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The ARGONAUT project is making low-cost, high-precision GNSS receivers a viable option for all drone operators.

Perhaps nobody understands the need for post-process geolocation accuracy better than drone operators. But being able to satisfy this need is a different story. This is because most of the accurate systems currently on the market capable of offering results within decimetres – such as GNSS receivers – cost thousands of dollars. As this figure is often well-beyond what many drone operators can afford, most have had to settle for less accuracy.

Luckily, things are beginning to change. “We are witnessing exciting times, as low-cost, high-precision GNSS receivers are coming onto the market and challenging the dominance of the older, expensive and overly complex models,” says Xavier Banqué-Casanovas, CEO of Rokubun, the company behind the development of the ARGONAUT project.

ARGONAUT is a fully integrated GNSS receiver designed to meet the need for high-precision geo-location data. It achieves better than 30 cm horizontal accuracy when post-processing is done using JASON Positioning as a Service (PaaS), an adaptable cloud post-processing service developed and regularly updated by Rokubun’s GNSS team.

For high-precision solutions

According to Xavier, the development of ARGONAUT was driven by the need for affordable high-precision geo-location solutions. The result is an innovative combination of GNSS receivers and PaaS perfectly suited to meet the UAV community’s needs with the market’s best cost-accuracy ratio. “Regardless of the task being performed, an accurate GNSS receiver is a must for all UAV models,” says Xavier. “An unmanned system without a proper geolocation solution simply cannot be employed for drone applications for which the final outcome needs to be precisely orthorectified.”

ARGONAUT is equipped to track all global navigation systems, including Galileo, along with such regional systems as EGNOS. According to Xavier, ARGONAUT’s multi-constellation capability increases exposure to more satellites in view, thus greatly enhancing its robustness in reduced sky visibility conditions, such as urban canyons. “For us, the use of Galileo basically translates into being able to provide a better service in harsh environments” he explains.

Using the system

To use the system, all one has to do is mount the ARGONAUT multi-constellation receiver onto the drone. Since it is light and small, it works on all UAV models and serves both as the main GNSS receiver and the synchronising GNSS payload. During flight, the receiver tracks its position, logging it onto the embedded SD card. When you’ve gathered enough data, simply land the drone, remove the SD card from the receiver and upload its data to your computer.

Before post-processing, the measured position typically differs from the actual one, with an error of around two meters. Although this level of accuracy is suitable for navigation, it isn’t enough for high-precision tasks. So, to enhance the geo-location, simply go to the Rokubun JASON cloud service and drag and drop the raw data file to process it. From here, the PaaS uses advanced processing techniques to bring down the level of error to less than half a meter. You then receive instant, ready-to-use accurate positioning and geo-tagged events (such as camera shots). 

Most recently, the company has updated the device’s firmware so it is plug-and-play compatible with Pixhawk2, the most popular professional drone controller. But perhaps the best news is that this level of accuracy is now available for just $350.00 – up to 10 times cheaper than other professional navigation systems. “Used alone or together with our Positioning-as-a-service, ARGONAUT stands out from the competition for combining accuracy and affordability into one state-of-the-art, easy to use solution,” concludes Xavier.

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 GSA-sponsored ARGONAUT project is making low-cost, high-precision GNSS receivers a viable option for all drone operators.

Perhaps nobody understands the need for post-process geolocation accuracy better than drone operators. But being able to satisfy this need is a different story. This is because most of the accurate systems currently on the market capable of offering results within decimetres – such as GNSS receivers – cost thousands of dollars. As this figure is often well-beyond what many drone operators can afford, most have had to settle for less accuracy.

Luckily, things are beginning to change. “We are witnessing exciting times, as low-cost, high-precision GNSS receivers are coming onto the market and challenging the dominance of the older, expensive and overly complex models,” says Xavier Banqué-Casanovas, CEO of Rokubun, the company behind the development of the GSA-sponsored ARGONAUT project.

