Category: GNSS

Esri introduces high-precision GNSS mobile GIS software

In its 47-year history, Esri has never before built a high-precision GNSS mobile GIS software . Sure, one could connect a high-precision GNSS receiver to ArcGIS Mobile or even ArcGIS desktop running on a tablet, but in those cases and all others, there’s no direct support for high-precision GNSS receivers.

By support, I mean the software features that one needs to automatically collect reliable, verifiable and defensible high-precision GNSS coordinates and associated metadata, like real-time estimated accuracy, correction age and other metadata that can be referenced months or years later to understand the quality of the data collected.

Until now…

Collector for ArcGIS is a cross-platform mobile GIS app that’s available for iOS, Windows 10 and Android. Until now, Collector did not differentiate between low-precision GNSS data (for instance, a smartphone’s internal GNSS receiver) and RTK GNSS (centimeter-accuracy) receivers, so it was difficult to know what sort of accuracy one was achieving even when a centimeter-accurate receiver was connected to it.

Esri is on its way to solving this problem.

Earlier this month, Esri introduced a beta version of the new Collector for ArcGIS mobile GIS software that incorporates features for high-precision GNSS data collection. While Collector has been around for a few years, it has not allowed the user to differentiate between low-precision GNSS data (such as a smartphone internal GNSS receiver) and RTK GNSS (centimeter-accuracy) receivers. To circumvent that limitation, high-precision GNSS receiver vendors offered companion apps that run concurrently with Collector to display metadata. However, that’s not a fun solution because if the user wants to records GNSS metadata, he would have to tab between apps and hand-enter the GNSS metadata into attribute fields in Collector.

Another nagging problem for high-precision GNSS users with Collector is the lack of an on-the-fly datum transformation feature. Sources of high-precision GNSS receiver corrections come in different datum flavors (ITRF08, NAD83/2011, NAD83/CSRS, etc.). Those datum flavors don’t necessarily match a user’s GIS database, sometimes introducing a meter or more of error.

Historically, Collector didn’t give the user an opportunity to apply an on-the-fly datum transformation to reconcile datum differences between the high-precision GNSS receiver datum and the geodatabase datum. Yeah, you could fix it later by applying a datum shift after the fact, but it’s a tedious and laborious task to do so, and sort of defeats the purpose of having an efficient real-time GNSS data collection workflow.

I was using the beta version of iOS Collector for ArcGIS this week with a survey-grade RTK GNSS receiver that, according to GPS World’s 2016 Receiver Survey, delivers 1-centimeter RTK accuracy. Setting up the GNSS correction profile is a bit tricky. There are three settings you need to select. Following is a screen capture of the profile settings I used for RTK in Collector when the RTK base was referenced to NAD83/2011:

When setting up a GNSS receiver profile to use WAAS/SBAS as a source of corrections in Collector, you’ll need to select GCS ITRF 2008 instead of GCS NAD 1983 2011.

Once I got the proper datum transformations dialed in, RTK GNSS accuracy was where it should be when compared to a survey mark (3.7mm):

Another tricky area with Collector is the GNSS metadata. It’s great that Collector supports automated GNSS metadata recording, but in order for Collector to record GNSS metadata, you’ll need to follow the Esri data model for GNSS metadata. Essentially, add fields to your database that will be populated. Here’s a link to the supported GNSS metadata fields. http://arcg.is/22h41yR. Note that you’ll need to log in using your Esri account credentials to view the link.

I didn’t add the GNSS metadata fields to the database to try it because this iOS beta version doesn’t support GNSS metadata (Esri says it will be supported on the next beta release), I did collect a bit of data. Here’s what the Collector screen looks like:

Some of the fields on the iPad Mini were cut off (I’ll report that to Esri), but you can see that it is entirely possible for Collector (iOS) to accept and record data from an iPad using an RTK GNSS receiver (note accuracy value at the bottom left corner of the screen.

So, to Esri’s credit, they’ve appeared to address the GNSS metadata and datum transformation problems in the beta release of Collector, making it the first Esri mobile GIS that supports high-precision GNSS. The iOS and Windows 10 beta versions are available now to users who register for Esri’s Collector beta program. For support and answers to questions, you can visit Geonet.

