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Four funding opportunities currently open within the Fundamental Elements: a research and development funding mechanism to development of GNSS chipsets, receivers and antennas building on Galileo and EGNOS differentiators.

In 2015, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) launched Fundamental Elements, a research and development (R&D) funding mechanism supporting the development of innovative GNSS chipsets, receivers and antennas technology building on Galileo and EGNOS differentiators.

To accelerate the integration of Galileo and EGNOS into market-ready devices,  in February 2017 GSA has launched four new funding opportunities across all market segments:

Road, Smart Tachograph

• OS-NMA user terminals for the road segment (Deadline: 29 May 2017)

Galileo will provide a Navigation Message Authentication feature over its Open Service (OS). By means of this feature, known as Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA), the user will be able to know that the source of the navigation message is authentic, namely it is the Galileo satellites and not any other potentially malicious source.

Tenders should aim at developing a robust “close to market” OS-NMA User Terminal implementing an adequate level of anti-spoofing capability and meeting Smart Tachograph application requirements, together with an end-to-end validation platform to assess the achieved performance.

Aviation

• Advanced RAIM Multi-constellation Receiver (Deadline: 19 May 2017)

Integrity is essential for safety critical applications. The Advanced RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, - ARAIM), concept is aimed at providing global integrity based on multiple GNSS constellations, at least Galileo and GPS.

GSA is launching a call for proposals with the main objective to develop an ARAIM prototype for aviation applications, including Horizontal as well as Vertical ARAIM concepts and threat allocation and mitigation, as well as testing the performance in real scenarios.

Maritime

• SBAS-enabled shipborne receivers (Deadline: 31 May 2017)

Nowadays, the majority of sea ships use GNSS as the primary means for obtaining Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information at sea.  However, to date there is no maritime standard or guidelines for the implementation of SBAS in shipborne receivers and the majority of these implementations do not take into account the information related to the system integrity messages that is already broadcasted by the SBAS systems.

GSA is launching a call for proposals to develop SBAS L1 receivers for maritime use compliant with IMO Resolution A.1046(27), including demonstration activities,  and the preparation of a guideline for receiver manufacturers for the implementation of the solution developed and to the standardisation process at RTCM and IEC.

Search and rescue

• MEOSAR beacons for search-and-rescue-related applications (Deadline: 31 May 2017)

Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service contributes to MEOSAR COSPAS-SARSAT system. The integration of Galileo enables nearly real-time detection and localisation of the distress alarm. 

GSA is launching a call for proposals to secure the availability of commercial products from European manufacturers of MEOSAR Beacons including the Return Link Service capabilities implemented by Galileo, thus increasing the European industry’s innovation capacity and investing on E-GNSS differentiators for MEOSAR.

Proposals should aim at developing MEOSAR beacons and its technology building blocks and shall include testing and demonstrating the product capabilities (ELT, EPIRB and PLB) and obtaining the type approval.

On March 29th 2017, in support of the companies interested to bid, the GSA organised four webinars, each dedicated to the open calls/tender. If you missed the webinars, you can find all the relevant information in the resource page, including the presentations, tips on how to prepare proposals/tenders, and Q&As. 

About Fundamental Elements

The GSA’s Fundamental Elements programme is an R&D funding mechanism supporting the development of chipsets and receivers. The programme runs through 2020 and has a projected budget of EUR 111.5 million. The main objective of the initiative is to facilitate the development of applications across different sectors of the economy and promote such fundamental elements as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers. 

The programme offers two types of financing:

• Grants: with financing for up to 70 % of the total value of the grant agreement, with intellectual property rights staying with the beneficiary (with conditions).
• Procurement: used only in cases where keeping intellectual property rights allow for the better fulfilment of the programme’s objectives. These are 100 % financed.

Fundamental Elements is in addition to, and complements, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme, which aims to foster adoption of Galileo via content and application development, and thus focuses on the integration of services provided by Galileo into devices and their commercialisation.

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).

Four funding opportunities currently open within the Fundamental Elements: a research and development funding mechanism to development of GNSS chipsets, receivers and antennas building on Galileo and EGNOS differentiators.

In 2015, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) launched Fundamental Elements, a research and development (R&D) funding mechanism supporting the development of innovative GNSS chipsets, receivers and antennas technology building on Galileo and EGNOS differentiators.

To accelerate the integration of Galileo and EGNOS into market-ready devices,  in February 2017 GSA has launched four new funding opportunities across all market segments:

Road, Smart Tachograph

• OS-NMA user terminals for the road segment (Deadline: 29 May 2017)

Galileo will provide a Navigation Message Authentication feature over its Open Service (OS). By means of this feature, known as Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA), the user will be able to know that the source of the navigation message is authentic, namely it is the Galileo satellites and not any other potentially malicious source.

