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Smart Gate, a system designed to measure time precisely during sporting activities, has been awarded first place in the GSA Special Prize at this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition. The awards were handed out at the Galileo and Copernicus Masters gala award ceremony – the ‘Space Oscars’, held on 4 December as part of 2018 European Space Week in Marseille.

The Smart Gate team, a group of sport and tech enthusiasts, combined their two passions to develop a cost-effective solution that enables skiers and snowboarders to improve their performance. Using GNSS precise timing combined with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, Smart Gate provides precise times on ski/snowboard runs, which sportspeople can use to hone their skills and techniques.

"So far, the Smart Gate solution has been built using the private funds of its founders. We have dedicated a lot of our knowledge, involvement and passion to it,” project developer Marcin Wilik said.

Wilik said that winning the GSA Special Prize would be extremely important for the project. “First of all, we will have funds to improve our prototype and secondly it will give us the attention of the media and investors. This is what we need right now. It is no exaggeration to say that winning the GSA prize will be an important turning point for the Smart Gate project," he said.

Ridesharing

Second place in this year’s GSA prize went to Troodle – a ridesharing solution that, unlike previous systems, offers socially and ecologically motivated drivers a digital platform based on environmental awareness and social responsibility rather than earning opportunities or cost sharing.

Utilising geodata-based real-time communication, the Troodle app calculates optimal stopping points, ideal routes and average travel times as a basis for immediate and effective ridesharing. As a result, it can offer spontaneous, safe, environmentally friendly and low-cost mobility without advance agreement, for short and long distances in both cities and rural areas.

"We are very pleased about the ESNC GSA Prize. Together with the ESA-BIC funding, the financial support will enable us to develop our prototype of the Troodle app, which will be tested in two German cities at the beginning of 2019," Troodle founder Bernd Sailer said.

Autonomous machines

Finally, the third place this year goes to HIVE, a cloud-based solution for highly accurate GNSS positioning and navigation that helps position, navigate, and track drones, robots, and other autonomous GNSS-equipped machines with up to centimetre-level precision.

To improve their positioning accuracy, autonomous vehicles need to be connected to a ground-based, continuously operating reference station (CORS) that uses GNSS.  HIVE’s software combines unlimited numbers of fragmented GNSS CORS facilities in a single solution and provides easy access to all of them. In this way, it acts as an instrument for creating a united European GNSS CORS infrastructure, supporting the next-generation of autonomous machines.

“Winning a GSA nomination is a significant milestone for us, as the project we have worked hard on for years is receiving international recognition. And this is just the beginning,” project founder Simon Litvinov said.

10 years of partnership

This year is the 10th consecutive year that the GSA has been a main partner in the European Satellite Navigation Competition and awarded a Special Prize. This year for the first time the GSA awarded cash prizes of EUR 7,000, EUR 5,000 and EUR 3,000 to the top three proposals. This year’s contenders for the GSA prize addressed the topic 'When and where? – Exact timing and positioning matters'.

Watch this: Galileo Masters-GSA – 10 Years of Partnership

“I would like to congratulate this year’s worthy winners of the GSA Galileo Special Prize and all the Galileo Masters prize winners,” GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said. “During our 10 years of partnership with the competition, the GSA has awarded a Special Prize to contenders who presented the most pioneering ideas for the commercial use of Galileo and EGNOS. This year has been no different, and market uptake potential was an important criterion when evaluating the winning projects,” he said.

As part of its Special Topic Prizes over the past ten years, the GSA has received more than 80 innovative proposals per year, covering new applications across the broad scope of sectors that benefit from Galileo and EGNOS in a wide variety of areas. Over the years, the GSA Special Prize winners have helped establish the ESNC as a major driver of new, useful and economically viable GNSS applications.

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).

Smart Gate, a system designed to measure time precisely during sporting activities, has been awarded first place in the GSA Special Prize at this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition. The awards were handed out at the Galileo and Copernicus Masters gala award ceremony – the ‘Space Oscars’, held on 4 December as part of 2018 European Space Week in Marseille.

The Smart Gate team, a group of sport and tech enthusiasts, combined their two passions to develop a cost-effective solution that enables skiers and snowboarders to improve their performance. Using GNSS precise timing combined with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, Smart Gate provides precise times on ski/snowboard runs, which sportspeople can use to hone their skills and techniques.

"So far, the Smart Gate solution has been built using the private funds of its founders. We have dedicated a lot of our knowledge, involvement and passion to it,” project developer Marcin Wilik said.

Wilik said that winning the GSA Special Prize would be extremely important for the project. “First of all, we will have funds to improve our prototype and secondly it will give us the attention of the media and investors. This is what we need right now. It is no exaggeration to say that winning the GSA prize will be an important turning point for the Smart Gate project," he said.

