17
Nov 2020
04
Aug 2020Churchill Navigation and SHOTOVER Camera Systems Merge Creating SHOTOVER Systems
Churchill Navigation, a leader in real-time augmented reality mapping and video systems used globally, and SHOTOVER Camera Systems, a manufacturer of a wide range of world-renowned gyro-stabilized camera systems for shooting aerial footage, announced today the companies have merged to form SHOTOVER Systems Ltd. With an already long-standing record of collaboration, both companies are proud to be able to join together and use their complementary...
Read More
23
Jul 2020Stockton PD’s new Bell 505 with ARS
Stockton Police Department releases a fun and informative video about their new aircraft, featuring ARS.
06
May 2020Sarasota County Demonstrates Excellent Situational Awareness
Reported by the Venice Gondolier, officers show expert use of ARS in apprehending suspects.
08
Mar 2018ARS Plays Role in Active-Shooter Response Preparation
Airborne law enforcement can be critical in protecting our schools and communities from the threat of an active-shooter. But the tactical vantage point provided by the aircraft can be obscured by rooftops and the building itself. This makes pinpointing the exact location of the threat in a building or on campus a challenge. The Riverside Police Aviation Unit in Riverside, CA recently became the first...
Read More
13
Jul 2017ARS Tracks Motorcycle Pursuit at 147 mph (Video)
Troopers from the Washington State Patrol Aviation Unit recently assisted on a motorcycle pursuit along I-5 and Highway 529 in Snohomish County. During the 17-minute pursuit, speeds topped 147 mph. Eventually, the driver abandoned the motorcycle and attempted to hide behind a boat but was quickly apprehended thanks to the highly trained crew in the Aviation Unit’s Cessna 206, “Smokey 3”. Using Churchill Navigation’s Augmented...
Read More
24
Feb 2017SoCal’s Most Watched Station Gets ARS Augmented Reality Mapping
KABC-TV, the most watched television station in Southern California, is live with their upgraded news helicopter, Air7 HD, featuring SkyMap7 powered by Churchill Navigation’s Augmented Reality mapping System, or ARS. Churchill Navigation, the industry leader in augmented reality mission management for airborne law enforcement, utility inspections, and aerial surveys, is now revolutionizing the way that electronic news gathering (ENG) organizations present aerial coverage to their...
Read More
19
Jan 2017Congratulations to SpaceX on their return to space!
On January 14, SpaceX successfully completed the insertion of 10 Iridium Next satellites into orbit and nailed the first stage booster landing on an autonomous drone barge to mark their fifth successful recovery of a booster. Churchill Navigation was pleased to play a part in this story — an ION digital video recorder, connected to a FLIR SC8300 MWIR camera, was used to record telescopic...
Read More
06
Dec 2016
28
Nov 2016ION’s Key Role in Cutting-Edge Tornado Research
During the summer of 2016, a team of researchers at Purdue University’s Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Department conducted a test program to determine the practicality of using Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) imaging to improve detection of poorly-visible tornadoes in supercell thunderstorms. Knowing flexibility and functionality was a key requirement for capturing the video their research depended on, the Purdue team called on the Churchill Navigation...
Read More
31
Oct 2016Mapping Wildfires Live on TV using ARS
Oklahoma is prone to high winds and dry conditions that can lead to quickly moving wildfires. KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma recently took to the air to show viewers their cutting-edge technology for mapping wildfires using Churchill Navigation’s augmented reality mapping system (ARS). Dubbed “Street Scope” for on-air use, ARS provides the CBS-affiliate with the same powerful mapping and augmented reality tools that...
Read More
26
Sep 2016Real Estate Reconnaissance
Using a low-flying reconnaissance plane equipped with cameras once used to gather data over Iraq and Afghanistan and ARS, the world’s leading augmented reality mapping system, CoStar Group, a commercial real estate information company, is gathering about twice as much construction data as its competitors. “Investors, lenders, developers, people that manage apartment buildings need to understand exactly how much new competitive supply is coming into...
Read More
08
Sep 2016Mapping Wildfires with the help of ARS
Owyhee Air Research of Nampa, ID specializes in aerial wildlife research, but employees recently got into the business of mapping wildfires. The company uses a unique technology package to do the work, involving a military-grade infrared camera combined with Churchill Navigation’s sophisticated augmented reality mapping system. “The BLM and the Forest Service have seen a real need for the type of work that we do,”...
Read More
06
Sep 2016ARS: A Great Tool for Missouri Law Enforcement
The Missouri State Highway Patrol Aircraft Division recently demonstrated the newest addition to their crime-fighting lineup, Churchill Navigation’s Augmented Reality System (ARS). This cutting-edge technology will help the Missouri State Highway Patrol track down criminals and protect Missourians from the air and the ground. ARS overlays information such as street names, addresses, and much more over live video taken by the helicopter’s camera system. This...
Read More
26
Jul 2016ARS brings Advanced Mapping to TV News
Since its introduction in the late 1950’s, airborne video has proven an immensely powerful way for television stations to bring viewers closer to the action. This unique vantage point has become the standard for major TV news organizations today. However, without familiar landmarks, addresses, or street names, airborne shots often lack context, making it difficult for viewers to relate to what they were seeing… Until...
Read More
19
May 2016Pilot Display: Bringing ARS to your mobile device
Often, it’s suggestions from our awesome customers that inspire us to develop new products and product enhancements. Our new free app for the Apple iPhone and iPad, Pilot Display, was born from one such customer request: To give the pilot of the aircraft a better idea of where the Churchill Navigation Augmented Reality System (ARS) operator is looking, what they were looking at, and how...
