zprávy

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) recently sponsored the 23rd Ka and Broadband Communications Conference and the 35th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC), two of the most influential technical conferences on satellite systems, which were held jointly in Trieste, Italy, on 16-19 October 2017.

Under the theme Commercial Space Applications: Transformation, Fusion and Competition, participants examined the competitive market transformations arising from the development of new low Earth orbit (LEO) systems and small satellites, in addition to stratospheric platforms and geostationary (GEO) systems, among other technological developments.

This rapid technological revolution and the resulting large scale integration of services are driving a major transformation in satellite systems. The attendees examined these developments, discussed new uses of the technologies, and explored the economic, marketing, technical and regulatory issues that need to be addressed for the technological developments to reach their full potential.

Technological advances to change how people live

At the conference, GSA Head of Market Development Gian-Gherardo Calini participated in a panel discussion on New Markets Emerging from Aviation and Autonomy, in which the participants discussed how new uses of airspace coupled with recent advances in autonomy will change how people live and work. It was noted, moreover, that the enormous amount of research taking place in autonomy, and its use in self-driving cars and drone operations, would result in exciting new opportunities for satellite technology.

Calini also chaired a thematic session on Navigation Systems and Applications, which he closed by pointing out the economic, marketing, technical and regulatory challenges that need to be overcome.

Next year’s joint conference - the 24th Ka and Broadband Communications Conference and the 36th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference - will be held in Niagara Falls, Canada, on 15-18 October 2018.

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 SpaceTech2017 Hackathon, part of Estonian Space Week, challenged hardware and software developers to utilise the synergies between Galileo and Copernicus to create innovative applications.

Although Galileo and Copernicus serve different functions – with Galileo being a GNSS system and Copernicus an Earth Observation system – there are a number of important synergies between the two. The challenge, however, is developing innovative applications that make full use of these synergies – which was the exact challenge presented to the teams competing at the SpaceTech2017 Hackathon in Tartu, Estonia.

“The idea behind the Hackathon is to bring together software and hardware developers and provide them the opportunity to combine the unprecedented volume of data made available by Galileo and Copernicus,” says Paul Liias, Expert in Space Technologies at the Economic Development Department of Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, who hosted the event as part of European Space Week.

Organised by Estonian event planning company Garage48 and with the support of the GSA and the European Space Agency (ESA), the hackathon brought together 122 developers, engineers, data scientists, designers and marketers from 23 different countries – including India, the Middle East, Europe and the US. The ESA provided participants with an API containing access to Copernicus data, while the GSA provided Galileo-enabled hardware featuring GNSS raw measurements, and access to a set of location APIs through Here Technologies - its partner for the event.

“We were happy to be able to bring together the GSA and ESA – two of the biggest players in space technology – to one hackathon,” says Garage48’s Kai Isand. “As a result, participants not only had access to Galileo and Copernicus data, but also top-notch mentors from each organisation who supported the teams during the event.”

Winning ideas

Each team was challenged to come up with exciting ideas using different elements from different streams to create integrated solutions – all within just 48 hours. Applications were judged based on their level of innovation and creativity, use of space technology and data, level of teamwork, business potential and vision for the future.

The winner of the GSA prize, which was awarded to Location Based Services (LBS) and Geo-IoT applications, was the Run Me If You Can game. The fun social fitness app lets runners interact and compete in real time with other runners from around the world. Matched runners race equal distances, crossing geo-placed checkpoints, and the first one back is declared the winner.

“The Hackathon was a great opportunity to learn more about the huge amount of data made available to developers through Copernicus and the incredible accuracy of Galileo positioning,” says Run Me If You Can team leader Francesco Renzi. “I think the ideas created at this event are just the tip of the iceberg, and that there are lots of yet-to-be-thought of real-world applications that will soon benefit from these European space technologies.” 

The overall winning idea came from the iDoBalloon team, who built an educational DIY High Altitude Balloon Kit. The balloon, which can be sent to the stratosphere, will provide science students with a unique point of view and a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity. “The whole process was a big challenge for our team – one filled with a lot of emotions and very little sleep,” says iDoBalloon team leader. “But thanks in large part to the on-site mentors and the support we received from the event organisers, we were able to reach our goal by the end of the hackathon.”

