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Over 100 participants came together online on 18 June to discuss power-efficient positioning for the Internet of Things at a webinar organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). At the webinar, which featured input from innovation projects and major chipset manufacturers in the IoT domain, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) presented its recent White Paper on the topic.

The GSA White Paper on Power-efficient positioning for the Internet of Things provides an overview of GNSS technologies that are relevant for low-power IoT applications, including those that require hybridisation with other connectivity solutions. Participants in the webinar were introduced to the main findings from the paper.

According to the White Paper, GNSS is a viable solution for outdoor tracking of IoT objects but the level of power consumption associated with positioning can be a block to increased GNSS uptake. In the White Paper, three main approaches are identified to reduce GNSS power consumption. Firstly, there is the use of assisted GNSS, which consists in using a communication network to supply the GNSS receiver with data that makes it possible to speed up the acquisition phase. 

The second approach involves the transmission of pseudoranges, where the power consumption related to determining position is saved by transmitting the measurements to an external facility with no power restrictions. Finally, use of snapshot techniques means that the GNSS receiver is only activated for short periods to determine the position.

Big potential for GNSS

“We see big potential for the use of GNSS in the Internet of Things, but this potential is not yet being exploited. This is why we published our White Paper, explaining how to unblock it, and organised this webinar at which innovation projects explained their GNSS-based solutions providing real benefits to the IoT,” Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development at the GSA, said at the start of the webinar.

In addition to innovation projects, well-established manufacturers ST Microelectronics and u-blox also presented their GNSS-based positioning solutions providing reduced power consumption, making them ideal for the Internet of Things.  Such an example includes STMicroelectronic’s Teseo LIV-3F, a tiny GNSS module for IoT that, despite its small size, provides the same robustness and reliability as bigger GNSS automotive solutions.

Also presenting at the webinar were EU-funded R&D projects that are working to optimise energy use of GNSS positioning for IoT applications. These include: “Accurate GNSS POsitioning for Low power and Low-cost Objects” (APOLLO), which aims at providing a Galileo-based geolocation solution for the IoT market by drastically reducing energy consumption.

Also presenting were GEONAV IoT, which is working to develop and deliver precise ubiquitous positioning and navigation applications and services; and Galileo of Things (GoT), which is targeting the delivery of a Galileo semiconductor-IP core that mates with NB-IoT IP for low-power consumption solutions.

Enthusiastic uptake

Global uptake of IoT applications has been rapid and enthusiastic and by 2022 it is estimated that around 18 billion out of 29 billion connected devices will be related to the IoT. With many interconnected devices in the IoT environment constantly on the move, there are applications that require or might at least benefit from knowing the precise location of a given device. 

In light of the power-saving solutions highlighted in the GSA White Paper and discussed during the recent webinar, it is clear that GNSS industry is listening to the needs of the IoT community so that the most accurate positioning solution can play an increasingly important role without depleting the precious batteries of the devices.

This webinar is just one of the many online activities GSA has been organizing to support IoT and the use of GNSS to boost innovative solutions. “There is still plenty of room for GNSS based solutions in the IoT ecosystem, but a larger number of available options and the variety of applications will require more knowledge in order to choose the best solution for each specific application”, said Oreste Concepito from u-blox.

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).

Over 100 participants came together online on 18 June to discuss power-efficient positioning for the Internet of Things at a webinar organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). At the webinar, which featured input from innovation projects and major chipset manufacturers in the IoT domain, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) presented its recent White Paper on the topic.

The GSA White Paper on Power-efficient positioning for the Internet of Things provides an overview of GNSS technologies that are relevant for low-power IoT applications, including those that require hybridisation with other connectivity solutions. Participants in the webinar were introduced to the main findings from the paper.

According to the White Paper, GNSS is a viable solution for outdoor tracking of IoT objects but the level of power consumption associated with positioning can be a block to increased GNSS uptake. In the White Paper, three main approaches are identified to reduce GNSS power consumption. Firstly, there is the use of assisted GNSS, which consists in using a communication network to supply the GNSS receiver with data that makes it possible to speed up the acquisition phase. 