Before you get too excited, even with the new features Collector is still a light-weight mobile GIS and likely always will be, as long as it’s a free app (although not always free to use). But this is certainly a move in the right direction for high-precision GNSS receiver users who want to live in the Esri ArcGIS Online/Portal/Server ecosystem and rid themselves of shp files.

Some of you may beg to differ that Collector is Esri’s first high-precision GNSS mobile GIS data collection software. I know ArcPad has been around for years and has supported high-precision GNSS receivers for many years. In fact, if you install the GeoBullsEye plug-in, ArcPad becomes the only 3D, high-precision GNSS data collection software that works real time in the Esri AGOL/Portal/Server ecosystem. But, it wasn’t built by Esri :-). An Australian company named Maptel built ArcPad, and then Esri acquired the company a few years ago.

While the beta versions of Collector for Windows 10 and iOS are available now, Esri reports that the beta version of Collector for Android should be available next week.

Thanks, and see you next month.
Follow me on Twitter at GPSGIS_Eric

May 19, 2016
Galileo satellites 13 and 14 prepare for launch

Another pair of Galileo navigation satellites is scheduled for launch by a Soyuz rocket on May 24 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, bringing the Galileo system a step closer to operational use.

This video gives an overview of Galileo and shows Galileo 13 and 14 in preparation in Kourou. It includes an interview with Paul Verhoef, ESA director of the Galileo Programme and navigation-related activities.

The European Commission asked the European Space Agency (ESA) to speed up the deployment of the constellation and to increase it’s robustness for delivering initial services, according to ESA.

A total of 12 satellites has been deployed into orbit during the last four years — six in the last year alone.

Learn more about the launch here.

May 18, 2016
Congress yanks funding for OCX

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee withheld the full amount requested by the Pentagon for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 for OCX, the Next-Generation Operational Control System (ground control) for GPS, heretofore deemed necessary to operate the next generation of satellites, GPS III. The Pentagon had asked for $394 million in the upcoming funding cycle, to enable Raytheon to continue work on the program.

If allowed by Congress to continue, OCX may cost as much as $5.3 billion, and there is no certainty that the bill will not rise further.

The Senate committee will not release the $394 million until the Defense Department complies with the requirements of the Nunn-McCurdy Act governing defense programs. Otherwise, Congress could act to terminate OCX.

The terms of the Act now require the Secretary of Defense conduct an in-depth review and then state that the program is essential to the national security, is more important than other programs that will have to be cut to accommodate its cost overruns, and that there are no acceptable alternatives.

From the Defense Department point of view, the new GPS III satellites are essential because of, among other things, their signals’ improved resistance to jamming and cyberattack, an oft-cited peril in the modern global security scenario.

How GPS III could be launched — the first satellite is scheduled for sometime in 2017 — and operated without OCX is not entirely clear, although in February, Lockheed Martin received a $96 million contract to provide contingency control operations for the first GPS III satellites upon launch because OCX won’t be ready.

Raytheon and the U.S. Air Force announced a month ago that OCX “successfully passed the first formal qualification test milestone” needed to check out the system and for the early monitoring of satellites in orbit. That “validates the maturity of the OCX launch and checkout system,” according to a statement by Bill Sullivan, Raytheon’s OCX program director.

Raytheon won the OCX contract in 2010 with a bid somewhat more than $1.5 billion. The Air Force recently made its FY 2017 budget request for $393 million as part of an overall anticipated program cost of $4.82 billion. However, a Bloomberg news report states that the total cost may have risen to $5.3 billion.

May 17, 2016
Payload integration begins next Galileo launch

The first of two Galileo navigation satellites to be orbited on Arianespace’s May 24 Soyuz flight has been integrated on its payload dispenser system, marking a key step as preparations advance for this medium-lift mission from French Guiana.

Named “Danielė,” the Galileo 13 spacecraft was installed this week during activity inside the Spaceport’s S3B payload preparation facility. It is to be joined on the dispenser system by the mission’s other passenger, “Alizée” or Galileo 14, whose own installation is forthcoming, in a side-by-side arrangement.

