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84 ground or the sea. It has to be able to handle UAVs passing data back to UGVs on the ground, and multiple streams of video data from the air and the ground. This is a complex information management challenge that will require collaboration between the GCS hardware and software developers, the vehicle developers and their customers. It could well require higher performance computing engines with GPUs for more sophisticated real-time data analysis and visualisation software tools, and different ways of physically interfacing with the GCS via a 3D mouse or other tools. Developing a custom GCS for each new scenario is just not possible, even for the highest performance UAV systems, so modular architectures that pull in different computing engines, accessories, data links and antenna systems will be increasingly important, as will collaborating throughout the supply chain on the engineering. That then opens up the issues of IP protection that will be key to developing GCS systems. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank David Pinta and Luis Garcia at UAV Navigation, Steven Friberg at UAV Components, Sam Worthington at Worthington Sharpe and Adam Krumbein at SouthWest Antenna for their help with researching this article. April/May 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology Focus | Ground control stations CANADA Micropilot +1 204 818 0598 www.micropilot.com DENMARK UAV Components +45 20 63 11 98 www.uavcomp.com ESTONIA Threod Systems +372 512 1154 www.threod.com ISRAEL BlueBird Aero Systems +972 9899 9335 www.bluebird-uav.com Edco Technologies - www.rugged4u.com IAI +972 3935 3111 www.iai.co.il ITALY Alex-Sistemi +39 02 90380626 www.alex-sistemi.it LATVIA SPH Engineering +371 25453422 www.ugcs.com UAV Factory +371 29191590 www.uavfactory.com SPAIN UAV Navigation +34 91 657 2723 www.uavnavigation.com UAE MAP Marine Technologies +971 6 538 5196 www.almarakeb.net/gcs.html UK Worthington Sharpe +44 161 883 0883 www.worthingtonsharpe.com USA AeroVironment +1 805 520 8350 www.avinc.com Arcturus UAV +1 707 206 9372 www.arcturus-uav.com Bokam Engineering +1 714 513 2200 www.bokam.com Desert Rotor +1 888 938 8470 www.desertrotor.com Lockheed Martin +1 801 224 5713 www.lockheedmartin.com Raytheon +1 310 647 1000 www.raytheon.com SouthWest Antennas +1 858 247-0452 www.southwestantennas.com Systems Integration Plus +1 480 513 8979 www.vme.com Textron Systems +1 410 628 8710 www.textronsystems.com UAV Factory +1 914 591 3296 www.uavfactory.com UAV Solutions +1 240 456 0195 www.uav-solutions.com Some examples of ground control system manufacturers & suppliers