Russia will deploy up to seven ground monitoring and augmentation stations for GLONASS outside of Russia, reports The Voice of Russia radio. GLONASS/GNSS Forum Association Executive Director Vladimir Klimov explained the plans at a conference.
“It is planned to deploy about six or seven stations on foreign territories this year,” Klimov said. Negotiations for the stations are now taking place with foreign nations, he said.
About 50 GLONASS ground stations are planned for construction. The stations will significantly improve GLONASS performance and provide efficient applications for high-precision navigation services and smooth monitoring of systems of coordinates and Earth rotation parameters, he said.
Currently, there are 46 GLONASS ground stations on Russian territory, eight in neighboring countries, three in Antarctica, and one in Brazil.
Boatracs, Kannad, McMurdo and TSi have combined to form McMurdo Group, a single-vendor provider of end-to-end search and rescue, maritime domain awareness solutions.
McMurdo Group has announced a suite of Automatic Identification System (AIS) survival solutions for enhanced collision avoidance and man overboard (MOB) response in the U.S. recreational boating market. The offerings include AIS beacons, transponders, receivers and software.
AIS is an automatic tracking system used on boats and ships that identifies and tracks nearby AIS-equipped vessels and devices to help avoid collisions. AIS transponders send and receive critical navigation information – such as vessel identification numbers, vessel type, position, course and speed – and graphically display a map of the surrounding vessels and area. AIS receivers are often used in conjunction with AIS-capable computer software for similar tracking and monitoring purposes.
In the event a person with an AIS MOB beacon falls overboard, an AIS signal from the beacon is activated. This signal is then sent to AIS receiving devices where the location of the individual in the water can be pinpointed using GPS positioning and presented on graphical chart maps.
The Smartfind M5 has an on-screen beacon location indicator and audible alarm that is triggered to accelerate rescue efforts. It also has a “buddy list” feature that can identify the specific individual needing MOB assistance. For larger fleets, the McMurdo Group AIS Alarm Notification System extends graphical mapping, alarm notification and messaging capabilities to shoreside fleet management operators.
The McMurdo Group AIS product suite includes the following:
AIS Search and Rescue Transponders (SART) or Beacons
Smartfind S5 – a compact, lightweight, waterproof (to 10 meters) AIS SART with high-visibility buoyant carry-off bag ideal for use on life rafts or survival crafts.
Smartfind S10 – a personal, waterproof (to 60 meters) AIS Man Overboard (MOB) device with built-in flashing light and used by individuals or as an additional device to complement a yacht’s on-board flare pack.
Smartfind S20 – a compact AIS MOB device with integrated light for use in a lifejacket.
AIS Transponders and Receivers
Smartfind M5 AIS Class A Transponder – the industry’s first AIS Class A transponder with color display and AIS MOB and AIS SART alarm with crew list functionality to aid in MOB recovery.
Smartfind M10 AIS Class B Transponder – typically used for smaller vessels, charter boat operators or where the additional features of an AIS Class A transponder are not required (includes an a 30 day data logger).
Smartfind M15 AIS Receiver – economical AIS receiver for all recreational vessels.
AIS Software
PC Viewer – Graphical software package ideal for individual vessel operators (included with the Smartfind M5, M10 and Smartfind M15 products).
AIS Alarm Notification System – Vessel Monitoring System with integrated AIS MOB Alerts and Messaging typically used for ship-to-shore communications.
The Teseo II chip is ready for eCall, a European initiative intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere in the European Union.
STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor company, has released its Teseo II single-chip satellite-tracking integrated circuit to the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission Joint Research Center (JRC) for testing for eCall approval. The testing campaign is coordinated by the European GNSS Agency as part of its effort to accelerate Galileo adoption.
The Galileo tests will be conducted by the ESA and JRC over the next months to validate ST’s latest firmware release, according to the European GNSS Agency (GSA) test plan. The testing campaign supports the upcoming Galileo early operational services that are expected to go live at the end of 2014. In addition, the tests will evaluate Teseo II compatibility with the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and with Galileo for the eCall in-vehicle system that automatically sends notification messages from vehicles involved in an accident. Beside static and dynamic test conditions, the testing plan foresees three different use cases, in systems for single-, dual-, and up to triple-constellation (GPS/Galileo/GLONASS) systems.
