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On November 24, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) hosted its 3rd Annual Workshop with Receiver Manufacturers at its headquarters in Prague, where discussions focused on the adoption of Galileo in chipsets and receivers.

Since 2010, the GSA has paid special attention to cooperation with chipset and receiver manufacturers in order to ensure market readiness for Galileo Initial Services, as GNSS hardware development can take up to several years. Thirty-five percent of receiver models are already Galileo enabled, and in Europe the number increases to more than 50%.

Workshop participants received an update on the Galileo programme status, programmatic documents and briefings on regulatory activities from the GSA, European Commission and ESA. The results of the Galileo receiver testing campaign were also presented, in which 16 receiver manufacturers took part. GSA provided the overall management of the campaign and relationship with the receiver manufacturers, while the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre conducts the tests of professional receivers and ESA of the mass-market ones. 

In order to accelerate the use of Galileo in receivers, the GSA will continue to hold industry consultations, as well as technical workshops and testing campaigns.

Galileo will add value to the overall multi-constellation performance, epecially in urban canyons and other areas with difficult conditions. The GSA is excited about the positive testing results, and is committed to supporting the receiver industry in their investments in Galileo. The recently launched Fundamental Elements R&D programme is one example of funding from the GSA, and the Agency is looking forward to seeing new research and successful use of Galileo in the near future.

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).

On November 24, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) hosted its 3rd Annual Workshop with Receiver Manufacturers at its headquarters in Prague, where discussions focused on the adoption of Galileo in chipsets and receivers.

Since 2010, the GSA has paid special attention to cooperation with chipset and receiver manufacturers in order to ensure market readiness for Galileo Initial Services, as GNSS hardware development can take up to several years. Thirty-five percent of receiver models are already Galileo enabled, and in Europe the number increases to more than 50%.

Workshop participants received an update on the Galileo programme status, programmatic documents and briefings on regulatory activities from the GSA, European Commission and ESA. They were also presented the results of a Galileo receiver testing campaign, in which 16 receiver manufacturers took part. GSA provides the overall management of the campaign and relationship with the receiver manufacturers, while the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre conducts the tests of professional receivers and ESA of the mass-market ones.  In order to expedite the use of Galileo in receivers, the GSA will continue to hold industry consultations, as well as technical workshops and testing campaigns.

Especially in urban canyons and other areas with difficult conditions, Galileo will add value to the overall multi-constellation performance. The GSA is excited about the positive testing results, and is committed to supporting the receiver industry in their investments in Galileo. The recently launched Fundamental Elements R&D programme is one example of funding from the GSA, and the Agency is looking forward to seeing new research and successful use of Galileo in the near future.

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).

On November 24, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) hosted its 3rd Annual Workshop with Receiver Manufacturers at its headquarters in Prague, where discussions focused on the adoption of Galileo in chipsets and receivers.

Since 2010, the GSA has paid special attention to cooperation with chipset and receiver manufacturers in order to ensure market readiness for Galileo Initial Services, as GNSS hardware development can take up to several years. Thirty-five percent of receiver models are already Galileo enabled, and in Europe the number increases to more than 50%.

Workshop participants received an update on the Galileo programme status, programmatic documents and briefings on regulatory activities from the GSA, European Commission and ESA. The results of the Galileo receiver testing campaign were also presented, in which 16 receiver manufacturers took part. GSA provided the overall management of the campaign and relationship with the receiver manufacturers, while the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre conducts the tests of professional receivers and ESA of the mass-market ones. 

In order to accelerate the use of Galileo in receivers, the GSA will continue to hold industry consultations, as well as technical workshops and testing campaigns.

Galileo will add value to the overall multi-constellation performance, epecially in urban canyons and other areas with difficult conditions. The GSA is excited about the positive testing results, and is committed to supporting the receiver industry in their investments in Galileo. The recently launched Fundamental Elements R&D programme is one example of funding from the GSA, and the Agency is looking forward to seeing new research and successful use of Galileo in the near future.

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).

Mistrale, a project to develop a soil moisture monitoring drone  funded by the GSA under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, is changing the way European farmers decide on where, when and how much to irrigate. The UAV-mounted sensor produces a detailed map showing the soil moisture differences in an area.

“The population of the world is growing by two billion people,” says Jeroen Verschoore, one of the project managers. “To feed this increasing population requires higher yields. One way is to increase production is to improve the water supply since irrigated crops have a two times higher yield than non-irrigated crops. Adequate soil moisture mapping is a relevant tool to understand the different water needs in different corners of the field.”

Mistrale uses GNSS Reflectometry to create soil moisture maps for farmers and decision makers on water boards and in nature management. The project started in March 2015, and the first test flight was completed in early August. For this test flight a manned aircraft was filled with extensive equipment. Verschoore says this will be downsized and in the future Mistrale will be able to conduct surveys using UAVs.