Ridesharing

Second place in this year’s GSA prize went to Troodle – a ridesharing solution that, unlike previous systems, offers socially and ecologically motivated drivers a digital platform based on environmental awareness and social responsibility rather than earning opportunities or cost sharing.

Utilising geodata-based real-time communication, the Troodle app calculates optimal stopping points, ideal routes and average travel times as a basis for immediate and effective ridesharing. As a result, it can offer spontaneous, safe, environmentally friendly and low-cost mobility without advance agreement, for short and long distances in both cities and rural areas.

"We are very pleased about the ESNC GSA Prize. Together with the ESA-BIC funding, the financial support will enable us to develop our prototype of the Troodle app, which will be tested in two German cities at the beginning of 2019," Troodle founder Bernd Sailer said.

Autonomous machines

Finally, the third place this year goes to HIVE, a cloud-based solution for highly accurate GNSS positioning and navigation that helps position, navigate, and track drones, robots, and other autonomous GNSS-equipped machines with up to centimetre-level precision.

To improve their positioning accuracy, autonomous vehicles need to be connected to a ground-based, continuously operating reference station (CORS) that uses GNSS.  HIVE’s software combines unlimited numbers of fragmented GNSS CORS facilities in a single solution and provides easy access to all of them. In this way, it acts as an instrument for creating a united European GNSS CORS infrastructure, supporting the next-generation of autonomous machines.

“Winning a GSA nomination is a significant milestone for us, as the project we have worked hard on for years is receiving international recognition. And this is just the beginning,” project founder Simon Litvinov said.

10 years of partnership

This year is the 10th consecutive year that the GSA has been a main partner in the European Satellite Navigation Competition and awarded a Special Prize. This year for the first time the GSA awarded cash prizes of EUR 7,000, EUR 5,000 and EUR 3,000 to the top three proposals. This year’s contenders for the GSA prize addressed the topic 'When and where? – Exact timing and positioning matters'.

Watch this: Galileo Masters-GSA – 10 Years of Partnership

“I would like to congratulate this year’s worthy winners of the GSA Galileo Special Prize and all the Galileo Masters prize winners,” GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said. “During our 10 years of partnership with the competition, the GSA has awarded a Special Prize to contenders who presented the most pioneering ideas for the commercial use of Galileo and EGNOS. This year has been no different, and market uptake potential was an important criterion when evaluating the winning projects,” he said.

As part of its Special Topic Prizes over the past ten years, the GSA has received more than 80 innovative proposals per year, covering new applications across the broad scope of sectors that benefit from Galileo and EGNOS in a wide variety of areas. Over the years, the GSA Special Prize winners have helped establish the ESNC as a major driver of new, useful and economically viable GNSS applications.

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).

Smart Gate, a system designed to measure time precisely during sporting activities, has been awarded first place in the GSA Special Prize at this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition. The awards were handed out at the Galileo and Copernicus Masters gala award ceremony – the ‘Space Oscars’, held on 4 December as part of 2018 European Space Week in Marseille.

The Smart Gate team, a group of sport and tech enthusiasts, combined their two passions to develop a cost-effective solution that enables skiers and snowboarders to improve their performance. Using GNSS precise timing combined with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, Smart Gate provides precise times on ski/snowboard runs, which sportspeople can use to hone their skills and techniques.

"So far, the Smart Gate solution has been built using the private funds of its founders. We have dedicated a lot of our knowledge, involvement and passion to it,” project developer Marcin Wilik said.

Wilik said that winning the GSA Special Prize would be extremely important for the project. “First of all, we will have funds to improve our prototype and secondly it will give us the attention of the media and investors. This is what we need right now. It is no exaggeration to say that winning the GSA prize will be an important turning point for the Smart Gate project," he said.

Ridesharing

Second place in this year’s GSA prize went to Troodle – a ridesharing solution that, unlike previous systems, offers socially and ecologically motivated drivers a digital platform based on environmental awareness and social responsibility rather than earning opportunities or cost sharing.

Utilising geodata-based real-time communication, the Troodle app calculates optimal stopping points, ideal routes and average travel times as a basis for immediate and effective ridesharing. As a result, it can offer spontaneous, safe, environmentally friendly and low-cost mobility without advance agreement, for short and long distances in both cities and rural areas.

"We are very pleased about the ESNC GSA Prize. Together with the ESA-BIC funding, the financial support will enable us to develop our prototype of the Troodle app, which will be tested in two German cities at the beginning of 2019," Troodle founder Bernd Sailer said.

Autonomous machines

Finally, the third place this year goes to HIVE, a cloud-based solution for highly accurate GNSS positioning and navigation that helps position, navigate, and track drones, robots, and other autonomous GNSS-equipped machines with up to centimetre-level precision.