Following the first position fix using Galileo in-orbit validation satellites conducted by ST and ESA in March 2013, STMicroelectronics has implemented the Galileo Golden-candidate production firmware as an additional constellation in its Teseo II chips. While the Teseo II ICs have always had the capability to be Galileo-ready, ST is enabling a firmware update from the Galileo navigation system. This update benefits consumers and doesn’t require any hardware modification.
The Teseo II chips can simultaneously use signals from multiple satellite navigation systems, including the currently available Galileo satellites, and progressively, as future satellites are launched, the full satellite constellation.
ST’s leadership in the multi-constellation reception delivers immediate use of the Galileo satellites already in orbit, and provides consumers with shorter time-to-first-fix, continuous tracking with enhanced accuracy, and effective operation under challenging circumstances, such as driving through urban canyons.
In January, GPS Worldpublished a cover story on the next-generation Teseo-3 chip, which also provides background on the development of the Teseo II.
Introduced in January 2011, ST’s Teseo II is a standalone satellite receiver able to use signals from multiple satellite navigation systems, including GPS, the European Galileo system, Russian GLONASS, and Japanese QZSS. This multi-constellation approach keeps many satellites in sight, delivering advantages such as shorter time-to-first-fix and continuous tracking with enhanced accuracy, even under challenging circumstances such as driving through urban canyons.
Gen. William Shelton, chief of Air Force Space Command, said the date when prime contractor Lockheed Martin and payload manufacturer Exelis are expected to have the first GPS satellite ready for launch will slip from its original target at the end of this fiscal year, according to National Defense Magazine. Technical difficulties are slowing the development process, he said.
“We’re not happy at all. Is my patience wearing thin? Yes. Has it gotten to the place where I am going to step off the cliff? No,” he said at a breakfast sponsored by the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute.
Gen. Shelton said the Air Force is working closely with the contractors.
Shelton said the issue highlights the problem inherent in relying on one contractor for a critical technology, reports Space News. Exelis Geospatial Systems has supplied the payloads for all previous generations of GPS satellites.
“The payload hardware is built and is currently in test,” said Jared B. Adams, director of communications for Exelis geospatial systems, in an email to National Defense Magazine. “Last year, Exelis identified some development issues with the navigation payload for the first GPS III satellite that needed further work. Significant testing with flight-like engineering units and the first GPS III satellite’s flight hardware indicates that the known technical issues have been resolved, and GPS III will meet all mission and quality requirements.”
The payload delay is not expected to push back the first launch of the Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellites in 2015. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is under contract to build eight GPS III satellites.
Personnel with the U.S. Naval Observatory-Detachment Colorado and 2nd Space Operations Squadron move the rubidium fountain clock into its new home Tuesday at Schriever Air Force Base. The USNO monitors the GPS constellation and provides time offsets to the 2nd Space Operations Squadron for their daily navigation uploads to each individual GPS satellite. (U.S. Air Force photo/Christopher DeWitt).
The U.S. Naval Observatory’s Alternate Master Clock on Schriever Air Force Base received its second rubidium fountain clock February 4 to ensure it has the most precise time in the world.
Both the USNO’s Washington D.C.-based primary and its local Alternate Master Clock facility serve as the Department of Defense’s common time reference. Additionally, the USNO monitors the GPS constellation and provides time offsets to the 2nd Space Operations Squadron for its daily navigation uploads to each individual GPS satellite.
“With the new rubidium fountain clock, we are going from the time standard of 1 to 2 nanoseconds down to 300 picoseconds,” said Bill Bollwerk, Head of USNO Detachment Colorado.
One nanosecond is equivalent to one billionth of a second, while a picosecond is equal to one trillionth of a second. Though these small slices of time may not sound important, every nth of a second is significant, especially in GPS operations.
“A nanosecond matters because it is equivalent to a 1-foot of error for GPS,” Bollwerk said. “If the GPS satellite clocks were off by 3 nanoseconds, you have 1-meter of error introduced into GPS.”