Also Read: Precision Agriculture Helps Feed Earth’s Growing Population

Currently, an antenna on top of the plane registers the signals of Galileo satellites (on top of GPS and GLONASS ones), measuring their signal’s strength and position. Another antenna located on the bottom of the plane measures the reflected signal, with the characteristics of the reflections revealing the amount of moisture in the soil. “We use GNSS for multiple purposes,” explains Verschoore. “For example, we use EGNOS and, in the future the Galileo signal, both to navigate and for the remote sensing of soil moisture.” 

The second part of the project involves computing a detailed map of the field depicting the areas of different moisture levels via a user-friendly interface. The objective is to extract soil-moisture data and quickly deliver the corresponding map to a farmer or reservoir manager within an hour. Verschoore stresses the importance of this time element: “When you are talking about irrigation you have to be quick,” he says. “When a farmer thinks the soil is dry, he wants to be able to easily measure and find an immediate solution.”

The European GNSS Advantage

MISTRALE uses European GNSS data for both navigating the UAV and for measuring the soil moisture underneath the area it is flying.

The use of Galileo signals, with the larger bandwidth and different carrier frequencies, will significantly improve the precision of mapping. EGNOS will help in improving the vertical accuracy of the positioning solution of the UAV.

Using Galileo satellite signals and UAVs, accurate, cost-efficient soil moisture maps will be produced with a high spatial resolution and flexibility in time: one can fly Mistrale immediately when there is a need to probe the soil humidity conditions.  The Mistrale solution is very agile compared to other mapping techniques and can be used where ever information about soil moisture is necessary, including agricultural fields, flooded areas and natural reservations, to name just a few.

Watch This: Mistrale at the European Space Expo in Milan

The Mistrale project will run for three years. The project will move to the UAV stage within the next two and a half years, as Galileo-based solution offer farmers more precise and faster measurements than available with current sensors or Earth Observation data.

“When you look at a field, you have to look at the differences in soil and height, and also at the crop,” Verschoore says. It is not easy to install a soil sensor. If it was placed next to a potato plant, or another plant that uses a lot of water, the soil could seem dry when just a few feet away it’s much moister. “You need to measure the whole field, and by using the Galileo system you can quickly obtain a high resolution moisture map of your field” he says.

A Group Effort

The Mistrale project brings together a number of European partners. STARLAB provides the front end and the algorithms for the GNSS-R instrument, while M3Systems delivers the back end and implements EGNOS for GNSS integrity for the UAS navigation. GET analyses user needs and inputs data for scientific processing. L’Avion Jaune does the test flights and demonstrations, and ENAC is developing the UAS. AeroVision is responsible for dissemination and the advisory board.

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).

Mistrale, a project to develop a soil moisture monitoring drone  funded by the GSA under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, is changing the way European farmers decide on where, when and how much to irrigate. The UAV-mounted sensor produces a detailed map showing the soil moisture differences in an area.

“The population of the world is growing by two billion people,” says Jeroen Verschoore, one of the project managers. “To feed this increasing population requires higher yields. One way is to increase production is to improve the water supply since irrigated crops have a two times higher yield than non-irrigated crops. Adequate soil moisture mapping is a relevant tool to understand the different water needs in different corners of the field.”

Mistrale uses GNSS Reflectometry to create soil moisture maps for farmers and decision makers on water boards and in nature management. The project started in March 2015, and the first test flight was completed in early August. For this test flight a manned aircraft was filled with extensive equipment. Verschoore says this will be downsized and in the future Mistrale will be able to conduct surveys using UAVs.

Also Read: Precision Agriculture Helps Feed Earth’s Growing Population

Currently, an antenna on top of the plane registers the signals of Galileo satellites (on top of GPS and GLONASS ones), measuring their signal’s strength and position. Another antenna located on the bottom of the plane measures the reflected signal, with the characteristics of the reflections revealing the amount of moisture in the soil. “We use GNSS for multiple purposes,” explains Verschoore. “For example, we use EGNOS and, in the future the Galileo signal, both to navigate and for the remote sensing of soil moisture.” 

The second part of the project involves computing a detailed map of the field depicting the areas of different moisture levels via a user-friendly interface. The objective is to extract soil-moisture data and quickly deliver the corresponding map to a farmer or reservoir manager within an hour. Verschoore stresses the importance of this time element: “When you are talking about irrigation you have to be quick,” he says. “When a farmer thinks the soil is dry, he wants to be able to easily measure and find an immediate solution.”

The European GNSS Advantage

MISTRALE uses European GNSS data for both navigating the UAV and for measuring the soil moisture underneath the area it is flying.