Tenders should aim at developing a robust “close to market” OS-NMA User Terminal implementing an adequate level of anti-spoofing capability and meeting Smart Tachograph application requirements, together with an end-to-end validation platform to assess the achieved performance.

Aviation

• Advanced RAIM Multi-constellation Receiver (Deadline: 19 May 2017)

Integrity is essential for safety critical applications. The Advanced RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, - ARAIM), concept is aimed at providing global integrity based on multiple GNSS constellations, at least Galileo and GPS.

GSA is launching a call for proposals with the main objective to develop an ARAIM prototype for aviation applications, including Horizontal as well as Vertical ARAIM concepts and threat allocation and mitigation, as well as testing the performance in real scenarios.

Maritime

• SBAS-enabled shipborne receivers (Deadline: 31 May 2017)

Nowadays, the majority of sea ships use GNSS as the primary means for obtaining Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information at sea.  However, to date there is no maritime standard or guidelines for the implementation of SBAS in shipborne receivers and the majority of these implementations do not take into account the information related to the system integrity messages that is already broadcasted by the SBAS systems.

GSA is launching a call for proposals to develop SBAS L1 receivers for maritime use compliant with IMO Resolution A.1046(27), including demonstration activities,  and the preparation of a guideline for receiver manufacturers for the implementation of the solution developed and to the standardisation process at RTCM and IEC.

Search and rescue

• MEOSAR beacons for search-and-rescue-related applications (Deadline: 31 May 2017)

Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service contributes to MEOSAR COSPAS-SARSAT system. The integration of Galileo enables nearly real-time detection and localisation of the distress alarm. 

GSA is launching a call for proposals to secure the availability of commercial products from European manufacturers of MEOSAR Beacons including the Return Link Service capabilities implemented by Galileo, thus increasing the European industry’s innovation capacity and investing on E-GNSS differentiators for MEOSAR.

Proposals should aim at developing MEOSAR beacons and its technology building blocks and shall include testing and demonstrating the product capabilities (ELT, EPIRB and PLB) and obtaining the type approval.

On March 29th 2017, in support of the companies interested to bid, the GSA organised four webinars, each dedicated to the open calls/tender. If you missed the webinars, you can find all the relevant information in the resource page, including the presentations, tips on how to prepare proposals/tenders, and Q&As. 

About Fundamental Elements

The GSA’s Fundamental Elements programme is an R&D funding mechanism supporting the development of chipsets and receivers. The programme runs through 2020 and has a projected budget of EUR 111.5 million. The main objective of the initiative is to facilitate the development of applications across different sectors of the economy and promote such fundamental elements as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers. 

The programme offers two types of financing:

• Grants: with financing for up to 70 % of the total value of the grant agreement, with intellectual property rights staying with the beneficiary (with conditions).
• Procurement: used only in cases where keeping intellectual property rights allow for the better fulfilment of the programme’s objectives. These are 100 % financed.

Fundamental Elements is in addition to, and complements, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme, which aims to foster adoption of Galileo via content and application development, and thus focuses on the integration of services provided by Galileo into devices and their commercialisation.

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).

AERO is the largest Europe-based trade show for general aviation. The show takes place annually in early April at the Friedrichshafen Messe in southern Germany. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, AERO 2017 was a record breaker with over 700 exhibitors featuring a wealth of flying machines and services, from business jets and gyrocopters to drones and gliders. GSA was there showcasing the benefits of EGNOS for aviation on a dedicated stand and through a series of ‘targeted conferences.’

The AERO 2017 show ran from 5 to 8 April. The GSA shared its stand with the Horizon 2020 project CaBilAvi (Capacity building in Aviation) and adjacent to aircraft simulator company ALSIM, who were featuring their unique GSA-co-funded and EGNOS-equipped aircraft training simulator (see separate article).

GSA and CaBilAvi also organized a series of morning seminars for pilots, airport and aircraft owners, aircraft and avionics manufactures, aviation organization representatives, delegates and other aviation and GNSS enthusiasts during the week, outlining the latest news on satellite navigation for general aviation, followed by a more general panel discussion on the Saturday morning.

GNSS benefits

On the Friday morning, the GSA conference was opened by Katerina Strelcova , GSA Market Development Innovation officer, who outlined the development and current infrastructure for EGNOS across Europe, its benefits and future plans.

Katerina Strelcova , GSA Market Development Innovation officer, outlines the benefits of EGNOS at AERO 2017.

