Precise forest management (SuperNav)

For sustainable, soil-conserving and equally efficient and safe timber utilization, the precise positioning of forestry machines is of crucial importance. In this context, GNSS systems (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) have been established for many years as a globally available positioning system in agriculture and are designed for use in environments with a lot of free visibility. However, with the systems available so far, reliable real-time positioning in forest stands is not possible due to the difficult environmental conditions.

In the project »Sub-meter positioning in forestry under difficult Sat/Nav conditions« (in short: SuperNav), improved GNSS receiver and antenna technologies are to be used to achieve greater accuracy. The aim is to take into account the unfavorable conditions prevailing in the forest for forestry machines, such as shadowing, diffraction and poor signal-to-noise ratio. The GNSS receiver development platform GOOSE developed by Fraunhofer IIS forms the basis for antenna and receiver development. The system to be developed is to be tested in forestry machines in practice under real-time conditions, should be easy to operate and at the same time relieve the machine operator of orientation in the forest.

The improved positioning will result in considerable improvements for forest owners, forestry operations, forestry companies and raw material-processing timber industry companies in terms of occupational safety, reliability in complying with soil protection and meeting certification requirements, as well as economic efficiency for the companies involved.

• Sub-meter positioning in the forest
• Development of a sensitive "forest antenna" for the specific requirements in the forest
• Geometrical arrangement of multiple antennas and receivers to reduce signal dropouts and optimize position determination (cooperative signal tracking)
• Sensor fusion by combining GNSS with inertial sensors (acceleration and angular rate sensors) for more accurate positioning
• Testing of the developed solutions in machine operation in real time, taking into account the influences of terrain, stand structure, weather, season and time of day