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Ready to take the pulse of the GNSS user technology industry? Want to get an inside view on how the latest trends are changing the market? Then sign up today to be one of the first to download a free copy of the GSA’s GNSS User Technology Report – Issue 2.

Since its launch in 2016, the GNSS User Technology Report has become the go-to-source for comprehensive knowledge and information on the dynamic, global GNSS technology industry. This free, downloadable publication takes an in-depth look at the latest state-of-the-art GNSS receiver technology, along with providing expert analysis on the evolutionary trends that are set to define the global GNSS landscape – and our daily lives – in the coming years.

Latest developments and future trends

Issue 2 opens with an overview of the latest developments and future trends in GNSS, with a focus on multi-constellation and multi-frequency applications that drive new trends. “The most important new trend identified in this issue is the rapid adoption of multiple frequencies, including for consumer devices, as evidenced by the market introduction of the first dual-frequency smartphone in May 2018,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides.

The Report also provides an in-depth look at applications and solutions within the transport safety, liability-critical, high precision, timing and mass market domains, maintaining the same structure as in issue 1, but again full of new exciting trends and drivers.

The final section is dedicated to automation. “The ‘Editor’s special’ section of this issue is devoted to automation and to the increasingly important role GNSS plays in a number of partially- or fully-automated tasks and functions, including driverless cars, autonomous vessels and drones,” adds des Dorides.

The analysis of GNSS user technology trends is supported by testimonials from key suppliers of receiver technology, including: Broadcom, Javad, Kongsberg, Leica, Maxim Integrated, Meinberg, NovAtel, Orolia-Spectracom, Qualcomm, Septentrio, STMicroelectronics, Thales, Trimble and u-blox.

Reserve your free copy today!

Although the GSA GNSS User Technology Report won’t be officially launched until September 24, you can already register today to be automatically notified when it is available to download. The insights in the Report will be explained at the IPIN-2018 conference in France (Sept 24-27) and the ION GNSS+ conference (Sept 24-28) in the US. Held in Miami, Florida, ION is the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services.

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).

Ready to take the pulse of the GNSS user technology industry? Want to get an inside view on how the latest trends are changing the market? Then sign up today to be one of the first to download a free copy of the GSA’s GNSS User Technology Report – Issue 2.

Since its launch in 2016, the GNSS User Technology Report has become the go-to-source for comprehensive knowledge and information on the dynamic, global GNSS technology industry. This free, downloadable publication takes an in-depth look at the latest state-of-the-art GNSS receiver technology, along with providing expert analysis on the evolutionary trends that are set to define the global GNSS landscape – and our daily lives – in the coming years.

Latest developments and future trends

Issue 2 opens with an overview of the latest developments and future trends in GNSS, with a focus on multi-constellation and multi-frequency applications that drive new trends. “The most important new trend identified in this issue is the rapid adoption of multiple frequencies, including for consumer devices, as evidenced by the market introduction of the first dual-frequency smartphone in May 2018,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides.

The Report also provides an in-depth look at applications and solutions within the transport safety, liability-critical, high precision, timing and mass market domains, maintaining the same structure as in issue 1, but again full of new exciting trends and drivers.

The final section is dedicated to automation. “The ‘Editor’s special’ section of this issue is devoted to automation and to the increasingly important role GNSS plays in a number of partially- or fully-automated tasks and functions, including driverless cars, autonomous vessels and drones,” adds des Dorides.

The analysis of GNSS user technology trends is supported by testimonials from key suppliers of receiver technology, including: Broadcom, Javad, Kongsberg, Leica, Maxim Integrated, Meinberg, NovAtel, Orolia-Spectracom, Qualcomm, Septentrio, STMicroelectronics, Thales, Trimble and u-blox.

Reserve your free copy today!

Although the GSA GNSS User Technology Report won’t be officially launched until September 24, you can already register today to be automatically notified when it is available to download. The insights in the Report will be explained at the IPIN-2018 conference in France (Sept 24-27) and the ION GNSS+ conference (Sept 24-28) in the US. Held in Miami, Florida, ION is the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services.

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).

