GPS World

Tag: EUPSA

  • EUSPA to hold GNSS Signal Simulator Manufacturers Forum in December

    EUSPA to hold GNSS Signal Simulator Manufacturers Forum in December

    To bridge the gap between chipset and receiver manufacturers and GNSS simulator manufacturers, EUSPA, together with the European Commission and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), is organizing a GNSS Signal Simulator Manufacturers Forum on December 13.

    The online forum will aim to help signal simulator manufacturers keep their products up to date by presenting the latest service interface control documents (ICDs), including those for the Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication, the Galileo High Accuracy Service and for the I/NAV improvements. The forum will also serve as a channel for addressing GNSS signal simulator manufacturers’ needs, questions, and concerns.

    Manufacturers use ICDs to access information provided from a GNSS satellite’s Signal in Space (SiS) or from such terrestrial means as the internet. However, before a manufacturer can turn this information into a new product or service, they must first test it – which is where GNSS simulators come into play.

    Signal simulators play a critical role within the GNSS product pipeline. Chipset and receiver manufacturers have rapidly evolving needs. In order to keep up, GNSS signal simulators must be regularly updated. To do this, however, simulator manufacturers must know what those needs are.

    “Whether it be a personal navigation system or smart watch, before a device or application that relies on GNSS signals hits the market manufacturers need to ensure it works,” says Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market, Downstream and Innovation at EUSPA. “GNSS simulators allow manufacturers to test the accuracy of their receivers by simulating such real-world factors as vehicle and satellite motion, signal characteristics and atmospheric effects.”

    In addition to being a source of market intelligence, EUSPA offers the downstream market a range of funding opportunities, including the Fundamental Elements scheme. Part of EUSPA’s market uptake strategy, Fundamental Elements is an EU R&D funding mechanism supporting the development of EGNSS-enabled chipsets, receivers and antennas.

    Interested parties can register for the GNSS Signal Simulator Manufacturers Forum by emailing [email protected]. The deadline for registration is December 8.

  • SANGENE project uses GNSS passive radar for obstacle detection

    SANGENE project uses GNSS passive radar for obstacle detection

    M3 Systems logo

    M3 Systems and TilT Consulting on June 1 were declared winners of the MyEUspace Competition 2021 for their passive radar for detection and localization of obstacles based solely on GNSS signals.

    The SANGENE project (Sens And Navigation on GNSS ENvironment Estimation) aims to demonstrate the concept of an integrated GNSS-based passive radar for the detection and first localization of obstacles.

    The SANGENE solution is a passive radar technology based solely on GNSS signals integrated into a localization and navigation device currently available onboard an aircraft or a drone. Today’s operational navigation equipment often use a combination of equipment to identify and locate other carriers or obstacles, but these means do not permit detection and visualization of non-equipped or uncooperative carriers, and can be a source of danger.

    As “signals of opportunity,” GNSS signals can be used for detecting obstacles. With reflected signals, GNSS satellites behave as multiple radar signal sources that are widely available while remaining discrete.

    This principle of passive detector also makes it possible to increase the localization capacity of the GNSS devices already present, without having any major architectural changes to their design.

    Within a few months, this solution has passed from a first level of concept and definition to an implementation model. With the impetus provided by the competition, the validation phase will soon begin.

    The MyEUspace Competition was organized by the European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUPSA) to support development of innovative commercial solutions — such as mobile apps or hardware-based solutions — that leverage Galileo or Copernicus EU space data.