Remote GeoSystems Deploys geoDVR Mini Video Recorder for BVLOS Drone Pipeline Patrol, Inspections and Security in China with Xi’an ARTEL

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PRESS RELEASE – FORT COLLINS, Colorado, USA/XI’AN, Shaanxi, CHINA – Remote GeoSystems, Inc., a global provider of immersive geospatial video, photo and data recorders and reporting software for survey and inspection, and Xi’an ARTEL Technology, Inc., China’s leading developer/operator of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) inspection UAVs, are pleased to announce the successful deployment of complementary geospatial data systems for long distance day and night drone pipeline patrol operations.

In May 2019, Remote GeoSystems traveled to China to evaluate capabilities and provide business development support for reseller Xi’an ARTEL’s use of the geoDVR™ Mini GPS video recorders on BVLOS drones and the development of interactive client deliverables using the LineVision™ geospatial video inspection and reporting software suite.

“We knew team at Xi’an ARTEL had the opportunity and was making the investment to become a successful value-added Remote Geo reseller in China, but we really did not know what to expect when we first got there.” says Remote GeoSystems managing director, Jeff Dahlke, “However what we saw was nothing short of amazing and inspiring. Here was a group of young engineers and a CEO leading the way in BVLOS drone operations and they flew their drone and our geoDVR Mini with a EO/IR gimbal at night for over 14 kilometers on that first observation flight.”

geoDVR Mini GPS video recorder mounted to the Xi'an ARTEL drone
Remote Geo's Jeff Dahlke with the gas-powered hexcopter BVLOS patrol drone
The patrol drone and tethered radio communications drone ready for takeoff

Xi’an ARTEL first approached Remote GeoSystems in the spring of 2018 after learning about the company’s success with geoDVRs and LineVision with helicopters for pipeline leak detection and patrol. However the gas-powered ARTEL Patrol UAV required the geoDVR technology to be smaller, lighter and able to operate autonomously.

What was to become the first “geoDVR Mini” prototype was commissioned, built and shipped in early fall of 2018 and Xi’an ARTEL put the geoDVR GPS video recording system to work immediately to geotag video for their existing contract with one of China’s leading petroleum corporations as well as for proof-of-concept testing for maritime security.

“Remote Geo was willing to listen to us and visit us and our clients in China, and work with our company on a value-added reseller level.” says Gao Yong, CEO of Xi’an ARTEL, “That gives us a competitive advantage having a proper, first-hand and trusting relationship with the leading American technology company in geospatial pipeline patrol and video mapping.”

About Remote GeoSystems, Inc.

Remote GeoSystems is a geospatial software and hardware company offering turn-key solutions to easily record, map, report, archive & search continuously geotagged videos, photos and other location-based project files. Products include industry-firsts, patented technologies like those found in the geoDVR™ (geospatial digital video recorder) and LineVision™ suite of geospatial video playback software.

Unlike traditional video recording systems, the geoDVR systems record video with GPS location and time data. LineVision mapping and inspection reporting software provides users with simple but powerful tools for geographic video analysis, editing and project packaging while leveraging existing enterprise Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

These capabilities allow for more efficient and accurate data collection and the creation of reusable aerial, marine and ground-based survey, surveillance and inspection work-products across a broad range of industries including: Unmanned Vehicles, Aerospace & Aviation, Electric Utilities, Oil & Gas, Rail Transportation, Defense & Security, Engineering & Survey and Natural Resources.

About Xi’an ARTEL Technology, Inc.

Xi’an ARTEL has played a major role in the extensive use of BVLOS drones in China. Our UAV flight services business covers oil and gas pipeline, electric power distribution and transmission, forestry, agriculture, wildfire protection, unmanned vehicles & facilities security, transportation, traffic and emergency response functions.

Learn more by visiting: http://www.atlpsp.com/

Any reference to other company, product and/or service names used in this news release are for identification purposes only. All trademarks, registered trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

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Best Practices for Map-based HD Video Playback

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With a growing need for higher-quality video footage with geospatial recording systems, it is important to consider the performance impact the higher quality settings create.