To improve their positioning accuracy, autonomous vehicles need to be connected to a ground-based, continuously operating reference station (CORS) that uses GNSS.  HIVE’s software combines unlimited numbers of fragmented GNSS CORS facilities in a single solution and provides easy access to all of them. In this way, it acts as an instrument for creating a united European GNSS CORS infrastructure, supporting the next-generation of autonomous machines.

“Winning a GSA nomination is a significant milestone for us, as the project we have worked hard on for years is receiving international recognition. And this is just the beginning,” project founder Simon Litvinov said.

10 years of partnership

This year is the 10th consecutive year that the GSA has been a main partner in the European Satellite Navigation Competition and awarded a Special Prize. This year for the first time the GSA awarded cash prizes of EUR 7,000, EUR 5,000 and EUR 3,000 to the top three proposals. This year’s contenders for the GSA prize addressed the topic 'When and where? – Exact timing and positioning matters'.

“I would like to congratulate this year’s worthy winners of the GSA Galileo Special Prize and all the Galileo Masters prize winners,” GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said. “During our 10 years of partnership with the competition, the GSA has awarded a Special Prize to contenders who presented the most pioneering ideas for the commercial use of Galileo and EGNOS. This year has been no different, and market uptake potential was an important criterion when evaluating the winning projects,” he said.

As part of its Special Topic Prizes over the past ten years, the GSA has received more than 80 innovative proposals per year, covering new applications across the broad scope of sectors that benefit from Galileo and EGNOS in a wide variety of areas. Over the years, the GSA Special Prize winners have helped establish the ESNC as a major driver of new, useful and economically viable GNSS applications.

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).

Smart Gate, a system designed to measure time precisely during sporting activities, has been awarded first place in the GSA Special Prize at this year’s European Satellite Navigation Competition. The awards were handed out at the Galileo and Copernicus Masters gala award ceremony – the ‘Space Oscars’, held on 4 December as part of 2018 European Space Week in Marseille.

The Smart Gate team, a group of sport and tech enthusiasts, combined their two passions to develop a cost-effective solution that enables skiers and snowboarders to improve their performance. Using GNSS precise timing combined with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, Smart Gate provides precise times on ski/snowboard runs, which sportspeople can use to hone their skills and techniques.

"So far, the Smart Gate solution has been built using the private funds of its founders. We have dedicated a lot of our knowledge, involvement and passion to it,” project developer Marcin Wilk said.

Wilk said that winning the GSA Special Prize would be extremely important for the project. “First of all, we will have funds to improve our prototype and secondly it will give us the attention of the media and investors. This is what we need right now. It is no exaggeration to say that winning the GSA prize will be an important turning point for the Smart Gate project," he said.

Ridesharing

Second place in this year’s GSA prize went to Troodle – a ridesharing solution that, unlike previous systems, offers socially and ecologically motivated drivers a digital platform based on environmental awareness and social responsibility rather than earning opportunities or cost sharing.

Utilising geodata-based real-time communication, the Troodle app calculates optimal stopping points, ideal routes and average travel times as a basis for immediate and effective ridesharing. As a result, it can offer spontaneous, safe, environmentally friendly and low-cost mobility without advance agreement, for short and long distances in both cities and rural areas.

"We are very pleased about the ESNC GSA Prize. Together with the ESA-BIC funding, the financial support will enable us to develop our prototype of the Troodle app, which will be tested in two German cities at the beginning of 2019," Troodle founder Bernd Sailer said.

Autonomous machines

Finally, the third place this year goes to HIVE, a cloud-based solution for highly accurate GNSS positioning and navigation that helps position, navigate, and track drones, robots, and other autonomous GNSS-equipped machines with up to centimetre-level precision.

To improve their positioning accuracy, autonomous vehicles need to be connected to a ground-based, continuously operating reference station (CORS) that uses GNSS.  HIVE’s software combines unlimited numbers of fragmented GNSS CORS facilities in a single solution and provides easy access to all of them. In this way, it acts as an instrument for creating a united European GNSS CORS infrastructure, supporting the next-generation of autonomous machines.

“Winning a GSA nomination is a significant milestone for us, as the project we have worked hard on for years is receiving international recognition. And this is just the beginning,” project founder Simon Litvinov said.

10 years of partnership

This year is the 10th consecutive year that the GSA has been a main partner in the European Satellite Navigation Competition and awarded a Special Prize. This year for the first time the GSA awarded cash prizes of EUR 7,000, EUR 5,000 and EUR 3,000 to the top three proposals. This year’s contenders for the GSA prize addressed the topic 'When and where? – Exact timing and positioning matters'.

