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At the 11th European Space Policy Conference in Brussels, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides explained why Europe's flagship satellite navigation system, Galileo, is a cornerstone of the strategy for a European Single Digital Economy.

The global economy is rapidly being digitised. Information and communications technologies are no longer confined to a specific sector but constitute the foundation of all modern innovative economic systems. Connectivity, in particular, is now seen as a key enabler of a multitude of new services that are transforming the global scene.

"The future of intelligent connectivity is going hand-in-hand with the future of GNSS," said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides, speaking at the 11th European Space Policy Conference in Brussels.

Important milestone

The term ‘intelligent connectivity’ describes the powerful combination of flexible, high-speed 5G networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. Today, location plays a major role in all of these developments, with navigation and Earth observation data combining to provide the needed geographical framework to deliver personalised services.

"Just last month, in December 2018, we achieved a very important milestone," said des Dorides, "namely that more than fifty percent of the worldwide population is now connected to the digital world, to the Internet."

Read this: EU Space enables an interconnected future

It also means that the other fifty percent will be getting connected in the coming years, and this will revolutionise the way individuals think and societies operate. People today and people tomorrow will be connected in new and different ways. They will have different needs and will use their connectivity for as yet unimagined purposes.

"We can see that this expansion is continuing and the growth rate is really amazing," des Dorides said. "So we are in the age of what some people are describing as a 'silent revolution'. Every day we are seeing more and more new users and new ways to connect to the growing digital world."

Hard work rewarded

The GSA has been working ceaselessly to ensure the widespread uptake of European GNSS technologies, including Galileo and EGNOS, and the efforts have been paying off. An important element is the incorporation of Galileo-enabled GNSS receivers in handheld devices, such as smartphones.

"We have some other very important figures to mention," said des Dorides. "Today we have more subscriptions worldwide for mobile phones than inhabitants in the world, and with all that, around seventy percent of these digital devices are broadband-enabled. So this is the connection with the digital world."

Des Dorides talked about the closing gap between the physical world and the digital world: "There is a clear convergence, and the catalyst, the enabler, is the Internet of Things, the ubiquitous things, and the best example of ubiquitous things are our smartphones – this is the context we are living in. We also know that at the basis of the ubiquitous things is geo-positioning, and in particular GNSS. Fifty percent of our apps in our smartphones require geo-positioning and ninety percent of those require GNSS, so here is the link with GNSS."

It should also be noted that in addition to location information, accurate timing delivered by GNSS is providing an indispensable tool for precisely synchronising transactions, including those operated by Digitally Autonomous Organisations in a distributed ledger. Apart from accurate timing, there is also a critical role for GNSS in the authentication of smart contracts, which is an important way to increase security of transactions. Galileo will provide a unique authentication feature with its service.

"In all of these areas, there is a GNSS-based silent revolution happening right now," said des Dorides. "In 2011 an important new feature was multi-constellation, which is now in all our phones. This means a more reliable performance, with more available positioning and timing.”

Watch this: European Space Programmes: Empowering Digital Markets

"Then last year we also had a very important new milestone with the introduction of dual frequency, which will guarantee better accuracy on the mass market. GNSS, and Galileo in particular, is granting a flexible connection with the Internet of Things, the digital world, and big data."

GNSS and Europe's Digital Strategy

The rapid digitisation being seen in so many areas and at such a scale and speed bring immense opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs. It also raises challenging policy issues for public authorities that require coordinated EU action. All Member States are wrestling with similar problems, but on a national basis, which is too limited to allow them to seize all the opportunities and deal with all the issues raised by these profoundly transformational developments. That is why the European Commission has set the creation of a Digital Single Market for Europe as one of its key priorities, with digital autonomy in particular as a strategic goal.

Also speaking at the event in Brussels was Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She said the European space programmes have a key role to play in support of the European Digital Single Market: "We need to be moving to digital autonomy and sovereignty in Europe. The space sector can help us get there, from satellites for 5G coverage to important Earth Observation services of Copernicus and of course the critical geo-localisation capacity enabled by Galileo."

Indeed, at a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty, Galileo is now inarguably a critical infrastructure. Today, European GNSS is used to synchronise mobile networks, energy grids and financial transactions. It is used in emergency services, in safety-critical operations and, with the advent of AI and automation, driverless cars, drones and other autonomous systems will need GNSS for navigation.

