The need for expanded horizons was a central theme of the recent European Navigation Conference in Vienna, with sessions across the three days of the conference dedicated to various Galileo and EGNOS based applications for which markets can be developed.
Delegates at the European Navigation Conference, which was held in the Austria Centre Vienna from 23-25 April, joined voices to claim that now is the time to build on the major milestones that have been achieved in the satellite sector in Europe in order to broaden horizons and increase market uptake of satellite-based applications.
Several speakers highlighted the need for market development, now that the system is up and running. Ingolf Schädler, Deputy Director General of Innovation at the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology said that 12th March was a historic date for the European satellite industry, with the first 3D position fix in Europe. Didier Faivre, Director of Galileo Programme and Navigation Related Activities at the European Space Agency, noted that all the elements necessary for European success in this industry are fast becoming past milestones. He said that the 3D fix validates the design of Europe’s ground-based infrastructure, which means that things can now progress to the next stage – service provision.
David Blanchard, Deputy Head of Unit at EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, said that Galileo and EGNOS have to be construed within an expanded horizon, but that the systems are also in the process of expanding their own horizons, adding that the main challenge for EGNOS is to ensure its wide adoption by users. As regards Galileo, he said that a lot has been achieved and there was still a lot to do for the full launch of the constellation and for the delivery of services, which is the main objective of the Commission.
Galileo, EGNOS of strategic importance for Europe
Blanchard said that as major EU projects, Galileo and EGNOS are key components for the EU strategy for growth. He noted that the EU would dedicate over 11 billion euros to space activitiesover the period 2014-2020, with 6.3 billion euros allocated to Galileo and EGNOS. Galileo and EGNOS have strategic importance for Europe since they provide benefits for European citizens in terms of economic growth and employment, while at the same time enhancing wellbeing. 7% of the EU GDP is estimated to rely on GNSS solutions.
The special sessions across the three days of the conference clearly indicate the wide range of areas where satellite applications have interesting market opportunities. Some of the topics covered in these sessions included intelligent transport systems - covering road, rail, maritime, aeronautical and automotive transport; business and economic aspects of GNSS - dealing with user needs and requirements, business models and user acceptance; integrated applications; and location-based services - dealing with augmented reality, innovative LBS systems and other applications.
The discussions on the first day of the conference included a session on precision GNSS for inland waterways. This was used as an opportunity to present the ARIADNA project, which is designing a new series of navigation support systems to optimise maritime infrastructures and navigation, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact. ARIADNA-based products can also help avoid human error in navigation, provide warning and manoeuvring support for collision avoidance, and provide risk and warning assessment to vessel and navigation control systems in channels, port access areas, narrow inland waterways and congested areas.
Delegates discuss EGNOS applications
The sessions on the second day of the conference included discussions of space-based augmentation systems such as the full-scale implementation of EGNOS Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV). It was noted that the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation - EUROCONTROL - has been mandated to develop a draft interoperability implementing rule on Performance Based Navigation (PBN) that will define navigation requirements and identify the functionalities required in en-route and terminal air-space, included EGNOS related operations and avionics.One of the main challenges identified by speakers is the need to increase awareness in the aviation community of the advantages of LPV, which include increased safety, efficiency, accessibility and reduced environmental impact.
Discussions also dealt with the ACCEPTA project – a project conceived to accelerate the adoption of EGNOS applications in the aviation sector, with the wide-scale real-life adoption of EGNOS-enabled LPV approaches at European airports. The EGNOS Safety of Life service was declared operational in 2011, but operators in Europe demand procedures to upgrade their systems. The ACCEPTA project aims to address this by developing and publishing 74 LPV approach procedures. The speakers noted that LPV approaches are being rolled out in Europe, with 61 procedures published in Europe, plus 83 APV Baro which can be flown with EGNO vertical guidance. It was noted that this technology is of particular benefit to small aerodromes. This session also included a discussion of SBAS training and capacity building activities in South Africa, and it was noted that it is part of the EU’s policy to extend EGNOS outside of Europe if there is interest expressed in partner countries.
The second day of the conference also included a special session on GNSS security, dealing with some of the main threats facing satellite service providers and users, such as spoofing, jamming and meaconing, and outlined effective ways to deal with these threats. During his keynote address at the start of the conference, GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides stressed that the GSA currently has two priorities – security of operations and market development. The attention paid to these issues throughout the three days of the conference clearly indicates that these are priorities not only for the GSA, but have been identified as important objectives throughout the industry.
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