Ready to take the pulse of the GNSS user technology industry? Want to get an inside view on how the latest trends are changing the market? Then sign up today to be one of the first to download a free copy of the GSA’s GNSS User Technology Report – Issue 2.

Since its launch in 2016, the GNSS User Technology Report has become the go-to-source for comprehensive knowledge and information on the dynamic, global GNSS technology industry. This free, downloadable publication takes an in-depth look at the latest state-of-the-art GNSS receiver technology, along with providing expert analysis on the evolutionary trends that are set to define the global GNSS landscape – and our daily lives – in the coming years.

Latest developments and future trends

Issue 2 opens with an overview of the latest developments and future trends in GNSS, with a focus on multi-constellation and multi-frequency applications that drive new trends. “The most important new trend identified in this issue is the rapid adoption of multiple frequencies, including for consumer devices, as evidenced by the market introduction of the first dual-frequency smartphone in May 2018,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides.

The Report also provides an in-depth look at applications and solutions within the transport safety, liability-critical, high precision, timing and mass market domains, maintaining the same structure as in issue 1, but again full of new exciting trends and drivers.

The final section is dedicated to automation. “The ‘Editor’s special’ section of this issue is devoted to automation and to the increasingly important role GNSS plays in a number of partially- or fully-automated tasks and functions, including driverless cars, autonomous vessels and drones,” adds des Dorides.

The analysis of GNSS user technology trends is supported by testimonials from key suppliers of receiver technology, including: Broadcom, Javad, Kongsberg, Leica, Maxim Integrated, Meinberg, NovAtel, Orolia-Spectracom, Qualcomm, Septentrio, STMicroelectronics, Thales, Trimble and u-blox.

Reserve your free copy today!

Although the GSA GNSS User Technology Report won’t be officially launched until September 24, you can already register today to be automatically notified when it is available to download. The insights in the Report will be explained at the IPIN-2018 conference in France (Sept 24-27) and the ION GNSS+ conference (Sept 24-28) in the US. Held in Miami, Florida, ION is the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services.

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 technologies on display at the Agriculture and Space Day exhibition demonstrated how Galileo, Europe’s global satellite navigation system, and Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, are helping to develop the tools needed to ensure that Europe can compete in dynamic markets. This is no longer a discussion on a remote future – the technologies are being used in the here and now, helping farmers make informed decisions on every aspect of their business. 

Speaking at the event, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said: “The uptake of precision agriculture in Europe and worldwide continues to grow and the return on investment in terms of increased productivity, cost-effectiveness and sustainability clearly makes the business case for the development of more applications, which rely on the precise positioning provided by GNSS.” 

Read this: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes

Increased productivity

MEP Franc Bogovič, who is also a farmer, has adopted digital technology to improve his business. As the European Union looks to its priorities in the future, he acknowledged that space and agriculture needed to work closely together to optimise their results. According to the OECD, the use of big data alone could increase agricultural productivity by 5-6%.Max Schulman, a cereal farmer from Finland, showed how technology was making a difference to his business and also helping to engage young farmers.

With a smartphone and a hand-held device (GrainSense) he is able to make on-the-spot assessments of the percentage of water, protein and carbohydrate in the grain. Similarly, working with Copernicus can help farmers assess soil and plant conditions on an even wider scale. Schulman welcomed the European investment but urged the EU to put the end user – the farmer – at the heart of developing technology. He said that it should be for farmers to choose which technology is best for them and that regulations should not curb innovation. 

The ‘Internet of Food’

There are some concerns, such as the secure sharing of data. In order to address this, COPA-COGECA worked with farmers to establish an EU Code of Conduct. The code sets transparent principles that ensure trust among partners. With this assurance, the ‘Internet of Food’ can flourish.

COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that the farming community believe that an organised food and agriculture data infrastructure will lead to improved food safety, reduced environmental impacts and better health for people and livestock, while improving the overall living conditions of farmers and their families.

And there’s more

Des Dorides highlighted some of the other projects under way: the Mistrale project that uses drones for soil water mapping, allowing farmers to optimise irrigation, saving costs and increasing yields; and GreenPatrol, that will result in early detection of pests and reduce productions losses and chemical use. These projects are run under the EU R&D programme, Horizon2020.