Designed and produced by physicists at the USNO laboratory in Washington D.C., the powered rubidium fountain clock traveled by dedicated truck to Schriever. Once the fountain clock arrived at Colorado base, with the help of members of the 2nd Space Operations Squadron, the 50th Security Forces Squadron and 50th Civil Engineering Squadron, the USNO team moved it to a climate controlled chamber in the USNO’s laboratory via an airsled hover lifter.
“The 2 SOPS men and women are able to operate and provide accurate instantaneous reliable support to U.S. military forces around the world, thanks to our partnership with the U.S. Naval Observatory,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Ste. Marie, 2 SOPS commander. “We are happy to be able to work together to support their upgrade. Our relationship allows 2 SOPS to continually reach our goal of record breaking time-transfer performance and navigation accuracies.”
Although 2 SOPS was happy to support the move, it’s not as easy as one might think.
“The process of moving the rubidium fountain was very complicated,” said Ken Dreiling, USNO Detachment Colorado. “We had to ensure the fountain clock was not actually in contact with the floor or the walls as we moved it from the loading dock through the hallways and elevator into our facility.”
The careful transport of the fountain was essential to prevent damage that could affect the clock’s performance.
“The fountain clock collects billions of rubidium atoms, encased in a spherical vacuum chamber and laser-cooled to a millionth of a degree above absolute zero degrees Kelvin, approaching the coldest temperature anything can be,” Bollwerk said. “The reason we do that is because we want to observe and measure the atoms for long time in an environment that minimizes unwanted noise like the Doppler Shift.”
Though the Alternate Master Clock provides precise timing for several communication and space systems, Missile Defense Agency, DOD facilities and several civilian infrastructures around the world, the new system was installed primarily to support GPS operations.
“It is great to have the most precise time standard in the world but it is useless unless you can get it to the user, not everyone can come to the facility and set their watch,” said Bollwerk. “GPS is USNO’s primary means of providing global precise time to the warfighter. It is a great partnership between the Navy and the Air Force.”
Dreiling said the new fountain clock will help improve GPS operations.
“The new rubidium fountain clock is the next-generation new frequency standard,” Dreiling said. “This will boost the GPS’s timing by 10-fold.”
The Russian GLONASS/GNSS Forum is conducting a survey on the future of GLONASS.
When translated, the page provides the following background:
“One of the priorities of the GLONASS system is determined to ensure its competitiveness in the global market for satellite navigation services.”Currently, public customers of the federal target program “Maintenance , development and use of GLONASS for 2012-2020 ” prepared proposals on bringing the main characteristics of the system to a level that ensures its competitiveness in the medium term ( 2020 onwards ).
“It seems appropriate that in the preparation of these proposals, the opinion of the main consumers of navigation service providers and manufacturers are taken into account.”
The survey asks the following questions (translation provided by Innovation editor Richard Langley):
What characteristics of the GLONASS system in your view are the most critical for competitiveness relative to GPS, Galileo, and Compass considering plans for their deployment and development (accuracy of the “Space Segment,” access, stability characteristics, compliance with international standards on the time scale UTC and coordinate system, others …)?
Is it important for the competitiveness of the presence of GLONASS that there be additional services such as transferring information on one of the new navigation signals to provide a highly accurate global positioning mode PPP (Precise Point Positioning) by analogy with the E6 Galileo and B6 Compass signals? What extra services could you offer for implementing in the system GLONASS for civilian users to increase its attractiveness?
Is it critical for civil GLONASS to have a complete set of new code signals (L1, L2, L3)?
Is it important in terms of competitiveness, for the GLONASS satellites, in addition to the planned new code signals in the traditional GLONASS bands (L1, L2, L3) to add another signal in the range L5? Why? If yes, for which consumers is this important?
What are the characteristics, in your opinion, that should be achieved to ensure the competitiveness of the system in 2014-2015, 2020, after 2020?
What do you see as the most effective ways to achieve the desired values of the main characteristics of the GLONASS system, including measures of state support?
Is it critical to the competitiveness of GLONASS availability to have a document of the type “Standard GLONASS civil service,” which would give the key performance characteristics of GLONASS and these characteristics would be guaranteed by the “provider” of the GLONASS system (similar to the standards issued by GPS and Compass)?
