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The French national rail company SNCF is taking a lead in adopting Galileo technology to boost customer services, in particular in its high-speed TGV network. With almost 50% of TGV trains already equipped with Galileo receivers, European GNSS is enabling improved customer information and traffic management. GNSS is a crucial technology for the digitalisation of infrastructure and autonomous train developments thanks to accurate and safe localisation of trains. Solutions are currently developed through partnerships between space and railway sectors.

Satellite positioning and geolocation technologies, like Galileo, are among the main technology building blocks that can precisely and safely locate trains and contribute to the future evolution of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Implementation of the ERTMS aims to harmonise signalling systems across Europe and European GNSS can help to reduce its costs.

French national rail company SNCF is already embracing GNSS-based systems, in particular for passenger information, and fleet and traffic management. “At the beginning of 2019, some 250 high-speed trains were already equipped with Galileo-ready receivers. This represents nearly 50% of SNCF’s TGV fleet. Some 320 trains are expected to be Galileo-ready by the end of 2019” said Antoine Barre, Head of Train localisation projects from SNCF.

70 million passengers to benefit

The aim is to deliver Galileo-enabled services along the entire train journey and customer experience. During 2019, more than 70 million passengers will benefit from the improved accuracy and positioning availability delivered to French TGV trains by Galileo. SNCF aims to equip its entire train fleet with Galileo receivers to assist non-safety relevant train localisation and also plans to further investigate the future contribution of European GNSS within ERTMS. “Having Galileo on the iconic TGV trains is a major milestone for us, confirming that European GNSS is delivering a clear value added to one of the main EU Railway undertakings. It is also good to see that SNCF is further progressing towards GNSS adoption on the regional fleet on the basis of the GSA position paper delivered earlier to the Community of European Railways (CER), explaining the benefits of Galileo for such applications“ comments Daniel Lopour, Market Development officer from GSA.

Read this: EGNSS key to increasing capacity, efficiency and sustainability in rail networks

Currently, signalling is enabled by equipment installed along rail tracks that requires regular inspection and maintenance. Accurate and reliable geolocation using GNSS will enable rail networks to reduce the cost related to the infrastructure. Receivers installed in the train and connected via wireless networks should considerably reduce the costs of operation, maintenance and renewal of the network.
SNCF has identified three main themes of work for future rail technologies: geolocation, telecommunication and the use of satellite images for infrastructure monitoring.

Technology forward

Speaking at the recent Space for Innovation in Rail event in Vienna Corinne Talotte, Director of Innovative Technologies at SNCF, described SNCF’s Technology Forward programme that is looking to build the ‘Railway for the Future’ – a railway that is “autonomous, connected, and zero emission”.

This spirit of innovation at SNCF aims to accelerate the implementation of new technologies. “First, this involves keeping an open mind on innovation and learning from other transport sectors,” says Talotte. “And our second important principle is to move to demonstrate innovative technologies as soon as possible in real operational situations to prepare the future deployment of innovations.”

Highly precise geolocation is a key element to enable autonomy in all modes of transport and future mobility systems. For trains, autonomous operation can increase the density of trains operating in the network while at the same time improving safety and reliability of customer services.

And this: Space4Rail - From innovation to implementation

“We need to know accurately the position, velocity and attitude in real time to enable autonomous train systems,” explains Talotte. “We are developing a multi-sensor system for localisation based on GNSS but combined with other inertial sensors. This hybrid approach is inspired by the approach already adopted in the aviation sector. SNCF is undertaking a number of demonstrations with several partners, including the ERTMS user group and the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking.”

Hybrid architecture

At the Space for Innovation in Rail event Corinne Talotte said that SNCF was working on the remote operation of trains for use cases like shunting yards and the development of fully autonomous train prototypes.

The hybrid architecture makes it possible to take advantage of the benefits offered by both technologies: the GNSS corrects the natural drift of the inertial unit, and when the GNSS is not available, for example in tunnels or in dense urban environments, the inertial unit can take over to ensure continuity of location data. The inertial unit also protects the system from any possible disturbances in the GNSS signal, such as jamming or spoofing, as well as environmental factors.

The use of autonomous trains with innovative network control systems should enable SNCF to increase throughput on its lines. The objective is to carry more people and more goods, with greater regularity, improved energy efficiency and better economic performance, while ensuring continuing high levels of safety.

SNCF believes that the autonomous train is no longer science fiction, but the immediate future. A first prototype remote-controlled freight train should be tested during 2019, and the first prototypes of freight and passenger trains with autonomous driving capability are predicted from 2023, with gradual implementation.

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).

Tlačová správa: Bratislava, 21. augusta 2019 – Historický míľnik pre vlastníkov pôdy. Takto označila ministerka Gabriela Matečná návrh opatrení na urýchlené vykonanie pozemkových úprav v SR, ktorý dnes schválila vláda.

We can now reveal the ten projects in the MyGalileoApp competition judged to be the most exciting in terms of their level of innovation, market potential and technical feasibility. Selected from 30 projects shortlisted for the competition’s first development phase, these 10 projects will now advance to the second development phase, at the end of which they should deliver a fully functioning app.