In any number of vital application areas, including all that concerns the digital economy, Galileo is a key enabler of European independence and sovereignty, at the same time built to be interoperable with all the other GNSS systems in the world and able to provide a fully autonomous European solution.

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) comes to the 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC) with an important message: When close isn’t enough, use Galileo!

It’s only been two years since the launch of Galileo Initial Services, but already over half-a-billion users are benefiting from the increased accuracy and precision it brings. “According to the latest figures, today over 600 million devices – most of them the latest smartphone models – are now Galileo-enabled,” said Fiammetta Diani, Deputy Head of Market Development at the GSA. “Clearly, the time has come to make people aware that Europe’s investment in Galileo is bringing daily benefits to hundreds of millions!”

And what better place to drive this message home than at the largest mobile event in the world? 

With over 107,000 visitors expected to attend, MWC 2019 is the perfect stage to showcase the Galileo ‘Accuracy Matters’ message. The new awareness-building campaign, which includes a number of entertaining videos showing how a little extra accuracy can go a long way, will be one of the highlights at this year’s Galileo stand (Hall 8.0, Stand 8.0H15).

Read this: Introducing the MyGalileoApp prize contest

The Galileo stand will showcase several Horizon 2020 funded, Galileo-powered innovations. “With the goal of exploring the hottest trends influencing the mobile industry, MWC Barcelona is the ideal platform to promote innovative EGNSS-based solutions and applications,” adds Diani. “As a global event, it’s also the place to show the world how European Union (EU) space research enhances EU industrial competitiveness and plays a pivotal role in tackling various societal challenges.”

Galileo as a game changer

One solution being showcased at MWC is Lycie, a mobile application that actively prevents traffic accidents. “By simply mounting your phone to the dashboard of your car, Lycie’s machine learning algorithm learns from your driving patterns and notifies you in real-time whenever a dangerous situation is detected,” explains Lycie’s Jean Galinowski. “The safer your drive, the lower your insurance costs.”

Unlike similar monitoring applications, Lycie offers unmatchable accuracy, thanks to its use of Galileo. “Having Galileo is not only a game-changer compared to our competitors, whose lack of precision prevents a reliable driving assessment, but also brings significantly more safety,” adds Lycie’s Jeremy Maisse.

The FLAMINGO solution will also be on display at the Galileo stand where its high-accuracy positioning service for mass-market applications within smart city environments with be highlighted. “FLAMINGO is showcasing the near future by enabling and demonstrating high-accuracy positioning and navigation using Smartphones and Internet of Things devices,” says William Roberts, the project coordinator.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) with Galileo

The GALILEO FOR MOBILITY project aims at supporting the introduction of GALILEO technology within the Mobility as a Service context. “The potential MaaS market will be mostly concentrated on the urban environment, whereas Galileo, within a multi-constellation context, can bring benefits in terms of availability, accuracy and integrity in other areas too,” explains Dr. Josep Maria Salanova Grau.

At MWC, GALILEO FOR MOBILITY will be discussing the various services it is currently testing, including an on-demand public transportation system in Barcelona, a vehicle sharing initiative in Paris, and a ride sharing programme in Thessaloniki – among others. “The project as a whole tackles all modes of transport, both private and public, as well as various services that will support MaaS in the near future, emphasising the advantages of using EGNSS with regards to the performance of these services,” explains the project’s Coordinator Martí Jofre.

High-precision, high-accuracy at MWC

Also on display will be the NaviSoC single chip all-in-one solution – a miniature multi-frequency GNSS receiver that offers high-precision and reliability to mass-market users and applications. “This kind of product could be a market enabler for a future GNSS user segment, taking the automation and autonomy of IoT devices to the next level,” says ChipCraft's CEO Dr Tomasz Borejko.

Last but not least, Geo++ GmbH will be using the MWC stage to announce its high-accuracy positioning framework for Android smartphones, which routinely achieves sub-metre accurate smartphone positions. “We believe this technology is of interest to a large number of MWC visitors and we are looking forward to sharing it at the Galileo stand” adds Geo++ Managing Director Dr. Jannes Wübbena.