“European GNSS, combined with the open data policy of Copernicus, are inspiring innovators to create new value-added services that help farmers to optimise their efficiency, improve crop yield and reduce the environmental impact of their operations,” he said.

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 technologies on display at the Agriculture and Space Day exhibition demonstrated how Galileo, Europe’s global satellite navigation system, and Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, are helping to develop the tools needed to ensure that Europe can compete in dynamic markets. This is no longer a discussion on a remote future – the technologies are being used in the here and now, helping farmers make informed decisions on every aspect of their business.

Speaking at the event, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said: “The uptake of precision agriculture in Europe and worldwide continues to grow and the return on investment in terms of increased productivity, cost-effectiveness and sustainability clearly makes the business case for the development of more applications, which rely on the precise positioning provided by GNSS.” 

Read this: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes

Increased productivity

MEP Franc Bogovič, who is also a farmer, has adopted digital technology to improve his business. As the European Union looks to its priorities in the future, he acknowledged that space and agriculture needed to work closely together to optimise their results. According to the OECD, the use of big data alone could increase agricultural productivity by 5-6%.Max Schulman, a cereal farmer from Finland, showed how technology was making a difference to his business and also helping to engage young farmers.

With a smartphone and a hand-held device (GrainSense) he is able to make on-the-spot assessments of the percentage of water, protein and carbohydrate in the grain. Similarly, working with Copernicus can help farmers assess soil and plant conditions on an even wider scale. Schulman welcomed the European investment but urged the EU to put the end user – the farmer – at the heart of developing technology. He said that it should be for farmers to choose which technology is best for them and that regulations should not curb innovation.

The ‘Internet of Food’

There are some concerns, such as the secure sharing of data. In order to address this, COPA-COGECA worked with farmers to establish an EU Code of Conduct. The code sets transparent principles that ensure trust among partners. With this assurance, the ‘Internet of Food’ can flourish.

COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that the farming community believe that an organised food and agriculture data infrastructure will lead to improved food safety, reduced environmental impacts and better health for people and livestock, while improving the overall living conditions of farmers and their families.

And there’s more

Des Dorides highlighted some of the other projects under way: the Mistrale project that uses drones for soil water mapping, allowing farmers to optimise irrigation, saving costs and increasing yields; and GreenPatrol, that will result in early detection of pests and reduce productions losses and chemical use. These projects are run under the EU R&D programme, Horizon2020.

“European GNSS, combined with the open data policy of Copernicus, are inspiring innovators to create new value-added services that help farmers to optimise their efficiency, improve crop yield and reduce the environmental impact of their operations,” he said.

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 technologies on display at the Agriculture and Space Day exhibition demonstrated how Galileo, Europe’s global satellite navigation system, and Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, are helping to develop the tools needed to ensure that Europe can compete in dynamic markets. This is no longer a discussion on a remote future – the technologies are being used in the here and now, helping farmers make informed decisions on every aspect of their business. 

Speaking at the event, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said: “The uptake of precision agriculture in Europe and worldwide continues to grow and the return on investment in terms of increased productivity, cost-effectiveness and sustainability clearly makes the business case for the development of more applications, which rely on the precise positioning provided by GNSS.” 

Read this: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes

Increased productivity

MEP Franc Bogovič, who is also a farmer, has adopted digital technology to improve his business. As the European Union looks to its priorities in the future, he acknowledged that space and agriculture needed to work closely together to optimise their results. According to the OECD, the use of big data alone could increase agricultural productivity by 5-6%.Max Schulman, a cereal farmer from Finland, showed how technology was making a difference to his business and also helping to engage young farmers.

With a smartphone and a hand-held device (GrainSense) he is able to make on-the-spot assessments of the percentage of water, protein and carbohydrate in the grain. Similarly, working with Copernicus can help farmers assess soil and plant conditions on an even wider scale. Schulman welcomed the European investment but urged the EU to put the end user – the farmer – at the heart of developing technology. He said that it should be for farmers to choose which technology is best for them and that regulations should not curb innovation. 