Taking home the prize for best GNSS/Copernicus integration was TeamONGrid and their application for tracking military endurance competitions using Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) maps. The app lets teams easily share location data with their support detail, designate upcoming team service points, and use digital breadcrumbs to simplify navigation on paper-based MGRS maps. TeamONGrid was also the overall runner up and the runner up on the GSA Prize.

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).

Česká kosmická kancelář navázala spolupráci s americkou společností Astrobotic Technology, která našim pracovištím nabízí dopravu malého vědeckého zařízení na povrch Měsíce. Bližší informace o technických i finančních aspektech budou poskytnuty na připravovaném workshopu, který se uskuteční 23. listopadu 2017 v kanceláři CSO.

Česká kosmická kancelář navázala spolupráci s americkou společností Astrobotic Technology, která našim pracovištím nabízí dopravu malého vědeckého zařízení na povrch Měsíce. Bližší informace o technických i finančních aspektech budou poskytnuty na připravovaném workshopu, který se uskuteční 23. listopadu 2017 v kanceláři CSO.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has successfully qualified its ISO 9001: 2015-compliant management system as part of this year's re-certification audit. The audit revealed that quality management processes at the agency have improved as a result of being adapted and developed since the previous audit.

In this year’s recertification audit, the Lloyds Register (LRQA) auditors paid particular attention to the effectiveness of the GSA quality management system, and found that there were no deviations from the requirements of the standard.

Commenting on the audit results, GSA Executive Director Carlo Des Dorides said that ISO certification, complemented by ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardisation) and ITIL best practices for IT service management,   was not only important proof of the agency’s services, processes and customer orientation, but also evidence that the GSA is ready to implement operations in a sustainable manner. “In this respect, we are very happy about the confirmation of the certificate, also against the background of GSA now being the Galileo service provider," he said.

Appreciation of new tools and processes

During the re-certification, the GSA performed well and fulfilled all the criteria. As a special strength, it was emphasised that that GSA had been able to further improve its definition of operational processes. The audit also found that the GSA implements risk management at best practice levels and has developed an agency-wide work breakdown structure.

"The successful ISO 9001 re-certification is good news for GSA, as we have worked hard in the past few months to adapt our quality management to the role of being a service operator," said Patrick Hamilton, Head of the Project Control Department. "The fact that the audit has confirmed this so positively confirms our efforts and is also an incentive to continually evaluate and optimise our services and processes."

About ISO 9001

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is carried out through ISO technical committees, in liaison with international organisations, governmental and non-governmental bodies.

The ISO 9001 certification is the most widely used and most important standard in quality management at national and international level. It sets standards that ensure transparency of operational procedures and increase customer satisfaction, as well as ensuring optimal operational structures. After a re-certification, the certification is valid for three years, but is checked annually in the context of so-called monitoring audits.

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) has successfully qualified its ISO 9001: 2015-compliant management system as part of this year's re-certification audit. The audit revealed that quality management processes at the agency have improved as a result of being adapted and developed since the previous audit.

In this year’s recertification audit, the Lloyds Register (LRQA) auditors paid particular attention to the effectiveness of the GSA quality management system, and found that there were no deviations from the requirements of the standard.

Commenting on the audit results, GSA Executive Director Carlo Des Dorides said that ISO certification, complemented by ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardisation) and ITIL best practices for IT service management,   was not only important proof of the agency’s services, processes and customer orientation, but also evidence that the GSA is ready to implement operations in a sustainable manner. “In this respect, we are very happy about the confirmation of the certificate, also against the background of GSA now being the Galileo service provider," he said.

Appreciation of new tools and processes

During the re-certification, the GSA performed well and fulfilled all the criteria. As a special strength, it was emphasised that that GSA had been able to further improve its definition of operational processes. The audit also found that the GSA implements risk management at best practice levels and has developed an agency-wide work breakdown structure.

"The successful ISO 9001 re-certification is good news for GSA, as we have worked hard in the past few months to adapt our quality management to the role of being a service operator," said Patrick Hamilton, Head of the Project Control Department. "The fact that the audit has confirmed this so positively confirms our efforts and is also an incentive to continually evaluate and optimise our services and processes."

