, the sonar transducer is responsible for converting the acoustic wave into an electrical signal processed by the processor.

Secret of the manufacturers

The technology of manufacturing the transducers is the biggest secret of the producers. If you ever had the opportunity to visit an echosounder or sonar factory, a place where piezoelectric transducers are fired would probably be the only place where you would not be allowed in, or at least thoroughly checked if you had phone or camera with you.

Art mastered by the few

Not every sonar manufacturer produces the transducers on their own. Some buy them from companies that have an experience in producing these technologically advanced components. One of the most recognized manufacturers of ultrasonic transducers is Airmar. Established nearly 30 years ago, this American company started with the production of transducers for fishfinders. Today it produces a wide range of ultrasonic transducers, also for the most professional hydroacoustic measuring devices.

Most of Airmar’s offer are the so-called OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) products, i.e. components for echo sounders and sonars. However, the Smart ™ line is different. All the elements necessary to transform the energy of the hydroacoustic wave into useful depth information are placed inside the transducer housing. The Smart ™ sonar is therefore compact, easy to install and reliable.

Airmar in the K2sea offer

In our offer you will find the DST800 model. It is a device integrated with the log, perfect for yachts, ensuring precise measurement of depth, speed, road and water temperature.

The EchoRange™ 200 kHz Smart™ Sensor is a professional model, perfect for integration with an unmanned hydrographic unit.

Please contact us if you are interested in these and other Airmar models.

We are starting today with a new online store. We do it in a difficult time, when many of us are struggling with the difficulties caused by the threat of a new, not fully known disease and restrictions introduced to prevent it. At the same time, we are discovering the great possibilities that technology provides us with and that we should use them right now.

How did it all start? Are we opening today a thousandth electronics store or something more?

In the past

The sea has always been with us. We were fascinated, attracted, ordered to risk health and incur costs to experience the boundless space. From under the sails, we have learnt a professional approach, we have learn not only to enjoy the sea, but also to use its potential. Maritime transport connects continents, the bottom contains deposits of necessary substances, not all discovered yet.

Each member of our team spent months at sea. Some of them even years. It was a necessary time to understand 100% information flow in the maritime world and the significance of each element of the great world organism, which is commercial and recreational navigation.

Turn

A breakthrough for us was the moment when the owner of K2sea, after years at sea, provided the service as the operator of a unique, remotely controlled unit – USV “Maxlimer”, in the first-ever completely unmanned crossing of the North Sea – from Great Britain to Belgium and back, and then in further commercial projects. The events hit the pages of BBC, The Maritime Executive and Ocean News & Technology news sites. We found ourselves in the center of events, where unmanned vessels really begin to change the reality of the maritime shipping. And where it turns out that a person can successfully and in real conditions control a vessel, not necessarily from its deck. And after the watch, simply go home.

Yes, we know that for this experiment, to become the norm, there is still a long way to go, full of technical problems in some areas and legal doubts in almost all. At the same time, a completely new branch of industry and innovation is developing – vessels autonomy. It has already reached an exceptional level for aircraft – drones. A lot of energy is devoted to the topic of autonomous cars. Is it the same for vessels? It is possible that the answer is ‘yes’.

Now

Progress in this niche field will be the sum of smaller projects, individual solutions that will allow to build this new marine organism – with man at the decision-making center, and not necessarily on the rolling deck. Each, even the smallest innovative project in this field, will bring you closer to this beautiful vision. Each prototype or serial unit will need sensors – easily integrated, cooperating with each other, allowing the custom configuration to the large extent. That kind of sensors give more possibilities than just looking at the screen or registering data in a proprietary format. We will be guided by such criteria when choosing products for the K2sea store. There will be no accidental things here. If the product appears theres, it means that it will work in a project in the field of autonomy or robotics, or simply allow you to achieve more!

Welcome to the K2sea Store.