The ‘Internet of Food’

There are some concerns, such as the secure sharing of data. In order to address this, COPA-COGECA worked with farmers to establish an EU Code of Conduct. The code sets transparent principles that ensure trust among partners. With this assurance, the ‘Internet of Food’ can flourish.

COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that the farming community believe that an organised food and agriculture data infrastructure will lead to improved food safety, reduced environmental impacts and better health for people and livestock, while improving the overall living conditions of farmers and their families.

And there’s more

Des Dorides highlighted some of the other projects under way: the Mistrale project that uses drones for soil water mapping, allowing farmers to optimise irrigation, saving costs and increasing yields; and GreenPatrol, that will result in early detection of pests and reduce productions losses and chemical use. These projects are run under the EU R&D programme, Horizon2020.

“European GNSS, combined with the open data policy of Copernicus, are inspiring innovators to create new value-added services that help farmers to optimise their efficiency, improve crop yield and reduce the environmental impact of their operations,” he said.

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 technologies on display at the Agriculture and Space Day exhibition demonstrated how Galileo, Europe’s global satellite navigation system, and Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, are helping to develop the tools needed to ensure that Europe can compete in dynamic markets. This is no longer a discussion on a remote future – the technologies are being used in the here and now, helping farmers make informed decisions on every aspect of their business. 

Speaking at the event, GSA Executive Director Carlos des Dorides said: “The uptake of precision agriculture in Europe and worldwide continues to grow and the return on investment in terms of increased productivity, cost-effectiveness and sustainability clearly makes the business case for the development of more applications, which rely on the precise positioning provided by GNSS.” 

Read this: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes

Increased productivity

MEP Franc Bogovič, who is also a farmer, has adopted digital technology to improve his business. As the European Union looks to its priorities in the future, he acknowledged that space and agriculture needed to work closely together to optimise their results. According to the OECD, the use of big data alone could increase agricultural productivity by 5-6%.Max Schulman, a cereal farmer from Finland, showed how technology was making a difference to his business and also helping to engage young farmers.

With a smartphone and a hand-held device (GrainSense) he is able to make on-the-spot assessments of the percentage of water, protein and carbohydrate in the grain. Similarly, working with Copernicus can help farmers assess soil and plant conditions on an even wider scale. Schulman welcomed the European investment but urged the EU to put the end user – the farmer – at the heart of developing technology. He said that it should be for farmers to choose which technology is best for them and that regulations should not curb innovation. 

The ‘Internet of Food’

There are some concerns, such as the secure sharing of data. In order to address this, COPA-COGECA worked with farmers to establish an EU Code of Conduct. The code sets transparent principles that ensure trust among partners. With this assurance, the ‘Internet of Food’ can flourish.

COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that the farming community believe that an organised food and agriculture data infrastructure will lead to improved food safety, reduced environmental impacts and better health for people and livestock, while improving the overall living conditions of farmers and their families.

And there’s more

Des Dorides highlighted some of the other projects under way: the Mistrale project that uses drones for soil water mapping, allowing farmers to optimise irrigation, saving costs and increasing yields; and GreenPatrol, that will result in early detection of pests and reduce productions losses and chemical use. These projects are run under the EU R&D programme, Horizon2020.

“European GNSS, combined with the open data policy of Copernicus, are inspiring innovators to create new value-added services that help farmers to optimise their efficiency, improve crop yield and reduce the environmental impact of their operations,” he said.

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 technologies on display at the Agriculture and Space Day exhibition demonstrated how Galileo, Europe’s global satellite navigation system, and Copernicus, Europe’s Earth observation and monitoring programme, are helping to develop the tools needed to ensure that Europe can compete in dynamic markets. This is no longer a discussion on a remote future – the technologies are being used in the here and now, helping farmers make informed decisions on every aspect of their business. 

Speaking at the event, GSA Executive Director Carlos des Dorides said: “The uptake of precision agriculture in Europe and worldwide continues to grow and the return on investment in terms of increased productivity, cost-effectiveness and sustainability clearly makes the business case for the development of more applications, which rely on the precise positioning provided by GNSS.” 