Responses are being accepted until February 14. Send responses to [email protected] with Questionnaire TTX in the subject line. Responses will be compiled and prepared for appropriate treatment to public customers of the federal target program “Maintenance, development and use of GLONASS for 2012-2020 years. “
Spirent Communications, a testing navigation and positioning systems company, today announced the introduction of Spirent SimSAFE, a software solution that concurrently simulates legitimate Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations and spoofed or hoax signals to evaluate receiver resilience and help develop counter measures. SimSAFE was developed in conjunction with Qascom, GNSS signal security and authentication experts.
As GNSS become increasingly embedded in modern infrastructure for application timing and device positioning, the opportunities for interference and spoofing attacks become greater, Spirent said. Hoax or spoofing attacks work by mimicking genuine GNSS signals, which mislead GNSS receivers. From mobile telephony to Internet banking, GNSS timing signals are used in many key systems, and yet there is no requirement on GNSS equipment to demonstrate any degree of robustness to block or even detect malicious attacks that disrupt performance. Often, affected receivers do not recognize when they are receiving fake signals and continue to operate normally, but provide false time or position information.
“GNSS signal vulnerability is becoming a significant issue,” said John Pottle, marketing director of Spirent’s Positioning Division. “SimSAFE is the first tool to help develop systems that will detect and counter spoofing attacks. This solution is unique in being able to provide a means of both emulating a spoof attack and monitoring a receiver under attack to evaluate mitigation strategies and countermeasures.”
SimSAFE is a fully controllable laboratory-based, non-radiated test solution to evaluate a receiver’s response to a wide range of spoofing attacks. The test tool generates simulated spoofing attacks that can be aligned with genuine signals from an antenna or locally generated “genuine” signals using a Spirent GNSS simulator. This allows users to simulate a wide range of sophisticated attacks, monitor the response of the receiver under attack and evaluate the effectiveness of proposed countermeasures to then improve resilience against such attacks.
screenshot: Spirent’s SimSAFE
In essence Spirent’s SimSAFE spoofing test bed does two things:
Generates simulated spoofing attacks where a Spirent RFCS is controlled to represent a hoax signal synchronized with a “genuine” signal which can be ambient GNSS or itself generated by simulation.
Monitors a GNSS receiver subject to simulated spoofing attack in order to evaluate and refine mitigation strategies or countermeasures.
The two principal applications of SimSAFE are:
The evaluation of the vulnerability of a user’s receiver when exposed to a wide range of simulated spoofing attacks.
The evaluation and refinement of spoofing mitigation techniques, signal authentication strategies or countermeasures. This work can be conducted using any receiver of the user’s choice; however, a range of receiver monitoring tools supplied with SimSAFE are enabled if the receiver supports Septentrio Binary File (SBF). A suitable Septentrio receiver is supplied in the standard configurations for this purpose.
Dual-frequency Galileo positioning performance during the In-Orbit Validation phase: positioning accuracy is an average 8 m horizontal and 9 m vertical (95% of the time). Its average timing accuracy is 10 nanoseconds on average. Plot courtesy of ESA.
The in-orbit validation of Galileo has been achieved, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). Europe now has the operational nucleus of its own satellite navigation constellation in place — the world’s first civil-owned and operated satnav system.
Four is the minimum number of satellites needed to perform navigation fixes. In 2011 and 2012, the first four satellites were launched into orbit. In 2013, these satellites were combined with a growing global ground infrastructure to allow the project to undergo its crucial in-orbit validation phase: IOV.
“IOV was required to demonstrate that the future performance that we want to meet when the system is deployed is effectively reachable,” said Sylvain Loddo, ESA’s Galileo Ground Segment manager. “It was an intermediate step with a reduced part of the system to effectively give evidence that we are on track.”
Galileo Validated Video
On March 12, 2013, Galileo’s space and ground infrastructure came together for the first time to perform the historic first determination of a ground location, taking place at ESA’s Navigation Laboratory in the ESTEC technical centre, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. From that point, generation of navigation messages enabled full testing of the entire Galileo system. A wide variety of tests followed, carried out all across Europe.