The pair — each named after children who won a European Commission-organized painting competition in 2011 — are then to be mated atop Soyuz’ Fregat upper stage and encapsulated in the protective payload fairing. Prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany produced the satellites, and their onboard payloads are supplied by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) – which is 99-percent owned by Airbus Defence and Space.

The Galileo FOC satellite “Danielė” is moved into position, then integrated on its payload dispenser at the Spaceport’s S3B payload preparation facility. (Photo: Arianespace)

“Danielė” and “Alizée” will become the 13th and 14th FOC (Full Operational Capability) spacecraft to join Europe’s Galileo navigation system, which was conceived to provide high-quality positioning, navigation and timing services under civilian control. Its FOC phase is managed and funded by the European Commission, with the European Space Agency (ESA) delegated as the design and procurement agent on the Commission’s behalf.

The May 24 flight is designated Flight VS15, and will be performed from the purpose-built ELS launch complex at Europe’s Spaceport. Arianespace’s Soyuz will carry out a nearly 3-hour, 48-minute mission to place its Galileo passengers into a targeted circular orbit at an altitude of 23,522 kilometers, inclined 57.394 degrees to the equator. Total payload lift performance is estimated at 1,599 kg.

May 16, 2016
SSTL delivers 22nd — and final — Galileo FOC payload

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has delivered the 22nd Galileo navigation payload to prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany. This is SSTL’s final payload under Galileo Full Operational Capability (FOC) Works Orders 1 and 2.

SSTL’s FOC payload is based on European-sourced atomic clocks, navigation signal generators, and high-power traveling wave-tube amplifiers and antennas. It will provide Galileo’s navigation, positioning and timing services.

As payload prime contractor, SSTL is responsible for the development, assembly, integration and test of 22 navigation payloads. The first Galileo FOC payload was delivered to OHB in 2012, and since then payloads have continued to roll off the production line at SSTL, with a delivery schedule of approximately one every six weeks.

On May 12, SSTL held an event to mark the occasion, and to celebrate the achievement with the contributors and supporters of the FOC payloads work. Katherine Courtney, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, attended the event and remarked ,“Satellite navigation is an important part of the UK space industry success story and we are at the forefront of innovation in technology and services. Every FOC payload for the Galileo constellation — the beating heart of each satellite — has been built here in Guildford and the completion of this 22nd payload is a significant milestone which should be celebrated. We remain fully committed to the success of the Galileo programme, and look forward to the start of initial services later this year.”

SSTL’s FOC payload comprises different units that have been manufactured by a European supply chain. The modular design of the satellite enables SSTL to assemble the payload units onto three panels for delivery, fully tested, to OHB in Bremen.

The last of the payloads in these two batches has now completed its journey through production and test at SSTL and has been delivered to Germany, where a team of SSTL engineers will assist OHB engineers with integration to the spacecraft platform.

SSTL’s Galileo FOC payload under production. (Photo: SSTL)

“The completion and delivery of the 22nd payload for FOC marks another milestone for SSTL, and I must pay tribute to the talented and dedicated FOC team here who have worked tirelessly to keep the production line rolling for the past four years,” said John Paffett, director of Telecommunications and Navigation at SSTL. “We are extremely proud of our contribution to Europe’s new navigation system, and we are all looking forward to the day that the new service comes on stream, and we can start using it in our daily lives.”

“SSTL has been a reliable partner of the Galileo venture since GIOVE-A,” said aul Verhoef, director of Galileo Programme and Navigation at the European Space Agency. “I wish to thank all SSTL staff for their extremely valuable contribution.”

The subcontractors for SSTL’s Galileo FOC navigation payload are Airbus Defence and Space, Finmeccanica, Spectratime, Kongsberg Norspace, Rymsa, TAS-I, Tesat, Ruag, Mier, ComDev (Honeywell), and Siemens. Testing facilities were provided at Airbus Defence and Space and RAL Space.

The next launch of a pair of Galileo FOC spacecraft is scheduled for May 24 on board a Soyuz launcher from Kourou in French Guiana. Twelve Galileo satellites are already in orbit, and a second launch of four spacecraft is planned for later this year, bringing the total of 18 Galileo satellites in orbit by the end of this year.