Read this: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes

Increased productivity

MEP Franc Bogovič, who is also a farmer, has adopted digital technology to improve his business. As the European Union looks to its priorities in the future, he acknowledged that space and agriculture needed to work closely together to optimise their results. According to the OECD, the use of big data alone could increase agricultural productivity by 5-6%.Max Schulman, a cereal farmer from Finland, showed how technology was making a difference to his business and also helping to engage young farmers.

With a smartphone and a hand-held device (GrainSense) he is able to make on-the-spot assessments of the percentage of water, protein and carbohydrate in the grain. Similarly, working with Copernicus can help farmers assess soil and plant conditions on an even wider scale. Schulman welcomed the European investment but urged the EU to put the end user – the farmer – at the heart of developing technology. He said that it should be for farmers to choose which technology is best for them and that regulations should not curb innovation. 

The ‘Internet of Food’

There are some concerns, such as the secure sharing of data. In order to address this, COPA-COGECA worked with farmers to establish an EU Code of Conduct. The code sets transparent principles that ensure trust among partners. With this assurance, the ‘Internet of Food’ can flourish.

COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that the farming community believe that an organised food and agriculture data infrastructure will lead to improved food safety, reduced environmental impacts and better health for people and livestock, while improving the overall living conditions of farmers and their families.

And there’s more

Des Dorides highlighted some of the other projects under way: the Mistrale project that uses drones for soil water mapping, allowing farmers to optimise irrigation, saving costs and increasing yields; and GreenPatrol, that will result in early detection of pests and reduce productions losses and chemical use. These projects are run under the EU R&D programme, Horizon2020.

“European GNSS, combined with the open data policy of Copernicus, are inspiring innovators to create new value-added services that help farmers to optimise their efficiency, improve crop yield and reduce the environmental impact of their operations,” he said.

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).

Today, RPAS operations are usually limited to segregated airspace or visual line of sight conditions, and operators and manufacturers rarely integrate certified avionics on-board. However, for RPAS to operate autonomously with other airspace users in a shared airspace volume, certified avionic equipment will probably be needed. This represents a great opportunity for GNSS augmented services, like EGNOS. 

The introduction of unmanned aircraft operations is revolutionising the aviation world. However, it is commonly recognised that Airspace Management and future Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems will not be adapted to RPAS needs but rather, RPAS will need to fit into the current systems by complying with the rules and mandatory equipment specifications.

The GSA-funded RPAS EGNOS Assisted Landings (REAL) project has developed an EGNOS-based navigation and surveillance sensor (NSS), which is integrated in two different RPAS vehicles, and coupled to a generic RPAS autopilot and ground station system. Thanks to this new sensor, and to research work in which Concepts of Operations (CONOPs), safety assessments and new adapted design criteria have also been generated, the benefits of using EGNOS-based operations in RPAS field have been demonstrated.

The two-year project started in July 2016 with a consortium led by Pildo Consulting S.L from Spain and partners Sharper Shape Ltd of Finland, Italian company EuroUSC, and CATEC also from Spain.

“Such developments will contribute to demonstrate an innovative set of RPAS operations, supported by a sound safety case thanks to the high levels of accuracy and integrity provided by EGNOS,” says project coordinator Josep Montolio of Pildo Consulting.

RPAS demos

The project has now been completed after the final demonstration phase in which the developed EGNOS sensor was tested under two different scenarios: precise take-off and landing on power substations and for powerline inspections and, secondly, in firefighting operations.

Following the successful integration of the EGNOS NSS into one RPAS model in mid-May, the REAL team performed the Scenario 2 (firefighting) final demonstration at ATLAS: a test flight centre located in Jaen, Spain.

“The aim of this demonstration was to fly a new instrument flight procedure based on EGNOS using the NSS equipment and validate the RPAS solution developed through the project,” explains Montolio. “In the specific case of firefighting events, a wide range of aircraft may operate in a particular area with adverse visual conditions. Hence, reliable and accurate position of all aircraft is essential, especially the drones, to keep an acceptable level of safety.”

And at the end of May the NSS was integrated and validated with another drone, owned by Sharper Shape in Finland, for power line inspections.

Promoting EGNOS

The use of EGNOS will increase the safety of operations involving drones by enabling higher levels of precision in the navigation systems of these aircraft.

