Although it is August and you are hopefully enjoying your holiday at a sunny and relaxing place we would like to inform you and update you on our OmniSTAR business.

Until now, 2008 has been an excellent year with growth for all our traditional markets and services.

In this newsletter we describe the Challenger World Discing Record event, that illustrates the vast potential and the position of OmniSTAR HP/XP in the agricultural arena.

To continue this growth we do not only look at our traditional markets, but are also developing other markets and applications. Together with partners we have developed various applications based upon OmniSTAR Services. Applications as: Road Reseach, UAV positioning, Pipeline pigging, Electrical Grid Surveying and Buoy laying. To share this information we have created Application Notes. These can be found on our website www.omnistar.nl. Hopefully this inspires you to new markets and applications.

This newsletter will also give you an update on technical issues, marketing and products. Please contact us if you need more information.

We wish you a very successful autumn and hope to meet you at the Intergeo in Bremen or during one of the other upcoming events,

Cor de Kuijper
European Commercial Manager

In September 2007, a standard production Challenger MT875B tracked tractor, working with a 14 meter wide set of Gregoire Besson XXL discs, set a new world record, cultivating 644 hectares in 24 hours. The event took place in Timisoara, Romania. The Auto-Guide system used OmniSTAR HP positioning services to maximize productivity, even in poor visibility conditions.

Some world record figures:

Total area covered: 644 ha
Overall work rate: 26,8 ha/h
Total fuel used: 2846 litres
Overall fuel usage: 118.6 litres/h
Fuel / area: 4,42 litres/ha
Average fwd speed: 19,2 kph
Average depth: 12 cm

For more information and photos of the record setting event, please visit the Challenger World Record page on the internet.

OmniSTAR BV is providing 8305HP decimetre survey systems to MineTech UK. They are supporting in de-mining for the United Nations Mine Action Group. The Mine Hunting Staff is using HP backpack systems and vehicle based systems with metal detectors. This way they can accurately and safely delineate hazardous mine field zones and safely identify UXO locations for UXO removal.

All de-mining operations undertaken require a standard method for the recording of either an individual mine or minefields. It is essential that accurate datums are recorded. Standalone GPS has its limitations due to its accuracy; tolerances of 3-10 meter are not uncommon. When you consider some Anti-Personnel mines are only a few centimetres in diameter you realize that a tolerance of 3-10 meter is unacceptable.

MineTech International operates with an OmniSTAR 8305HP DGPS. This ensures accuracy and safety for the user and compliance with the standards laid down by the United Nations for the recording of datum’s. All datum’s recorded during a task are transferred to a central data bank where they can be reused by the customer when awarding a new contract or adding an additional task to an existing contract. The data in the central data bank can be provided by one company and then passed on via the customer to a completely different company. Standardized recording using a DGPS ensures accuracy.

How the OmniSTAR DGPS is used in the field

Firstly, the team leader confirms a datum point from which all other measurements are taken. A safe access lane in a minefield is marked by two rows of red and white stakes. A large stone, which is painted red, marks the starting point. From here a boundary lane around the minefield is commenced. The position of the red stone is recorded in DGPS. If an area has buried munitions, it will be excavated and removed. The position of the area will be accurately recorded.

Finally unmarked datum’s have to be relocated and marked in readiness for a clearance task to commence. The team leader will use the DGPS to locate a datum/co-ordinate previously recorded and obtained from the central data bank. Many mines and minefields have been in place for a number of years, features that readily identified there location have long since either disappeared or been overgrown. Only with local knowledge and an accurate recording system can these deadly minefields be located and recorded for future clearance.

Nowadays a lot of research is being done with regards to unmanned vehicles. These vehicles can be remotely controlled or are fully autonomous. A well known event in this is the DARPA Grand Challenge in USA. Europe is also at the front-end of this type of developments. Some sophisticated vehicles were on display at the recent IV2008 Intelligent Vehicles event at the campus of the Dutch University of Technology in Eindhoven.

Also in Germany at the ELROB event similar vehicles were on display and participating in trials. Although most of them are still in a concept phase with a lot of sensors sticking out, some are already in active duty doing patrol missions in hazardous areas or can hardly be distinguished from a normal car for every day use.

