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The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched two calls for papers ahead of its GNSS Raw Measurements Taskforce Workshop, to be held online on 28 May 2020. The first of these calls targets innovative work using raw measurements while the second is related to testing EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS) corrections in smartphones. If you are working on innovative solutions in these areas, we want to hear from you! 

In its call for papers related to innovative work using raw measurements, the GSA is particularly interested in recent work using GNSS raw measurements in the field of high accuracy, robustness, testing or monitoring. However, other work in these fields beyond the use of raw measurements is also of interest. Proposals in this call should be submitted by 6 May. 

Sharing experience

“There are several advantages to using GNSS raw measurements in smartphones, including greater accuracy and flexibility when building multi-GNSS solutions. The GNSS Raw Measurements Taskforce Workshop is an excellent opportunity to share experience around these solutions,” said GSA Market Development Innovation Officer Martin Šunkevič. “I am looking forward to a very lively exchange that will benefit all the participants,” he said.

In the EDAS corrections in smartphones call, papers should assess the added value in terms of position accuracy that could be obtained by applying one of the EDAS real-time correction streams (EGNOS augmentation message, DGNSS corrections) to the GNSS raw data collected from a smartphone. 

Read this: Hackers take on Raw Galileo challenge

The paper could compare the solution obtained after applying the selected EDAS-based corrections with other potential positioning techniques, for example standalone DFMC, PPP, or others, while using the raw measurements from the available smartphone(s) as input. If possible, static and dynamic scenarios should be tested in different environments (e.g. open sky, rural or urban environments). Please submit your proposals by 13 May. 

Proposals, in the form of an abstract (maximum one page in length) should be sent to martin.sunkevic@gsa.europa.eu, clearly indicating the name of the call. In the event that too many proposals are received, the GSA reserves the right to choose the proposals to be presented at the workshop.

Some background information

The May workshop will be the fourth annual GNSS Raw Measurements Taskforce Workshop organised by the GSA. This year’s event, which will be held online due to the current lockdown restrictions in place around Europe, will aim to share Task Force members’ experience and progress around the use of raw measurements within Android devices. The agenda and registration for the online event will be announced in the coming days, so stay tuned!

With the release of Android 7 (Nougat) in 2016, Google made GNSS raw measurements available to smartphone users. In June the following year, the GSA launched a GNSS Raw Measurements Task Force to share knowledge and expertise on Android raw measurements and their use, including their potential for robustness and high accuracy positioning techniques relevant to mass market applications.

EDAS is the EGNOS internet broadcast service, which provides free of charge access to EGNOS data. For more information, take a look at the EDAS Service Definition Document (SDD), the EDAS section on the EGNOS User Support site, the EGNOS Monthly Performance Report, and the EDAS coverage map with the expected geographical coverage for the supported positioning techniques. If you still have questions, you can contact: edas-support@essp-sas.eu.

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).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched two calls for papers ahead of its GNSS Raw Measurements Taskforce Workshop, to be held online on 28 May 2020. The first of these calls targets innovative work using raw measurements while the second is related to testing EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS) corrections in smartphones. If you are working on innovative solutions in these areas, we want to hear from you! 

In its call for papers related to innovative work using raw measurements, the GSA is particularly interested in recent work using GNSS raw measurements in the field of high accuracy, robustness, testing or monitoring. However, other work in these fields beyond the use of raw measurements is also of interest. Proposals in this call should be submitted by 6 May. 

Sharing experience

“There are several advantages to using GNSS raw measurements in smartphones, including greater accuracy and flexibility when building multi-GNSS solutions. The GNSS Raw Measurements Taskforce Workshop is an excellent opportunity to share experience around these solutions,” said GSA Market Development Innovation Officer Martin Šunkevič. “I am looking forward to a very lively exchange that will benefit all the participants,” he said.

In the EDAS corrections in smartphones call, papers should assess the added value in terms of position accuracy that could be obtained by applying one of the EDAS real-time correction streams (EGNOS augmentation message, DGNSS corrections) to the GNSS raw data collected from a smartphone. 

