Kongsberg Gallium Introduces New Display Technology to help Enable Commercial Drone Use

Written by Kongsberg Geospatial on

May 26, 2015

Posted in News

Ottawa, CA: Kongsberg Gallium, an Ottawa software company that produces geospatial visualization software has developed a new safety display technology that could dramatically expand the capabilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in ordinary commercial use.

Canadian company introduces new technology that promises to make commercial drones (UAVs) more practical for real use

Development of the technology was partially funded by a federal research grant through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP).

Currently, UAVs, or “drones” as they’re often called, can only be flown for commercial purposes within the visual range, or “Line of Sight” of the operator. This restriction places a severe limit on the range and usefulness of UAVs for ordinary commercial purposes like pipeline inspection or mineral exploration.

Kongsberg Gallium provides the geospatial visualization technology used in several large military drone programs, and has created a software platform that can give UAV operators operating at ranges Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), the same level of spatial awareness they would have when actually piloting a light plane visually - what pilots refer to as “Visual Flight Rules”. Providing real-time awareness of other aircraft, airspace and terrain will be critical to allowing UAV operators to gain regulatory approval to conduct commercial operations beyond Line of Sight. The new platform is called IRIS UAS.

When it comes, regulatory approval will open up thousands of new applications for UAVs and have an enormous impact on the burgeoning UAV industry – which has seen a tenfold growth since 2008. “The revenues generated by the commercial UAV market will grow exponentially when Beyond Line of Sight operations are permissible and we feel this new safety display technology will be key to help operators to gain that approval” said Ranald McGillis, President of Kongsberg Gallium.

Kongsberg Gallium will be conducting demonstrations of this new display platform in a series of flights throughout the second half of the year using a long-range UAV designed and manufactured by Brican Flight Systems of Brampton, ON.

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Editor's Note: Kongsberg Gallium was renamed Kongsberg Geospatial in February of 2016, but maintains the same ownership and corporate structure. Kongsberg Geospatial is a wholy-owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. IRIS UAS has been rebranded as IRIS UxS since the system can now be used to control land-based drones, unmanned surface vehicles, and unmanned underwater systems in addition to unmanned aerial systems.

About Kongsberg Geospatial: Based in Ottawa, Canada, Kongsberg Geospatial creates precision real-time software for mapping, geospatial visualization, and situational awareness. The Company’s products are primarily deployed in solutions for air-traffic control, Command and Control, and air defense. Over nearly three decades of providing dependable performance under extreme conditions, Kongsberg Geospatial has become the leading geospatial technology provider for mission-critical applications where lives are on the line. Kongsberg Geospatial is a subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Media contact:1-800-267-2626 or reach us by email at info@kongsberggeospatial.com

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