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The European Commission, with the support of the GSA, has launched a new project using EGNOS, the European satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), with the aim of developing a tailored integrity concept for payment and liability critical applications in the road sector such as road tolling or pay-as-you-drive insurance in the 2025-2035 timeframe.

The study, requested by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence, Industry and Space (DG-DEFIS), will be delivered under the technical supervision of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and will be validated by users from the road sectors. The study will allow the identification of user and service requirements, the development of an appropriate integrity concept and the definition of a service provision scheme. As part of the user level integrity concept the consortium will develop algorithms to cope with the local environment (e.g. multipath) of the road sector. 

Integrity assurance

When defining the service, the project will assess the extent to which evolutions of the current EGNOS services, user equipment or the service provision scheme are needed to provide the required integrity assurance. Integrity in this context refers to the level of confidence or reliability of the user solution including positioning, navigation or timing. 

Watch this: EGNOS for the Road

The On-Board Unit (OBU) will have to include all the features necessary to trust the position in situations where enforcement, payments and related claims are involved. Since the EGNSS sensor may just be one component in the OBU, the project will identify what other technologies or components may be needed in addition to the current EGNSS signals, and what would be the minimum contribution of each element, and under which conditions, to the overall integrity assurance. 

The study is being fully financed by the European Commission under the H2020 framework programme for research and innovation, within the budget allocated to the evolution of the EGNOS mission. The GSA is in charge of technical supervision of the project on behalf of the European Commission.

Tailored premiums

Pay-as-you-drive (PAYD) and pay-how-you-drive (PHYD) insurance are emerging applications in the road sector that rely on where, when, how and how much the road user drives. These applications make it possible to tailor the premiums paid by the policyholder. 

In the future, other road applications such as reconstruction of accidents, mobility as a service, traffic infraction monitoring and fine management, traffic congestion monitoring, automatic charging in car parks, etc. may also rely on the vehicle’s position and navigation data.

Read this: Road in action

Liability and payment-critical applications are highly sensitive to undetected large navigation errors since significant legal or economic consequences for the service or application provider may occur. In fact, a mismatch of the vehicle’s current speed together with erroneous position data may impact the user charging associated with the driving paths, skills and habits of the road user. Afterwards, it becomes very difficult for end users to claim that they are being overcharged or for service providers to avoid undercharging their customers.

About EGNOS

EGNOS is the European SBAS and augments the GPS L1 C/A civilian signal by providing corrections and integrity information for positioning and navigation applications over Europe. EGNOS Version 3, set to enter in service in the near future, will augment both GPS and Galileo constellations in the L1 and L5 bands and will extend the service area to the entire landmass of EU Member States.

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The European GNSS Agency (GSA), the operational agency of the European Commission for Galileo and EGNOS, is launching its MyGalileoDrone competition on July 17. This contest is targeting the design and development of drone-based applications or services, using a Galileo/EGNOS-enabled receiver, that address the EU’s key priorities such as the Green Deal, and support the EU Recovery Plan for Europe. Initial ideas should be submitted by 31 August. A wide participation from all Member States is expected.

The MyGalileoDrone competition seeks to tap into the EU’s innovative spirit to deliver applications and services to boost Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and sustainability. Applications should leverage and demonstrate Galileo’s and EGNOS’ added value, such as increased accuracy, availability and robustness of position, as well as integrity for a solution based on drone operations.

Drone applications: seizing the business opportunity

The market related to drone applications and services is growing rapidly and European drone service revenues are expected to reach EUR 250 million by 2025. The European demand is estimated to reach EUR 10 billion annually, in nominal terms, to 2035 and over EUR 15 billion annually to 2050, creating more than 100,000 jobs.

Read this: EC project showcases benefits of EGNSS for drones

With GNSS receivers implemented on almost all new commercial drones, Galileo’s and EGNOS’ added value is pivotal for the development and growth of drone services and applications.

In addition to designing and developing the application, contestants should prepare their drone-based application or service for commercial launch. The solution should leverage Galileo/EGNOS to provide a position fix. The use of EGNSS is understood in the broad sense, and Galileo and EGNOS can be integrated in the flying platform, the ground control station, or in other devices supporting the operation, such as a smartphone or even in the frame of U-Space services. 

“GNSS is a key enabling technology in this segment, ensuring robust navigation and reliability for a wide range of applications. The MyGalileoDrone competition aims to bring oxygen to European SMEs and entrepreneurs driving innovation. It will create jobs and growth in this promising market,” said Pascal Claudel, Acting Executive Director at the GSA.

Focus on EU priorities

In times of post-COVID recovery focus, submissions should target applications and services that support key EU priorities, but the sky’s the limit. The GSA is looking for trailblazing ideas in applications such as smart mobility, sustainable agriculture or environmental protection, or solutions that exploit synergies between 5G and space data, or support the Internet of Things, or why not the next big thing. 

As the competition will be wide in scope, a broad participation of national and regional ecosystems via companies and research institutions in all Member States is expected.

What’s on offer?

The first prize in the MyGalileoDrone competition amounts to EUR 100,000, with EUR 60,000 for second, EUR 40,000 for third, and a fourth prize of EUR 30,000. 

And this: Galileo Masters 2020 now open!

Following the official kick-off on July 17, applicants will have until 31 August to submit their applications. The projects selected to advance to the development phase of the contest will be announced on 15 September and they will have until 30 November to develop a demo version of their proposed application or service. 

In the finals, the selected teams will perform a live demo and pitch their ideas to investors. During the development process, the applicants will receive mentoring and coaching from recognised experts in the drone market. These experts will accompany them as they build their application, develop tests and get ready from the business perspective to attract investors and move to market.

To register or for more information, check out the competition page on the GSA website.

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