Read this: Hackers take on Raw Galileo challenge

The paper could compare the solution obtained after applying the selected EDAS-based corrections with other potential positioning techniques, for example standalone DFMC, PPP, or others, while using the raw measurements from the available smartphone(s) as input. If possible, static and dynamic scenarios should be tested in different environments (e.g. open sky, rural or urban environments). Please submit your proposals by 13 May. 

Proposals, in the form of an abstract (maximum one page in length) should be sent to martin.sunkevic@gsa.europa.eu, clearly indicating the name of the call. In the event that too many proposals are received, the GSA reserves the right to choose the proposals to be presented at the workshop.

Some background information

The May workshop will be the fourth annual GNSS Raw Measurements Taskforce Workshop organised by the GSA. This year’s event, which will be held online due to the current lockdown restrictions in place around Europe, will aim to share Task Force members’ experience and progress around the use of raw measurements within Android devices. The agenda and registration for the online event will be announced in the coming days, so stay tuned!

With the release of Android 7 (Nougat) in 2016, Google made GNSS raw measurements available to smartphone users. In June the following year, the GSA launched a GNSS Raw Measurements Task Force to share knowledge and expertise on Android raw measurements and their use, including their potential for robustness and high accuracy positioning techniques relevant to mass market applications.

EDAS is the EGNOS internet broadcast service, which provides free of charge access to EGNOS data. For more information, take a look at the EDAS Service Definition Document (SDD), the EDAS section on the EGNOS User Support site, the EGNOS Monthly Performance Report, and the EDAS coverage map with the expected geographical coverage for the supported positioning techniques. If you still have questions, you can contact: EGNOS-Helpdesk@essp-sas.eu

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).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is working together with the European Commission (EC) on an app to facilitate the movement of goods and freight within the EU in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response. The “Galileo Green Lane” app will ease the flow of freight through borders and enable the efficient transit of critical goods.

The COVID-19 outbreak represents a serious threat not only to public health, but also to the European economy. Lockdowns and other restrictive measures that are necessary to save lives also severely slow down the economy and may delay the transport of goods and services. 

With a view to ensuring the uninterrupted transport of critical goods across the EU’s internal land borders, the GSA and the Commission are working on the “Galileo Green Lane” app – a solution to monitor and facilitate freight traffic and reduce waiting times at Green Lane border crossings. 

“At the GSA, one of our key roles is to promote the use of Galileo and to address the economic and societal challenges that Europe faces. The European Commission´s Galileo Green Lane initiative fits this profile exactly,” said Pascal Claudel, Acting Executive Director at the GSA. “By supporting a solution that eases the transport of critical goods across borders, Galileo is making its contribution to help reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the EU’s economy and its citizens,” he said.

Real-time visualisation

The app will have two interfaces. The first is for border control authorities and provides a real-time visualisation of the overall border situation between a country and its neighbours. In turn, border officials can contribute information to the system by regularly feeding updates into the app on the traffic flow and waiting times at their borders. At the same time, the app will provide Member States with a website, generating reports automatically to demonstrate compliance to the EU on the Green Lanes implementation.

Read this: Calling for GNSS apps supporting the COVID-19 emergency response and recovery

The app will also feature a user interface providing drivers with a real-time visualisation of borders of interest to them, through an EU-wide map indicating Green Lane border crossing times. When drivers enter a geo-fenced area within a specified distance to a border, they can receive a notification produced by the border officers on the situation at that border. 

Their location is collected anonymously only when they are approaching the border and it is solely used to update the overall border picture. Crowdsourced information from different sources is aggregated, including data from the leading European real-time visibility platform Sixfold.

Current status

Experts from the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) are supporting the design of the geofencing algorithm, while the GSA is currently coordinating the project with operational units at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) and with the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) regarding needs linked to the Green Lanes. The app was also presented to the border authorities of the Member States at a meeting at the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) at which they were invited to contribute with user needs and to volunteer for the pilot. 

The app is already in its final development stage and the GSA has started to reach out to EU Member States that wish to pilot the app and work together to define case scenarios and fine-tune the technical solution. Talks are currently underway with border authorities in France, Romania, Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic. 