“The REAL project promotes the use of EGNOS and new technologies with the aim of facilitating the integration of drones in European airspace,” concludes Montolio. “This is especially so for low altitude operations where RPAS operations have the greatest potential.”

The results of the different flight test campaigns were assessed by all project partners and reviewers as very successful. Firstly the newly developed NSS successfully integrated into the different types of drones, with communications between the NSS and the autopilot/RPA acting as expected. More important were the validation of the predefined navigation specifications, and a validation that the proposed highly accurate navigation specifications are achievable with EGNOS as a positioning solution.

The results obtained by the REAL project will form a useful resource for input to regulatory bodies and for avionics manufacturers working in the RPAS sector. The project will also provide feedback to GNSS receiver manufacturers about the avionics requirement for integration in RPAS.

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).

Today, RPAS operations are usually limited to segregated airspace or visual line of sight conditions, and operators and manufacturers rarely integrate certified avionics on-board. However, for RPAS to operate autonomously with other airspace users in a shared airspace volume, certified avionic equipment will probably be needed. This represents a great opportunity for GNSS augmented services, like EGNOS.

The introduction of unmanned aircraft operations is revolutionising the aviation world. However, it is commonly recognised that Airspace Management and future Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems will not be adapted to RPAS needs but rather, RPAS will need to fit into the current systems by complying with the rules and mandatory equipment specifications.

Read this: ERL Emergency 2019 - robots to the rescue!

The GSA-funded RPAS EGNOS Assisted Landings (REAL) project has developed an EGNOS-based navigation and surveillance sensor (NSS), which is integrated in two different RPAS vehicles, and coupled to a generic RPAS autopilot and ground station system. Thanks to this new sensor, and to research work in which Concepts of Operations (CONOPs), safety assessments and new adapted design criteria have also been generated, the benefits of using EGNOS-based operations in RPAS field have been demonstrated.

The two-year project started in July 2016 with a consortium led by Pildo Consulting S.L from Spain and partners Sharper Shape Ltd of Finland, Italian company EuroUSC, and CATEC also from Spain.

“Such developments will contribute to demonstrate an innovative set of RPAS operations, supported by a sound safety case thanks to the high levels of accuracy and integrity provided by EGNOS,” says project coordinator Josep Montolio of Pildo Consulting. 

RPAS demos

The project has now been completed after the final demonstration phase in which the developed EGNOS sensor was tested under two different scenarios: precise take-off and landing on power substations and for powerline inspections and, secondly, in firefighting operations.

Following the successful integration of the EGNOS NSS into one RPAS model in mid-May, the REAL team performed the Scenario 2 (firefighting) final demonstration at ATLAS: a test flight centre located in Jaen, Spain.

“The aim of this demonstration was to fly a new instrument flight procedure based on EGNOS using the NSS equipment and validate the RPAS solution developed through the project,” explains Montolio. “In the specific case of firefighting events, a wide range of aircraft may operate in a particular area with adverse visual conditions. Hence, reliable and accurate position of all aircraft is essential, especially the drones, to keep an acceptable level of safety.”

And at the end of May the NSS was integrated and validated with another drone, owned by Sharper Shape in Finland, for power line inspections. 

Promoting EGNOS

The use of EGNOS will increase the safety of operations involving drones by enabling higher levels of precision in the navigation systems of these aircraft.

“The REAL project promotes the use of EGNOS and new technologies with the aim of facilitating the integration of drones in European airspace,” concludes Montolio. “This is especially so for low altitude operations where RPAS operations have the greatest potential.”

The results of the different flight test campaigns were assessed by all project partners and reviewers as very successful. Firstly the newly developed NSS successfully integrated into the different types of drones, with communications between the NSS and the autopilot/RPA acting as expected. More important were the validation of the predefined navigation specifications, and a validation that the proposed highly accurate navigation specifications are achievable with EGNOS as a positioning solution.

The results obtained by the REAL project will form a useful resource for input to regulatory bodies and for avionics manufacturers working in the RPAS sector. The project will also provide feedback to GNSS receiver manufacturers about the avionics requirement for integration in RPAS.

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).