“There are big benefits for the general aviation community, including safer landings and wider accessibility to smaller airports, even in bad weather, without the need to invest in expensive ground infrastructure.” she said. “The GSA fully supports EGNOS implementation for the general aviation community, including co-funding of pilot projects for implementation on non-instrument runways without air traffic control, retrofit of aircraft and development of pilot training materials." She also highlighted the importance of cooperation with EASA and pilot organizations.

In a presentation held as part of the CaBilAvi project, Zilina University in Slovakia shared their observations regarding the impact of GNSS use on younger, inexperienced pilots as well as older, experienced pilots. They found that less experienced and younger pilots tended to rely more on GNSS navigation aids, often to the detriment of their overall situational awareness – i.e. focusing on the instrument screens rather than looking out of the windscreen. In contrast, the more experienced pilots were very aware of their surroundings, but often struggled to navigate the GNSS screens. Clearly these are issues that training needs to address.

EASA keynote

The keynote speech on the Friday was given by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Head of General Aviation Dominique Roland. Mr Roland highlighted the importance that EASA  gives to general aviation and the Agency’s approach to achieving “simpler, lighter and better rules for general aviation” to underpin the continuing development of the sector in Europe. This means introducing new regulation only when it is really needed.

EASA’s Head of General Aviation Dominique Roland speaking at AERO 2017.

Of specific interest to GNSS and EGNOS is the EASA’s initiative to embrace new technology with the launch of the Technology for Safety (T4S) Task Force. T4S is chaired by a passionate general aviation pilot and will look into the options for how to quickly authorize use of new technologies. “Your safety is our mission,” said Mr Roland. However he cautioned that: “We will need to convince people involved of the benefit of new technology.” This meant developing methods that balance benefits with any new risks that new technology may bring.

Following his presentation, a lively question and answer session extended well beyond the seminar’s official endpoint, covering topics from drones to GNSS backup and how to accelerate the adoption of EGNOS procedures at local and regional level. Also, Mr. Roland mentioned that you can achieve a more stable approach with LPV procedures.

Other morning conferences during AERO 2017 included more on the CaBilAvi (Capacity building in Aviation) project (see below) and included contributions from European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP), ALSIM and a presentation by the CEO of AOPA UK on the GSA-co-funded GAGA project (see separate article) amongst others. The presentations can be found on the GSA slideshare and the Cabilavi website.

Capacity Building in Aviation

The GSA-funded CaBilAvi project has three main pillars of activity: first to develop a brand new training syllabus for pilots on preparing to fly using GNSS equipment; secondly, to promote opportunities to implement GNSS landing procedures in Balkan countries; and, thirdly, to provide general dissemination and communication activities on GNSS to the public and specific aviation stakeholders across Europe.

Pavel Dobeš, leading the CaBilavi consortium, confirmed that AERO gives him the opportunity  to discuss with pilots and other aviation stakeholders about the experience and insights gained during the project. “We have engaged with experienced instructors and examiners from flying schools during the project,” he said. “Most pilots don’t have this experience and we realized the proper education and training that is needed”.

The new training syllabus developed by the project shows how any potential risks can be mitigated in basic pilot training. The CaBilAvi website is a significant source of educational materials on GNSS for general aviation pilots and the project is publishing a series of training videos. The series will eventually contain 20 short episodes with a new video added every Tuesday.

“The video series is an important asset,” says the project coordinator. “They make the experience of our flight examiners and instructors available to all, each episode highlights an aspect of the limitations and risks of using GNSS to navigate for the average pilot. The videos show how to prepare and what you need to think about to be safe in the sky.”

On the Saturday morning, the GSA held a roundtable discussion in the largest theatre at the air show and screened the first four videos from the CaBilAvi Channel.

Learn more about EGNOS

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).

vidiecka platforma má sympatickú inicatívu a zúčastnili sme sa okrúhleho stola dňa 20.04.2017 o poľnohospodárstve. nedá mi však, aby som nepripojil svoje názory na ich iniciatívu.

The Galileo Hackathon is less than one month away – are you ready to show off your coding skills?

The second GSA Galileo Hackathon is right around the corner, and passionate coders across Europe are already fine-tuning their innovative ideas. If you haven’t already done so, don’t delay – register today!

Scheduled for 15 to 17 May in Gdańsk, Poland, the Galileo Hackathon is a unique opportunity to be among the first to work with Galileo-enabled mobile phones. The objective: to develop an innovative application that makes full use of Galileo’s capabilities and provides an added commercial or societal value.