May 16, 2016
Is reliance on GPS making us lose our mapping minds?

By Tracy Cozzens
Managing Editor

I love maps. As a child, I was my family’s designated navigator on car trips (or my parents indulged me!).

I studied our roadmaps, searching out each legend icon on the map and finding icons to look up on the legend. I would use the map’s indicators to determine the distance between points and interesting landmarks. I was such a map fanatic, that I spent time one summer recreating in a large size a map of the Ancient Roman Empire. My father asked why. I had no real answer, except that I love history and maps.

Today, some experts are warning that our ability to read and interpret maps might be in jeopardy because of our reliance on GPS devices. Some GPS-reliant drivers make massive blunders, such as a Syrian truck driver who ended up in Gibraltar Point, England, rather than Gibraltar on the south coast of Spain.

Former president of the Royal Institute of Navigation Roger McKinlay told Vox reporter Brad Plumer that our reliance on GPS might be causing our innate navigational capabilities to atrophy over time, which is a problem when our smartphones will only ever be as “smart” as the humans using them.

“Neuroscientists have discovered that our brains have two different specialized systems for navigation,” Plumer writes. “In one system, located in our hippocampus, we create spatial maps of the world around us, understanding how different streets and routes fit together. In the second, located in the caudate nucleus, we make a mental list of the different landmarks we encounter every day.”

By not figuring out routes using maps, and relying solely on turn-by-turn directions, our ability to work out spatial maps and determine our place in the natural world seems to worsen.

“McKinlay argues that schools should teach students map-reading and navigation as a critical life skill,” writes Plumer. “He also suggests that researchers start looking at whether there are ways to design GPS systems so that they help us learn about our environment rather than making us unaware of the world around us. (It’s unclear what exactly this would look like, but what if, as a default, these systems always walked us through the spatial map of where we were going?)”

This map lover is all for it.

May 16, 2016
Galileo 13 satellite fueled for May 24 lift-off

Preparations for Arianespace’s upcoming mission have moved into the fueling phase for the next two Galileo navigation satellites, Galileo 13 and 14. The satellites will be sent into orbit by a medium-lift Soyuz on May 24 from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

Galileo 13 is fueled at the Spaceport for Arianespace’s May 24 mission with Soyuz.

As part of the process, the 13th in the series of Full Operational Capability (FOC) Galileo platforms (Galileo-FOC FM10) has been “topped off” in the Spaceport’s S3B payload preparation facility.

Galileo 13 is named for Lithuanian student Danielė — continuing the practice of designating Galileo spacecraft after youngsters who created space and aeronautics-related drawings that were selected by national juries in European Union member states.

Galileo’s FOC phase is funded and managed by the European Commission, which has designated the European Space Agency as the system’s design and procurement agent. Prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany, produces the Galileo FOC satellites.

This month’s dual Galileo payload mission is designated Flight VS15 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system. It will be the 15th liftoff of the workhorse launcher from French Guiana since Soyuz’ introduction at the Spaceport in 2011.

Flight VS15 is one of up to 12 Arianespace missions targeted for 2016 with the company’s launcher family of the medium-lift Soyuz, heavy-lift Ariane 5 and lightweight Vega. So far this year, Arianespace has performed three launches: two with Ariane 5, and one utilizing Soyuz.

May 10, 2016
Kuwait high-rise goes up with assist from BeiDou

CORS station tracks China’s constellation over three frequencies.

Headquarters for the National Bank of Kuwait, a new 300-meter-tall building under construction, combines concrete, steel, glazing and glass-reinforced concrete in a unique shellfish shape. The engineering challenges behind this building led the engineers of Ahmadiah Company, the contractor, to use GNSS technology to install the core wall structure with millimeter accuracy.

They adopted the core wall control survey method developed by Joël van Cranenbroeck during construction projects in Dubai. To guarantee the precise vertical thrust of a tower during construction, complete control must be maintained of the position of each new element erected on top of the existing core walls. Such new elements, and their formwork structures, must be precisely positioned with respect to the main axis of the design reference frame, defined as the vertical positioned in the tower center. This means that the position of the formwork structures at the top of the tower must be continuously measured during erection of the building.

