Underwater Navigation Based on Real-Time Simultaneous Sound Speed Profile Correction

Precise sound speed profile (SSP) information is critical when using sonar for underwater terrain navigation. Nevertheless, acquiring SSP information in real-time is difficult, especially in underwater navigation environment. To account for this problem, this paper presents an underwater navigation method that applies real-time SSP correction to the terrain measurements. The method uses a probe to measure the surface sound speed simultaneously. Meanwhile, redundancy of topographic measurement data is exploited to derive the equivalent SSP information. The acquired equivalent SSP is updated continuously with particle filter algorithm. The terrain measurements can be corrected in real-time with the equivalent SSP to improve the performance of underwater terrain navigation. By removing the impact of inaccurate SSP from the terrain measurements, the proposed method can achieve precise and robust underwater navigation result without using an underway-profiling instrument. Simulated results confirm the good performance of the proposed method.     

Trends in Extreme Mean Sea Level Quantiles from Satellite Altimetry

Satellite altimetry allows the study of sea-level long-term variability on a global and spatially uniform basis. Here quantile regression is applied to derive robust median regression trends of mean sea level as well as trends in extreme quantiles from radar altimetry time series. In contrast with ordinary least squares regression, which only provides an estimate on the rate of change of the mean of data distribution, quantile regression allows the estimation of trends at different quantiles of the data distribution, yielding a more complete picture of long-term variability. Trends derived from basin-wide averaged regional mean sea level time series are robust and similar for all quantiles, indicating that all parts of the data distribution are changing at the same rate. In contrast, trends are not robust and diverge across quantiles in the case of local time series. Trends are under- (over-)estimated in the western (eastern) equatorial Pacific. Furthermore, trends in the lowermost quantile (0.05) are larger than the median trend in the western Pacific, while trends in the uppermost quantile (0.95) are lower than the median trend in the eastern Pacific. These differences in trends in extreme mean sea level quantiles are explained by the exceptional effect of the strong 1997–1998 El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event.     

Detection and mapping of bracken fern weeds using multispectral remotely sensed data: a review of progress and challenges

Bracken fern is one of the major invasive plants distributed all over the world currently threatening socio-economic and ecological systems due to its ability to swiftly colonize landscapes. The study aimed at reviewing the progress and challenges in detecting and mapping of bracken fern weeds using different remote sensing techniques. Evidence from literature have revealed that traditional methods such as field surveys and modelling have been insufficient in detecting and mapping the spatial distribution of bracken fern at a regional scale. The applications of medium spatial resolution sensors have been constrained by their limited spatial, spectral and radiometric capabilities in detecting and mapping bracken fern. On the other hand, the availability of most of these data-sets free of charge, large swath width and their high temporal resolution have significantly improved remote sensing of bracken fern. The use of commercial satellite data with high resolution have also proven useful in providing fine spectral and spatial resolution capabilities that are primarily essential to offer precise and reliable data on the spatial distribution of invasive species. However, the application of these data-sets is largely restricted to smaller areas, due to high costs and huge data volumes. Studies on bracken fern classification have extensively adopted traditional classification methods such as supervised maximum likelihood classifier. In studies where traditional methods performed poorly, the combination of soft classifiers such as super resolution analysis and traditional methods of classification have shown an improvement in bracken fern classification. Finally, since high spatial resolution sensors are expensive to acquire and have small swath width, the current study recommends that future research can also consider investigating the utility of the freely available recently launched sensors with a global footprint that has the potential to provide invaluable information for repeated measurement of invasive species over time and space.     

Assessing soil salinity using WorldView-2 multispectral images in Timpaki,Crete, Greece

Salinization is one of the major soil degradation threats occurring worldwide. This study evaluates the feasibility of operational surface soil salinity mapping based on state-of-the-art Earth Observation (EO) products captured by sensors on-board WorldView-2 (WV2) and Landsat 8 satellites. The proposed methods are tested in Timpaki, south-central Crete,Greece, where brackish water irrigation puts soil health at risk of soil salinization. In all cases, EO products are calibrated against soil samples collected from bare soil locations. Results indicate a moderate correlation of observed EC_e values with the investigated remote sensing parameters. Regarding sensitivity to saline soil, the yellow band displays higher values. Comparison between methods used in the literature shows that those developed specifically for soil salinity, and especially index S5, perform better. The proposed ‘detection index’ and 3D PCA transformation methodology perform reasonably well in detecting areas with high EC_e values and provide a simple and effective operational alternative for saline topsoil detection and mapping.     

