zprávy

A year after declared operational, the Galileo Return Link Service has been exceeding the performance levels committed in the SAR/Galileo Service Definition Document. With the recent upgrade in its European ground facilities, Galileo SAR is leading the way as an important component of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme.

A year ago, the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS), a unique feature of Galileo Search & Rescue service was declared operational. The service is enabling people in distress to receive an automatic acknowledgement that their location has been determined and that help is on the way. With the activation of beacon capable of receiving Galileo RLS, the people in need of help will see a blue light blinking on top indicating the confirmation message. So far, Galileo is the only GNSS to offer such service to end users. 

Exceeding performance targets  

The end-to-end Return Link Message delivery is expected to take about 15 minutes.

The continuous monitoring of the Galileo SAR and the Return Link Service confirmed that the Service has been available 99.99% of the time, and that the Galileo RLS system took an average of 0.61 minutes (37 seconds) to deliver the automatic acknowledgement to the activated beacons as observed by the Galileo Reference Beacons (see Figure). Both performance parameters are significantly better than their target values of 95% and 15 minutes respectively. More information about performance and target can be found in the SAR Service Definition Document (SAR SDD) and the Quarterly Performance Reports.

RLS beacons steadily finding their way to the market 

Upon the RLS operational declaration, different beacon manufacturers worldwide are integrating the Galileo RLS technology to newly produced devices and many of them are already in testing phase. Earlier in December, H2020 funded Helios Project launched the first Galileo-enabled PLB featuring the Return Link Service in 18 European countries. The consortium led by Orolia Maritime seeks to commercialize not only PLBs but also ELTs and EPIRBs to improve the search and rescue activities in the air, at sea and on land. 

The Galileo Return Link Service increases survival rates by giving an important psychological boost to people in distress. Experts of Cospas-Sarsat estimated that the international SAR system, with the contribution of the Galileo Search and Rescue service, saves more than 2000 lives a year. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

As cities strive to make their transport systems more efficient and user-friendly, they are increasingly turning to GNSS-based solutions. The Czech capital Prague, which has already leveraged GNSS to modernise its tram fleet, is now turning to a Galileo-enabled solution to improve drivers’ experience in the city’s road tunnels.

Drivers using the tunnels on Prague’s Ring Road can’t have failed to notice that satnav does not work in a large section of the tunnels, as they receive the message ‘GPS Signal Lost’. This is not usually a problem in classic tunnels with only one entrance and one exit, but in more complex tunnel systems drivers can get confused. 

Forward-looking solutions

To deal with this issue, the Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) commissioned a study into possible solutions to navigation signal loss in tunnels. Based on the findings of this study, a GNSS signal retransmission solution using Galileo is now being tested in the Bubeneč Tunnel, part of the city’s Blanka Tunnel Complex.

“GNSS is an important tool for any forward-looking city looking at modernizing its transport systems and making them better adapted to the needs of urban dwellers,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “By supporting solutions ranging from mobility as a service to parking support and passenger information systems, GNSS is helping to build the urban transport systems of the future,” he said. 

Watch this: European GNSS for Smart Mobility

The first stage of Bubeneč Tunnel project will see repeaters installed at three locations in the tunnel. The GNSS signal will be routed from an antenna above ground to the repeaters in the tunnel via a short cable line. Although initially the entire tunnel will not be covered by the signal, the retransmission between the individual stations will nevertheless increase the accuracy of the navigation solution, increasing driver comfort. This pilot project will verify the functionality, performance and coverage of the transmitted signal in the tunnel.

Interesting technical challenge

"This is great news for all drivers, they will no longer have to hesitate about which tunnel exit to use, and which direction to take at the next junction if the navigation signal has not yet been recovered. TSK has started testing three GNSS repeaters in the Bubeneč Tunnel, which can transmit the signal of all available navigation systems and thus ensure functional navigation in the first parts of the Blanka tunnel complex,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.

“This is also an interesting technical challenge. We need to install an antenna on the surface above the tunnel that receives the GNSS signal from the satellites, which we transfer to the equipment in the tunnel, located at exactly the same place as the antenna on the surface,” Scheinherr said.

Read this: EGNOS and Galileo for ITS and road transport

Once the functionality is tested, a decision will be reached on whether to extend the technology to the entire Blanka Tunnel and to other tunnels in Prague. The advantage of this system is that it allows operation of standard on-board navigation equipment or mobile phones, which makes the solution more versatile and accessible for all users.

Prague is one of many EU cities that is turning to GNSS to upgrade its transport system. The city of Madrid has also using GNSS-based intelligent transport solutions to improve user experience on the city’s buses. By enabling intelligent transport solutions of this kind, GNSS is supporting Europe’s cities in their efforts to become smarter and more sustainable, thereby contributing to EU’s priorities for a greener, more digital Europe.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

As cities strive to make their transport systems more efficient and user-friendly, they are increasingly turning to GNSS-based solutions. The Czech capital Prague, which has already leveraged GNSS to modernise its tram fleet, is now turning to a Galileo-enabled solution to improve drivers’ experience in the city’s road tunnels.

Drivers using the tunnels on Prague’s Ring Road can’t have failed to notice that satnav does not work in a large section of the tunnels, as they receive the message ‘GPS Signal Lost’. This is not usually a problem in classic tunnels with only one entrance and one exit, but in more complex tunnel systems drivers can get confused. 

