OxTS provides advanced processing engines and GNSS/IMU tight coupling, to enable customers to measure position, velocity, and orientation with confidence, in real-time and post-process. For enhanced performance, OxTS’ Generic Aiding Data (GAD) interface enables data to be taken from multiple additional sources (such as cameras, LiDAR, wheel speed, and other sensors). OxTS’ phenomenal algorithms evaluate and combine these to enable our customers to navigate precisely anywhere. Who are the indispensable software engineers behind this technology? Here, Scott Logan, Senior Software Engineer, tells us about a ‘day in his life’:
1. How long have you worked at OxTS, and what do you enjoy most about the Company?
I have been at OxTS for eight years now, having started in 2015. I previously worked with a systems integrator, using OxTS’ inertial navigation systems (INS). This gave me a good understanding of the technology and allowed me to contribute fairly quickly when I joined the team. I started in the software team contributing to NAVsuite applications but more recently I have joined the Accelerator Team for Autonomous Technology (ATAT).
OxTS has evolved greatly since I started and I believe we are now in the best position we ever have been to look towards new and growing technologies, such as autonomous vehicles. I enjoy the freedom we are given to explore technologies and to develop innovative solutions, and I appreciate the ability to share and discuss ideas with the range of technical experts we have at OxTS.
2. How would you describe a typical ‘day in your life’ as OxTS’ Senior Software Engineer?
My day can be radically different depending on the projects I am currently working on, though mostly software based. My projects are mainly feature requests for NAVsuite, and also bug fixes if/when needed. My work consists of talking with other teams about the impact of new features and/or existing issues, finding the root cause, writing new code and documenting fixes. As a senior engineer, I also support the junior engineers with any issues they may have and participate in code reviews.
I recently released OxTS’ Generic Aiding Data (GAD) SDK on Github. And right now, I am mostly focused on firmware code for the AV200 to add new features for autonomous vehicle developers.
3. What’s the most satisfying thing about your job, and why?
The most satisfying part of my job is seeing a project germinate from an idea and turn into a fully formed product that customers find useful. The breadth of expertise we have and freedom in the way we work at OxTS makes it possible for us to latch onto new technologies at a good pace and implement them within our technology suite. This keeps things interesting for us, and provides new solutions for our customers.
4. What’s the most challenging thing you’ve tackled for OxTS, and how did you handle it?
One of the most challenging projects I’ve personally been involved in at OxTS was the development of NAVlib, our low level API for communication to and from our INS. At the time it was one of the biggest projects I had ever worked on and necessitated keeping a lot of different requirements in mind. It required robust understanding of both how our INS communicate and also knowledge of intercommunication of C++ and .NET. I’m happy with how this turned out and it is something that is still in use today for most of our software, and also used by customers to create their own applications as part of NAVsdk.
5. What’s the company culture like at OxTS?
OxTS’ culture is very relaxed. While we naturally have deadlines to meet for projects I find there is also ample time to explore and discuss other ideas that may arise. This is even encouraged and we discuss these ideas on a weekly basis. The environment at OxTS is also one of friendly collaboration and you will find experts in all parts of the business eager to discuss ideas or help out where they can with questions you may have. There is also a lot of engagement from the OxTS management team in keeping employees happy with a generous hybrid working policy and summer and winter parties for employees.
6. What would we most likely find you doing at the weekend?
On the weekend you’ll mostly find me relaxing in some way or another. Quite often my weekends involve some form of games, whether that be video, card or board games. I find they are always a good way to unwind.
I often have a personal project on the go as well that I chip away at on the weekends. I like to keep up my knowledge of new technologies. Currently I’m mostly looking into Microsoft’s .NET Maui.
7. What are your goals for the year ahead at OxTS?
My goals for the year ahead are to contribute to the development of our autonomous solutions as much as I can. I am most looking forward to releasing some of the work we have been doing on creating a new stream format. This is mostly confidential at the moment, so I can’t go into too much detail for obvious reasons. However, I can say that we are currently working on a new stream format for our measurements that alleviates the strain and evolves us beyond relying on some of our older formats. I’m looking forward to seeing it being used by our customers and also by the OxTS team.
Further resources:
- Get in touch to discuss how OxTS solutions can support you with your latest project.
- See how we can help you navigate the path to autonomy.
- Explore survey and mapping applications.
- Discover our automotive system applications.