The second approach involves the transmission of pseudoranges, where the power consumption related to determining position is saved by transmitting the measurements to an external facility with no power restrictions. Finally, use of snapshot techniques means that the GNSS receiver is only activated for short periods to determine the position.

Big potential for GNSS

“We see big potential for the use of GNSS in the Internet of Things, but this potential is not yet being exploited. This is why we published our White Paper, explaining how to unblock it, and organised this webinar at which innovation projects explained their GNSS-based solutions providing real benefits to the IoT,” Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development at the GSA, said at the start of the webinar.

In addition to innovation projects, well-established manufacturers ST Microelectronics and u-blox also presented their GNSS-based positioning solutions providing reduced power consumption, making them ideal for the Internet of Things.  Such an example includes STMicroelectronic’s Teseo LIV-3F, a tiny GNSS module for IoT that, despite its small size, provides the same robustness and reliability as bigger GNSS automotive solutions.

Also presenting at the webinar were EU-funded R&D projects that are working to optimise energy use of GNSS positioning for IoT applications. These include: “Accurate GNSS POsitioning for Low power and Low-cost Objects” (APOLLO), which aims at providing a Galileo-based geolocation solution for the IoT market by drastically reducing energy consumption.

Also presenting were GEONAV IoT, which is working to develop and deliver precise ubiquitous positioning and navigation applications and services; and Galileo of Things (GoT), which is targeting the delivery of a Galileo semiconductor-IP core that mates with NB-IoT IP for low-power consumption solutions.

Enthusiastic uptake

Global uptake of IoT applications has been rapid and enthusiastic and by 2022 it is estimated that around 18 billion out of 29 billion connected devices will be related to the IoT. With many interconnected devices in the IoT environment constantly on the move, there are applications that require or might at least benefit from knowing the precise location of a given device. 

In light of the power-saving solutions highlighted in the GSA White Paper and discussed during the recent webinar, it is clear that GNSS industry is listening to the needs of the IoT community so that the most accurate positioning solution can play an increasingly important role without depleting the precious batteries of the devices.

This webinar is just one of the many online activities GSA has been organizing to support IoT and the use of GNSS to boost innovative solutions. “There is still plenty of room for GNSS based solutions in the IoT ecosystem, but a larger number of available options and the variety of applications will require more knowledge in order to choose the best solution for each specific application”, said Oreste Concepito from u-blox.

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).

“We are writing an extraordinary chapter in the history of space”
Jean-Yves Le Gall
Chair of the GSA Administrative Board (2016-2020)

At the 45th meeting of the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Administrative Board back in July 2016, Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of CNES, the French space agency, and France’s interministerial coordinator for European satellite navigation programmes, was elected as Chair. European GNSS has gone from strength to strength in the four years since then. As his term draws to an end, he looks back at what has been achieved.

During your term as chair of the GSA Administrative Board, the agency has seen a lot of changes and Galileo and EGNOS have evolved significantly. What do you see as the main achievements?

Everywhere we look our lives are shaped by satellite data, whether we are aware of it or not. We rely on mapping apps and satellite navigation to find our way around the world. We use satellite-driven weather forecasts to make decisions on what to wear. And we use satellite observations to monitor air quality, predict disease outbreaks, detect changes in crop conditions, monitor water reserves, and much more besides. In addition, Galileo-enabled optimization of traffic flows and of rail, sea and air transport is helping to preserve the environment.

I see it as a major achievement that Galileo and all its stakeholders—the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the European Space Industry and of course GSA—have succeeded in being part of this evolution and contributed to the ubiquity of satellite services and applications in our lives. I took up my position as Chair of the Administrative Board just before the launch of Galileo Initial Services about five months later. Since then, we have reached a situation where there are over 1.5 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones on the market. This is an astonishing achievement and it shows that the market values the added accuracy and robustness that Galileo provides.