Thanks to our technology partner Samsung, teams will be provided with a Galileo-enabled Samsung S8+ Android smartphone to use during the Hackathon. The phones feature Android 7.0 (i.e. Nougat), which gives application developers access to raw GNSS measurements directly from the Samsung phone. This unique feature opens up the possibility for higher accuracy and the development of algorithms traditionally restricted to more advanced GNSS receivers. 

Hackathon teams will also have access to a plug-and-play location stack, provided courtesy of our partner HyperTrack. Onsite mentoring will be provided by the University of Nottingham’s GRACE, Nottingham Geospatial Institute’s business engagement unit.

A panel of experts

Participants will compete for one of three EUR 1 000 cash prizes, which will be awarded on the Infoshare mainstage on 17 May. A panel of GNSS and mobility experts from Nottingham Geospatial Institute, the GSA, Beuth University of Technology Berlin, the European Space Agency (ESA), Samsung, Airbus, Hypertrack and Blue Dot Solutions will evaluate solutions based on innovation, market potential, Galileo-relevance, level of completion and progress.

Join us @infoShare too!

The Hackathon is being held in conjunction with infoShare 2017, scheduled for 17 to 19 May in Gdańsk. All Hackathon participants get free registration to the event, where they can join in on an array of discussions and learning opportunities – including the GSA’s session Look inside your smartphone and learn why accuracy matters!. This session takes place on 17 May from 15:15 – 15:45 and will feature representatives from Broadcom, Samsung and Android.

Also of interest  to the GEO-IoT/ location-based community, are a series of sessions on 15 May from 13:00-15:00 featuring:

• Overview of Galileo and its added value in location-based services by the GSA
• An update on the Galileo system status by the ESA
• A presentation of the Samsung S8 smartphone by Samsung
• Test results of Galileo integration in handsets by Airbus
• How to boost your location-aware app using HyperTrack
• An introduction to GNSS raw measurements in smartphones by Nottingham University

Register for the event here.

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 Galileo Hackathon is less than one month away – are you ready to show off your coding skills?

The second GSA Galileo Hackathon is right around the corner, and passionate coders across Europe are already fine-tuning their innovative ideas. If you haven’t already done so, don’t delay – register today!

Scheduled for 15 to 17 May in Gdańsk, Poland, the Galileo Hackathon is a unique opportunity to be among the first to work with Galileo-enabled mobile phones. The objective: to develop an innovative application that makes full use of Galileo’s capabilities and provides an added commercial or societal value.

Thanks to our technology partner Samsung, teams will be provided with a Galileo-enabled Samsung S8+ Android smartphone to use during the Hackathon. The phones feature Android 7.0 (i.e. Nougat), which gives application developers access to raw GNSS measurements directly from the Samsung phone. This unique feature opens up the possibility for higher accuracy and the development of algorithms traditionally restricted to more advanced GNSS receivers. 

Hackathon teams will also have access to a plug-and-play location stack, provided courtesy of our partner HyperTrack. Onsite mentoring will be provided by the University of Nottingham’s GRACE, Nottingham Geospatial Institute’s business engagement unit.

A panel of experts

Participants will compete for one of three EUR 1 000 cash prizes, which will be awarded on the Infoshare mainstage on 17 May. A panel of GNSS and mobility experts from Nottingham Geospatial Institute, the GSA, Beuth University of Technology Berlin, the European Space Agency (ESA), Samsung, Airbus, Hypertrack and Blue Dot Solutions will evaluate solutions based on innovation, market potential, Galileo-relevance, level of completion and progress.

Join us @infoShare too!

The Hackathon is being held in conjunction with infoShare 2017, scheduled for 17 to 19 May in Gdańsk. All Hackathon participants get free registration to the event, where they can join in on an array of discussions and learning opportunities – including the GSA’s session Look inside your smartphone and learn why accuracy matters!. This session takes place on 17 May from 15:15 – 15:45 and will feature representatives from Broadcom, Samsung and Android.

Also of interest  to the GEO-IoT/ location-based community, are a series of sessions on 15 May from 13:00-15:00 featuring:

• Overview of Galileo and its added value in location-based services by the GSA
• An update on the Galileo system status by the ESA
• A presentation of the Samsung S8 smartphone by Samsung
• Test results of Galileo integration in handsets by Airbus
• How to boost your location-aware app using HyperTrack
• An introduction to GNSS raw measurements in smartphones by Nottingham University

Register for the event here.

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 Galileo Hackathon is less than one month away – are you ready to show off your coding skills?

The second GSA Galileo Hackathon is right around the corner, and passionate coders across Europe are already fine-tuning their innovative ideas. If you haven’t already done so, don’t delay – register today!