Core walls are constructed bit by bit, one on top of the other. Each core wall element consists of several concrete pours. The placement of the formwork structure on top of existing core walls must be done precisely, determined from the position of previously placed elements. For this purpose, control points (nails in this instance) are set in the top of the concrete. The basic task of the surveyor is to determine the coordinates of these control points and to compute and stake out the position of the formwork structure in a design reference system based on the main axis of the tower. Dual-axis inclinometers, precise leveling observations and vertical laser plummets complete the method, which is based on a sensor fusion approach.

Active Control Points

A small network of three to four GNSS receivers and antennas are installed on top of the formwork to provide control points to total station operators. As the construction stages rise, surveyor sightings of ground-based control points decrease.

An active GNSS control point consists of a 360° reflector with a GNSS antenna screwed on its top. The coordinates obtained by post-processing the GNSS observations are transformed in the local datum and are available for any total-station “free station” calculation operating on the building top.

The technique has proven to be successful in several other projects worldwide. Comparisons with resection on ground control points, when made possible by tower height, indicated differences of less than a few millimeters.

GNSS CORS Station

As GNSS can only deliver such performances in differential mode, this requires setup of a local GNSS base station.

The local GNSS CORS station receiver and a geodetic-grade GNSS antenna were placed near the construction site and connected to an Internet router to provide easy access whenever the data had to be downloaded for post-processing the GNSS receivers placed on top of the building.

To confirm that the GNSS observations by the selected reference receiver match with those of GNSS receivers used in previous similar projects, a zero baseline test was performed by connecting both sets of equipment to the same GNSS antenna. Simultaneously, a temporary GNSS base station was set up using another geodetic receiver.

All the RINEX data collected over an hour was processed using open-source RTK-LIB software. The results showed less than a millimeter variation between the receiver selected for the project and those used on previous projects.

The baseline components between the temporary base station and both receivers showed respectively 1 millimeter in X and Y (WGS-84) and 2 millimeters in Z difference.

BeiDou Role

Up to 11 BeiDou satellites are now visible in the sky over Kuwait. By setting up the selected BeiDou-capable receiver as a local CORS station — processing signals over the three constellation frequencies (B1, B2 and B3) — project operators benefit from additional GNSS signals that aid positioning where obstructions make GNSS use challenging.

The National Bank of Kuwait construction is the first GNSS CORS station tracking Beidou satellite signals deployed in the Middle East area. Surveyors on this job can access remotely via the on-board web server all the information (satellites in view, quality indicators, memory, RINEX files and so on), and can evaluate the impact of new signals and new frequencies within the context of an exceptional architectural project.

Manufacturers

The GNSS M300 Pro from ComNav Technology (Shanghai, China), a multi-purpose GNSS receiver for a range of applications, has 256 channels tracking GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou, with Galileo capability.

Joël Van Cranenbroeck established Creative Geosensing Belgium as an engineering geodesy consultancy company specialized in high-definition positioning, positioning infrastructures (CORS network) and monitoring.

May 9, 2016
GSA: 40 percent of GNSS receivers are Galileo-ready
60 percent support two or more constellations

Chipset and receiver manufacturers are already equipping their devices with multi-constellation capabilities, including Galileo, and taking advantage of available services, according to a new analysis by the European GNSS Agency (GSA).

The study examines the global top 31 companies and reviews publicly available technical documentation on their product portfolios, for more than 300 receivers, chipsets and modules available on the market. The parameters researched included such technical specifications as GNSS core constellation capabilities, space-based augmentation system (SBAS) capabilities and the market segments to which the manufacturers sell their products.

Each device is given equal weight in the results displayed here, regardless of whether it is a chipset or a receiver and no matter what its sales volume. The results should therefore be interpreted not as the distribution of constellations utilized by end-users, but rather the distribution of constellations available in a manufacturer’s offerings. Because some receiver models are used in more than one market segment, it is impossible to have a direct match between general analysis charts and segment charts.

Figure 1 shows the percentage of available receivers capable of tracking the various constellations. GPS is naturally present in all devices, followed by GLONASS. Galileo and BeiDou are progressively adopted by leading manufacturers.