Read More
21
Apr 2016ARS Customer Reaches Significant Milestone
A longtime Churchill Navigation customer, the Durham Regional Police Air Support Unit (ASU), recently surpassed the impressive milestone of 10,000 flight hours in its Bell 206 JetRanger. Based out of the Oshawa Municipal Airport, the ASU covers all 2,500 square kilometers of Durham — one of the five jurisdictions of the Greater Toronto Area. Durham Regional Police established the ASU in 1999, becoming the first municipal policing...
Read More
18
Mar 2016Florida TFOs “Get Local” with ARS
Throughout the summer of 2015, the Tampa Police Department, St Petersburg Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office formed a multi-jurisdictional task force to combat a spike in auto thefts and auto burglaries which crossed the boundaries of their respective areas of responsibility. Due to restrictions on pursuits for these offenses, use of aviation assets rapidly became critical to the task force’s success. Flights...
Read More
08
Mar 2016Churchill Navigation’s ARS helps give CHP its “Eyes in the Sky”
Equipped with Churchill Navigation’s Augmented Reality System (ARS), the California Highway Patrol’s GippsAero GA8, known as “Air 21”, is the latest, next-generation police plane. “This is high tech. We’ve got all the latest equipment, camera equipment, and augmented reality system” CHP Flight Officer Troy Marks said. Marks and his pilot, Jeff Watkins, mainly focus on traffic enforcement, which is just one of many roles for which ARS is...
Read More
16
Nov 2015Responding to the Call
Maricopa County in south-central Arizona is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. It’s the fourth most populous county in the United States, encompassing 9,224 square miles and home to over four million people. While Phoenix, the state’s capital, is the population and business hub of the county, the surrounding metropolitan area comprises over 20 smaller incorporated cities and is growing rapidly in every direction....
Read More
22
Jul 2015Seeker Aircraft selects Churchill Navigation ARS for “Special Missions” Package
The Seeker, a versatile, one-of-a-kind, light observation aircraft specifically designed for surveillance missions and recently brought to market in the United States, has been equipped with a “special missions” surveillance package. The Seeker is a two-seat aircraft that delivers unmatched forward visibility, seven hour aloft endurance and incredible affordability. Designed to address the explicit needs of a broad, rapidly growing but under-served surveillance market, the...
Read More
17
Jun 2015NYPD’s New Bell 429 Fights Crime with Churchill Navigation ARS
Fighting crime in New York City presents unique challenges for Law Enforcement. To effectively help deter crime and catch the criminals, NYPD has launched a new Bell 429 equipped with the latest technology available. The core of their Mission Management and Surveillance technology is the Churchill Navigation Augmented Reality System (ARS) which is designed to interface with their primary camera, hoist camera, radio and CAD system. ARS...
Read More
30
Apr 2015York Regional Police Rely on ARS and Wescam
The York Regional Police Air Support Unit uses an Airbus EC-120 helicopter to collect critical Intel, which can be relayed to commanders on the ground for unsurpassed situational awareness, ultimately making for a much safer environment for the public as well as the Police. The Air Support Unit’s helicopter is equipped with various mission critical equipment and the heart of the Surveillance System is the...
Read More
29
Apr 2015You Can Run but You Can’t Hide from Washington State Patrol!
The Churchill Navigation Augmented Reality System (ARS) makes it easy for a Flight Officer to provide street names, intersections, direction of travel and house numbers to the officers on the ground pursuing a suspect. Check out the video to see a real pursuit by Washington State Patrol using their aircraft and ARS to track a vehicle speeding over 100 mph and then coordinate with the officers...
Read More
27
Feb 2015Speeders Can No Longer Deny It!
Washington State Patrol (WSP) is the first law enforcement agency in the nation to use technology in their aircraft for the purpose of speed measurement. Their Churchill Navigation ARS system is being used for search and rescue, drug surveillance and other critical missions. Now, WSP is also using ARS’s ability to instantly and accurately measure the speed of any vehicle during the day or night and all of the...
Read More
16
Feb 2015Programming Challenge Results
In an effort to further engage the developer community (as well as maybe find a couple of great programmers that might consider joining our team), we recently held a programming challenge. With the contest over and the results in, we are making the solutions available on github — you can find them here: https://github.com/churchillnavigation/challenge1 The nature of this particular problem mirrors many that we face...
Read More
16
Dec 2014Look at this Beauty…
Or is it a beast? This 2014 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan is a bit of both: Cessna just built up a new demonstration surveillance aircraft with all the bells and whistles, including an ARS mission management system, of course. With plenty of fuel to support long missions, and plenty of space to make them bearable (not to mention capacity to carry GMTI/DMTI Radar systems,...
Read More
20
Nov 2014“Killer Landslides”
NOVA aired a program discussing the causes and response efforts to the Oso Mudslide that occurred earlier this year, as well as the danger posed by landslides in general and the work being done to identify areas prone to these kinds of disasters and technological solutions to better predict when they may slide. Our ARS Augmented Reality mission management system, and some of it’s users,...
Read More
14
Nov 2014Churchill Navigation Crazy
Jordan, our mechanical engineer responsible for our hardware division, can be seen riding his bike to work every day, even in single digit temperatures. And of course, his bike does not have a seat either!
14
Nov 2014ARS – Built Colorado Tough
We design, manufacture and assemble every Churchill Navigation ARS system at our office in Boulder, Colorado. We have an in-house Haas machine and each ARS system box is milled from 6061 aluminum plates, sand-blasted for a smooth finish, then powder-coated and finally laser-etched. Then the ARS box goes to our engineering lab where we install the internal components, complete the final assembly, and perform complete system testing before the ARS system is...
Read More