TRANSIT: a GIS toolbox for estimating the duration of ancient sail-powered navigation

Cost-surface analysis in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment has been less frequently used in the study of ancient sail navigation than in other studies of the human past. Navigation cost-surface analysis entails the use of GIS tools that are versatile but not very easy to grasp and to put to work. This article describes an ArcGIS toolbox built to facilitate cost-surface analysis of ancient sail navigation. It estimates the navigation time from a start location, considering parameters relevant for the generation of an accumulated anisotropic cost-surface, automating the complex workflow required to meaningfully pre- and post-process the data. Acknowledging the limitations inherent to the tool, and to the modeling of a complex matter such as sail navigation, the toolbox is first described and then used in a worked example. Historically recorded voyages in the Mediterranean during classical antiquity are compared to estimated durations generated by the toolbox. In spite of structural and expected limitations, the results indicate that the proposed toolbox may produce reasonable estimates. These should be thought of as values gravitating around, not matching, likely past durations. The estimated values may prove useful as an indication of the order of magnitude of past voyages’ duration, and as frame of reference in measuring ancient maritime space through time.     

BDS-3新频点信号双频精密单点定位精度分析

北斗卫星导航系统(BeiDou navigation satellite System, BDS)已于2020年7月正式建成并开通, 北斗三号(BDS-3)在旧信号B1I和B3I的基础上, 增加了B1C、B2a新信号. 为了全面评估BDS-3的新信号B1C、B2a的定位性能, 试验了GPS (Global Positioning System)、BDS-3、BDS-2/BDS-3新旧信号的定位性能和BDS系统不同频点与GPS组合定位性能, 对BDS (B1I+B3I、B1C/B2a)+GPS (L1+L2)组合静态PPP (Precise Point Positioning)定位性能进行分析, 并与单卫星系统对比分析. 试验结果表明: BDS-3 (B1C/B2a)在East (E)、\lk North (N)、Up (U)方向的定位精度优于1.25cm、0.89cm、1.67cm, BDS-3新旧频点在E、N方向上定位精度与GPS L1/L2在同一水平上, U方向上新频点定位精度高于GPS L1/L2和BDS-3旧频点, 较旧频点定位精度提升了34.2%, 新频点收敛时间25.9min比旧频点提升了12.7%; 相较于BDS、GPS单系统, 组合系统BDS/GPS定位精度和收敛时间有了明显的提高, BDS-3 (B1C/B2a)+GPS在E、N方向上与BDS-3 (B1I/B3I)+GPS定位精度相当, 在U方向上定位精度前者较后者有了明显的提升, 提升了17.2%, 组合系统新频点收敛时间20.1min比旧频点提升了17.6%.     

无人机载线阵摆扫CCD影像几何校正

针对无人机载线阵CCD传感器摆扫成像的技术特点,利用GPS/INS组合导航系统提供的导航遥测数据,对无人机载的线阵摆扫CCD影像建立了严格的成像模型,并设计了详细的几何校正流程。实验结果证实采用文中的成像模型和几何校正流程,可获得正确、高精度地理编码的线阵摆扫CCD正射影像。     

基于实景激光扫描技术的室内导航系统的建立

随着城市化进程的发展,人们在室内的时间越来越多,室内空间的应用价值也越来越高。在智慧城市的发展过程中,大量的室内空间需要数字化,室内空间数据的获取手段和数据应用需要进一步挖掘。本文利用三维实景激光扫描仪对北方工业大学浩学楼进行数据采集,创建了实景展示和实景导航,重点介绍了M3扫描车获取点云数据,并将点云数据进行拼接、去噪等处理,最后分析了点云数据的精度。由此可以得出实景激光扫描技术在建立室内导航系统中的可行性、高效性和准确性。     

IKONOS影像生产1∶10 000地理信息产品的研究

简要介绍了IKONOS卫星遥感影像适用于地理信息产品生产的特点,然后通过试验生产,并与传统的航片相比较,详细分析了利用IKONOS影像作为数据源生产1∶10000基础信息产品在精度、生产流程、工作效率、生产周期、外业工作量和价格等方面的情况。     

华北区域分米级北斗地基增强服务系统构建及精度分析

利用国家级北斗连续运行基准站和省级区域北斗CORS站,基于国家卫星导航定位服务平台,通过改造和直接利用的方式,在华北平原构建了我国首个跨区域北斗分米级地基增强服务系统。经采用双频终端实地测试,该系统覆盖京津冀晋全部区域及内蒙古部分区域,采用GPS+北斗双模定位静态精度达到分米级,动态定位精度达到亚米级,单北斗模式定位精度略低,但仍在分米-亚米量级,极大地提高了我国北斗导航系统的高精度应用能力,拓宽了我国北斗民用导航的应用范围和领域,可满足高精度北斗实时导航、定位服务的应用需求。