Watch this: Galileo Masters-GSA – 10 Years of Partnership

“I would like to congratulate this year’s worthy winners of the GSA Galileo Special Prize and all the Galileo Masters prize winners,” GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said. “During our 10 years of partnership with the competition, the GSA has awarded a Special Prize to contenders who presented the most pioneering ideas for the commercial use of Galileo and EGNOS. This year has been no different, and market uptake potential was an important criterion when evaluating the winning projects,” he said.

As part of its Special Topic Prizes over the past ten years, the GSA has received more than 80 innovative proposals per year, covering new applications across the broad scope of sectors that benefit from Galileo and EGNOS in a wide variety of areas. Over the years, the GSA Special Prize winners have helped establish the ESNC as a major driver of new, useful and economically viable GNSS applications.

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) kicked off a new campaign to raise awareness of the fact that Galileo is making a real difference in the lives of the over half-a-billion users who have extra Galileo accuracy in their phone…. yet may not know it!

Did you know that Galileo is already improving the GPS signal that your smartphone receives, giving you extra accuracy and precision? Most Europeans are unaware that they are already benefitting from Galileo, but this is about to change! The Accuracy Matters campaign aim to increase public awareness of Galileo’s success and the added value it brings to the mass-market.

Lost in Location? Use Galileo!

According to the latest figures, today over 500 million devices - most of them the latest smartphone models - are now Galileo-enabled. The time has come to make people aware that Europe’s investment in Galileo is bringing daily benefits to millions! The new campaign is focusing on the fact that a little goes a long way and that “Accuracy Matters”. The new awareness-building campaign will include ten short video clips that give an entertaining glimpse of everyday situations where ‘Accuracy Matters’ to anyone using location data on their smartphones.

The campaign will be fully launched on December 15, but you can already get a first taste here: Lost in Location? The video clips will be released in all EU languages and promoted on the Internet and through social media.

Do you know whether your phone is Galileo-enabled? You can check out all the devices that are already Galileo-enabled here: UseGalileo.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) kicked off a new campaign to raise awareness of the fact that Galileo is making a real difference in the lives of the over half-a-billion users who have extra Galileo accuracy in their phone…. yet may not know it!

Did you know that Galileo is already improving the GPS signal that your smartphone receives, giving you extra accuracy and precision? Most Europeans are unaware that they are already benefitting from Galileo, but this is about to change! The Accuracy Matters campaign aim to increase public awareness of Galileo’s success and the added value it brings to the mass-market.

Lost in Location? Use Galileo!

According to the latest figures, today over 500 million devices - most of them the latest smartphone models - are now Galileo-enabled. The time has come to make people aware that Europe’s investment in Galileo is bringing daily benefits to millions! The new campaign is focusing on the fact that a little goes a long way and that “Accuracy Matters”. The new awareness-building campaign will include ten short video clips that give an entertaining glimpse of everyday situations where ‘Accuracy Matters’ to anyone using location data on their smartphones.

The campaign will be fully launched on December 15, but you can already get a first taste here: Lost in Location? The video clips will be released in all EU languages and promoted on the Internet and through social media.

Do you know whether your phone is Galileo-enabled? You can check out all the devices that are already Galileo-enabled here: UseGalileo.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).

Entrepreneurs and SMEs, along with business and public sector professionals using space data from across Europe and around the globe descended on Marseille ‘en masse’ for the 2018 edition of EU Space Week. The event featured presentations from high-level personalities, as well as key user communities. Plus, awards for Europe's up-and-coming space application researchers and innovators were given at the annual ‘Space Oscars’.

The EU Space Week opening plenary gathered speakers from industry and the public sector. They discussed how European Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation serve as powerful tools for tackling today's economic, social, and environmental challenges and creating opportunities for growth and job creation.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said, “Space is essential for our economy. We are not investing in space for the sake of space itself, but because of the benefits it brings to our citizens and society.”

Watch this: EU Space Week in Marseille, 3 - 6 December 2018

The Commissioner's comments come as EU parliamentarians and Member States are in the midst of negotiations concerning the next EU space budget. “Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are world-class European success stories,” she said. “We have fought hard to keep them funded and we can see the results.” She also argued that a change of mind-set is needed to keep young European entrepreneurs in Europe, through greater private investment and venture capitalism.

President of the French Space Agency (CNES) Jean-Yves Le Gall called Galileo a “fine testimony” to European teamwork, as are the over 500 million Galileo-enabled smartphones now on the market. The opening plenary also featured round-table discussions with business leaders who are turning space-based data from Galileo and Copernicus into valuable and profitable services on the ground.

For European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides, the success of Galileo has had a lot to do with forward thinking. "We did a lot of preparatory work," he said. "We had to get to know the people we were talking to, those instrument and receiver manufacturers. And we had the financial tools in place to help facilitate their decision making." The GSA handles, among other things, promoting Galileo market uptake. 