Scheduled for 15 to 17 May in Gdańsk, Poland, the Galileo Hackathon is a unique opportunity to be among the first to work with Galileo-enabled mobile phones. The objective: to develop an innovative application that makes full use of Galileo’s capabilities and provides an added commercial or societal value.

Thanks to our technology partner Samsung, teams will be provided with a Galileo-enabled Samsung S8+ Android smartphone to use during the Hackathon. The phones feature Android 7.0 (i.e. Nougat), which gives application developers access to raw GNSS measurements directly from the Samsung phone. This unique feature opens up the possibility for higher accuracy and the development of algorithms traditionally restricted to more advanced GNSS receivers. 

Hackathon teams will also have access to a plug-and-play location stack, provided courtesy of our partner HyperTrack. Onsite mentoring will be provided by the University of Nottingham’s GRACE, Nottingham Geospatial Institute’s business engagement unit.

A panel of experts

Participants will compete for one of three EUR 1 000 cash prizes, which will be awarded on the Infoshare mainstage on 17 May. A panel of GNSS and mobility experts from Nottingham Geospatial Institute, the GSA, Beuth University of Technology Berlin, the European Space Agency (ESA), Samsung, Airbus, Hypertrack and Blue Dot Solutions will evaluate solutions based on innovation, market potential, Galileo-relevance, level of completion and progress.

Join us @infoShare too!

The Hackathon is being held in conjunction with infoShare 2017, scheduled for 17 to 19 May in Gdańsk. All Hackathon participants get free registration to the event, where they can join in on an array of discussions and learning opportunities – including the GSA’s session Look inside your smartphone and learn why accuracy matters!. This session takes place on 17 May from 15:15 – 15:45 and will feature representatives from Broadcom, Samsung and Android.

Also of interest  to the GEO-IoT/ location-based community, are a series of sessions on 15 May from 13:00-15:00 featuring:

• Overview of Galileo and its added value in location-based services by the GSA
• An update on the Galileo system status by the ESA
• A presentation of the Samsung S8 smartphone by Samsung
• Test results of Galileo integration in handsets by Airbus
• How to boost your location-aware app using HyperTrack
• An introduction to GNSS raw measurements in smartphones by Nottingham University

Register for the event here.

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).

Within the context of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), a ‘60 Years of EU Special Prize’ focuses on the contribution that Europe’s space programmes make to European integration. The prize will award the very best ideas that use European GNSS to bring Europe closer together. Potential applications could address, for example, such EU political priorities as traffic and transport management for the efficient cross-border transportation of goods, travel platforms that encourage people to travel from one country to another, and so on.

Watch this: Europe for Space, Space for Europe

2017 is a significant year for both the European Union and Europe’s space programmes. This year Europe celebrates the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which, by establishing ‘an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’, laid the foundation for building the EU. For 60 years, European nations have worked together towards a common goal: a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe. Together, they created something that no single European nation could do on their own, thus strengthening and growing European integration in many important areas – including the EU’s flagship space programmes: Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus.

Eligibility criteria

All proposals for the Prize must use European GNSS as the primary means of positioning. Moreover, all ideas should be technically operative, innovative, demonstrate market potential and contribute to the adoption of Galileo. Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Innovative approach over existing solutions
• Commercial feasibility
• Use of European GNSS signals and services
• Contribution to the market uptake of Galileo
• Technical/operational feasibility, including maturity of the idea
• Demonstrations/market trials for technology validation
• Contribution to European integration

The winners will have the opportunity to develop their idea at a suitable incubation centre of their choice within the EU28 for six months, with the option of a six-month extension based on an evaluation after the first six-month period (a total value of up to EUR 40,000). In addition, the winning idea will benefit from extensive promotion through the GSA’s many marketing channels and at relevant industry events.

Previous winners

The 2016 GSA Special Prize was won by Space Geomatica for the project Drones2GNSS - the Future of Surveying: UAV-assisted GNSS Positioning in Obstructed Environments. This project uses a drone equipped with a highly accurate GNSS receiver and a camera/laser measuring system to overcome obstacles to GNSS positioning accuracy caused by buildings, vegetation and other interference.

You can check out all previous GSA special prize winners here.

How to apply

Applications for the GSA prize and other ESNC special prizes and regional prizes can be submitted via the ESNC website. To find out what you need to do to take part, please follow the link to How to Participate. For more information about related events, visit the Events section on the site.

The ESNC overall winner is selected from all regional and special prize winners by an international panel of high-ranking experts. All of this year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony held during Estonian Space Week in Tallinn, Estonia, in November.

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).