What's New

April 2010

NovAtel Announces GrafNav/GrafNet™ and Inertial Explorer™ Version 8.30

NovAtel's Waypoint Products Group is pleased to announce the release of Inertial Explorer Version 8.30 and GrafNav/GrafNet Version 8.30.

Major new features available in both GrafNav/GrafNet and Inertial Explorer include:

  • Processing settings have been simplified and the GUI has been made more intuitive
  • New version of AdVance™ RTK (ARTK) offers improved carrier phase ambiguity resolution, particularly for single frequency data
  • Fixed static processor now supports L2C measurements
  • Improved support for GLONASS processing when mixing receiver types
  • Ionospheric corrections automatically enabled/disabled depending on baseline distance

Major new features specific to Inertial Explorer include:

  • Automated alignment option scans data and automatically performs static or kinematic alignment, thus eliminating the need for user intervention
  • Precise point positioning (PPP) now available for use with tightly-coupled processing for users who do not have base station data
  • Differential tightly-coupled processing can now be run in multi-pass mode for improved attitude convergence over short surveys
  • Distance-dependent output now available through Export Wizard
  • Range updates have been implemented to improve accuracies during periods with poor GNSS data availability
  • Solving routine for GNSS-IMU lever arm has been improved
  • Improved support for tightly-coupled processing in local datums
  • Inertial solution automatically loaded upon opening of project. Previously, only the GPS solution was loaded.

Please contact our customer service department at support@novatel.com or your NovAtel dealer with your four-digit license number for further information on how to upgrade.

March 2010

NovAtel is currently accepting registrations for a GrafNav/Net and Inertial Explorer training seminar to be held in Calgary from May 4th to 6th 2010. For more information and to register please see the registration document.

January 2010

NovAtel Inc. has announced the End of Life of its Parallel key variants of Waypoint products GrafNav/GrafNet, Inertial Explorer and RTKNav. These products will continue to be available in USB key format, but new purchases and future software releases will not support parallel key licensing.

Customers may migrate to a USB key product version using the Waypoint Key Exchange program. New USB keys will be made available free of charge to customers within a valid post-contractual support (PCS) period. Please contact your sales representative or NovAtel Customer Service for more information at wpsupport@novatel.com .

For a complete listing of NovAtel products at end of life, including the expiration of support and repair for those products, please refer to the discontinued products list on the NovAtel website at www.novatel.com/products/discontinued-products/.

September 2009

Tightly Coupled Processing of Precise Point Position (PPP) and INS Data

Presented at ION GNSS 2009, NovAtel announced a major enhancement to Inertial Explorer 8.30 – a tightly coupled GPS/INS module which requires GPS data from only one receiver (i.e. no base station). Previously, tightly coupled processing was supported only in differential processing. Tightly coupled processing allows GPS data to be used even where only two satellites are tracked. This can significantly reduce IMU error growth where satellite drop outs occur due to, for example, sharp turns. Tightly coupled processing has the added advantage of being a simpler workflow in that GPS and IMU data are processed in a single step. Presented in this paper are results from seven flights processed with simulated 25 degree, 45 degree, and 70 degree turns.

October 2009

GEOID09 is now available in WPG format for the conterminous USA, Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. This geoid is available to everyone within their PCS period at the time of its release. Please contact support@novatel.ca with your four digit hardlock number for more information.

May 2009

NovAtel Announces Waypoint ToolBox 1.00 BETA release

NovAtel Inc. is pleased to announce the BETA release of Waypoint ToolBox 1.00, a software program that offers a suite of useful in-office utilities for GNSS users.

Users of the Waypoint GrafNav package will find a recognizable graphical user interface along with familiar easy-to-use tools offered with other products in the Waypoint family.

Included in the Waypoint ToolBox 1.00 BETA release is:

  • Mission planner – This utility will allow the user to download a GPS and/or GLONASS almanac to input into the Mission Planner and prepare their data collection schedule based on number of predicted visible satellites in the sky during a user-specified time period at a user-specified location.
  • GPB Data viewer – This utility reads Waypoint converted NovAtel files and displays the raw GNSS measurements in ASCII format via a viewer window.
  • Plotting capabilities for position, velocity, and attitude of real-time data – The ability to plot the position, velocity, and attitude of user data provides users a visual representation of what was collected in the field. This feature also plots raw gyro and accelerometer measurements; Distance and azimuth measurement tools are also available to supplement analysis of the plotted data.
  • Polar satellite observation viewer – This view window allows users to monitor satellite trajectory and availability in an overhead skyplot view. Users can view constellation data in the skyplot from post-mission data or via an almanac to evaluate satellite availability for mission planning purposes.
  • Export of data for viewing on Google Earth – Users can export their collected data into the *kml file format to overlay onto a Google Earth map, providing a more visually appealing presentation.

