Latest news with #RTK
Boston Globe
30-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Concerns about transparency swirl around Nashua performing arts center
Thursday's decision arises from one of more than a dozen lawsuits resident Laurie A. Ortolano has filed against Nashua in the past five years under the RTK law. It clarifies that a 2008 change to the law didn't narrow the scope of entities bound by it. Legislators added language specifying that government-owned nonprofit corporations are public bodies subject to the RTK law, but that doesn't mean all for-profit corporations are exempt, the court ruled. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up To determine whether an entity constitutes a public body under the RTK law, judges still must conduct a 'government function' test, just as they were required to do before the 2008 change to the law. The lower court failed to do that in this case. Advertisement In response to Thursday's decision, Ortolano said it seems fairly clear that NPAC Corp. is using public money to perform a government function, especially considering how involved city officials have been in the entity's financing and administration. Advertisement Ortolano said officials had long reassured the public that the performing arts center would be operated transparently, but then they established the for-profit entity. 'All of the records went dark, and you could not really track accountability of the money any longer,' she said. Ortolano's lawsuit alleges the city owns a nonprofit entity that owns the for-profit corporation, but city attorney Steven A. Bolton disputed that. Nashua doesn't own any of the entities in question, he said. (That said, the city's Board of Alderman approves mayoral appointees to lead the nonprofits.) Bolton said he was pleased that the Supreme Court agreed with the trial court's decision to dismiss the city as a defendant in this case, and he expressed confidence that the money raised for this project was spent appropriately on construction, furnishings, and perhaps initial operating costs. Attorneys for the remaining defendant, NPAC Corp., didn't respond Thursday to requests for comment. The corporation maintains it is a private entity exempt from the RTK law, even though its members are listed on Gregory V. Sullivan, an attorney who practices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and who serves as president of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said he suspects the superior court will conclude that NPAC Corp. is subject to the RTK law. He commended Ortolano as 'a right-to-know warrior' and criticized leaders who resist transparency. 'The city of Nashua has historically, in my opinion, not been cooperative with requests to disclose the public's records as opposed to other cities and towns in New Hampshire,' he said. 'We the people are the government, own the government, and they're our records.' Advertisement This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Steven Porter can be reached at
Business Upturn
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
Quectel Partners With GEODNET to Deliver RTK Correction Services, Ensuring Centimeter-Level Positioning Accuracy for Mass Market Applications
VANCOUVER, British Columbia: Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT solutions provider, has partnered with GEODNET to deliver Quectel's Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Correction Services, enabling high-precision positioning for IoT applications. This partnership allows Quectel to deliver bundled solutions that combine its RTK modules and antennas with GEODNET's RTK network, setting a new benchmark in the high-precision GNSS market. These solutions are designed to support a wide range of mass-market applications, including consumer robotics, sports, automotive, micro-mobility, precision agriculture and mining. Quectel's RTK Correction Services are built to deliver exceptional accuracy and reliability and designed to deliver centimeter-level positioning accuracy that significantly surpasses the performance of traditional GNSS solutions. The partnership with GEODNET means that Quectel can tailor solutions that are optimized for specific applications, enabling equipment manufacturers to easily navigate around the complexities of RTK when selecting a total solution for their specific use case. GEODNET's network has over 15,000 registered stations supporting all frequencies and constellations. It also offers consistency across the network with every site utilizing the same triple-band equipment. This uniformity allows customers to design and test in one country and seamlessly deploy in another, a significant advantage over competitors that often have a varied range of equipment leading to inconsistent performance and reliability. 'We are excited to partner with GEODNET in delivering our RTK Correction Service partnership program, which represents a significant leap forward in high precision positioning technology,' commented Brandon Oakes, Director of GNSS and Short range, North America, Quectel Wireless Solutions. 'The consistency that GEODNET offers enables us to provide our customers one-stop-solutions that fit the best into their use cases, this program will help drive quick adoption – alleviating many of the complexities that have prevented RTK from becoming the go-to technology for high precision location services.' GEODNET's network is not only expansive but also IoT-friendly, offering competitive pricing that makes high-precision GNSS accessible to a broader audience. The partnership will also feature a free 60-day trial with Evaluation Kit (EVK) kits, allowing potential customers to experience the capabilities of the combined technologies firsthand. 