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05/06/2026

Join XYHT at XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit for a focused discussion on what it takes to turn drone data into reliable, survey-grade deliverables.

This session brings together leaders from Esri, GEODNET, Phoenix LiDAR Systems, and Trimble Applanix to share real-world insights across the full workflow—from data capture through final deliverables.

Surveying & Mapping End-User Workshop:
Turning Drone Data Into Decisions

📍 Xponential, Detroit, MI | Huntington Place
🗓 Tuesday, May 12
🕐 1 PM | Room 250B/C

We hope to see you there!

04/23/2026

Construction job sites are saturated with radios—and it’s changing GNSS performance. Cellular modems, private LTE networks, GNSS receivers, machine control systems, and industrial radios all operate in close proximity, creating an RF environment that is crowded, dynamic, and often hostile to precision positioning.

When performance degrades, the symptoms are familiar: slow RTK convergence, unstable fixes, and repeated reinitialization. Many of these issues originate much closer to the machine—at the antenna.

As Ken MacLeod of Calian notes, interference on construction sites is “everywhere, and it’s persistent.”

Understanding how to manage that interference—starting at the antenna—has become a critical factor in construction productivity.

Read more:

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Jan/Feb 2026How Antenna-Level Interference Mitigation Improves Machine Control Productivity. Construction job sites have always been challenging environments for positioning. Steel structures, heavy machinery, changing terrain, and partial sky visibility are p...

03/11/2026

For more than a decade, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has been warning that the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) would move on from NAD 83 and NAVD 88. That change is no longer theoretical. The new terrestrial reference frames, the replacement vertical datum and the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022) are now emerging on NGS’s beta platforms, with a phased rollout running through 2026 and a formal Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) decision expected once testing is complete. On its “New Datums” page, NGS describes the NSRS as “a consistent coordinate system that defines latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States and its territories,” and explicitly states that NAD 83 and NAVD 88 will be replaced as part of this modernization.

For survey and GIS professionals, this is not just a new datum. It is a shift in how coordinates are defined, maintained and documented for the next generation of work, across cadastral survey, infrastructure, floodplain mapping, reality capture and Scan-to-BIM.

Continue reading:

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Jan/Feb 2026NAD 83, NAVD 88 and “SPCS ’83” are finally giving way to a modern, GNSS- and gravity-based National Spatial Reference System. The technical pieces are arriving now. For surveyors and GIS professionals, the hard work will be managing the trans...

02/27/2026

Topcon Positioning Systems has introduced the CR-S1, a handheld scanning system that combines LiDAR, panoramic cameras, visual SLAM cameras, and a GNSS antenna in a single device. The CR-S1 utilizes Topcon’s Collage mass-data software ecosystem central to a connected workflow.

The CR-S1 expands the company’s Capture Reality portfolio as a higher‑performance option alongside the CR‑S2. It offers increased point‑cloud density, extended scanning range, and upgraded panoramic imaging. The system is primarily intended for surveying and construction and is also well-suited for applications such as land surveying, tunnel surveying and modeling, forestry analysis, mining operations, utility mapping, and power line inspection.

Find out more:

Topcon Positioning Systems has introduced the CR-S1, a handheld scanning system that combines LiDAR, panoramic cameras, visual SLAM cameras, and a GNSS antenna in a single device. The CR-S1 utilizes Topcon’s Collage mass-data software ecosystem central to a connected workflow. The CR-S1 expands th...

02/24/2026

Over the past decade, geomatics has shifted from a discipline defined primarily by measurement accuracy to one increasingly shaped by workflow ex*****on. Sensors are more capable, data volumes larger, and project timelines tighter, while survey, GIS, and construction activities now routinely overlap. In this environment, the differentiator is no longer how precisely data can be captured, but how reliably it moves from field to office, and onward into design, modeling, and construction systems.

Against this backdrop, Topcon 2.0 offers a useful case study in how geomatics is being operationalized for a workflow-driven market:

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Jan/Feb 2026How Connected Workflows Are Redefining Geospatial and Construction Ex*****on Over the past decade, geomatics has shifted from a discipline defined primarily by measurement accuracy to one increasingly shaped by workflow ex*****on. Sensors are more....

02/20/2026

Trust at 165 MPH: What Endurance Racing Teaches Us About Precision, Performance, and Continuous Improvement

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has evolved into a proving ground where advanced vehicle platforms, dense sensor stacks, hybridized systems, and software-driven performance are tested under sustained competitive pressure. At the same time, the series’ visibility and stature continue to rise, with steady growth in broadcast audiences, streaming engagement, and trackside attendance, alongside broad and technically serious manufacturer participation. The paddock reflects a particular kind of credibility—brands associated with reliability, engineering depth, and long-horizon performance rather than short-term flash. For companies operating in results-based industries, where failure is costly and trust is earned over time, that environment matters.