The Waypoint ToolBox 1.00 BETA software is available at no charge and is available for download on NovAtel’s website at www.novatel.com/products/waypoint-software/waypoint-post-processing-software/.

Please contact our customer service department at wpsupport@novatel.com or your NovAtel dealer with your four digit license number for information on how to upgrade. For further information or visit our web site at www.novatel.com/products/waypoint-software/waypoint-post-processing-software/.

NovAtel Announces Inertial Explorer™ 8.20 and GrafNav/GrafNet™ 8.20

NovAtel's Waypoint Products Group is pleased to announce the release of Inertial Explorer™ Version 8.20 and GrafNav/GrafNet™ Version 8.20.

Major new features available in both GrafNav/GrafNet™ and Inertial Explorer™ include:

  • The new Project Wizard provides a much simplified step-by-step process to create a new project. The Wizard automatically detects the user’s raw data types, converts the data and, if requested, downloads nearby service station data. In Inertial Explorer™, the Wizard also automatically detects the appropriate IMU model for NovAtel SPAN users.
  • EGM2008 geoid now available in WPG format
  • Improved support of manufacturer/user files in Windows VISTA
  • Improved handling of L2C and GLONASS Rinex data conversion
  • RTCM3 raw data format support
  • Better PPP performance from improved satellite antenna offset handling

Major new features available in Inertial Explorer™ include:

  • Improved ground trajectory determination through improved optimization of position, phase and ZUPT information as well as input of external coordinate and attitude updates.
  • Support for auto-stabilized camera mounts
  • NovAtel SPAN-SE event record data format support
  • RTS Attitude smoothing for improved attitude accuracy
  • Heave compensation for marine applications
  • External heading updates
  • New file handling routines effectively remove file size limitations for raw data up to 7 days
  • Lever arm values can now be imported from SPAN data files directly into the processing settings

Please contact our customer service department at wpsupport@novatel.com or your NovAtel® dealer with your four digit license number for information on how to upgrade. For further information or visit our web site at http://www.novatel.com/products/waypoint_pps.htm.

March 2009

NovAtel is currently accepting registrations for the next scheduled round of GrafNav and Inertial Explorer training courses. The courses will take place in Calgary on June 2-3, 2009 for GrafNav/Net and June 2-4, 2009 for Inertial Explorer. Note the Inertial Explorer course encompasses the two day GrafNav/Net course plus an extra day dedicated to Inertial Explorer. This is due to the significant overlap between the software packages. To register, or for more information, please see the registration form.

January 2009

EGM2008 has been publicly released by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) EGM Development team and is now available in WPG format for direct use within Waypoint software (Inertial Explorer, GrafNav/Net, GrafMov, and GrafNav Lite). The WPG file available contains undulation values relative to the WGS84 ellipsoid at a grid spacing of 2.5 X 2.5 arc minutes. Click here for more information on EGM2008. Please contact wpsupport@novatel.ca with your four digit key number for information on where to download this file.

December 2008

  • Waypoint releases GrafNav 8.10.3124, GrafMov 8.10.3124 and GrafNav Lite 8.10.3124

For a list of bug fixes and new features in all recent GrafNav releases please see the GrafNav/Net version history. Please contact wpsupport@novatel.ca with your four digit key number for information on downloading this new build.

  • Waypoint releases Inertial Explorer 8.10.3124

For a list of bug fixes and new features in all recent Inertial Explorer releases please see the Inertial Explorer version history. Please contact wpsupport@novatel.ca with your four digit key number for information on downloading this new build.

November 2008

  • Waypoint releases RTKNav 4.00

For a list of bug fixes and new features in RTKNav 4.00 please see the RTKNav version history. Please contact wpsupport@novatel.ca with your four digit key number for information on download this new build.

NovAtel® announces Inertial Explorer™ Version 8.10

NovAtel's Waypoint Products Group™ is pleased to announce the release of Inertial Explorer Version 8.10 software. Inertial Explorer software is NovAtel's industry-leading GNSS/INS post-processor.