Interesting to know is that OmniSTAR technology is present in the vast majority of these vehicles showing that we are on top of the latest developments in UAV and automotive technology.

To support Trimble based receivers, OmniSTAR has developed a program from the OmniSTAR perspective. The program is called View8200 and uses the TSIP protocol. The program retrieves OmniSTAR relevant information from the GPS receiver.

Special features of the View8200 program are:

1) One screen shows all display
2) Multi lingual support
3) OmniSTAR frequency spectrum visible
4) Support of OmniSTAR VBS and HP
5) Skyplot
6) Scatterplot functionality

The EASAT will stop operation as of 1 January 2009. The service will then be combined with the AFSAT Satellite. The frequency of the AFSAT is 1535.08 Mhz. and 1200 bps.

The IORH has been in operation since January 2008 and will become the preferred satellite for India and Middle East as of January 2009.

Please look at the website www.surveyplanner.com for a current overview of the satellites.

If you have a receiver that works in Automode, it will automatically transfer to the best satellite based on elevation and reference stations available.

Receivers that are manually tuned to a specific satellite do need to be set to Auto mode.

For questions about the satellite or other technical questions, please contact the support department:

Tel.: +31 70 317 0900
Fax: +31 70 317 0919
E-mail: support@omnistar.nl

At the moment the transition from the old to the new VBS format is in progress. During the last few months the following beams have already moved to this new format:

1) APSAT, moved on 22 July 2008
2) AMSAT, moved on 1 August 2008
3) MSV-E/CW, moved on 1 August 2008

The new VBS2 format has the advantage of having more compression and therefore more reference stations can be added to the satellite beam.

The EA-SAT will remain on the legacy VBS format till 31 December 2008.

The new OmniSTAR HP/XP engine has improved in convergence time. With HP Firmware 4.27 the performance now starts at sub-meter level accuracy.

Before it would take 25 minutes to converge to 30 cm accuracy. Now the solution starts at approximately 30 cm shortly after switching on the receiver. Over coming periods, the solution will improve even further to 5 cm.

OmniSTAR BV will be exhibiting at the following fairs either with a shared Fugro stand or with its own stand.

Intergeo
30 September - 2 October 2008, Bremen (Germany) www.intergeo.de.
Hall 5, Stand number 5.315.

SIMA
22 - 26 February 2009, Paris (France) www.simaonline.com.

Do you need OmniSTAR promotional materials? Or do you want to discuss your “shared promotion” ideas? Maybe you wish to meet us at one of our exhibitions? Just ask our Marketing & Sales Department. They are here to help!

For all our business partners we have all kinds of promotional materials available for the purpose of fairs, conferences, demonstrations, trainings etc. This material is available on request.

Did you know that OmniSTAR offers tailor-made technical training sessions & demos? Pricing and possibilities are available on request.

For more information about training, promotion materials and exhibitions please contact Henrieke Christians, our Marketing and Sales Assistant, or your Sales Manager at OmniSTAR:

Tel. +31 70 317 0900
Fax +31 70 317 0919

How long have you been working for OmniSTAR B.V.?

Since May 2004 I have been working for OmniSTAR as Financial Administrative Assistant. I assist the Controller and the Manager Logistics. My tasks are recording and administering (coding and booking) invoices of accounts payables, receivables, bank statements, prepare accounts payables and look after other ad hoc statements of administrative/bookkeeping issues. I also look after reminders of accounts receivables. In coordination with Logistics, I ship and invoice deliveries.

What do you like the most about your current function?

My job includes many different tasks and is very flexible. My work is like a challenge to me and it is absolutely not a boring job. My colleagues are very nice to me and make my job more interesting.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers? About other activities you enjoy?

I like to learn about the technology that’s made day by day, because I love everything that has to do with technology, etc. I am interested in outer space, astronauts and related items. That’s why I enjoy technology and like to learn about it. In my college years I got a degree in physics.

Disclaimer:
We hereby expressly declare that we have no influence whatsoever on the design and content of any web pages reached via links from this Newsletter. OmniSTAR BV hereby expressly disassociates itself from the content of any such linked websites and does not adopt their content.

OmniSTAR BV
The Netherlands * Phone: +31 70 317 0900 * Fax: +31 70 317 0919