The use of Galileo signals, with the larger bandwidth and different carrier frequencies, will significantly improve the precision of mapping. EGNOS will help in improving the vertical accuracy of the positioning solution of the UAV.

Using Galileo satellite signals and UAVs, accurate, cost-efficient soil moisture maps will be produced with a high spatial resolution and flexibility in time: one can fly Mistrale immediately when there is a need to probe the soil humidity conditions.  The Mistrale solution is very agile compared to other mapping techniques and can be used where ever information about soil moisture is necessary, including agricultural fields, flooded areas and natural reservations, to name just a few.

Watch This: Mistrale at the European Space Expo in Milan

The Mistrale project will run for three years. The project will move to the UAV stage within the next two and a half years, as Galileo-based solution offer farmers more precise and faster measurements than available with current sensors or Earth Observation data.

“When you look at a field, you have to look at the differences in soil and height, and also at the crop,” Verschoore says. It is not easy to install a soil sensor. If it was placed next to a potato plant, or another plant that uses a lot of water, the soil could seem dry when just a few feet away it’s much moister. “You need to measure the whole field, and by using the Galileo system you can quickly obtain a high resolution moisture map of your field” he says.

A Group Effort

The Mistrale project brings together a number of European partners. STARLAB provides the front end and the algorithms for the GNSS-R instrument, while M3Systems delivers the back end and implements EGNOS for GNSS integrity for the UAS navigation. GET analyses user needs and inputs data for scientific processing. L’Avion Jaune does the test flights and demonstrations, and ENAC is developing the UAS. AeroVision is responsible for dissemination and the advisory board.

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 GSA, along with the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP), have published two new guides aimed at helping the aviation sector, and in particular ANSPs, airports and aircraft operators, take advantage of EGNOS within their operations.

How to get Operational Approval

The first publication serves as a ‘how-to’ guide for obtaining RNP APCH operational approval in Europe. Entitled How to Obtain RNP APCH Operational Approval to LPV Minima in Europe, the publication provides a set of simple guidelines for aircraft operators within the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) area to facilitate operational approval by their national authorities to perform Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV) operations.

Technically known as RNP Approach procedures down to LPV minima, LPVs were introduced within the PBN concept as new approach operations based on SBAS (EGNOS in Europe), a technology providing augmentation to GNSS systems like GPS. This type of approach allows for ILS lookalike procedures down to a minimum as low as 200 feet without the need to install any ground infrastructure. As of November 2015, there are over 220 LPV procedures published in Europe, with plans for more than 440 by 2018.

Also Read: EGNOS for Aviation Market Report

To take advantage of these procedures, operators typically need specific approval to fly them. For example, European CAT operators must apply for a specific approval (SPA) via their competent authority. This is because LPVs are a relatively new concept that require not only that the aircraft and its cockpit avionics have the corresponding airworthiness approval, but also that pilots have appropriate training, checking standards and operational procedures in place.

Granted, EASA is currently working to amend some of these regulations, eliminating the burden of having to apply for an SPA. However, operators will still be required to put the necessary operational procedures in place and amend their operational manuals accordingly to obtain approval from their authorities – as is the case for other instrument approach procedures.

To help guide you through the approval process, this How To guide provides step-by-step guidance and insight, covering such topics as:

• What are LPV Approach Procedures
• Current Means to Obtain LPV Operational Approval
• Preliminary Certification Requirements
• Operational Procedures and Operational Manual Amendments
• Crew Training and Training Package Update
• Application for Operational Approval
• EU Member State Singularities
• Mid-Term Evolution of European Regulation on PBN

The guide is free and can be downloaded here.

For ANSPs, Airports and Aircraft Operators

On the other side of the equation is the process of actually implementing LPV, for both ANSP/airports and aircraft operators, which is the focus of the second publication. Entitled Guidelines for ANSP/Airports and Aircraft Operators for LPV Implementation, this publication provides a set of generic guidelines for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), airport operators and aircraft operators within the ECAC area to facilitate the operational implementation of LPV operations.

Watch This: EGNOS and Aviation

Implementing LPV procedures provides numerous operational benefits. For example, it reduces the trajectory dispersion, thus reducing the flight’s noise footprint and fuel consumption. More so, in some cases LPVs offer straight-in approaches where not otherwise possible when using conventional NPAs, not to mention having the potential to remove the need for circling approaches.

To ensure both airport and aircraft operators are able to take full advantage of these benefits, the Guidelines cover such topics as:

• EGNOS (system description, services, Safety of Life service, etc.)
• RNP APCH Down to LPV Minima within the ICAO Context
• LPV Implementation Drivers
• LPV Implementation Regulatory Framework
• Guidelines for ANSPs and Airports
• Guidelines for Aircraft Operators

The publication is free and can be downloaded 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).