We have also seen the launch, in March 2018, of eCall, the EU’s emergency response system, which automatically calls emergency services in the event of a road accident. Since then, over three million eCall-enabled vehicles have been sold in Europe. By speeding up emergency response times it is estimated that eCall could help prevent 2,500 road deaths and save €26 billion every year. This is a very concrete example of how satellite positioning is improving our lives.

Search and rescue is another example. With the launch of Galileo Initial Services in December 2016 we put the Galileo SAR Forward Link Service into operation, reducing search-and-rescue location times from two hours down to 10 minutes. Since then we have launched the SAR Return Link Service, an important evolution that will help save even more lives.

And it’s not just Galileo that has made significant strides; the EGNOS programme has also gone from strength to strength and more than 636 EGNOS-based approach procedures have been implemented at over 361 airports in 24 countries. These programmes are now operational and we must continue to develop and improve them to achieve strategic goals, such as carbon neutrality, and to maintain Europe as a world leader in telecommunications and connectivity.

As we have demonstrated during the recent health crisis, the European space programme is very quick to adapt and is able to support the rapid development and implementation of solutions to pressing societal problems, as was the case with the Galileo Green Lane application, which facilitated the flow of essential goods during the pandemic.

I am very proud to have chaired the Administrative Board for four years and to have helped to develop the space policy Europe so greatly needs for its strategic independence and to support its economy. I want to thank and congratulate all the key stakeholders in what is today a global success, the Member States for developing a very ambitious space policy, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the European space industry and of course, the women and men of GSA.

What should be our focus going forward?

The current situation with the coronavirus pandemic has shown how vulnerable our economy is to threats of this nature. It is our role to encourage the research community and industry to leverage European investment in space to help meet these and future challenges. It is also our role to support SMEs and companies in matching space to user needs in order to strengthen Europe’s independence and economic position. This is an important mission which should be pursued.

GSA needs to continue promoting the added value of Galileo’s precision and encouraging companies to develop apps using Galileo and EGNOS. It also needs to focus on optimizing its resources to meet the needs of users and companies and contribute to setting up a space ecosystem for resilient entrepreneurship, through a network of space hubs at national and regional levels.

It will be helped in this by exploiting the enabler effect of space signals and data, and strengthening the synergies between all components of the space programme, in addition to communalities with digital technologies, to create European products for a NewSpace made in Europe.

Finally, collaboration with the Member States and other European entities should be stepped up to foster the use of space data to ensure that economic growth and the benefits of European investment in space are felt in its Member States.

How do you see the European space programme and GSA evolving?

We are living in a time when satellite data, be it positioning or observation, are playing an increasingly important role in our society and in our economy, creating opportunities and jobs and helping to meet the challenges we face as a society. As a result, I believe the future is bright, both for the European space programme and for GSA.

With the new Regulation establishing the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), the GSA today and the EUSPA tomorrow will continue to play a crucial role with all the various entities within the European space programme. It will help to make Europe’s industry and entrepreneurs more resilient by making the most of what the European space programme has to offer.

Do you have any recommendations or advice for GSA, the Member States or your successor?

Apart from the issues I have highlighted, I would like to underline that we are fortunate in Europe to have a range of entities developing space programmes that are the envy of the world. More than ever, we must work together to enable Europe to continue writing an extraordinary chapter in the history of space!

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).

“We are writing an extraordinary chapter in the history of space”
Jean-Yves Le Gall
Chair of the GSA Administrative Board (2016-2020)

At the 45th meeting of the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Administrative Board back in July 2016, Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of CNES, the French space agency, and France’s interministerial coordinator for European satellite navigation programmes, was elected as Chair. European GNSS has gone from strength to strength in the four years since then. As his term draws to an end, he looks back at what has been achieved.

During your term as chair of the GSA Administrative Board, the agency has seen a lot of changes and Galileo and EGNOS have evolved significantly. What do you see as the main achievements?