Cooperation and competition were the key words for ESA Director General Jan Wörner. He said competition is good, but he added, “To remain strong and autonomous, Europe also needs to focus on cooperation. We all need to continue to come together, to join forces.” 

User Consultation Platform helps ensure customer satisfaction

The annual EGNSS User Consultation Platform (UCP) enables direct interaction between users of positioning, navigation and timing solutions and the organisations and institutions providing Galileo and EGNOS services. The ultimate goal is to allow programme decision-makers to immediately take on-board inputs coming from users.

UCP participants are actual users of European GNSS systems, representatives of standardisation bodies and industry groups, regulatory bodies, and other members of the GNSS value chain. The work of the Platform in Marseille entailed eight parallel panel sessions bringing together users by market segment. The segments were: Mass Market; Road Transport; Aviation; Rail; Maritime; Agriculture; Surveying & Mapping; and Timing & Synchronisation.

At the UCP plenary session, representatives of the sectors reported the results of their discussions. Members of the audience were encouraged to ask questions and a panel of representatives from the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) also interacted directly with the user representatives.

“The exercise was extremely fruitful,” said panellist Fiammetta Diani of the GSA. ”All comments, suggestions and requests will be taken into account and will have a real impact on the evolution of European GNSS services.”

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides thanked participants for their strong engagement and said, “The GSA works hard to maintain close relationships with European GNSS users, and that means all stakeholders in the downstream markets. The real value of the GSA is built on these relationships.”

Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, said, “What this User Consultation shows is that we are listening to you. Unlike other GNSS around the world, Galileo is a demand-driven programme. We want to hear your ideas and we want to know what you need, to bring your ideas to the market and create business.”

Rewarding programme

The stars came out for the prestigious Galileo and Copernicus Masters Gala Awards Ceremony, also known as the 'Space Oscars'. This year's annual European space innovation competition focused on how to tackle global challenges with Galileo and Copernicus. Prizes were presented by high-ranking competition partners from business, government and the space community.

Carlo des Dorides presented the 2018 GSA Special Prizes around the theme, 'When and Where'. He explained the rationale for the Agency's ongoing involvement in the awards, which are organised by Germany's AZO. “The focus is this virtuous cycle between innovation, SMEs and finally business in the market,” des Dorides said. “This partnership is a good fit. We have 60 projects funded under Horizon 2020, this is really R&D. We are funding specific technology areas. With the European Satellite Navigation Competition, we can get closer to the market, so this is certainly where we want to be.”

Entrepreneurs and SMEs, along with business and public sector professionals using space data from across Europe and around the globe descended on Marseille ‘en masse’ for the 2018 edition of EU Space Week. The event featured presentations from high-level personalities, as well as key user communities. Plus, awards for Europe's up-and-coming space application researchers and innovators were given at the annual ‘Space Oscars’.

The EU Space Week opening plenary gathered speakers from industry and the public sector. They discussed how European Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation serve as powerful tools for tackling today's economic, social, and environmental challenges and creating opportunities for growth and job creation.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said, “Space is essential for our economy. We are not investing in space for the sake of space itself, but because of the benefits it brings to our citizens and society.”

Watch this: EU Space Week in Marseille, 3 - 6 December 2018

The Commissioner's comments come as EU parliamentarians and Member States are in the midst of negotiations concerning the next EU space budget. “Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are world-class European success stories,” she said. “We have fought hard to keep them funded and we can see the results.” She also argued that a change of mind-set is needed to keep young European entrepreneurs in Europe, through greater private investment and venture capitalism.

President of the French Space Agency (CNES) Jean-Yves Le Gall called Galileo a “fine testimony” to European teamwork, as are the over 500 million Galileo-enabled smartphones now on the market. The opening plenary also featured round-table discussions with business leaders who are turning space-based data from Galileo and Copernicus into valuable and profitable services on the ground.

For European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides, the success of Galileo has had a lot to do with forward thinking. "We did a lot of preparatory work," he said. "We had to get to know the people we were talking to, those instrument and receiver manufacturers. And we had the financial tools in place to help facilitate their decision making." The GSA handles, among other things, promoting Galileo market uptake. 

Cooperation and competition were the key words for ESA Director General Jan Wörner. He said competition is good, but he added, “To remain strong and autonomous, Europe also needs to focus on cooperation. We all need to continue to come together, to join forces.” 

User Consultation Platform helps ensure customer satisfaction

The annual EGNSS User Consultation Platform (UCP) enables direct interaction between users of positioning, navigation and timing solutions and the organisations and institutions providing Galileo and EGNOS services. The ultimate goal is to allow programme decision-makers to immediately take on-board inputs coming from users.