ARGONAUT is a fully integrated GNSS receiver designed to meet the need for high-precision geo-location data. It achieves better than 30 cm horizontal accuracy when post-processing is done using JASON Positioning as a Service (PaaS), an adaptable cloud post-processing service developed and regularly updated by Rokubun’s GNSS team.

For high-precision solutions

According to Xavier, the development of ARGONAUT was driven by the need for affordable high-precision geo-location solutions. The result is an innovative combination of GNSS receivers and PaaS perfectly suited to meet the UAV community’s needs with the market’s best cost-accuracy ratio. “Regardless of the task being performed, an accurate GNSS receiver is a must for all UAV models,” says Xavier. “An unmanned system without a proper geolocation solution simply cannot be employed for drone applications for which the final outcome needs to be precisely orthorectified.”

ARGONAUT is equipped to track all global navigation systems, including Galileo, along with such regional systems as EGNOS. According to Xavier, ARGONAUT’s multi-constellation capability increases exposure to more satellites in view, thus greatly enhancing its robustness in reduced sky visibility conditions, such as urban canyons. “For us, the use of Galileo basically translates into being able to provide a better service in harsh environments” he explains.

Using the system

To use the system, all one has to do is mount the ARGONAUT multi-constellation receiver onto the drone. Since it is light and small, it works on all UAV models and serves both as the main GNSS receiver and the synchronising GNSS payload. During flight, the receiver tracks its position, logging it onto the embedded SD card. When you’ve gathered enough data, simply land the drone, remove the SD card from the receiver and upload its data to your computer.

Before post-processing, the measured position typically differs from the actual one, with an error of around two meters. Although this level of accuracy is suitable for navigation, it isn’t enough for high-precision tasks. So, to enhance the geo-location, simply go to the Rokubun JASON cloud service and drag and drop the raw data file to process it. From here, the PaaS uses advanced processing techniques to bring down the level of error to less than half a meter. You then receive instant, ready-to-use accurate positioning and geo-tagged events (such as camera shots). 

Most recently, the company has updated the device’s firmware so it is plug-and-play compatible with Pixhawk2, the most popular professional drone controller. But perhaps the best news is that this level of accuracy is now available for just $350.00 – up to 10 times cheaper than other professional navigation systems. “Used alone or together with our Positioning-as-a-service, ARGONAUT stands out from the competition for combining accuracy and affordability into one state-of-the-art, easy to use solution,” concludes Xavier.

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).

Following last week’s successful launch of four new Galileo satellites from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, representatives of leading industry that have adopted Galileo held a special press briefing for journalists from across the Continent.

With four new satellites having been successfully launched on-board a Ariane 5 launcher, the Galileo constellation took another big step towards full operational capability. “This launch and the Galileo services that these satellites will help provide is testament to the European Union’s ambition to position itself as one of the world’s preeminent space powers,” said Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes.    

Driving this ambition is the European GNSS Agency (GSA), which is responsible for ensuring that the EU’s commitment to Galileo is translated into a return on investment for European citizens and businesses. “The GSA plays a unique role in linking space to user needs,” said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “Whether it be through user consultations, funding research and development or monitoring the latest developments in GNSS applications and technology, the GSA is closing the gap between satellites like those launched today and the many services and applications they provide.”   

Much of Galileo’s early success is the result of intense cooperation between the GSA and private GNSS chip and receiver manufacturers and service providers. After all, without Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers, no one would be able to benefit from Galileo. “The partnerships that the GSA has built over the years with leading chipset and receiver manufacturers is a key asset, not only for the Agency, but for the entire European space programme,” added des Dorides. “Because of these relationships, Galileo has been quickly incorporated into phones, wearables, cars, computing and IoT devices, allowing both citizens and businesses to enjoy the benefits that European GNSS provides.”

Voices from the frontline

Representatives from several of these early adopters and innovative businesses were invited to share their experiences with using Galileo. Among them was global chipset manufacturer Qualcomm, a long-term partner of the GSA that is active in Location Based Services for smartphones, wearables, computing, IoT and the automotive market segments.