Forward-looking solutions

To deal with this issue, the Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) commissioned a study into possible solutions to navigation signal loss in tunnels. Based on the findings of this study, a GNSS signal retransmission solution using Galileo is now being tested in the Bubeneč Tunnel, part of the city’s Blanka Tunnel Complex.

“GNSS is an important tool in the toolbox of any forward-looking city looking to modernise its transport systems and make them better adapted to the needs of urban dwellers,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “By supporting solutions ranging from mobility as a service to parking support and passenger information systems, GNSS is helping to build the urban transport systems of the future,” he said. 

Watch this: European GNSS for Smart Mobility

The first stage of Bubeneč Tunnel project will see repeaters installed at three locations in the tunnel. The GNSS signal will be routed from an antenna above ground to the repeaters in the tunnel via a short cable line. Although initially the entire tunnel will not be covered by the signal, the retransmission between the individual stations will nevertheless increase the accuracy of the navigation solution, increasing driver comfort. This pilot project will verify the functionality, performance and coverage of the transmitted signal in the tunnel.

Interesting technical challenge

"This is great news for all drivers, they will no longer have to hesitate about which tunnel exit to use, and which direction to take at the next junction if the navigation signal has not yet been recovered. TSK has started testing three GNSS repeaters in the Bubeneč Tunnel, which can transmit the signal of all available navigation systems and thus ensure functional navigation in the first parts of the Blanka tunnel complex,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.

“This is also an interesting technical challenge. We need to install an antenna on the surface above the tunnel that receives the GNSS signal from the satellites, which we transfer to the equipment in the tunnel, located at exactly the same place as the antenna on the surface,” Scheinherr said.

Read this: EGNOS and Galileo for ITS and road transport

Once the functionality is tested, a decision will be reached on whether to extend the technology to the entire Blanka Tunnel and to other tunnels in Prague. The advantage of this system is that it allows operation of standard on-board navigation equipment or mobile phones, which makes the solution more versatile and accessible for all users.

Prague is one of many EU cities that is turning to GNSS to upgrade its transport system. The city of Madrid has also using GNSS-based intelligent transport solutions to improve user experience on the city’s buses. By enabling intelligent transport solutions of this kind, GNSS is supporting Europe’s cities in their efforts to become smarter and more sustainable, thereby contributing to EU’s priorities for a greener, more digital Europe.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

As cities strive to make their transport systems more efficient and user-friendly, they are increasingly turning to GNSS-based solutions. The Czech capital Prague, which has already leveraged GNSS to modernise its tram fleet, is now turning to a Galileo-enabled solution to improve drivers’ experience in the city’s road tunnels.

Drivers using the tunnels on Prague’s Ring Road can’t have failed to notice that satnav does not work in a large section of the tunnels, as they receive the message ‘GPS Signal Lost’. This is not usually a problem in classic tunnels with only one entrance and one exit, but in more complex tunnel systems drivers can get confused. 

Forward-looking solutions

To deal with this issue, the Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) commissioned a study into possible solutions to navigation signal loss in tunnels. Based on the findings of this study, a GNSS signal retransmission solution using Galileo is now being tested in the Bubeneč Tunnel, part of the city’s Blanka Tunnel Complex.

“GNSS is an important tool for any forward-looking city looking at modernizing its transport systems and make them better adapted to the needs of urban dwellers,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “By supporting solutions ranging from mobility as a service to parking support and passenger information systems, GNSS is helping to build the urban transport systems of the future,” he said. 

Watch this: European GNSS for Smart Mobility

The first stage of Bubeneč Tunnel project will see repeaters installed at three locations in the tunnel. The GNSS signal will be routed from an antenna above ground to the repeaters in the tunnel via a short cable line. Although initially the entire tunnel will not be covered by the signal, the retransmission between the individual stations will nevertheless increase the accuracy of the navigation solution, increasing driver comfort. This pilot project will verify the functionality, performance and coverage of the transmitted signal in the tunnel.

Interesting technical challenge

"This is great news for all drivers, they will no longer have to hesitate about which tunnel exit to use, and which direction to take at the next junction if the navigation signal has not yet been recovered. TSK has started testing three GNSS repeaters in the Bubeneč Tunnel, which can transmit the signal of all available navigation systems and thus ensure functional navigation in the first parts of the Blanka tunnel complex,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.

“This is also an interesting technical challenge. We need to install an antenna on the surface above the tunnel that receives the GNSS signal from the satellites, which we transfer to the equipment in the tunnel, located at exactly the same place as the antenna on the surface,” Scheinherr said.

Read this: EGNOS and Galileo for ITS and road transport

Once the functionality is tested, a decision will be reached on whether to extend the technology to the entire Blanka Tunnel and to other tunnels in Prague. The advantage of this system is that it allows operation of standard on-board navigation equipment or mobile phones, which makes the solution more versatile and accessible for all users.

Prague is one of many EU cities that is turning to GNSS to upgrade its transport system. The city of Madrid has also using GNSS-based intelligent transport solutions to improve user experience on the city’s buses. By enabling intelligent transport solutions of this kind, GNSS is supporting Europe’s cities in their efforts to become smarter and more sustainable, thereby contributing to EU’s priorities for a greener, more digital Europe.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).