Four of the 10 shortlisted projects are in the Augmented Reality and Games innovation area. In no particular order, these are: uMaze (Finland), ARGEO (Italy), STPR (Poland, Australia, Ukraine) and arstory (Germany). uMaze creates mazes in specific outdoor areas in which users can play, while ARGEO allows users to discover content such as prizes, coupons and shopping cards geo-located around the streets of a city. The STPR app combines a virtual environment with game-related physical experiences in the real world, and arstory is a complete augmented reality ecosystem based on four main components: Galileo location, virtual objects in the real world, clustering of objects and a wide array of content options.

The Smart Navigation and Infotainment innovation area accounts for three of the 10 finalists. The Ready Park app (France) makes parking easier by pairing drivers leaving a spot with users looking for one. GALILEONAUT (France) is a mobile app that helps sailors to navigate inside a port or a marina and provides a link to the harbour master's office, while the Trukatu app (Spain) is a mobile C2C platform that connects people who want to rent or lease items with owners who have items to rent out.

Read this: Galileo Demo Centre Hanoi – only a few spaces left!

Two of the shortlisted projects fall in the Fitness, Sport and mHealth category. The first of these - PanPan - Possible Assistance Needed (Germany) - serves as backup safety solution for potentially dangerous activities that may leave users in need of assistance, while the second - LetMeAut (Italy) - makes everyday tasks easier for people with autism.

Finally, the Mapping, GIS and Agriculture innovation area accounts for one app among the top ten shortlisted projects. Tractor Navigator (France) provides guidance for farmers driving tractors, enabling them to visualise their current position and trajectory in an open field.

“The standard of entry in this year’s competition was very high, which made the judges’ task a difficult one. However, the final 10 projects stood out in terms of their innovative approach and uptake potential and we are looking forward to seeing the final working apps in October,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz Musial, in charge of LBS and IoT market development at the European GNSS Agency (GSA). “We hope that the 20 projects that didn’t make it into the second development phase will continue to develop their apps because, at the finals, they will also have the opportunity to demonstrate the progress that they have made,” she said.

What comes next?

The 10 projects selected for the second development phase will have until October 21 to deliver a finalised version of their app with 100% functionality. During this phase the teams can receive technical support from the competition’s technical and business advisory team. At the end of the phase, the application should be already available for download on the Google Play and Apple platforms.

All teams that will successfully complete the second development phase will be invited to the finals, to be held in November 2019, where they will present their application to the GSA evaluation board. The awards will be decided after these presentations, with the first-place winner receiving a EUR 100,000 prize. The runner up and third place winners will receive EUR 50,000 and EUR 30,000 respectively.

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 can now reveal the ten projects in the MyGalileoApp competition judged to be the most exciting in terms of their level of innovation, market potential and technical feasibility. Selected from 30 projects shortlisted for the competition’s first development phase, these 10 projects will now advance to the second development phase, at the end of which they should deliver a fully functioning app.

Four of the 10 shortlisted projects are in the Augmented Reality and Games innovation area. In no particular order, these are: uMaze (Finland), ARGEO (Italy), STPR (Poland, Australia, Ukraine) and arstory (Germany). uMaze creates mazes in specific outdoor areas in which users can play, while ARGEO allows users to discover content such as prizes, coupons and shopping cards geo-located around the streets of a city. The STPR app combines a virtual environment with game-related physical experiences in the real world, and arstory is a complete augmented reality ecosystem based on four main components: Galileo location, virtual objects in the real world, clustering of objects and a wide array of content options.

The Smart Navigation and Infotainment innovation area accounts for three of the 10 finalists. The Ready Park app (France) makes parking easier by pairing drivers leaving a spot with users looking for one. GALILEONAUT (France) is a mobile app that helps sailors to navigate inside a port or a marina and provides a link to the harbour master's office, while the Trukatu app (Spain) is a mobile C2C platform that connects people who want to rent or lease items with owners who have items to rent out.

Read this: Galileo Demo Centre Hanoi – only a few spaces left!

Two of the shortlisted projects fall in the Fitness, Sport and mHealth category. The first of these - PanPan - Possible Assistance Needed (Germany) - serves as backup safety solution for potentially dangerous activities that may leave users in need of assistance, while the second - LetMeAut (Italy) - makes everyday tasks easier for people with autism.

Finally, the Mapping, GIS and Agriculture innovation area accounts for one app among the top ten shortlisted projects. Tractor Navigator (France) provides guidance for farmers driving tractors, enabling them to visualise their current position and trajectory in an open field.

“The standard of entry in this year’s competition was very high, which made the judges’ task a difficult one. However, the final 10 projects stood out in terms of their innovative approach and uptake potential and we are looking forward to seeing the final working apps in October,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz Musial, in charge of LBS and IoT market development at the European GNSS Agency (GSA). “We hope that the 20 projects that didn’t make it into the second development phase will continue to develop their apps because, at the finals, they will also have the opportunity to demonstrate the progress that they have made,” she said.

What comes next?

The 10 projects selected for the second development phase will have until October 21 to deliver a finalised version of their app with 100% functionality. During this phase the teams can receive technical support from the competition’s technical and business advisory team. At the end of the phase, the application should be already available for download on the Google Play and Apple platforms.

All teams that will successfully complete the second development phase will be invited to the finals, to be held in November 2019, where they will present their application to the GSA evaluation board. The awards will be decided after these presentations, with the first-place winner receiving a EUR 100,000 prize. The runner up and third place winners will receive EUR 50,000 and EUR 30,000 respectively.

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).