In 2016, the company made headlines when it launched the Galileo-enabled Snapdragon smartphone chipset, which was used in the BQ Aquaris X5 – the market’s first Galileo smartphone. This year, Qualcomm also introduced a number of European GNSS (Galileo, EGNOS) capable automotive chipsets for Europe’s eCall system, the emergency response location initiative now mandatory in all new vehicle types sold in Europe.

Read this: eCall satellite navigation certified for first European customers

With all of its models capable of receiving and using Galileo signals, Qualcomm sits as the world’s largest chipset manufacturer of Galileo-enabled receivers. “We sell approximately 800 million models with integrated GNSS every year and, since the end of 2016, all of our GNSS products are capable of receiving the Galileo signal,” said Francesco Grilli, Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm. “This means about 25 new Galileo receivers are sold every second.”

NovAtel is another long-time participant in Europe’s space and navigation programmes. The company designs, manufactures and sells high-precision GNSS receivers, antennas and reference station receivers – all of which support Galileo signals. “Our goal is to take the signals from space and maximise their performance,” says Jason Hamilton, Chief Strategy Officer at Hexagon Positioning Intelligence, NovAtel’s parent company. “It’s very exciting to see Galileo come to life, as its addition to the multi-constellation environment dramatically enhances what we can achieve with our products.”

“At NovAtel, we are always chasing our mission statement of ‘assured positioning – anywhere’,” added Sandy Kennedy, Vice President of Innovation at NovAtel. “We’ve been eagerly anticipating Galileo as it helps us adhere both to the ‘assured’ and the ‘anywhere’ aspects of this mission.”

Turning to the aviation market segment, Rockwell Collins has been a long-time supporter of the GSA’s efforts to develop European GNSS receivers for the global aviation sector. In 2014, the company’s flight management system and GNSS receiver enabled the first successful demonstration of advanced arrival and departure flight operations using EGNOS (via the EU’s FilGAPP airspace enhancement project). “In the commercial aircraft sector, Galileo gives aircraft the accuracy they need to increase positioning awareness and thus safety,” said Stephane Pelleschi Rockwell Collins.

Delivering on its mission

It is because of Galileo’s early adopters like Qualcomm, Hexagon Positioning Intelligence, NovAtel and Rockwell Collins that the GSA has been able to successfully deliver on its mission of bridging the gap between space technology and user needs.

“I would like to thank each of the early pioneers who supported our vision, saw opportunities in it and invested in Galileo from the beginning,” said des Dorides. “Because of your long-term commitment, today we can count nearly 60 smartphone models using Galileo, new car models using Galileo-enabled eCall, and 542 EGNOS-based approach procedures in 19 countries across Europe, to mention only a few of the European GNSS success stories. The provision of precise timing and positioning information for a wide range of applications translates into smarter, greener and safer services for European citizens and beyond.”

An updated list of Galileo-enabled chipsets, receivers and devices can be found at www.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).

Following last week’s successful launch of four new Galileo satellites from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, representatives of leading industry that have adopted Galileo held a special press briefing for journalists from across the Continent.

With four new satellites having been successfully launched on-board a Ariane 5 launcher, the Galileo constellation took another big step towards full operational capability. “This launch and the Galileo services that these satellites will help provide is testament to the European Union’s ambition to position itself as one of the world’s preeminent space powers,” said Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes.    

Driving this ambition is the European GNSS Agency (GSA), which is responsible for ensuring that the EU’s commitment to Galileo is translated into a return on investment for European citizens and businesses. “The GSA plays a unique role in linking space to user needs,” said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “Whether it be through user consultations, funding research and development or monitoring the latest developments in GNSS applications and technology, the GSA is closing the gap between satellites like those launched today and the many services and applications they provide.”   

Much of Galileo’s early success is the result of intense cooperation between the GSA and private GNSS chip and receiver manufacturers and service providers. After all, without Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers, no one would be able to benefit from Galileo. “The partnerships that the GSA has built over the years with leading chipset and receiver manufacturers is a key asset, not only for the Agency, but for the entire European space programme,” added des Dorides. “Because of these relationships, Galileo has been quickly incorporated into phones, wearables, cars, computing and IoT devices, allowing both citizens and businesses to enjoy the benefits that European GNSS provides.”