  • Codec
  • Resolution
  • Framerate
  • GPS Data Collection Rate (for geospatial playback, such as in our LineVision titles)

    • Codec

    H.264 is one of the most popular codecs being used today, with a fair trade-off between hardware demands and video quality for a given bitrate. H.264 Hardware Decoding is widely supported in most video playback hardware today (including Intel, AMD, and NVidia GPUs, Smartphones, Smart TVs and other playback devices), which relieves the CPU of the work necessary to decode the video stream and allows the CPU to be available for other uses.

    H.265 (also known as HEVC) is a successor to H.264. The primary advantage of H.265 is a higher compression ratio, allowing for a video at a given bitrate to retain a higher image quality than H.264. The downside to H.265 is that decoding is much more resource-intensive and more powerful hardware is needed to decode a given bitrate than H.264. 

    While hardware-supported H.265 decoding is available with a wide selection of hardware today, it is not as prevalent as H.264 decoding.

    For example, the first Intel GPU with H.264 decoding was made available with the first Core processors in 2010, however H.265 decoding was not made available with Intel GPU’s until 2015 with 5th-Gen Core processors. A workstation made in 2013 may be unable to play back an H.265 video, while a similar workstation made two-years-later would be able to. Playback on devices such as smart phones, set-top appliances, tablets and other devices is also much less common than H.264

    If hardware support to decode H.265 is not present, the CPU will be used to decode the video instead (also called software decoding). This can dramatically hit less powerful CPUs, causing playback to slow down to a slideshow, artifacts to appear, or audio to desync.

    If cost of storage and bandwidth is not a concern, H.264 is a good option, due to being widely supported across all platforms, with a low performance cost.

    Video Resolution

    The most common resolutions in use today:

    Standard Definition
    480I (640 x 480, interlaced).
    Old, non-HD TV sets commonly used this resolution.

    480P (640 x 480, progressive)
    Progressive, non-HD TV sets commonly used this resolution. Also commonly found with DVDs.

    High Definition
    720P (1280 x 720, progressive, 60FPS effective)

    Full HD

    1080P (1920 x 1080, Progressive. Framerate is usually denoted after the ‘P’)

    Ultra HD (UHD)
    4K (3840×2160, Progressive)

    The higher the resolution, the higher the performance impact. Raw 4K video contains four times the data to process as 1080P, with a given framerate and color depth.

    Framerate

    NTSC:
    60FPS, 30FPS.

    PAL:
    50FPS, 25FPS

    Going from 30FPS to 60FPS doubles the raw data rate, which means the processor utilization to decode also increases significantly.

    GPS Rate

    For standard applications, we recommend a 1Hz GPS data rate. This means that GPS data is logged once per second.

    Some devices offer a higher GPS rate, such as GoPro cameras that use a 18hz, and Remote Geo has built geoDVR systems with a 10Hz GPS. However, the more GPS points there are, the more intense the CPU usage is to map them all out. This is why by default, LineVision (and all our video mapping/editing software) will limit the GPS display-rate to 1HZ on the map.

    By default, LineVision Desktop will limit the total number of GPS points of a video to 1000 to optimize the performance of the software. However, when multiple videos are loaded, with each one having 1000 points, CPU usage can grow dramatically to draw the thousands of points. 

    Remote GeoSystems Partners with Purdue University, Provides $111,000 Software Donation to Drone Degree Program

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    PRESS RELEASE – WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana/FORT COLLINS, Colorado – Remote GeoSystems, Inc., a provider of immersive geospatial video, photo and data recording and reporting software for survey and inspection, is partnering with Purdue University with a gift to the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) degree program and laboratory. The UAS program at Purdue focuses on geospatial data collection and analysis by unmanned aerial systems, also known as “drones.”

    As part of the partnership, Remote GeoSystems is providing Purdue with a starting gift of the company’s LineVision video-mapping software suite valued at $111,000, with additional licenses available as needed by students and faculty. Purdue will support Remote GeoSystems as a research and development partner by beta testing new features and technologies and exploring an ever-growing array of applications for Remote GeoSystems’ geospatial software and hardware within the research community.