'The core GEODNET engineering team has collaborated with Quectel's GNSS team for over five years. We're proud to formalize this partnership, bringing broad Correction Service support across Quectel's entire GNSS module product line,' said Mike Horton, Project Creator GEODNET. The Quectel RTK global solution enables consistent compatibility and performance over multiple regions and is compatible with Quectel's range of high performance GNSS RTK quad band modules, including the LG290P, LG580P and LG680P, facilitating simple worldwide adoption and deployment. All three modules deliver ultra-high performance for the most demanding applications, ensuring exceptional RTK availability and quality even in challenging environments. Providing the centimeter-level accuracy needed to ensure the precision required for applications such as precision agriculture, robotic lawn mowers, surveying and personal robots, the module also delivers superior coverage that supports base stations from greater distances, ensuring reliable performance. The solution also supports the LC29H series — a dual-band, multi-constellation, high-precision GNSS module designed to deliver centimeter- and decimeter-level positioning accuracy with high performance and power efficiency to meet evolving market demands. In addition, Quectel delivers a full-stack service offering, encompassing 360-degree engineering support, precision antenna provisioning, and tuning services. This integrated approach enables customers to streamline development cycles, minimize integration challenges, and achieve optimal RF performance for faster, more efficient time-to-market. More information on Quectel's RTK Correction Service can be found here. About Quectel Quectel's passion for a smarter world drives us to accelerate IoT innovation. A highly customer-centric organization, we are a global IoT solutions provider backed by outstanding support and services. Our growing global team of 5,600 professionals sets the pace for innovation in cellular, GNSS, satellite and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules as well as antennas and services. With regional offices and support across the globe, our international leadership is devoted to advancing IoT and helping build a smarter world. For more information, please visit: LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. About GEODNET GEODNET is a highly reliable, Web3 RTK Network that uses DePIN principles. Using only a low data rate network connection, Real-Time Kinematics enables a 100x improvement in position accuracy as compared to standalone GPS. GEODNET's global network of RTK stations complement on-device sensors such as Cameras, LiDAR, and IMU's to power AI-based Autonomous Systems with accurate real-time 3D localization. For more information: GEODNET White Paper Website Dune Dashboard Twitter
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Quectel Partners With GEODNET to Deliver RTK Correction Services, Ensuring Centimeter-Level Positioning Accuracy for Mass Market Applications
Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT solutions provider, has partnered with GEODNET to deliver Quectel's Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Correction Services, enabling high-precision positioning for IoT applications. This partnership allows Quectel to deliver bundled solutions that combine its RTK modules and antennas with GEODNET's RTK network, setting a new benchmark in the high-precision GNSS market. These solutions are designed to support a wide range of mass-market applications, including consumer robotics, sports, automotive, micro-mobility, precision agriculture and mining. Article content Article content Quectel's RTK Correction Services are built to deliver exceptional accuracy and reliability and designed to deliver centimeter-level positioning accuracy that significantly surpasses the performance of traditional GNSS solutions. The partnership with GEODNET means that Quectel can tailor solutions that are optimized for specific applications, enabling equipment manufacturers to easily navigate around the complexities of RTK when selecting a total solution for their specific use case. Article content GEODNET's network has over 15,000 registered stations supporting all frequencies and constellations. It also offers consistency across the network with every site utilizing the same triple-band equipment. This uniformity allows customers to design and test in one country and seamlessly deploy in another, a significant advantage over competitors that often have a varied range of equipment leading to inconsistent performance and reliability. Article content 'We are excited to partner with GEODNET in delivering our RTK Correction Service partnership program, which represents a significant leap forward in high precision positioning technology,' commented Brandon Oakes, Director of GNSS and Short range, North America, Quectel Wireless Solutions. 'The consistency that GEODNET offers enables us to provide our customers one-stop-solutions that fit the best into their use cases, this program will help drive quick adoption – alleviating many of the complexities that have prevented RTK from becoming the go-to technology for high precision location services.' Article content GEODNET's network is not only expansive but also IoT-friendly, offering competitive pricing that makes high-precision GNSS accessible to a broader audience. The partnership will also feature a free 60-day trial with Evaluation Kit (EVK) kits, allowing potential customers to experience the capabilities of the combined technologies firsthand. Article content 'The core GEODNET engineering team has collaborated with Quectel's GNSS team for over five years. We're proud to formalize this partnership, bringing broad Correction Service support across Quectel's entire GNSS module product line,' said Mike Horton, Project Creator GEODNET. Article content The Quectel RTK global solution enables consistent compatibility and performance over multiple regions and is compatible with Quectel's range of high performance GNSS RTK quad band modules, including the LG290P, LG580P and LG680P, facilitating simple worldwide adoption and deployment. Article content All three modules deliver