Access to the Galileo signal in a multi-constellation environment is providing benefits and opportunities for businesses, thanks to the enhanced performance and increased accuracy on offer. Here we look at the experience of one GIS technology company in northern Europe that has been leveraging Galileo to increase the positioning accuracy of its solutions.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is working together with the European Commission (EC) on an app to facilitate the movement of goods and freight within the EU in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response. The “Galileo Green Lane” app will ease the flow of freight through borders and enable the efficient transit of critical goods.

Galileo delivers more accurate and reliable positioning information to our mobile devices, including wearables. Used in fitness- and health-related, and other applications, GNSS-enabled wearables are contributing significantly to continued growth in the mobile services arena.

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on organisations, businesses, individuals and their families. As one of the few European Agencies delivering services 24/7, and with centres spread across Europe, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) has put various measures into place to ensure continuity of services and the security of EGNSS infrastructure, while at the same time prioritising the health and safety of staff and contractors.

The GNSS world marks Beacon Awareness Day (406 Day) on 6 April. But this celebration also has a more serious purpose - serving as a reminder to the owners of Search and Rescue 406MHz beacons to test them, check their batteries and update their Cospas-Sarsat or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) registration.

The first performance evaluation of the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS) following its launch has revealed excellent service provision that exceeds set targets. The Galileo RLS, which allows people in distress to receive automatic acknowledgement that their signal has been received, was declared operational at the 12th European Space Conference on January 21.

The Galileo performance is reported in the Galileo Initial Services – Open Service – Quarterly Performance Report, where several key performance indicators are analysed according to criteria (Minimum Performance Levels, MPLs) defined in the Galileo Service Definition document (SDD), published in the European GNSS Service Centre and last updated in May 2019.

Carlo des Dorides took up his position as executive director of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) on February 1, 2011. In the nine years since then, the Galileo programme has progressed from a project on paper to an operational programme with over a billion users around the globe. As his term at the helm of the Agency draws to an end, the GSA executive director looks back at the successes and challenges of the past nine years and speaks about his hopes for the future.

The SAR/Galileo Service Definition Document (SDD) was updated on 21 January after the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS) was declared operational at the 12th European Space Conference. The latest version can be found on the GSC webpage.

Many promising geomatics applications benefit from the European navigation programmes Galileo and EGNOS. Land, marine and mine surveying, infrastructure monitoring and mapping and GIS applications that require high precision GNSS are all enabled by both the EU satellite navigation systems. The European GNSS Agency (GSA), together with Geospatial Media, invites you to participate in a free webinar - EGNSS for Geomatics – where you can learn about everything that EGNSS has to offer for geomatics.