The Trimble Applanix POS AV (Position and Orientation System for Aerial Vehicles) is a high-precision inertial navigation system designed to provide accurate position, orientation, and trajectory data for airborne mapping platforms. It integrates a tactical-grade Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with GNSS receivers to deliver continuous, reliable georeferencing data even in challenging environments where satellite signals are intermittently lost — such as beneath forest canopy or in steep terrain. The system computes the six degrees of freedom (position and attitude) of an aerial sensor platform in real time, enabling direct georeferencing of data collected by LiDAR scanners, cameras, and other remote sensing payloads without requiring extensive ground control point networks. In forestry applications, POS AV is widely used on manned aircraft and large UAVs conducting airborne LiDAR surveys for forest inventory, biomass estimation, canopy height modelling, and terrain mapping beneath dense vegetation. By delivering centimetre-level positional accuracy and sub-millidegree angular precision, it ensures that point clouds and orthoimagery can be accurately registered to real-world coordinates, which is critical for producing reliable forest resource datasets. In Australian forestry operations, airborne LiDAR surveys using POS AV-equipped platforms have been used to map timber volumes across large plantation estates and native forest concessions, reducing the need for costly ground-based cruising. The system is also integral to corridor mapping for forest roads and infrastructure planning. Recent generations of the POS AV support tightly coupled GNSS-IMU processing and post-mission smoothing via Trimble's POSPac MMS software, further improving accuracy in low-satellite-visibility conditions common to forested landscapes. As UAV payloads become lighter and more capable, compact variants of the Applanix positioning technology are increasingly being integrated into drone-based forestry survey workflows across Australia and globally.
| Field |
Value |
| Company |
Trimble |
| Type |
Company |
| FWPA RD&E |
7.5 |