    “Remote GeoSystems is on the leading edge of videogrammetry,” says Joseph Hupy, Ph.D., associate professor with Purdue University’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology.

    Videogrammetry refers to utilizing specific methods and software capabilities for rapidly collecting continuously geo-referenced video and then “geo-editing” and extracting geotagged still photos from the video at user-defined frequencies. These video-derived image datasets are then used to build orthomosaics and 3D models in traditional geospatial imagery processing software.

    “Remote GeoSystems is establishing methods to quickly collect and derive the geospatial data from drone videos that will change a number of industries and drive the acceleration of location-based artificial intelligence,” explained Hupy. “Having their software and team connected to Purdue is a significant resource for our evolving UAS program.”

    The School of Aviation and Transportation Technology – part of Purdue Polytechnic Institute, one of the 10 academic colleges at Purdue University – is based out of the historic Niswonger Aviation Technology Building, which once housed Amelia Earhart’s airplane.

    “Purdue has long been a global leader in aerospace and engineering curriculum and a pioneering institution in the aviation field since the early 20th century,” says Jeff Dahlke, managing director, Remote GeoSystems. “We are proud to now partner with and support the University as their next generation of students takes UAS platforms from novelty to the true airborne workhorses of the 21st century.”

    About Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology

    Purdue University’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, one of six departments and schools in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, administers seven world-class undergraduate majors and a graduate program, including aviation-focused Ph.D. program in technology. It is one of the most recognized programs for the quality of its graduates. Faculty members work closely with undergraduate and graduate students and all segments of the aviation industry to conduct research related to grand challenges in sustainability, safety and quality.

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    Demystifying MISB FMV (Full Motion Video)

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    There are many related terms describing the technology that embeds geospatial data within video, including MISB, FMV, STANAG, and KLV. Today we will go over the meaning of each, reasons to be interested in the technology, and what to look for if you are interested in implementing these technologies.

    Overview

    MISB stands for the Motion Imagery Standards Board. MISB is the organization that develops standards for Motion Imagery (MI) assets. The MISB standard commonly used for Air Systems is MISB ST 0601.

    STANAG stands for a NATO-state STANdardization AGreement, and in the context of geospatial data contained in video, commonly refers to the specific agreement STANAG 4609. This agreement essentially says to use MISB ST 0601 for UAS (Unmanned Air Systems).

    FMV stands for Full Motion Video – popularized by Esri’s ArcGIS Full Motion Video Add-on. Several features, including Camera Footprint, Target Location, and Camera Overlays, are commonly associated with FMV.

    Augmented Reality System (ARS) – Drawing data into video – for example, football games commonly have the Line of Scrimmage marked in live video – this is a simple form of augmented reality.

    KLV stands for Key-Length-Value, an efficient way of storing binary data within a stream – such as GPS coordinates, Fields of View (FOVs), and other important data that can be used to calculate certain geospatial properties. KLV is used in other areas of computer science too.

    Target Location – The location on a map where the camera is pointed. If implemented, Target Location will show up on a map as the point where the center of the camera meets the ground. Target location may also be referred to as Center Location and Camera Center.

    Camera Footprint – The area on a map that corresponds to the camera’s viewfinder. This box (usually a trapezoid due to perspective) is the four corners of a camera view mapped out to an area.

    Camera Overlay – Similar to Camera Footprint, except the camera video itself is overlaid onto the footprint.

    These features have applications in aerial inspections, search and rescue, law enforcement, broadcast and many more. Today MISB Data is commonly found with high-end gimbals and military equipment, and is now making its way toward the rest of the GIS market.

    KLV (Key, Length, Value)

    Key Length Value is not only used for MISB encoding, but in many other areas of computer science.

    KLV stands for Key, Length, Value, and is a compact method of storing binary data.

    Key = The data identifier. Identifies what type of data is stored that is used with the lookup table.
    Length = Length of the value. Identifies the length of the data in bytes.
    Value = Value of the data. The value may have its own algorithm to generate it’s storage.