The first pilot is starting next week in some selected border points and a simultaneous activity for drivers will be launched very soon with key transport companies from the International Road Union (IRU).

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).

Earth Day is celebrated around the world on April 22. Since its early days back in the seventies, Earth Day has striven to build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and the planet. As an engine of this transformative change, space tech supports the goals of Earth Day by enabling innovative solutions that promote sustainable economic growth that is decoupled from resource use.

The world is faced with an existential threat brought about by growing demand for resources on one hand, and climate change and environmental degradation on the other. To effectively deal with this challenge, innovative solutions are needed to make the global economy more sustainable, boost the efficient use of resources, restore biodiversity and cut pollution.

Satellite technologies – both GNSS positioning and Earth observation – are already contributing to increased efficiency and reduced environmental impact in a number of core sectors of the economy. On Earth Day, we take a look at how these space solutions and applications are playing an increasingly important role in creating a more sustainable planet. 

From Farm to Fork

The agriculture sector has been an enthusiastic early adopter of satellite technology and now over 90% of tractors in the EU are already EGNOS-enabled. The benefits in terms of greening EU agriculture are clear. Satellite-enabled precision farming allows farmers to save fuel by avoiding overlaps in field cultivation. They can also reduce pesticide and fertiliser use thanks to more targeted application. One example of a solution that leverages EGNSS (Galileo and EGNOS) to improve agricultural performance is Tractor Navigator, a prize-winner at last year’s MyGalileoApp competition.

Watch this: European Satellites for Agriculture

By providing data on soil condition, drought, crop development and other conditions on the farm, Earth observation satellites also enable farmers to make more informed decisions. Using this data, farmers can plan where and when to irrigate, or how much fertilizer to apply, for example. Satellite images can also be used as a tool to predict agricultural output, which can be critical in anticipating crop failures and mitigating the effects of food shortages. Satellites also provide data on air quality and atmospheric composition, making it possible to monitor emissions of CO2, NOx and other greenhouse gasses. As such, Earth observation is a key tool in global efforts to monitor and mitigate the effects of climate change.

GNSS and greener transport

But it is not just on the farm that space tech is driving green innovation. On our roads too, GNSS also plays a role in many of the disruptive and innovative trends and apps that are making passenger and freight transport more sustainable - from drone deliveries to Mobility as a Service (MaaS). Satellite-based navigation generally makes life on the road easier – it significantly reduces congestion and, as a result, the carbon footprint of the road sector is significantly diminished. 

Ride-sharing and other sustainable mobility solutions all rely on precise positioning. In one example, the Galileo 4 Mobility project is leveraging Galileo for MaaS by identifying the geolocation needs of various stakeholders and is demonstrating the benefits of Galileo through pilot demonstrators of shared mobility services. 

And this: EGNOS for Aviation - High Precision, Low investment

In the air too EGNSS, in particular EGNOS, is helping to make flying cleaner and more accessible. EGNOS-enabled procedures at airports result in fewer aborted landings. This in turn means significant fuel savings for airlines, which has a corresponding impact on carbon emissions in the sector. 

Sustainable energy

Space technologies are also playing a major role in the area of sustainable energy, with both Earth observation and GNSS positioning supporting applications and services in the sector. In one such case, the Horizon 2020-funded EASY PV project uses GNSS to help photovoltaic (PV) field owners to boost energy production. Another project, LARA, is using state-of-the-art GNSS technologies and interactive computer graphics to allow utility workers to ‘see’ 3D models of underground water, gas and electric grids without digging, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of network maintenance. 

Earth observation also makes a major contribution to improved sustainability in the energy sector, by providing information related to weather (wind, solar and hydro) and energy (capacity factors, demand, volatility) forecasts at a regional and national level in Europe. This allows energy providers and policy-makers to make informed choices on the future energy mix. 

Sustainability is one of the critical challenges of our times – sustainability of consumption, sustainability of transport and sustainability of the energy that we use to heat our homes and power our economies. Space tech – EGNSS and Earth observation – is making an increasingly important contribution to achieving sustainability targets in these areas and, as such, is a key asset in Europe’s environmental toolbox.

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).