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Speaking at this week’s Geospatial World Forum in Rotterdam, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) discussed the many benefits that EGNOS and Galileo offer the geospatial sector and, specifically, the surveying and mapping domains.

Speaking at the Geospatial World Forum, the premiere event for the geospatial sector, the GSA highlighted the multiple benefits that such European GNSS programmes as Galileo and EGNOS bring to European surveyors, as well as illustrating synergies with the EU Earth Observation programme Copernicus. Topics discussed included how to increase industry adoption of GNSS, how to better meet user needs, and the integration of E-GNSS into geospatial equipment and end products.

Although all of these topics are of interest to surveyors, the topic on the top of everyone’s mind was the status of Galileo – and the GSA came bringing good news.

As two additional Galileo satellites were launched just that morning, Galileo satellites 13 and 14 will be followed by the launch of four more satellites later this year, with the declaration of Galileo Initial Services expected in the autumn. “Currently 80% of all GNSS receivers for surveying and mapping are EGNOS enabled and 45% are already Galileo enabled. This confirmed that the sector is well-positioned to benefit from of the Galileo services” says the GSA.

Galileo’s improved signal robustness, varying levels of authentication and its Commercial Service’s high-accuracy receiver error below one decimetre are all features that will greatly benefit geospatial users. According to a recent GSA survey, 78% of respondents say they will be ready to use Galileo signals by 2017.

    Read also: EGNOS – A cost effective solution for GIS

As a prelude to what is in store for surveyors, the Swedish Cartographic Society reported that the Swedish surveyors are already anticipating how Galileo will help them for surveying in cities and other difficult environments. Most of the reference stations of SWEPOS, the Swedish national reference network provider, are fully equipped with Galileo-capable receivers.

However, Galileo will not operate in a vacuum. Not only is it interoperable with other GNSS systems, it also offers numerous synergies with the EU’s Copernicus Earth Observation system – particularly for the geospatial sector. “There is a huge potential for synergies between geopositioning and surface imaging,” says Dufourmont, Project Manager Copernicus Land Monitoring Services of the European Environment Agency. “For example, the sector is currently using both systems to track animals and monitor migration paths before making development decisions.”

Collaboration and support

To ensure the surveying community takes full advantage of all that Galileo and EGNOS have to offer, the GSA and the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors (CLGE) continue to collaborate. For example, GSA awards the special Galileo prize in the framework of the annual CLGE Young Surveyor Prize. Last year’s winner, Laura van de Vyvere of M3 Systems in Belgium, made innovative use of Galileo's unique four frequency signals to improve positioning in harsh ionospheric conditions.

GSA aims at responding to end-users’ needs and it therefore established a unique interface Galileo systems and users: the GSC (European GNSS Service Centre). The GSC is the platform where users can get information about the Galileo system status and performances, system documents and it includes a helpdesk.

The GSA is further supporting the uptake of European GNSS in the surveying sector via various funding mechanisms. For example, the Horizon 2020 LARA project is bringing together GNSS, augmented reality and 3D GIS geo-databases to show utility workers operating in the field what lies below the service – allowing them to know where it is safe to dig. MapKITE, another Horizon 2020 project, is bringing together terrestrial and aerial mapping systems, such remote payloads as LIDAR and GNSS systems for simultaneous geodata acquisition. 

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).

With the Netherlands’ renowned biking culture and the upcoming summer European cycling season, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is talking GNSS and biking during the European Space Expo, part of the 2016 European Space Solutions Conference in The Hague.

In celebration of the Netherland’s vibrant biking culture and the upcoming start of such grand European bicycle races as the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, the European Space Expo will feature a special exhibition about the use of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) in biking during its stop in The Hague.

During the expo, Space Solutions for Biking: Empowering Smart 2-Wheels! will highlight innovative applications powered by satellite navigation and Earth observation technologies that enhance the experience, increase the accessibility and safety of biking, and connect bikes to the Internet of Things (IoT). The event is being held in conjunction with the 2016 European Space Solutions Conference, co-hosted by the European Commission and the GSA, under the auspices of Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU. It will showcase innovative solutions for smart bike sharing, smart bike riding, smart motorbike riders, and smart IoT for bikes.

With the upcoming declaration of Galileo Initial Services, the role of GNSS in biking is set to increase, as will be seen by such exhibiting projects as BikePredict, a mobile application that makes self-service bike riding easy by giving information on the number of available bikes and docks both in real-time and the near future. Another exhibiting company is Bike Citizens, an app designed by bike couriers to cater to the needs of cyclists in cities, favouring cycle paths and side streets over busy main streets. REALRIDER®, who will also be exhibiting during the expo, is a motorcycle app that keeps riders safe and connected and includes built-in lifesaving crash detection technology linked to emergency services. Last but not least, Satsafe™, a GNSS-based security application for bikers, will also be featured.

GNSS for the biking commuter

With more than two-thirds of Europe’s population living in cities, cycling provides a viable, sustainable solution to such challenges as congestion, air and noise pollution, accidents, infrastructure expenses and road maintenance. For this reason, non-motorised transport such as cycling is seen as a key factor to guaranteeing mobility for all and overcoming these urban challenges. 

One EU-funded project, Space-tech for cycling, is helping to better position cycling as a viable form of transport in the public eye. To do this, it is developing an integrated solution that includes weather forecasts and a GNSS-tracks-analysis tool. The project utilises GNSS technology to track a cyclist’s routes and speed, obtain information regarding distance travelled and altitude variations, and identify the mode of transportation used. The system also makes use of Earth observation technology to provide the user with accurate weather forecasting and monitoring. The system combines these two space technologies in one easy-to-use app, which converts the gathered data into a ‘bike impact score’ that qualifies the user for such prizes as event vouchers and discounts at participating retail outlets.

Learn more at the European Space Expo

To learn more about the many ways European GNSS is impacting how Europe bikes, be sure to visit the European Space Expo in The Hague from 27 May to 5 June. The Space Solutions for Biking event takes place on Tuesday, 31 May, from 17:30 to 19:30.

Over 900 000 European citizens from across Europe have already visited the European Space Expo, learning how European space policy and space-based technologies benefit our everyday lives, support the European economy and create jobs.

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).