ultra-high performance for the most demanding applications, ensuring exceptional RTK availability and quality even in challenging environments. Providing the centimeter-level accuracy needed to ensure the precision required for applications such as precision agriculture, robotic lawn mowers, surveying and personal robots, the module also delivers superior coverage that supports base stations from greater distances, ensuring reliable performance. Article content The solution also supports the LC29H series — a dual-band, multi-constellation, high-precision GNSS module designed to deliver centimeter- and decimeter-level positioning accuracy with high performance and power efficiency to meet evolving market demands. In addition, Quectel delivers a full-stack service offering, encompassing 360-degree engineering support, precision antenna provisioning, and tuning services. This integrated approach enables customers to streamline development cycles, minimize integration challenges, and achieve optimal RF performance for faster, more efficient time-to-market. Article content More information on Quectel's RTK Correction Service can be found here. Article content Quectel's passion for a smarter world drives us to accelerate IoT innovation. A highly customer-centric organization, we are a global IoT solutions provider backed by outstanding support and services. Our growing global team of 5,600 professionals sets the pace for innovation in cellular, GNSS, satellite and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules as well as antennas and services. Article content With regional offices and support across the globe, our international leadership is devoted to advancing IoT and helping build a smarter world. Article content GEODNET is a highly reliable, Web3 RTK Network that uses DePIN principles. Using only a low data rate network connection, Real-Time Kinematics enables a 100x improvement in position accuracy as compared to standalone GPS. GEODNET's global network of RTK stations complement on-device sensors such as Cameras, LiDAR, and IMU's to power AI-based Autonomous Systems with accurate real-time 3D localization. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Wales Online
17-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
'Superb' robot lawnmower that's 'simple to use' now reduced by £160 for limited time on Amazon
'Superb' robot lawnmower that's 'simple to use' now reduced by £160 for limited time on Amazon Put your feet up and relax in the garden while this robot happily cuts your lawn Sit back and let the robot do the work (Image: Ecovacs / Amazon ) Relaxing in your garden in a chair in the sunshine has its benefits but with the better weather comes rapid lawn growth which can rudely interrupt your peace, in your view and nagging you to get the mower out and make the area tidy again. But if you love gadgets that can help you save precious time as well as impress your friends and neighbours, and potentially make them jealous too, maybe it's time to consider a robot lawn mower. Arguably its a great time to think about it too, as the Ecovac Goat 0800 RTK Robot Lawnmower is currently reduced by £160 from £899 to £739 for a limited time from Amazon, and has already been purchased by over 100 people within the last month, according to the site. For more property, home and garden content sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here. READ MORE: 'Fantastic' above ground swimming pool that's 'worth every penny' reduced by 44% to under £60 YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Dunelm's hanging egg chair 'by far the comfiest I have ever sat on' The manufacturer says it has a stable satellite connection even in the shade (Image: Ecovacs / Amazon ) One customer who happily gave their new addition to the family a five-star review says: 'The ecovacs goat is a superb machine. It comes with different navigation settings and reaches all corners without issues. It is smart enough to travel through narrow and climbing paths. It is water proof so you don't need to stop watering your garden. It is really silent and its battery lasts for hours. Strongly recommended for small and medium size gardens'. So, if you like your technical details explained for a new piece of kit, the manufacturer states 'the robot achieves ultra-high precision positioning within just two centimetres. Compared to other RTK technologies, it can receive up to 40 satellites in 80% more signal bands, offering four times connection speed and a 30% boost of stability in the shade. Under areas with shade interference (trees or roofs), the visual positioning system ensures that the mowing paths remain continuous and accurate for a seamless lawn care experience'. The robot works out a logical cutting path and can be adjusted to cut between 3 to 8 cm height (Image: Ecovacs / Amazon ) The product details of the robot lawnmower go on to say that it combines a 150° fisheye camera, powered by advanced AI algorithms, and a 3D-ToF LiDAR motion sensor in order to detect over 200 common garden objects and avoids anything exceeding the pre-set height limit and can even distinguish between grass and non-grass areas. One buyer is happy to recommend the Ecovac Goat 0800 RTK Robot Lawnmower with five stars, saying: 'Set up easy and very simple to activate. Machine works effortlessly through the lawn space finding the most efficient path. Camera's worked out quickly the path and grass area without any manual intervention. So far would recommend'. One of the features of the Ecovac Goat 0800 RTK Robot Lawnmower is its 24 degree slope climbing, as described by the manufacturer, but one customer was not satisfied with this description, saying: 'Returned as continuously failed on 21 degrees slope when advertised as 24 degrees'. The narrower body of the product compared to some competitors means it can fit in smaller spaces (Image: Ecovacs / Amazon ) Overall, the positive reviews show the product has impressed its new owners, with one saying, 