MWC Barcelona runs from 25 – 28 February at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via. Come and meet the GSA team at the Galileo stand is located at Hall 8.0, Stand 8.0H15.

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) comes to the 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC) with an important message: When close isn’t enough, use Galileo!

It’s only been two years since the launch of Galileo Initial Services, but already over half-a-billion users are benefiting from the increased accuracy and precision it brings. “According to the latest figures, today over 600 million devices – most of them the latest smartphone models – are now Galileo-enabled,” said Fiammetta Diani, Deputy Head of Market Development at the GSA. “Clearly, the time has come to make people aware that Europe’s investment in Galileo is bringing daily benefits to hundreds of millions!”

And what better place to drive this message home than at the largest mobile event in the world? 

With over 107,000 visitors expected to attend, MWC 2019 is the perfect stage to showcase the Galileo ‘Accuracy Matters’ message. The new awareness-building campaign, which includes a number of entertaining videos showing how a little extra accuracy can go a long way, will be one of the highlights at this year’s Galileo stand (Hall 8.0, Stand 8.0H15).

Read this: Introducing the MyGalileoApp prize contest

The Galileo stand will showcase several Horizon 2020 funded, Galileo-powered innovations. “With the goal of exploring the hottest trends influencing the mobile industry, MWC Barcelona is the ideal platform to promote innovative EGNSS-based solutions and applications,” adds Diani. “As a global event, it’s also the place to show the world how European Union (EU) space research enhances EU industrial competitiveness and plays a pivotal role in tackling various societal challenges.”

Galileo as a game changer

One solution being showcased at MWC is Lycie, a mobile application that actively prevents traffic accidents. “By simply mounting your phone to the dashboard of your car, Lycie’s machine learning algorithm learns from your driving patterns and notifies you in real-time whenever a dangerous situation is detected,” explains Lycie’s Jean Galinowski. “The safer your drive, the lower your insurance costs.”

Unlike similar monitoring applications, Lycie offers unmatchable accuracy, thanks to its use of Galileo. “Having Galileo is not only a game-changer compared to our competitors, whose lack of precision prevents a reliable driving assessment, but also brings significantly more safety,” adds Lycie’s Jeremy Maisse.

The FLAMINGO solution will also be on display at the Galileo stand where its high-accuracy positioning service for mass-market applications within smart city environments with be highlighted. “FLAMINGO is showcasing the near future by enabling and demonstrating high-accuracy positioning and navigation using Smartphones and Internet of Things devices,” says William Roberts, the project coordinator.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) with Galileo

The GALILEO FOR MOBILITY project aims at supporting the introduction of GALILEO technology within the Mobility as a Service context. “The potential MaaS market will be mostly concentrated on the urban environment, whereas Galileo, within a multi-constellation context, can bring benefits in terms of availability, accuracy and integrity in other areas too,” explains Dr. Josep Maria Salanova Grau.

At MWC, GALILEO FOR MOBILITY will be discussing the various services it is currently testing, including an on-demand public transportation system in Barcelona, a vehicle sharing initiative in Paris, and a ride sharing programme in Thessaloniki – among others. “The project as a whole tackles all modes of transport, both private and public, as well as various services that will support MaaS in the near future, emphasising the advantages of using EGNSS with regards to the performance of these services,” explains the project’s Coordinator Martí Jofre.

High-precision, high-accuracy at MWC

Also on display will be the NaviSoC single chip all-in-one solution – a miniature multi-frequency GNSS receiver that offers high-precision and reliability to mass-market users and applications. “This kind of product could be a market enabler for a future GNSS user segment, taking the automation and autonomy of IoT devices to the next level,” says ChipCraft's CEO Dr Tomasz Borejko.

Last but not least, Geo++ GmbH will be using the MWC stage to announce its high-accuracy positioning framework for Android smartphones, which routinely achieves sub-metre accurate smartphone positions. “We believe this technology is of interest to a large number of MWC visitors and we are looking forward to sharing it at the Galileo stand” adds Geo++ Managing Director Dr. Jannes Wübbena.

MWC Barcelona runs from 25 – 28 February at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via. Come and meet the GSA team at the Galileo stand is located at Hall 8.0, Stand 8.0H15.

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).