    For example, KLV can be (HEX):

    21 08 00000064

    This described the key with hex value 21

    A length of 08 (8 characters or bytes)

    And a Hex value of 64

    Due to the length of the value being defined, multiple KLVs can be concatenated together. For example:

    19080000017220040011210800000064

    The keys would then be defined in the spec itself:

    (Note, these values are made up to demonstrate how it works)

    Key 19 = Altitude
    Key 20 = Slant Angle
    Key 21 = Longitude

    This hex string contains 3 Key->Value pairs, with indexes 19 of length 8, 20 of length 4, and 21 of length 8. The total byte size is 32 bytes, giving up human readability found in a format like XML, but compacting data into a very small size suitable for a low-bitrate stream. Dozens of geospatial KLV pairs can be added with minimal increase of the total bitrate of the video stream.

    There are other details to how KLV works with MISB (such as packet KLV, timestamps and checksums) however this is the basic idea behind it.

    The Container

    KLV data can be stored in many multimedia containers, one of the most popular being .TS (MPEG2 Transport Stream). The container used may depend on the desired video or audio codecs, streaming capability, and compatibility.

    A container is simply a file object that contains one or more streams. For example, .AVI, .MP4, .TS, .MOV and .MKV are all examples of various video containers. One of the most popular for MISB data is .TS.

    Inside a typical .TS container are one or more streams – most commonly, an Audio and a Video. They can also contain a KLV Data stream:

    .TS Container

    {  Video Stream (H.264)
    {  Audio Stream (AAC)
    { Data Stream (KLV)

    As the Transport Stream is read, all three streams are decompressed to be interpreted and displayed as Full Motion Video with KLV Metadata. With MISB 0609, this KLV data contains important geospatial data that can be used to calculate how to draw advanced features such as GPS coordinates, target location, camera footprint, etc.

    Equipment

    In order to record MISB-enabled video, you must have hardware that can provide the desired parameters. For example, your hardware might need to provide a combination of a laser rangefinder,  slant range, or altitude in order to determine target location. Some hardware may provide target location as GPS coordinates directly, others may give you the data and it is up to you to do the math.
    How the hardware makes the data available may also vary. Some may give you a KLV stream within the container, others may hide the data in the raw video bitstream.

    Software

    In order to play back the video and use features such as Target Location or Camera Footprint, the software you use must support playback and interpretation of KLV data. Our product line supports both the recording (geoDVR) and playback (Video GeoTagger PRO, VideoGeoEditor and LineVision Desktop) of MISB/KLV data, with new features and support continually being added with new releases.

    Remote GeoSystems Adds MISB Full Motion Video (FMV) Support to LineVision Desktop

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    PRESS RELEASE – FORT COLLINS, Colorado, USA – Remote GeoSystems, Inc., a global provider of immersive geospatial video software and recorders for survey and inspection, is pleased to announce the LineVision™ Desktop software suite now supports map-based playback and geoProject™ reporting with MISB FMV-compliant videos.

    Often larger commercial and military drones used in beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) operations and manned aircraft are equipped with a gyro-stabilized gimbal camera system capable of generating MISB-spec (STANAG 4609) metadata in the video stream. This could include existing 3rd-party systems from defense contractors, and/or gimbals utilizing the new geoDVR MISB FMV Module released last month for the direct recording of MISB FMV-compliant videos using the company’s flagship multi-sensor geoDVR geospatial video recorder.

    Now, LineVision Desktop software can import these MISB-spec full motion video files and read the metadata to calculate and display a dynamic “footprint” along with the camera target frame center. The resulting display shows the current video frame’s location outline moving on the map as well as the aircraft’s location. This capability provides analysts and subject matter experts a more accurate location of asset conditions or situational awareness on the ground.

    From high-end military surveillance cameras to consumer drones, the addition of MISB FMV support makes LineVision Desktop the most ubiquitous tool for map-based video data fusion utilizing continuously georeferenced video from nearly any UAV, manned aircraft or ground-based platform.