'The auto-mapping function is very good, it found 90% of the boundary by itself (just needed to help it manually a few times at the more difficult bits), then it went for a quick run around the garden to map the bit it'll cut, to check for any obstacles, then it went home, and it was done'. They go on to give an update of the first outing of the robot lawnmower, saying: 'It did the first scheduled cut yesterday morning, and it's fantastic. It cuts in straight lines, and it's quick! My whole garden was done in about 3 hours, and considering the old robot failed 3 weeks ago, the grass was fairly long. Overall I'm really impressed'. If a buyer is based in the UK a few customers have pointed out one flaw in the purchase of the Ecovac Goat 0800 RTK Robot Lawnmower that can be easily rectified but is not initially obvious, one comments: 'So far so good but surely have a UK plug or include an adapter, ridiculous the mower arrives but has no plug or adapter for the UK. Have sorted it now but if they had said, both our lives would have been easier'. Article continues below It is claimed that the robot has precise obstacle avoidance, even in the dark (Image: Ecovacs / Amazon ) Alternatives to the Ecovac Goat 0800 RTK Robot Lawnmower are the FLYMO EasiLife GO 250 Robot Lawn Mower priced £579.00 from Currys or Bosch Indego S 500 Cordless Robotic lawnmower available from B&Q costing £609, or you could buy a manual mower for half the price like this Black & Decker 'BEMW481BH' Mower with Bike Handle priced £251.18 from Debenhams, or even invest in a goat as a natural, off-grid, way to keep the grass at bay.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Somerset approves $125,000 settlement with former employee
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways SOMERSET, Pa. – A federal lawsuit has been settled between Somerset County and a former county maintenance worker over free speech rights. Somerset County commissioners voted 3-0 to approve an agreement outlining the settlement's terms, which Somerset County Co-Solicitor Benjamin Carroll said includes a $125,000 payment to the former employee. The move settles a six-year-long dispute with former county worker Eric Trent, who sued the county in 2020. Carroll said the payment includes both county funds and an unspecified payout from the county's insurance company. He said under terms of the agreement, he could not get more specific but that the document 'speaks for itself.' Carroll acknowledged the written agreement is a public record subject to the Right-to-Know Law and that the media is able to request a copy. The Tribune-Democrat filed a written RTK request with the office Tuesday, and Carroll said the county must discuss the request with all parties involved prior to its release. Barring any valid objections, 'it's our intent to follow the law and release it,' he said Tuesday. First Amendment suit Issues raised in the lawsuit date back to mid-2019. None of Somerset's current commissioners were serving in office at the time. Somerset County and former President Commissioner Gerald Walker were sued by Trent after he voiced concern to Walker about a trend of hiring out-of-state workers for administrative roles at the time. Federal court documents indicated the discussion between Walker and Trent occurred during a trade show and ended with Trent saying he'd work to see Walker defeated in an upcoming election for continuing the hiring practice. Trent lost his county job a short time later. He was publicly escorted from the courthouse, his suit alleged at the time. Trent responded with the 2020 lawsuit, maintaining he had a right to voice his opinion and frustration about the county's practice. The county's hired Pittsburgh legal counsel, Gabriel Fera, argued Trent raised issues too 'trivial' to be of public concern – and the board was within its right to terminate Trent. But an appeals court sided with Trent in 2024. As a county citizen, Trent had a First Amendment right to voice his opinion about a public concern, a federal appeals court wrote. The matter was sent back to the federal courts for mediation since. Trent was contacted by The Tribune-Democrat for comment Tuesday. He said he could not discuss settlement specifics, but in a telephone interview said he was 'happy' with the way the case was resolved. 'I'm thankful for all the support I received from county employees,' he said, adding that he's continued receiving supportive calls from fellow Somerset County residents. 'It was a long process, but I'm just glad it's settled now.' 'Happy to have it resolved' Somerset County officials said they were also eager to move on from the matter. 'This is an issue that arose prior to the term of these commissioners. (The legal dispute) has gone on for a long time, and we're happy to have it resolved,' Carroll added during an interview after the county's board meeting alongside current commissioners board members Brian Fochtman, Irv Kimmel Jr. and Pamela Tokar-Ickes. Online court documents show the case was resolved in late February through mediation between Somerset County's legal counsel and Trent's attorneys. Efforts to reach Walker were not successful Tuesday. A message for comment was not returned. DeLuca: 'Recoup' losses Somerset county officials did not specify how they'll specifically cover the county's settlement costs. During the county's retirement board meeting Tuesday, Somerset County Treasurer Anthony DeLuca Jr. suggested the county take steps to recoup the funds from Walker. DeLuca said the former commissioner's pension is not yet being dispersed to Walker and suggested that those retirement funds could be 'frozen ... to recoup some of that money.' 'Otherwise ... it's coming from taxpayer's pockets,' he said. 'I'd want to go after that (money).' The county's three commissioners did not respond to DeLuca's suggestion during the board meeting. Carroll said it's something the commissioners board could discuss among themselves as an option, if they choose.