UCP participants are actual users of European GNSS systems, representatives of standardisation bodies and industry groups, regulatory bodies, and other members of the GNSS value chain. The work of the Platform in Marseille entailed eight parallel panel sessions bringing together users by market segment. The segments were: Mass Market; Road Transport; Aviation; Rail; Maritime; Agriculture; Surveying & Mapping; and Timing & Synchronisation.

At the UCP plenary session, representatives of the sectors reported the results of their discussions. Members of the audience were encouraged to ask questions and a panel of representatives from the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) also interacted directly with the user representatives.

“The exercise was extremely fruitful,” said panellist Fiammetta Diani of the GSA. ”All comments, suggestions and requests will be taken into account and will have a real impact on the evolution of European GNSS services.”

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides thanked participants for their strong engagement and said, “The GSA works hard to maintain close relationships with European GNSS users, and that means all stakeholders in the downstream markets. The real value of the GSA is built on these relationships.”

Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, said, “What this User Consultation shows is that we are listening to you. Unlike other GNSS around the world, Galileo is a demand-driven programme. We want to hear your ideas and we want to know what you need, to bring your ideas to the market and create business.”

Rewarding programme

The stars came out for the prestigious Galileo and Copernicus Masters Gala Awards Ceremony, also known as the 'Space Oscars'. This year's annual European space innovation competition focused on how to tackle global challenges with Galileo and Copernicus. Prizes were presented by high-ranking competition partners from business, government and the space community.

Carlo des Dorides presented the 2018 GSA Special Prizes around the theme, 'When and Where'. He explained the rationale for the Agency's ongoing involvement in the awards, which are organised by Germany's AZO. “The focus is this virtuous cycle between innovation, SMEs and finally business in the market,” des Dorides said. “This partnership is a good fit. We have 60 projects funded under Horizon 2020, this is really R&D. We are funding specific technology areas. With the European Satellite Navigation Competition, we can get closer to the market, so this is certainly where we want to be.”

Entrepreneurs and SMEs, along with business and public sector professionals using space data from across Europe and around the globe descended on Marseille ‘en masse’ for the 2018 edition of EU Space Week. The event featured presentations from high-level personalities, as well as key user communities. Plus, awards for Europe's up-and-coming space application researchers and innovators were given at the annual ‘Space Oscars’.

The EU Space Week opening plenary gathered speakers from industry and the public sector. They discussed how European Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation serve as powerful tools for tackling today's economic, social, and environmental challenges and creating opportunities for growth and job creation.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said, “Space is essential for our economy. We are not investing in space for the sake of space itself, but because of the benefits it brings to our citizens and society.”

Watch this: EU Space Week in Marseille, 3 - 6 December 2018

The Commissioner's comments come as EU parliamentarians and Member States are in the midst of negotiations concerning the next EU space budget. “Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are world-class European success stories,” she said. “We have fought hard to keep them funded and we can see the results.” She also argued that a change of mind-set is needed to keep young European entrepreneurs in Europe, through greater private investment and venture capitalism.

President of the French Space Agency (CNES) Jean-Yves Le Gall called Galileo a “fine testimony” to European teamwork, as are the over 500 million Galileo-enabled smartphones now on the market. The opening plenary also featured round-table discussions with business leaders who are turning space-based data from Galileo and Copernicus into valuable and profitable services on the ground.

For European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides, the success of Galileo has had a lot to do with forward thinking. "We did a lot of preparatory work," he said. "We had to get to know the people we were talking to, those instrument and receiver manufacturers. And we had the financial tools in place to help facilitate their decision making." The GSA handles, among other things, promoting Galileo market uptake. 

Cooperation and competition were the key words for ESA Director General Jan Wörner. He said competition is good, but he added, “To remain strong and autonomous, Europe also needs to focus on cooperation. We all need to continue to come together, to join forces.” 

User Consultation Platform helps ensure customer satisfaction

The annual EGNSS User Consultation Platform (UCP) enables direct interaction between users of positioning, navigation and timing solutions and the organisations and institutions providing Galileo and EGNOS services. The ultimate goal is to allow programme decision-makers to immediately take on-board inputs coming from users.

UCP participants are actual users of European GNSS systems, representatives of standardisation bodies and industry groups, regulatory bodies, and other members of the GNSS value chain. The work of the Platform in Marseille entailed eight parallel panel sessions bringing together users by market segment. The segments were: Mass Market; Road Transport; Aviation; Rail; Maritime; Agriculture; Surveying & Mapping; and Timing & Synchronisation.

At the UCP plenary session, representatives of the sectors reported the results of their discussions. Members of the audience were encouraged to ask questions and a panel of representatives from the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) also interacted directly with the user representatives.

“The exercise was extremely fruitful,” said panellist Fiammetta Diani of the GSA. ”All comments, suggestions and requests will be taken into account and will have a real impact on the evolution of European GNSS services.”