“ESA and our industrial partners had teams deployed in the field continuously for test operations,” said Marco Falcone, ESA’s Galileo System Manager. “More than 10,000 km were driven by test vehicles in the process of picking up signals, along with pedestrian and fixed receiver testing. Many terabytes of IOV data were gathered in all.”
The single most important finding from the test results? Galileo works, and it works well. The entire self-sufficient system has been shown as capable of performing positioning fixes across the planet.
Galileo’s observed dual-frequency positioning accuracy is an average of 8 meters horizontal and 9 meters vertical, 95 percent of the time. Its average timing accuracy is 10 billionths of a second. Its performance is expected to improve as more satellites are launched and ground stations come on line.
For Galileo’s search and rescue function — operating as part of the existing international Cospas–Sarsat programme — 77 percent of simulated distress locations can be pinpointed within 2 kilometers, and 95 percent within 5 kilometers. All alerts are detected and forwarded to the Mission Control Centre within a minute and a half, compared to a design requirement of 10 minutes.
“Europe has proven with IOV that in terms of performance we are at a par with the best international systems of navigation in the world,” said Didier Faivre, ESA director of Galileo and Navigation-related Activities.
In an article for The System section of the February 2013 GPS World, Peter Steigenberger, Urs Hugentobler, and Oliver Montenbruck discuss Galileo-only positioning. “Using an ionosphere-free dual-frequency linear combination of pseudorange measurements on the Galileo E1 and E5a frequencies, the position of the TUME reference station [at the Technische Universität München (TUM) in Munich, Germany] could be determined with a 3D position error of less than 1.5 meters,’” the authors said. Read more here.
Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of GPS, timing and frequency equipment, is offering the DROR-II, a 10-MHz/5-MHz/1-PPS GPS-Disciplined Atomic Frequency and Timing Reference (GPSDO).
The DROR-II is a ruggedized frequency and timing reference with a Cesium Vapor Atomic Oscillator followed by a precision SC-cut Crystal Double-Oven Oscillator and an actively vibration-compensated VCXO oscillator, with specific emphasis on ultra low phase noise performance under extreme vibration and acceleration such as could be encountered in aircraft, tracked vehicles, and wheeled vehicles.
The DROR-II unit is optimized for operation in high-vibration and high-acceleration environments that require ultra-low phase noise performance and high frequency stability under extreme conditions. The DROR-II combines the strengths of three different on-board oscillators to provide an overall performance that has not been achievable with legacy products, at a steady-state power consumption of less than 3.85W, the company said.
The DROR-II uses a GPS receiver to provide long-term phase and frequency accuracy of the built-in CSAC atomic oscillator which is followed by an SC-cut, Double Oven OCXO (DOCXO) for very high short-term stability and low phase noise, which is itself followed by a three-axis electronically vibration-compensated crystal oscillator for ultra-low-noise under high vibration. Using these four signal sources cascaded to each other allows unmatched Phase Noise and Short Term Stability (ADEV) while also providing long-term atomic holdover, very fast warmup, and long-term phase-lock to UTC. Short term stability of 1E-012 (1ppt), and phase noise floors of -162dBc/Hz are achieved. Frequency stability over 24 hours is better than 5E-013 (0.5ppt) typically when locked to GPS.
The DROR-II supplies three isolated 10-MHz Sine Wave outputs, two CMOS 1PPS, and one 5-MHz output that is phase-synchronized to UTC via the internal GPS receiver. DROR-II contains a 50-channel WAAS/EGNOS/MSAS-enabled GPS receiver that provides support for avionics systems through integrated three-axis gyro-accelerometers and a -160-dBm GPS tracking capability. DROR-II power requirements are less than 3.85W steady-state, and only a single supply of between 11.0V to 32V is required. Support for an external LCD display is standard.
The unit can be monitored and controlled by an RS-232 port or a USB port via industry standard SCPI-99 Commands (GPIB commands), and is capable of generating numerous NMEA-0183 output sentences for easy integration into existing infrastructure. The DROR-II can be ordered with various OCXO options and with different temperature ranges.