Figure 1. Capability of GNSS receivers, all Segments.

Figure 2 shows the percentage of available receivers capable of tracking signals from one GNSS (that is, GPS only), two GNSS (in various combinations), three GNSS, or tracking signals from all constellations at the same time. The percentages add up to 100.

Figure 2. Supported constellation by receivers, all segments.

From this information, the GSA concludes that almost 60 percent of all available receivers, chipset and modules support a minimum of two constellations. Of these, nearly 40 percent are Galileo compatible. Furthermore, knowing that the top three providers of smartphone chips are on track to be Galileo compatible by the time Initial Services are declared later this year, the actual market share — this time taking into account the number of devices — is likely to be much higher than the 40 percent of Galileo-compatible models. The GSA states that this shows a multi-constellation capability including Galileo is becoming a standard feature across all market segments.

Market segments

Breaking down this level of Galileo compatibility further, the GSA found variations across different market sectors. In the high-precision market, used primarily for surveying and agriculture applications, all the leading brands have integrated Galileo into their products.

For example, in 2008 Septentrio launched a fully integrated industrial Galileo-capable GNSS receiver, followed 1.5 years later by a multi-frequency multi-constellation OEM platform for machine control and survey applications built on a new, Galileo-capable application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) tracking all Galileo signals and frequencies, called AsteRx3. Likewise, Javad GNSS‘ Triumph receivers track all satellite systems, including Galileo. Other companies in the high-precision market who have integrated Galileo into their products include NovAtel, Furuno, Leica Geosystems, ComNav, Trimble and Topcon.

Looking toward automotive and mass-market products in general, the integration of Galileo within the hardware is complete, although activation tends to remain pending, depending on the request of customer. Most companies serving this sector — including u-blox, STMicroelectronics, Broadcom, Qualcomm, Intel and Mediatek — have announced products that are Galileo-capable.

In regulated transport systems where safety and liability critical applications are key (for example, aviation, maritime and rail), the integration of Galileo signals tends to be slower. This is the result of integration being dependent on the updating of necessary standards and regulations, on top of the very long lifespan of these devices.

Supporting integration

To further increase the level of Galileo integration in all three of these market sectors, the GSA continues to work directly with chipset and receiver manufacturers, through technology workshops, sharing Galileo updates, co-marketing efforts, and dedicated funding for receiver development projects and studies.

The GSA also coordinated a comprehensive testing program in cooperation with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the European Space Agency (ESA). Over the past year, hundreds of tests and live in-field testing hours were conducted, verifying how different models integrate Galileo signals. This information allows manufacturers to update their technology and get the most out of the system’s increased accuracy and reliability within a multi-constellation environment.

The GSA also launched its Fundamental Elements program, a research and development funding mechanism supporting the development of chipsets and receivers. The program will run through 2020 and has a projected budget of 111.5 million euros. Its main objective is to facilitate the development of applications across different sectors of the economy and promote the development of such fundamental elements as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers.

The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research program, which aims to foster adoption of Galileo via content and application development, focuses on the integration of services provided by Galileo into devices and their commercialization. The Horizon 2020 third call for applications in satellite navigation-Galileo will open in November 2016, with a March 2017 deadline.

With a budget of approximately 100 million euros for the 2014–2020 period dedicated to Europoean GNSS applications, the program provides excellent opportunities for their development. The third call addresses concrete solutions and applications in the GNSS market and aims to support innovative applications, products, feasibility studies and market tests that have a substantial impact on European innovation, know-how and economy.

New ICD. The European Commission has published a new release of the Galileo Open Service Signal in Space Interface Control Document (OS SIS ICD v1.2). This document provides the information needed by receiver and chipset manufacturers, application developers and service providers to process and make use of the open signals generated by the Galileo satellites. In particular, the document specifies:
- Galileo signal characteristics
- characteristics of Galileo spreading codes
- Galileo message structure
- message data contents.
This latest version of the ICD is based on direct feedback from receiver manufacturers and other stakeholders.

The GSA is well advanced in developing the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC), which provides the single interface for information and help to users of the Galileo OS. Once fully developed, the GSC will operate on a 24/7 basis and offer a range of services, including hosting the Galileo User Helpdesk, providing the interfaces between the Galileo System and OS users, and hosting a center of expertise for OS service aspects.