Voices from the frontline

Representatives from several of these early adopters and innovative businesses were invited to share their experiences with using Galileo. Among them was global chipset manufacturer Qualcomm, a long-term partner of the GSA that is active in Location Based Services for smartphones, wearables, computing, IoT and the automotive market segments.

In 2016, the company made headlines when it launched the Galileo-enabled Snapdragon smartphone chipset, which was used in the BQ Aquaris X5 – the market’s first Galileo smartphone. This year, Qualcomm also introduced a number of European GNSS (Galileo, EGNOS) capable automotive chipsets for Europe’s eCall system, the emergency response location initiative now mandatory in all new vehicle types sold in Europe.

Read this: eCall satellite navigation certified for first European customers

With all of its models capable of receiving and using Galileo signals, Qualcomm sits as the world’s largest chipset manufacturer of Galileo-enabled receivers. “We sell approximately 800 million models with integrated GNSS every year and, since the end of 2016, all of our GNSS products are capable of receiving the Galileo signal,” said Francesco Grilli, Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm. “This means about 25 new Galileo receivers are sold every second.”

NovAtel is another long-time participant in Europe’s space and navigation programmes. The company designs, manufactures and sells high-precision GNSS receivers, antennas and reference station receivers – all of which support Galileo signals. “Our goal is to take the signals from space and maximise their performance,” says Jason Hamilton, Chief Strategy Officer at Hexagon Positioning Intelligence, NovAtel’s parent company. “It’s very exciting to see Galileo come to life, as its addition to the multi-constellation environment dramatically enhances what we can achieve with our products.”

“At NovAtel, we are always chasing our mission statement of ‘assured positioning – anywhere’,” added Sandy Kennedy, Vice President of Innovation at NovAtel. “We’ve been eagerly anticipating Galileo as it helps us adhere both to the ‘assured’ and the ‘anywhere’ aspects of this mission.”

Turning to the aviation market segment, Rockwell Collins has been a long-time supporter of the GSA’s efforts to develop European GNSS receivers for the global aviation sector. In 2014, the company’s flight management system and GNSS receiver enabled the first successful demonstration of advanced arrival and departure flight operations using EGNOS (via the EU’s FilGAPP airspace enhancement project). “In the commercial aircraft sector, Galileo gives aircraft the accuracy they need to increase positioning awareness and thus safety,” said Stephane Pelleschi Rockwell Collins.

Delivering on its mission

It is because of Galileo’s early adopters like Qualcomm, Hexagon Positioning Intelligence, NovAtel and Rockwell Collins that the GSA has been able to successfully deliver on its mission of bridging the gap between space technology and user needs.

“I would like to thank each of the early pioneers who supported our vision, saw opportunities in it and invested in Galileo from the beginning,” said des Dorides. “Because of your long-term commitment, today we can count nearly 60 smartphone models using Galileo, new car models using Galileo-enabled eCall, and 542 EGNOS-based approach procedures in 19 countries across Europe, to mention only a few of the European GNSS success stories. The provision of precise timing and positioning information for a wide range of applications translates into smarter, greener and safer services for European citizens and beyond.”

An updated list of Galileo-enabled chipsets, receivers and devices can be found at www.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).

Following last week’s successful launch of four new Galileo satellites from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, representatives of leading industry that have adopted Galileo held a special press briefing for journalists from across the Continent.

With four new satellites having been successfully launched on-board a Ariane 5 launcher, the Galileo constellation took another big step towards full operational capability. “This launch and the Galileo services that these satellites will help provide is testament to the European Union’s ambition to position itself as one of the world’s preeminent space powers,” said Matthias Petschke, European Commission Director of EU Satellite Navigation Programmes.    