Chip maker u-blox has introduced the UBX-M8030-Kx-DR, a chip that integrates 3D Automotive Dead Reckoning technology to calculate a vehicle’s position, speed, and elevation in areas of poor or no satellite visibility. u-blox also provided a two-minute video demonstration.
u-blox has introduced its next-generation semiconductor technology dedicated to advanced in-dash navigation, emergency call (including eCall, a European rapid response initiative, and ERA-GLONASS, Russia’s Government Accident Emergency Response System), usage-based insurance, road-pricing, and stolen-vehicle recovery systems.
The UBX-M8030-Kx-DR chip integrates 3D Automotive Dead Reckoning (3D ADR) technology, which enables it to calculate a vehicle’s position, speed, and elevation in areas of poor or no satellite visibility, a common scenario in high-density urban environments, stacked highways, or parking garages.
Here is a two-minute YouTube video demonstration.
“Drivers expect car navigation systems to be fast, accurate, and work everywhere, regardless of satellite visibility. As cities expand, construction of more tunnels, multi-level overpasses and park garages is increasing,” said Thomas Nigg, VP Product Marketing at u‑blox. “Our solution meets this challenge head-on; regardless of satellite visibility, our 3D ADR chip shows movement in three dimensions to maintain continuous and accurate positioning in tunnels, stacked highways, multi-level or underground parking facilities.”
The technology aids traditional GNSS navigation systems such as GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou by blending them with individual wheel speed, gyroscope and accelerometer information to maintain accurate 3D positioning even when satellite signals are completely lost.
The UBX-M8030-Kx-DR chip is self-calibrating to compensate for sensor aging and temperature effects. It is compatible with virtually all vehicles and drive trains (i.e. front-, rear-, all-wheel drive), and supports a variety of sensor combinations. Sensor information can be derived from the vehicle’s sensors for the most cost-efficient implementation, or from external sensors for after-market solutions. The chip is AEC-Q100 qualified and is produced in ISO/TS Automotive certified production sites.
The chip requires minimum host integration or customization resulting in no risk, low cost, and fast time-to-market, u-blox said. Installation is uncritical thanks to automated software calibration. 3D ADR is accurate even at low speeds.
The chip allows for easy testing, simple and modular production set-up, and minimal BOM. The chip comes in a 40-pin QFN package measuring only 5 x 5 mm and includes I2C, SPI, UART and USB interfaces.
Switzerland has signed a cooperation agreement to participate in the Galileo and EGNOS programs, the pillars of the EU’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Switzerland will now fully financially participate in the programs, and will retroactively contribute €80 million for the period 2008-2013.
The agreement, signed in Brussels December 18, 2013, also covers cooperation in areas such as security, export control, standards, certification and industrial cooperation.
The Swiss government is not a member of the European Union, but does hold membership in the European Space Agency (ESA). Norway, another ESA member who is not a member of the EU, signed a similar agreement with the commission in 2010.
Swiss authorities will pay an annual Galileo fee of €27 million to the commission for access to Galileo services, but access to the Public Regulated Service (PRS) signals is still being negotiated. PRS signals will be restricted to authorized users by governments for sensitive applications that require a high level of continuity.
“I welcome Switzerland’s decision to fully step on board the European space programme,” said European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani. “This co-operation will not only help to provide better results for the EU’s satellite navigation services, it will also open up a series of business opportunities for small and medium sized enterprises both from Switzerland and the EU.”
Through its membership of the European Space Agency (ESA), Switzerland has contributed to Galileo’s development phase. For example, the state-of-the-art hydrogen-maser clocks used by the Galileo satellites originate from Switzerland. Such extremely accurate clocks are crucial to a number of sectors. Wireless telecommunication networks use Galileo satellites’ timing signal for network management, for time tagging and for synchronization of frequency references. Certified time stamps are also necessary for applications such as electronic banking, e-commerce, stock transactions, quality assurance systems and services.
With the signing of this agreement Switzerland will now participate in the EU satellite navigation programs and in their committees and working groups.
Studies show that Galileo will deliver around €90 billion to the EU economy over the first 20 years of operation, while from now until 2020, the EU will spend €7 billion on satellite navigation. Switzerland’s financial contribution for the period 2014-2020 will be calculated in accordance with the standard formula1 applied for the Swiss participation in the EU research Framework Programme.
