New Zealand Modernizes Its Infrastructure Network With Trimble GNSS Technology

Networks Used for Survey and Science--Monitoring Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis and Landslides

News provided by

Oct 15, 2010, 06:30 ET

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble (Nasdaq: TRMB) announced today that the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS) and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) have jointly purchased 40 Trimble NetR9™ GNSS reference station receivers as part of a project to upgrade the LINZ PositioNZ GPS network to multi-constellation GNSS and real-time data distribution capability. LINZ is the government department responsible for the geodetic infrastructure and land title system in the country.

The LINZ network of reference stations provides accurate control points for monitoring and developing the geospatial infrastructure of the country, conducting geoscience research as part of the GeoNet project, and performing commercial survey work throughout New Zealand. Users can access positioning data from the LINZ reference stations through live data streams and archived data distributed over the Internet.

"Data from the existing installed Trimble NetRS reference station receivers have been highly beneficial both in terms of post-event analysis such as the recent September, 2010 magnitude 7.1 earthquake near Christchurch and for monitoring ongoing tectonic movements such as the slow slip events that occur regularly on the eastern side of the North Island," said Dr. John Beavan, principal scientist at GNS. "With the increased sample rate possibilities, low latency communication options and additional frequency channels that the Trimble NetR9 receiver provides, LINZ and GNS will be able to provide even more valuable positioning information, both in support of surveying and geospatial applications and for geoscience and natural hazards research in New Zealand."

Trimble NetR9 GNSS Reference Station Receiver

The Trimble NetR9 reference receiver offers an industry-leading 440 channels for robust, unrivaled GNSS constellation tracking. The receiver supports a wide range of satellite signals, including GPS and GLONASS signals. The receiver is capable of tracking the experimental Galileo GIOVE-A and GIOVE-B test satellites for signal evaluation and test purposes.

Highly versatile and offering the complete functionality of a geodetic reference station, the Trimble NetR9 reference receiver can be used as a standalone receiver or as part of a network solution. Specific applications include high-accuracy positioning as part of a Trimble VRS™ network, as a mobile field base station or CORS for Real-time Kinematic (RTK) corrections, as a scientific reference station collecting information for specialized studies, as a field campaign receiver for post-processing applications and as support for Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) coastal beacons. In addition, the Trimble NetR9 reference receiver can be used for monitoring the integrity of VRS networks as well as the deformation of physical infrastructure such as bridges, dams, mines, oil platforms and other natural and manmade structures.

The lightweight yet rugged Trimble NetR9 reference receiver consumes very little power and can be used for projects with remote connectivity and in extreme weather conditions. It has an IP67 rating, meaning it is sealed against dust and can survive immersion in up to a meter of water for approximately 30 minutes. It also meets MIL-STD 810F standard for drops, vibration and temperature extremes. The Trimble NetR9 physical memory is built into the circuit board, providing greater protection of data, particularly under extreme conditions. Multiple built-in serial ports supply communications and power to support field use, whether connecting to a radio for RTK surveys, communicating directly with a satellite phone for remote operations or for ancillary input devices such as inclinometers and meteorological sensors. The Trimble NetR9 offers Bluetooth communication with a cell phone for real-time data streaming and both power and Ethernet can be conveniently supplied over a single cable using Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology.

About Trimble's Infrastructure Division

Trimble's Infrastructure solutions and services span a wide variety of applications, market segments and industries, including engineering, surveying, earth sciences research, construction, agriculture and mapping and GIS. From building a large or small VRS™ network to monitoring the movement of land, dams, bridges or plate tectonics, Trimble's technologically-advanced hardware and software combine to provide exceptional performance and high-accuracy positioning data that can lead to cost savings, improved productivity and greater efficiency.

Today, there are currently more than 200 infrastructure network installations using Trimble technology throughout the world including: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of South Africa, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and U.S. For more information about Trimble's infrastructure solutions, visit: www.trimble.com/infrastructure.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location--including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information, visit www.trimble.com.

GTRMB

SOURCE Trimble