Major new features in the 8.10 release include:

  • Support for NovAtel's proprietary on-the-fly (OTF) AdVance™ RTK (ARTK) receiver.
    ARTK has the ability to fix carrier phase integer ambiguities at longer baseline lengths with improved reliability, and shorter time to fix than Inertial Explorer software's existing KAR algorithm.
  • Precise Point Positioning (PPP) Filter improvements
    Accuracies have been improved by up to 40% by providing an additional processing pass and higher-order corrections. Accuracy improvements are especially noticeable on shorter duration projects.
  • Tropospheric bias correction
    For high altitude or long distance data sets, much of the tropospheric error can be removed by the addition of a Kalman filter bias state. Inertial Explorer’s PPP processor can now compute the tropospheric bias for each base station and verify the base station coordinates.
  • Automatic Zero Velocity Update (ZUPT) Detection
  • Multiple user-interface improvements to ease data processing and results analysis.
  • HTML report output and improved Google Earth™ export.

Inertial Explorer software is a high-precision GNSS / INS post-processing package that supports raw data from most available GNSS receivers and IMU data from NovAtel’s SPAN systems or from nearly any generic IMU data format. By tightly integrating GNSS data from both a roving station and as many as eight base stations along with raw data from an IMU, accurate position, velocity, and attitude can be computed. Loose coupling of the GNSS and IMU data is also available for applications that do not require tight coupling. A smoother is available for combining the forward and reverse trajectories to give an optimal solution in even the worst GNSS conditions. For applications where base station setup is difficult or not desired, Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is offered, which uses downloadable GPS clock and orbital corrections to compute solutions accurate to between 5 and 40cm.

Inertial Explorer software is extensively used in airborne mapping applications and trajectory reconstruction as well as ground mapping and measurement. The product provides statistical and graphical solution analysis and easy export of solution data into multiple formats.

For further information on the NovAtel Waypoint Products Group products, please visit our web site at www.novatel.com/products/waypoint-software/waypoint-post-processing-software/.

NovAtel announces release of GrafNav 8.10

NovAtel’s Waypoint Products Group is pleased to announce the release of GrafNav/GrafNet™ Version 8.10 software. GrafNav/GrafNet™ software is NovAtel’s industry-leading GNSS post-processor.

Major new features in the 8.10 release include:

  • Support for NovAtel’s proprietary on-the-fly (OTF) AdVance™ RTK (ARTK) receiver.
    ARTK has the ability to fix carrier phase integer ambiguities at longer baseline lengths with improved reliability, and shorter time to fix than GrafNav™ software’s existing KAR algorithm.
  • Precise Point Positioning (PPP) Filter improvements
    Accuracies have been improved by up to 40% by providing an additional processing pass and higher-order corrections. Accuracy improvements are especially noticeable on shorter duration projects.
  • Tropospheric bias correction
    For high altitude or long distance data sets, much of the tropospheric error can be removed by the addition of a Kalman filter bias state. GrafNav™ software’s PPP processor can now compute the tropospheric bias for each base station and verify the base station coordinates.
  • GrafNav™ software now has an API/DLL interface that has many of the same capabilities as the command line interface including complete feedback during processing and exporting.
  • Multiple user-interface improvements to ease data processing and results analysis.
  • HTML report output and improved Google Earth™ export.

GrafNav™ software is a high-precision GNSS post-processing package that supports raw data from most available GNSS receivers. Using data from both a roving station and as many as eight base stations, centimeter-level positions can be computed. For applications where base station setup is difficult or not desired, Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is offered, which uses downloadable GPS clock and orbital corrections to compute solutions accurate to between 5 and 40cm. GrafNet™ software is a baseline network adjustment package for processing of multiple static GNSS observation files.

GrafNav™ software is extensively used in airborne mapping applications and trajectory re-construction as well as surveying. Both products provide statistical and graphical solution analysis and easy export of solution data into multiple formats.

For further information on the NovAtel® Waypoint Product Group™ products, please visit our web site at www.novatel.com/products/waypoint-software/waypoint-post-processing-software/.

With the addition of the features listed the performance of certain Waypoint products is significantly improved and as such there are price changes forthcoming. Please check with your Sales rep or NovAtel® dealer regarding these changes. Software updates are available at no additional charge to customers within their support period. Please contact our customer service department at wpsupport@novatel.com or your NovAtel® dealer for further information. A complete listing of NovAtel® dealers can be found at http://www.novatel.com/sales/dealers.htm.