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides thanked participants for their strong engagement and said, “The GSA works hard to maintain close relationships with European GNSS users, and that means all stakeholders in the downstream markets. The real value of the GSA is built on these relationships.”

Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, said, “What this User Consultation shows is that we are listening to you. Unlike other GNSS around the world, Galileo is a demand-driven programme. We want to hear your ideas and we want to know what you need, to bring your ideas to the market and create business.”

Rewarding programme

The stars came out for the prestigious Galileo and Copernicus Masters Gala Awards Ceremony, also known as the 'Space Oscars'. This year's annual European space innovation competition focused on how to tackle global challenges with Galileo and Copernicus. Prizes were presented by high-ranking competition partners from business, government and the space community.

Carlo des Dorides presented the 2018 GSA Special Prizes around the theme, 'When and Where'. He explained the rationale for the Agency's ongoing involvement in the awards, which are organised by Germany's AZO. “The focus is this virtuous cycle between innovation, SMEs and finally business in the market,” des Dorides said. “This partnership is a good fit. We have 60 projects funded under Horizon 2020, this is really R&D. We are funding specific technology areas. With the European Satellite Navigation Competition, we can get closer to the market, so this is certainly where we want to be.”

Entrepreneurs and SMEs, along with business and public sector professionals using space data from across Europe and around the globe descended on Marseille ‘en masse’ for the 2018 edition of EU Space Week. The event featured presentations from high-level personalities, as well as key user communities. Plus, awards for Europe's up-and-coming space application researchers and innovators were given at the annual ‘Space Oscars’.

The EU Space Week opening plenary gathered speakers from industry and the public sector. They discussed how European Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation serve as powerful tools for tackling today's economic, social, and environmental challenges and creating opportunities for growth and job creation.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said, “Space is essential for our economy. We are not investing in space for the sake of space itself, but because of the benefits it brings to our citizens and society.”

Watch this: EU Space Week in Marseille, 3 - 6 December 2018

The Commissioner's comments come as EU parliamentarians and Member States are in the midst of negotiations concerning the next EU space budget. “Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are world-class European success stories,” she said. “We have fought hard to keep them funded and we can see the results.” She also argued that a change of mind-set is needed to keep young European entrepreneurs in Europe, through greater private investment and venture capitalism.

President of the French Space Agency (CNES) Jean-Yves Le Gall called Galileo a “fine testimony” to European teamwork, as are the over 500 million Galileo-enabled smartphones now on the market. The opening plenary also featured round-table discussions with business leaders who are turning space-based data from Galileo and Copernicus into valuable and profitable services on the ground.

For European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides, the success of Galileo has had a lot to do with forward thinking. "We did a lot of preparatory work," he said. "We had to get to know the people we were talking to, those instrument and receiver manufacturers. And we had the financial tools in place to help facilitate their decision making." The GSA handles, among other things, promoting Galileo market uptake. 

Cooperation and competition were the key words for ESA Director General Jan Wörner. He said competition is good, but he added, “To remain strong and autonomous, Europe also needs to focus on cooperation. We all need to continue to come together, to join forces.” 

User Consultation Platform helps ensure customer satisfaction

The annual EGNSS User Consultation Platform (UCP) enables direct interaction between users of positioning, navigation and timing solutions and the organisations and institutions providing Galileo and EGNOS services. The ultimate goal is to allow programme decision-makers to immediately take on-board inputs coming from users.

UCP participants are actual users of European GNSS systems, representatives of standardisation bodies and industry groups, regulatory bodies, and other members of the GNSS value chain. The work of the Platform in Marseille entailed eight parallel panel sessions bringing together users by market segment. The segments were: Mass Market; Road Transport; Aviation; Rail; Maritime; Agriculture; Surveying & Mapping; and Timing & Synchronisation.

At the UCP plenary session, representatives of the sectors reported the results of their discussions. Members of the audience were encouraged to ask questions and a panel of representatives from the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) also interacted directly with the user representatives.

“The exercise was extremely fruitful,” said panellist Fiammetta Diani of the GSA. ”All comments, suggestions and requests will be taken into account and will have a real impact on the evolution of European GNSS services.”

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides thanked participants for their strong engagement and said, “The GSA works hard to maintain close relationships with European GNSS users, and that means all stakeholders in the downstream markets. The real value of the GSA is built on these relationships.”

Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, said, “What this User Consultation shows is that we are listening to you. Unlike other GNSS around the world, Galileo is a demand-driven programme. We want to hear your ideas and we want to know what you need, to bring your ideas to the market and create business.”

Rewarding programme

The stars came out for the prestigious Galileo and Copernicus Masters Gala Awards Ceremony, also known as the 'Space Oscars'. This year's annual European space innovation competition focused on how to tackle global challenges with Galileo and Copernicus. Prizes were presented by high-ranking competition partners from business, government and the space community.