“The analysis, testing, funding and knowledge sharing are all geared towards promoting the development of receiver technology — the key enabler for translating Galileo signals into useful services,” said Carlo des Dorides, GSA executive director. “As a result of this work, the GSA has paved the way for Galileo to be fully integrated into a new generation of receivers, and ensured its signals provide a wide array of innovative applications and services that directly benefit the end-user.”

Galileo Services, an industry consortium, offered this further perspective on the study. “We see that there is a strong interest from European industry to provide solutions for European GNSS applications globally,” said Gard Ueland, chairman. “An increased focus from European institutions leaves us optimistic for an increased presence of European players in the future. Notably, we see members of Galileo Services and OREGIN that already have or are developing receivers for a broad range of applications, in particular building on Galileo differentiators.”
May 9, 2016
Papers sought for IGNSS conference in Sydney
The call for papers is now open for IGNSS 2016, set for Dec. 6-8 in Sydney, Australia. Closing date for abstract submission is July 4; and the final date for the submission of papers requiring peer review is Sept. 26.

The International GNSS Society (IGNSS) runs the Southeast Asian region’s premier conference on GNSS and related position, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies. It will bring together leaders in GNSS and PNT to examine the latest technology, present cutting-edge research and discuss in open forums the implications for policy, market development and positioning infrastructure deployment.

IGNSS 2016 will showcase a number of contemporary topics including, the role of PNT in automated land and aerial vehicles, the growing range of commercial precise positioning services, hard infrastructure issues such as space based augmentation systems, and soft infrastructure issues such as datum modernization and mitigation of system vulnerabilities. These hot topics will be discussed in the context of the latest system developments fueling the multi-GNSS era.

Topics will include the following:
- Emerging Application Areas for GNSS
- Key Industries and their Reliance on GNSS
- Aviation and Avionics
- Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems
- Maritime Applications
- Unmanned Aerial Systems
- Alternatives to GNSS
- National Positioning Infrastructure
- Policies and Standards
- GNSS Augmentation including SBAS
- Datums and Geodesy
- National and International GNSS Developments
- Embracing the Multi-GNSS Era
- GNSS Receiver Development
- GNSS Vulnerability
- Machine Guidance in Agriculture, Construction and Mining
Learn more at the conference website.
May 4, 2016
South Korea to build eLoran system after jamming incident

South Korea will award a contract this month to secure technology required to build an eLoran system as an alternative to GPS, reports the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC).

The announcement follows South Korea pointing the finger at North Korea for jamming its GPS signal reception in late March.

The South Korean eLoran plan envisions setting up coastal transmitters by the end of 2019, said Seo Ji-won, a government advisory panel member and professor at Yonsei University.

“The need for us is especially high, because of the deliberate signal interference by North Korea,” a South Korean government official told Reuters, as reported by ABC.

The latest jamming campaign from the North began on March 31. According to ABC, the jamming lasted nearly a week and affected signal reception of more than 1,000 aircraft and 700 ships, with the jamming originating from five locations along the border, South Korean officials said.

GPS vulnerability poses security and commercial risks, especially for ships whose crews are not familiar with traditional navigation techniques or using paper charts. Vessels such as fishing boats lack backup electronic navigation systems.

Air traffic was not usually affected because the GPS system is normally used as a backup in South Korea, not a primary navigation tool.

GPS in the United States and Europe could also experience malicious jamming attacks, reinforcing the need for a backup alternative such as eLoran.

May 3, 2016
System of Systems: OCX passes first qualification

OCX Passes First Qualification

Raytheon, US Air Force Complete Test Milestone

On March 4, Raytheon successfully passed the first formal qualification test milestone for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX). The new system offers significant improvements to the GPS on which the U.S. military and millions of civilians rely, including enhanced availability, accuracy and security.

The event was the Configuration Item Qualification Test (CIQT) milestone for the Launch and Checkout System (LCS). The system provides launch and early orbit checkout capabilities for the modernized GPS III satellites and implements 77 percent of the cybersecurity capabilities for the overall OCX program. The testing was successfully conducted in a representative operational environment with a government-provided GPS III satellite simulator.