NovAtel announces release of Inertial Explorer 8.00

NovAtel's Waypoint Products Group is pleased to announce the release of Inertial Explorer version 8.00. Inertial Explorer is a powerful GNSS/IMU data processing package that provides an accurate position, velocity and attitude solution by combining raw GNSS observations with data from an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The program is receiver and manufacturer independent, so that data from virtually any GNSS receiver and IMU can be combined to generate an accurate solution. Inertial Explorer also easily integrates with NovAtel's real-time GNSS/INS product, SPAN, to provide a fully integrated GNSS-Inertial suite.

New features in the 8.00 release include:

  • Tightly coupled integration of the IMU and GNSS data for improved performance in challenging GNSS conditions such as urban canyons.
  • Improved API functionality for automated data processing
  • Improved processing and back smoothing of low or variable data rate inertial data
  • Support of ½ hour time zones for data export
  • Support of dual event inputs from the SPAN system
  • Better IMU data time gap analysis
  • Ability to utilize the OmniSTAR position from the SPAN BESTGPSPOS log in post-processing.

Software updates are available at no additional charge to customers within their support period. Please contact our customer service department with your four digit hardlock number(s) at wpsupport@novatel.com or your Waypoint dealer for further information.

Customers wishing to upgrade from Waypoint's GNSS-only processing package, GrafNav, should contact their NovAtel dealer for pricing information. A complete listing of NovAtel dealers can be found at www.novatel.com/sales/dealers.htm.

NovAtel Waypoint Product Hardware Key Policy Update

NovAtel Waypoint software packages including GrafNav/GrafNet, RTKNav and Inertial Explorer are securely controlled by hardware keys. The keys are either parallel port or USB type and control the features available in the software packages.

Keys that are damaged will continue to be replaced at no charge when the damaged key is returned to NovAtel. However, effective immediately, NovAtel will not provide discounts for replacement of keys that are lost. Purchase of replacement keys will be subject to regular pricing. Customers should ensure that their hardware keys are kept safe and are insured against loss in the same manner as any/all of their electronic components.

Now Available - GrafNav/Net™ 7.80

Release Date: March 2007
See a complete list of improvements for GrafNav/GrafNet v7.80.

Now Available - RTKNav Version 3.151

Release Date: June 2005

Changes for Version 3.151 Include:
  • Fixed problem in handling more than 12 GPS satellites
  • Added support for u-blox GPS receivers
  • Added improved support for reading and processing Waypoint GPB measurement files for "post-mission" processing
  • Features new Sentinel drivers for improved copy protection - note that KEYUTIL Version 7.50.0902 or later must be used when upgrading to version 3.151
  • RtkNav interface can be used to add customized commands to GPS receiver which accept ASCII command strings ie. NovAtel, Ashtech etc
  • MultiEngine Version 2.32 (included) incorporates the above features
  • WLOG version 3.21 logging software supports u-blox and Javad Glonass measurements
  • Added distinction between Ashtech G12 MACM and Ashtech DG16 MACM receivers during setup

New Geoid Files

March 2006
Geoid models in WPG format are now available for USGG2003, G99SSS and G99BM.
Please see http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GEOID/ for information regarding these geoids.

An updated GEOID03 model for the continental USA that includes recent changes to the coastal Louisiana region can be found here. Note the original Geoid03 model is still supported. Geoid03 models for Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have also recently become available.

New Technical Reports

Note: See the following link for a full listing of Waypoint's technical reports. These reports present applications of Waypoint software packages. Click here to learn about GPS and for reports that do not directly involve the use of Waypoint software.

Static Precise Point Positioning Accuracy in GrafNav 8.10

Four days of data from five permanent GPS stations are used in this report to evaluate static Precise Point Positioning (PPP) performance in GrafNav 8.10. Results show that horizontal accuracies of 1 cm and vertical accuracies of 2.5 cm are achievable provided 24 hours of open sky, low multipath dual frequency GPS data. RMS and 95% results are summarized for 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours of data collection in order to give an overall impression of static PPP performance as a function of observation length.

Airborne Multi-Pass Precise Point Positioning in GrafNav 8.10

New to GrafNav 8.10 (scheduled for release January 2008) is an improved Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method referred to as Multi-Pass. Multi-Pass PPP improves kinematic PPP results by up to 40% as compared with results from the original PPP processor introduced in GrafNav 7.80. This report presents results from five aerial surveys processed in GrafNav 7.80 and GrafNav 8.10. For each flight the PPP solutions are compared with a high quality differential solution.