Continue reading:

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Jan/Feb 2026What Endurance Racing Teaches Us About Precision, Performance, and Continuous Improvement The sun sets low over the flat Florida horizon. As daylight fades at Daytona International Speedway, the infield comes alive in a different way. Campers glow....

02/05/2026

Building the Next Generation of Geomatics Professionals

Across the country, surveying and geomatics firms are struggling to find qualified professionals—especially those who are proficient with modern tools and workflows. The shortage isn’t just about headcount. It’s about capability.

Continue reading about how Fresno State, Trimble, and CSDS are closing the workforce and technology gap:

How Fresno State, Trimble, and CSDS Are Closing the Workforce and Technology Gap On January 22–23, 2026, Fresno State hosted the 65th Annual Geomatics Engineering Conference at the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union, bringing together students, educators, surveyors, engineers, and technol...

01/30/2026

Mexico’s Tren Maya (Maya Train) has been lauded as “the most important public work in the world” by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. An ambitious endeavor in both scope and deadline, the progress of the estimated $20 billion project has been followed in international news.

That keen interest and expectation has put “off the rails” pressure on the myriad construction companies feverishly working to complete their respective sections of the railway. Of critical importance was to have one particular section of the Maya Train ready for a first inaugural departure on Dec. 15, 2023, a deadline set by López Obrador.

“Given the completion schedule set by the president, we had about 18 months to build our 228-kilometer section,” says Juan Suarez, chief surveyor for Mota-Engil, a construction company based in Porto, Portugal. “That in itself is incredibly challenging, but we also had to manage complex logistics and ensure the integrity of ecologically sensitive areas along the rail’s path, all while delivering quality work on schedule. But, no pressure, right?”

Knowing they’d need reliable support to help meet exacting design requirements and tight deadlines, and to sustain an intense pace, Suarez entered the field with technology that would provide efficiency and precision to survey crews and automated analytical and reporting tools to maximize efficiency in the office.

Continue reading:

A singular railway system provides a linear path from construction to maintenance on the Tren Maya. Mexico’s Tren Maya (Maya Train) has been lauded as “the most important public work in the world” by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Designed to boost economic and social developm...

01/28/2026

Beyond the Science Project: Productizing the Future of Sensor Fusion

When Fixposition showed its latest xFusion™ solutions at Equip Expo, Agritechnica, and INTERGEO, one theme came through clearly from OEMs and integrators: they are done with “science project” stacks. They want fusion that is robust, repeatable, and ready to ship.

Fixposition says that is exactly what they are building: a productized sensor fusion platform that extends RTK-level performance into tree canopy, near buildings, and through indoor–outdoor transitions, while simplifying integration for autonomous mowers, agricultural and industrial robots, and other field machines.

XYHT spoke with Peter Mardaleichvili and Lukas Meier about what they heard on the show floor, why productization is a differentiator, and how they see themselves—not as a GNSS company, not as a vision company, but as a fusion company.

Continue reading:

XYHT – Q&A with Peter Mardaleichvili and Lukas Meier, Fixposition When Fixposition showed its latest xFusion™ solutions at Equip Expo, Agritechnica, and INTERGEO, one theme came through clearly from OEMs and integrators: they are done with “science project” stacks. They want fusion that...

01/27/2026

Measuring Change at Scale: FARO’s Mass-Data Vision for Digital Reality

At INTERGEO 2025 in Frankfurt, FARO®, a business of AMETEK®, Inc. wasn’t just celebrating a milestone, it was making a case for how 20 years of terrestrial laser scanning experience feeds directly into the next wave of GIS: mass data, AI-ready point clouds and digital twins that help societies manage infrastructure at scale.

“All of the change in the world requires measurement,” said Kenneth Smillie, business development lead for FARO’s geospatial business. “My view on the industry is that we measure change… and measuring change efficiently is going to be using mass data, and mass data is laser scanning.”

That simple statement—we measure change—is a neat summary of why FARO’s hardware, software and acquisition strategy matter to GIS professionals right now.

Continue reading:

At INTERGEO 2025 in Frankfurt, FARO®, a business of AMETEK®, Inc. wasn’t just celebrating a milestone, it was making a case for how 20 years of terrestrial laser scanning experience feeds directly into the next wave of GIS: mass data, AI-ready point clouds and digital twins that help societies m...