Driving this ambition is the European GNSS Agency (GSA), which is responsible for ensuring that the EU’s commitment to Galileo is translated into a return on investment for European citizens and businesses. “The GSA plays a unique role in linking space to user needs,” said GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. “Whether it be through user consultations, funding research and development or monitoring the latest developments in GNSS applications and technology, the GSA is closing the gap between satellites like those launched today and the many services and applications they provide.”   

Much of Galileo’s early success is the result of intense cooperation between the GSA and private GNSS chip and receiver manufacturers and service providers. After all, without Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers, no one would be able to benefit from Galileo. “The partnerships that the GSA has built over the years with leading chipset and receiver manufacturers is a key asset, not only for the Agency, but for the entire European space programme,” added des Dorides. “Because of these relationships, Galileo has been quickly incorporated into phones, wearables, cars, computing and IoT devices, allowing both citizens and businesses to enjoy the benefits that European GNSS provides.”

Voices from the frontline

Representatives from several of these early adopters and innovative businesses were invited to share their experiences with using Galileo. Among them was global chipset manufacturer Qualcomm, a long-term partner of the GSA that is active in Location Based Services for smartphones, wearables, computing, IoT and the automotive market segments.

In 2016, the company made headlines when it launched the Galileo-enabled Snapdragon smartphone chipset, which was used in the BQ Aquaris X5 – the market’s first Galileo smartphone. This year, Qualcomm also introduced a number of European GNSS (Galileo, EGNOS) capable automotive chipsets for Europe’s eCall system, the emergency response location initiative now mandatory in all new vehicle types sold in Europe.

Read this: eCall satellite navigation certified for first European customers

With all of its models capable of receiving and using Galileo signals, Qualcomm sits as the world’s largest chipset manufacturer of Galileo-enabled receivers. “We sell approximately 800 million models with integrated GNSS every year and, since the end of 2016, all of our GNSS products are capable of receiving the Galileo signal,” said Francesco Grilli, Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm. “This means about 25 new Galileo receivers are sold every second.”

NovAtel is another long-time participant in Europe’s space and navigation programmes. The company designs, manufactures and sells high-precision GNSS receivers, antennas and reference station receivers – all of which support Galileo signals. “Our goal is to take the signals from space and maximise their performance,” says Jason Hamilton, Chief Strategy Officer at Hexagon Positioning Intelligence, NovAtel’s parent company. “It’s very exciting to see Galileo come to life, as its addition to the multi-constellation environment dramatically enhances what we can achieve with our products.”

“At NovAtel, we are always chasing our vision statement of ‘assured positioning – anywhere’,” added Sandy Kennedy, Vice President of Innovation at Hexagon Positioning Intelligence. “We’ve been eagerly anticipating Galileo as it helps us adhere both to the ‘assured’ and the ‘anywhere’ aspects of this mission.”

Turning to the aviation market segment, Rockwell Collins has been a long-time supporter of the GSA’s efforts to develop European GNSS receivers for the global aviation sector. In 2014, the company’s flight management system and GNSS receiver enabled the first successful demonstration of advanced arrival and departure flight operations using EGNOS (via the EU’s FilGAPP airspace enhancement project). “In the commercial aircraft sector, Galileo gives aircraft the accuracy they need to increase positioning awareness and thus safety,” said Stephane Pelleschi Rockwell Collins.

Delivering on its mission

It is because of Galileo’s early adopters like Qualcomm, Hexagon Positioning Intelligence, NovAtel and Rockwell Collins that the GSA has been able to successfully deliver on its mission of bridging the gap between space technology and user needs.

“I would like to thank each of the early pioneers who supported our vision, saw opportunities in it and invested in Galileo from the beginning,” said des Dorides. “Because of your long-term commitment, today we can count nearly 60 smartphone models using Galileo, new car models using Galileo-enabled eCall, and 542 EGNOS-based approach procedures in 19 countries across Europe, to mention only a few of the European GNSS success stories. The provision of precise timing and positioning information for a wide range of applications translates into smarter, greener and safer services for European citizens and beyond.”

An updated list of Galileo-enabled chipsets, receivers and devices can be found at www.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).