About ISO 9001

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is carried out through ISO technical committees, in liaison with international organisations, governmental and non-governmental bodies.

The ISO 9001 certification is the most widely used and most important standard in quality management at national and international level. It sets standards that ensure transparency of operational procedures and increase customer satisfaction, as well as ensuring optimal operational structures. After a re-certification, the certification is valid for three years, but is checked annually in the context of so-called monitoring audits.

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) has successfully qualified its ISO 9001: 2015-compliant management system as part of this year's re-certification audit. The audit revealed that quality management processes at the agency have improved as a result of being adapted and developed since the previous audit.

In this year’s recertification audit, the Lloyds Register (LRQA) auditors paid particular attention to the effectiveness of the GSA quality management system, and found that there were no deviations from the requirements of the standard.

Commenting on the audit results, GSA Executive Director Carlo Des Dorides said that ISO certification, complemented by ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardisation) and ITIL best practices for IT service management,   was not only important proof of the agency’s services, processes and customer orientation, but also evidence that the GSA is ready to implement operations in a sustainable manner. “In this respect, we are very happy about the confirmation of the certificate, also against the background of GSA now being the Galileo service provider," he said.

Appreciation of new tools and processes

During the re-certification, the GSA performed well and fulfilled all the criteria. As a special strength, it was emphasised that that GSA had been able to further improve its definition of operational processes. The audit also found that the GSA implements risk management at best practice levels and has developed an agency-wide work breakdown structure.

"The successful ISO 9001 re-certification is good news for GSA, as we have worked hard in the past few months to adapt our quality management to the role of being a service operator," said Patrick Hamilton, Head of the Project Control Department. "The fact that the audit has confirmed this so positively confirms our efforts and is also an incentive to continually evaluate and optimise our services and processes."

About ISO 9001

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is carried out through ISO technical committees, in liaison with international organisations, governmental and non-governmental bodies.

The ISO 9001 certification is the most widely used and most important standard in quality management at national and international level. It sets standards that ensure transparency of operational procedures and increase customer satisfaction, as well as ensuring optimal operational structures. After a re-certification, the certification is valid for three years, but is checked annually in the context of so-called monitoring audits.

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).

Scientists and researchers participating at the final event of the EU-funded SaPPART COST Action ('Satellite Positioning Performance Assessment for Road Transport') discussed the potential of GNSS to deliver necessary high-integrity and high-precision positioning capabilities for autonomous road vehicles. A robust centralised on-board GNSS unit could deliver the requisite levels of performance for a variety of in-vehicle applications.

Ifsttar's François Peyret, who served as Chairman of SaPPART, opened the event organised jointly with ERTICO, laying out a core emerging premise for autonomous road transport: "These automatic driving cars will definitely need absolute positioning. They will need a kind of 'box', a GNSS technology, that will provide you with your positioning, with all the required performances. And this will then be hybridised with other kinds of sensors."

SaPPART has been described by organisers as a framework for trans-national cooperation among European researchers, engineers and scholars working in the GNSS and ITS domains, with the common goal of defining requirements for positioning integrity in the road sector. Key areas of interest have included the standardisation and certification of vehicle positioning technologies, the attainment of which is expected to accelerate the uptake of GNSS-based ITS and mobility applications.

SaPPART Science officer Pierre-Yves Gilliéron said, "Positioning is playing a key role for many road and ITS applications such as road user charging. "Our COST Action has been a fantastic tool," he added, "a framework that has been very useful in gathering together researchers and scientists. With SaPPART we have created an international network where we can share knowledge and ideas."

The real challenge, Gilliéron said, was to get the diverse GNSS and ITS communities on the same page, all speaking the same language and understanding each other’s needs. "We received funding for four years and in that time we were able to come closer together and develop a number of clear ideas for common research."

In terms of concrete deliverables, SaPPART has already issued some key reference documents, including a White Paper outlining the basics of GNSS for the ITS audience, as well as a more technically detailed SaPPART Handbook.

"We collected real data sets, carried out testing on-board vehicles, including different GNSS receivers and high-end equipment," said Gilliéron. "In addition to our other publications, the White Paper and the Handbook, a set of Guidelines is now also under preparation on how to assess the quality of positioning in different contexts and for different applications. Those Guidelines will be available by the end of this year."