Everywhere we look our lives are shaped by satellite data, whether we are aware of it or not. We rely on mapping apps and satellite navigation to find our way around the world. We use satellite-driven weather forecasts to make decisions on what to wear. And we use satellite observations to monitor air quality, predict disease outbreaks, detect changes in crop conditions, monitor water reserves, and much more besides. In addition, Galileo-enabled optimization of traffic flows and of rail, sea and air transport is helping to preserve the environment.

I see it as a major achievement that Galileo and all its stakeholders—the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the European Space Industry and of course GSA—have succeeded in being part of this evolution and contributed to the ubiquity of satellite services and applications in our lives. I took up my position as Chair of the Administrative Board just before the launch of Galileo Initial Services about five months later. Since then, we have reached a situation where there are over 1.5 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones on the market. This is an astonishing achievement and it shows that the market values the added accuracy and robustness that Galileo provides.

We have also seen the launch, in March 2018, of eCall, the EU’s emergency response system, which automatically calls emergency services in the event of a road accident. Since then, over three million eCall-enabled vehicles have been sold in Europe. By speeding up emergency response times it is estimated that eCall could help prevent 2,500 road deaths and save €26 billion every year. This is a very concrete example of how satellite positioning is improving our lives.

Search and rescue is another example. With the launch of Galileo Initial Services in December 2016 we put the Galileo SAR Forward Link Service into operation, reducing search-and-rescue location times from two hours down to 10 minutes. Since then we have launched the SAR Return Link Service, an important evolution that will help save even more lives.

And it’s not just Galileo that has made significant strides; the EGNOS programme has also gone from strength to strength and more than 636 EGNOS-based approach procedures have been implemented at over 361 airports in 24 countries. These programmes are now operational and we must continue to develop and improve them to achieve strategic goals, such as carbon neutrality, and to maintain Europe as a world leader in telecommunications and connectivity.

As we have demonstrated during the recent health crisis, the European space programme is very quick to adapt and is able to support the rapid development and implementation of solutions to pressing societal problems, as was the case with the Galileo Green Lane application, which facilitated the flow of essential goods during the pandemic.

I am very proud to have chaired the Administrative Board for four years and to have helped to develop the space policy Europe so greatly needs for its strategic independence and to support its economy. I want to thank and congratulate all the key stakeholders in what is today a global success, the Member States for developing a very ambitious space policy, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the European space industry and of course, the women and men of GSA.

What should be our focus going forward?

The current situation with the coronavirus pandemic has shown how vulnerable our economy is to threats of this nature. It is our role to encourage the research community and industry to leverage European investment in space to help meet these and future challenges. It is also our role to support SMEs and companies in matching space to user needs in order to strengthen Europe’s independence and economic position. This is an important mission which should be pursued.

GSA needs to continue promoting the added value of Galileo’s precision and encouraging companies to develop apps using Galileo and EGNOS. It also needs to focus on optimizing its resources to meet the needs of users and companies and contribute to setting up a space ecosystem for resilient entrepreneurship, through a network of space hubs at national and regional levels.

It will be helped in this by exploiting the enabler effect of space signals and data, and strengthening the synergies between all components of the space programme, in addition to communalities with digital technologies, to create European products for a NewSpace made in Europe.

Finally, collaboration with the Member States and other European entities should be stepped up to foster the use of space data to ensure that economic growth and the benefits of European investment in space are felt in its Member States.

How do you see the European space programme and GSA evolving?

We are living in a time when satellite data, be it positioning or observation, are playing an increasingly important role in our society and in our economy, creating opportunities and jobs and helping to meet the challenges we face as a society. As a result, I believe the future is bright, both for the European space programme and for GSA.

With the new Regulation establishing the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), the GSA today and the EUSPA tomorrow will continue to play a crucial role with all the various entities within the European space programme. It will help to make Europe’s industry and entrepreneurs more resilient by making the most of what the European space programme has to offer.

Do you have any recommendations or advice for GSA, the Member States or your successor?

Apart from the issues I have highlighted, I would like to underline that we are fortunate in Europe to have a range of entities developing space programmes that are the envy of the world. More than ever, we must work together to enable Europe to continue writing an extraordinary chapter in the history of space!

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).