Carlo des Dorides presented the 2018 GSA Special Prizes around the theme, 'When and Where'. He explained the rationale for the Agency's ongoing involvement in the awards, which are organised by Germany's AZO. “The focus is this virtuous cycle between innovation, SMEs and finally business in the market,” des Dorides said. “This partnership is a good fit. We have 60 projects funded under Horizon 2020, this is really R&D. We are funding specific technology areas. With the European Satellite Navigation Competition, we can get closer to the market, so this is certainly where we want to be.”

Entrepreneurs and SMEs, along with business and public sector professionals using space data from across Europe and around the globe descended on Marseille ‘en masse’ for the 2018 edition of EU Space Week. The event featured presentations from high-level personalities, as well as key user communities. Plus, awards for Europe's up-and-coming space application researchers and innovators were given at the annual ‘Space Oscars’.

The EU Space Week opening plenary gathered speakers from industry and the public sector. They discussed how European Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation serve as powerful tools for tackling today's economic, social, and environmental challenges and creating opportunities for growth and job creation.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said, “Space is essential for our economy. We are not investing in space for the sake of space itself, but because of the benefits it brings to our citizens and society.”

Watch this: EU Space Week in Marseille, 3 - 6 December 2018

The Commissioner's comments come as EU parliamentarians and Member States are in the midst of negotiations concerning the next EU space budget. “Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are world-class European success stories,” she said. “We have fought hard to keep them funded and we can see the results.” She also argued that a change of mind-set is needed to keep young European entrepreneurs in Europe, through greater private investment and venture capitalism.

President of the French Space Agency (CNES) Jean-Yves Le Gall called Galileo a “fine testimony” to European teamwork, as are the over 500 million Galileo-enabled smartphones now on the market. The opening plenary also featured round-table discussions with business leaders who are turning space-based data from Galileo and Copernicus into valuable and profitable services on the ground.

For European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Carlo des Dorides, the success of Galileo has had a lot to do with forward thinking. "We did a lot of preparatory work," he said. "We had to get to know the people we were talking to, those instrument and receiver manufacturers. And we had the financial tools in place to help facilitate their decision making." The GSA handles, among other things, promoting Galileo market uptake. 

Cooperation and competition were the key words for ESA Director General Jan Wörner. He said competition is good, but he added, “To remain strong and autonomous, Europe also needs to focus on cooperation. We all need to continue to come together, to join forces.” 

User Consultation Platform helps ensure customer satisfaction

The annual EGNSS User Consultation Platform (UCP) enables direct interaction between users of positioning, navigation and timing solutions and the organisations and institutions providing Galileo and EGNOS services. The ultimate goal is to allow programme decision-makers to immediately take on-board inputs coming from users.

UCP participants are actual users of European GNSS systems, representatives of standardisation bodies and industry groups, regulatory bodies, and other members of the GNSS value chain. The work of the Platform in Marseille entailed eight parallel panel sessions bringing together users by market segment. The segments were: Mass Market; Road Transport; Aviation; Rail; Maritime; Agriculture; Surveying & Mapping; and Timing & Synchronisation.

At the UCP plenary session, representatives of the sectors reported the results of their discussions. Members of the audience were encouraged to ask questions and a panel of representatives from the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency (GSA) also interacted directly with the user representatives.

“The exercise was extremely fruitful,” said panellist Fiammetta Diani of the GSA. ”All comments, suggestions and requests will be taken into account and will have a real impact on the evolution of European GNSS services.”

GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides thanked participants for their strong engagement and said, “The GSA works hard to maintain close relationships with European GNSS users, and that means all stakeholders in the downstream markets. The real value of the GSA is built on these relationships.”

Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, said, “What this User Consultation shows is that we are listening to you. Unlike other GNSS around the world, Galileo is a demand-driven programme. We want to hear your ideas and we want to know what you need, to bring your ideas to the market and create business.”

Rewarding programme

The stars came out for the prestigious Galileo and Copernicus Masters Gala Awards Ceremony, also known as the 'Space Oscars'. This year's annual European space innovation competition focused on how to tackle global challenges with Galileo and Copernicus. Prizes were presented by high-ranking competition partners from business, government and the space community.

Carlo des Dorides presented the 2018 GSA Special Prizes around the theme, 'When and Where'. He explained the rationale for the Agency's ongoing involvement in the awards, which are organised by Germany's AZO. “The focus is this virtuous cycle between innovation, SMEs and finally business in the market,” des Dorides said. “This partnership is a good fit. We have 60 projects funded under Horizon 2020, this is really R&D. We are funding specific technology areas. With the European Satellite Navigation Competition, we can get closer to the market, so this is certainly where we want to be.”