Precision from Space for the automated drone future

Texplor rethinks monitoring – cloud-based, automated, millimeter-precise. At Innovation Day 2025 in Berlin, the company specializing in environmental and structural monitoring is presenting its GNSS monitoring system, TEXtant®, along with its planned expansion for future applications in industrial drone aviation.

By Jörg Tudyka — May 28, 2025

Whether it’s slope monitoring, corrosion detection, or leak identification – Texplor has long provided reliable technology for safety-critical infrastructure with its modular multi-sensor monitoring system. At the heart of it: TEXtant®, an autonomous GNSS system* that measures movements with scientifically validated millimeter accuracy and automatically transmits the results to a cloud-based platform. Now, the company is targeting a new dimension: precise deployment in industrial drone technology.

The autonomous and fully automatic TEXtant® GNSS system delivering daily X-Y-Z coordinates since 2022 at the Aquitaine Bridge in Bordeaux, France.

Innovation at Flight Altitude

“Drones can only truly operate autonomously if they can return to exactly the same landing position every time,” explains Dr. Ernst Geutebrück, CEO of Texplor. “For processes like battery charging, data transfer, or automated loading, repeat accuracy is essential.”
In this context, Texplor is working on real-time capability for its TEXtant® GNSS system, which has so far provided millimeter-precise position data once per day. The current development aims to deliver this level of precision in real time– forming the technological basis for highly automated applications in industrial drone aviation and other autonomous mobility sectors.

Ernst Geutebrueck, PhD, founder and CEO of Texplor Group.

Interview with Ernst Geutebrück, Phd

What do you expect from this year’s Innotag?
Innotag is a great platform for us to present our latest developments and engage with potential technology partners. What’s particularly exciting is connecting with companies who want to co-develop the next generation of automated drone systems with us – as part of our Omniborne Systems Network.

What sets Texplor apart from other players in the market?
We specialize in customized solutions because we deliver all components – from sensors to the end-user cloud – from a single source. Our modular multi-sensor systems are fully automated, network-compatible, and long-term proven. With TEXtant®, we’ve created a globally unique solution for autonomous, millimeter-accurate movement monitoring. Our current development focuses on providing a critical module for the future of automated drone aviation.

Advancing the pioneering TEXtant® GNSS monitoring system with Ahmed Elsaid, MSc, Head of R&D, in Potsdam, Germany.

How do you define innovation in your day-to-day operations?
Innovation is a lived practice for us. We develop solutions based on real-world needs. Right now, we’re asking: what building blocks are still missing to bring technologies like autonomous drone aviation into full application? That’s whereTEXtant® comes in – as a precise, automated positioning module.

What value does the ZIM innovation network “Omniborne” bring you?
As part of the network, we value the active exchange within the ZIM structures – especially through collaborations with open-minded technology partners and direct links to publicly funded innovation projects for SMEs. We’ve already successfully completed ZIM projects and use the network purposefully: to learn from one another, explore new application fields, and jointly drive real-world implementation with fellow innovators.

Presentation and setup of the first TEXtant® GNSS station of the Asia Minor GNSS Network to Mayor Zeydan Karalar and his team in Adana, Turkey.

TEXtant® sets the tone for the future of motion monitoring – on the ground and in the air.

Validated, networked, visionary: TEXtant® is an autonomous GNSS system for millimeter-precise detection of structural movements – validated to IGS standards and tested at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) in Potsdam as well as in projects in Germany, France, and Turkey.
Integrated into the cloud-based TEX-Sky multi-sensor network, TEXtant® combines with additional sensor parameters to deliver accurate data for data-driven decisions, predictive maintenance, future early warning systems, and AI-powered digital twin analysis.

About the Technology:

GNSS – Global Navigation Satellite System: A global satellite system for precise determination of position, velocity, and time. TEXtant® uses signals from multiple GNSS constellations for maximum accuracy.
IGS Level – International GNSS Service: Refers to a global reference network of high-precision GNSS stations.

Texplor – Innovation for Environment, Industry, and Infrastructure

Texplor is an internationally active company headquartered in Potsdam, Germany, with additional locations in Breda (Netherlands) and Vienna (Austria). The company specializes in developing and applying high-precision monitoring technologies, used worldwide in safety-critical environments such as landfills, mining operations, tank farms, and structural infrastructure.

Texplor is an active member of the ZIM network “Omniborne,” part of the LuTraCo federal program (Lusitza Trans Connect), an initiative by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs to support structural transformation in the Lusatia region following the coal phase-out. The network is developed and managed by T+I Consult GmbH Berlin.