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The GSA has awarded the PATROL project a contract to develop, supply and test Galileo’s Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS NMA).

To ensure that the next generation of Galileo services are driven by user needs, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is developing Galileo’s Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS NMA) capability. By allowing users to verify that a navigation message comes from a Galileo satellite and not a potentially malicious source, the OS NMA service will play a key role in meeting such emerging needs as autonomous applications.

OS-NMA Signal-in-Space transmission is expected to begin in 2019, reaching full service capability in 2020. Once fully operational, this free-of-charge authenticated signal for mass market applications will be one of Galileo’s key differentiators over other GNSS constellations. However, before full service can be achieved, a new generation of OS-NMA-enabled user terminals must be developed, tested and implemented – which is where the PATROL project comes.

Building a future-proof solution

Coordinated by Qascom, a leader in GNSS authentication, the PATROL project aims to deliver a market-ready technology that guarantees robust and secure positioning using Galileo’s OS-NMA capability. Targeting the road sector, PATROL will develop a user terminal capable of providing a trusted position, velocity and precise time (PVT) to smart tachographs and other positioning applications.

“This project is an important milestone for the satellite navigation industry, as it aims to prove the importance of Galileo OS authentication in fulfilling the emerging security needs of many applications,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides.

Galileo authentication is used in combination with other anti-spoofing techniques that are implemented at the receiver level and backed by standard IT security. “With authentication, users are guaranteed that they are utilising navigation data from Galileo satellites and not from another source,” adds the PATROL project’s Alessandro Pozzobon. “The PATROL project supports this authentication by validating the user terminal against a broad set of threats, creating a future-proof solution that fulfils the emerging security needs of several civil applications.”

About Fundamental Elements

The EUR 2 264 853 in funding allocated to the PATROL project comes from the GSA’s Fundamental Elements mechanism, which supports the development of European GNSS-enabled chipsets, receivers and antennas. Fundamental Elements projects are part of the overall European GNSS strategy for market uptake, led by the GSA. The objectives of the programme can be summarised as follows:

• Facilitate the adoption of European GNSS, building on innovative services and differentiators;
• Improve the competitiveness of EU industry;
• Address user needs in priority market segments;
• Maximise benefits to European citizens.

The total budget for projects to be carried out in 2015 – 2020 is EUR 111.5 million.

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 last SAR/Galileo Initial Service Quarterly Performance Report of 2017 (from October to December) has been published in the Performance Reports section of the GSC web portal.

The fourth SAR/Galileo Initial Service Performance Report is available in the Electronic Library, providing the status of the Galileo constellation and the achieved performance over the reporting period (October, November and December 2017).

These quarterly reports provide the public with the latest information on the SAR/Galileo Initial Service measured performance statistics with respect to their Minimum Performance Levels (MPLs), as declared in the SAR/Galileo Initial Service - Service Definition Document (SAR - SDD), in particular, on parameters such as:

• Detection performance;
• Location performance;
• Infrastructure availability performance;

Highlights from Q4 2017

As in the preceding three quarters of 2017, the measured SAR/Galileo Initial Service performance figures generally exceed the MPL targets by significant margins.

Some highlights from the Q4 performance report:

• Detection Probability for each of the Reference Beacons (REFBE) was always above the Minimum Performance Level (which is 99%).
• Both the single and multi-burst Location Probabilities for each REFBE were, in all cases, well above the MPLs (which are 75% and 98%, respectively).
• SAR/Galileo Infrastructure Performance is measured by the availability of the Ground Segment, Space Segment and SAR Server. As an example of the Ground Segment availability, the MEOLUTs of Larnaca and Spitzbergen have achieved good values during the whole period (average availability of respectively 97.3% and 98.2% in "Nominal" mode).

For the most up-to-date information on the Galileo system and constellation, visit the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) website, in particular, the Galileo constellation status section. For more details on Galileo performance and its Services, do not hesitate to contact the Galileo Help Desk.

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).