One thing all seem to be in agreement about – the deployment of autonomous vehicles will soon become a reality on European road networks, and most driving-related decisions will be based, one way or another, on the location of the vehicle and of other vehicles and objects in its vicinity. So vehicle location and positioning will be a critical component for the effective transportation of people and goods by self-driving road vehicles. That positioning will be enabled mainly by GNSS technologies, including Europe’s Galileo, which is expected to offer significant benefits in terms of accuracy and authentication compared to the other satellite-based navigation systems.

View of the European GNSS Agency

"We believe that GNSS is a core technology," said GSA officer Alberto Fernández-Wyttenbach. "It will have to be complimented with other technologies in order to get to the integrity level that we need in 100% of environmental situations, but we also believe GNSS can do more than just navigation. We expect to use it in a very robust way to enable or compliment many other applications."

Fernández said the GSA sees GNSS as an 'engine' for a range of uses within a vehicle: "In commercial vehicles, for example, today there are many applications for which the use of GNSS is particularly relevant."

He also referenced the GNSS-driven smart tachograph, with its enhanced security features, which allows users to pinpoint the geographic location of the vehicle, making compliance easier for operators and facilitating targeted enforcement by authorities throughout the EU.

"We see the convergence with road tolling and fleet management systems that are designed to control the deployment of trucks," Fernández said. "Now instead of having a separate GNSS unit for each of these applications, we understand that you could have one single on-board GNSS monitoring system that could provide positioning for all of them. And you would thereby save on costs."

There are barriers, he said, including the fact that commercial GNSS equipment manufacturers are not necessarily using the best quality chipsets at this time. "That means we may need to rely on more expensive sensor technologies to give us the required precision and integrity," Fernández said. "On the other hand, if we can push for a more advanced, more precise GNSS receiver, such as a multi-constellation and multi-frequency receiver, we could save some of the money that would otherwise go to other types of sensors."

Regardless of what kind of GNSS device finds its way into autonomous vehicles, there will always be some inherent weaknesses associated with satellite-based navigation, Fernández acknowledged. GNSS signals are comparatively weak and do not penetrate buildings such as multi-story car parks or inside tunnels, and there are issues of reflectivity and satellite visibility in built-up urban areas. Other potential problems include vulnerability to intentional and unintentional signal interferences.

These potential problems can be overcome, as already suggested, by hybridization with other positioning sensors and highly accurate digital maps. These techniques, it is hoped, will ultimately provide a seamless position fixing capability while moving between outdoor and indoor environments.

"Ubiquitous positioning is a serious challenge if you want to be able to work in different environments and keep the same level of integrity," said Fernández. "But the combination of GNSS with other technologies, such as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and also inertial systems will allow us to overcome these problems."

And there will be more high-accuracy GNSS services, he said. "We have in front of us the Galileo Commercial Service that is going to provide, starting at the beginning, high accuracy positioning. Then, in a second phase, the CS will provide an extra authentication feature that will tell you whether the signal is actually coming from a satellite or from some other source."

Cyber security is also being addressed, he said: "The basic message is if you want to go for the use of GNSS, in a regulated way, in autonomous driving, we need to think about the cyber security aspects and the industry will demand solutions that are providing authentication of the satellite signal."

Seeking more input

In an important announcement, Fernández said the European Commission, along with the GSA, has decided to create a new European consultation platform for GNSS applications. "In the United States you have the so-called Civil GPS Service Interface Committee that basically is providing the opinion of the different communities. So in this same way we have designed the concept of the 'European GNSS User Consultation Platform', which will systematically gather opinions, not just from the transport modes but also in the professional market."

The platform, he said, will be divided into subgroups represent the mass market, the professional market and other segments, with a plenary to bring them all together. "There will of course be a panel for transport, including a section on road transport," said Fernandez.

"We need and want to know what the user's needs in the market are, in order to improve our services and develop our thinking about future evolutions. And really that’s the aim of this group, to contribute on the future of GNSS and the Galileo system."

The first meeting of the new European GNSS User Consultation Platform is set to take place on 28 November in Madrid, and the GSA says it is hoping to hear much more from, among others, the participants who worked with so much energy under the SaPPART initiative.

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).