The LCS CIQT Run-for-Record was completed more than one month ahead of the plan established in mid-2015, clearing the way for LCS to proceed toward the Factory Qualification Test, the next major qualification event. The FQT test will be at the integrated system level and will take place this summer.

GPS OCX is being developed by Raytheon under contract to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, which is replacing the current GPS operational control system. The OCX Launch and Checkout System provides an early delivery of a large subset of the overall OCX capability, and will support the GPS III satellite launches.

Congressmen Seek Delay to NDGPS Closings

Four U.S. congressman sent a letter to the Department of Transportation, asking the DoT to delay shutting down Nationwide Differential GPS (NDGPS) sites, a proposal that was posted in the Federal Register.

The congressmen are asking for a delay until the “administration has decided upon and implemented a resilient national positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) architecture.”

“We do not dispute,” they wrote, “the administration’s determination that NDGPS is sufficiently like the Wide Area Augmentation system (WAAS) in its phenomenology and services such that it provides only an incremental benefit to the nation’s PNT architecture. However, some or all of the 62 NDGPS sites (and associated equipment) proposed for elimination could play an important role in achieving the PNT architecture America needs.

“Ceasing transmissions, decommissioning, and disposing of them before we are assured they are not useful to future systems is against our national interest and would not be the best use of government assets and funds.”

Signers were John Garamendi of California, Peter DeFazio of Oregon, Frank Lobiondo of New Jersey, and Walter B. Jones of North Carolina. Read the full text of the letter.

IRNSS Completing

At press time, India was expected to put into orbit its seventh and final navigation satellite on April 28, thus completing the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).

IRNSS-1G is expected to launch aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from India’s spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

IRNSS is designed to provide accurate position information service to users across the country and region, up to an area of 1,500 kilometers.

Jamming on the Borderline

South Korea issued a warning in late March after detecting satellite signal disruptions that appeared to be coming from North Korea. The capital city of Seoul appeared to be the target.

Officials said North Korea discharged a large amount of radio waves to jam GPS signals in the region.

“We’ve detected signs that North Korea has been sending radio waves to the capital area since a month ago to disrupt GPS signals,” a senior government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “North Korea had been sending test waves since last month, but today, they discharged the largest amount.”

The disruptions could cause mobile phones to malfunction and affect planes and ships that rely on GPS for navigation. No damage has so far been reported in the military or among civilians, officials said.

Since 2010, GPS disruptions have occurred three times in South Korea, and all have been blamed on the North.

Southern Counter. On April 7, the U.S. State Department confirmed the jamming in a public communique, stating the the jamming was causing signal disruptions to airplanes, ships, and buoys in the area “surrounding Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces out to about 100 nautical miles.” On April 8, the South Korean government said it would “beef up its system to protect GPS signals” but did not explain how.

South Korea is developing an eLoran system, which would be far more difficult to jam than GPS.

A Long March-3A carrier rocket carrying the 22nd BeiDou satellite lifts off March 30.

22 BeiDou

China launched the 22nd BeiDou satellite into orbit on March 29. BeiDou-22 (or BeiDou-2 I6) was launched at 20:11 UTC (4:11 local time) by a Long March-3A rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

China launched the 21st BeiDou satellite on Feb. 1, the second in a series of BeiDou launches scheduled for 2016. The BeiDou constellation is planned to be completed in 2020.

The new satellite, the sixth BeiDou-2 IGSO, will be used to replenish the current operating regional system.

The satellite, after entering its designed work orbit and finishing in-orbit testing, will join others already in orbit and improve the stability of the system, preparing for BDS to offer global coverage.

After landing in French Guiana, the 13th and 14th Galileo satellites, still within their canisters, were unloaded to be taken by road to the Guiana Space Centre. (Photo: ESA)

Next Pair Prepped for Galileo

The latest pair of navigation satellites has reached Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). This starts a new Galileo launch campaign that will culminate in a May 24 launch of the 13th and 14th satellites in the constellation.

A second launch is planned for this fall, with four satellites carried aloft on a customized Ariane 5 for the first time, bringing the count to 18 Galileo satellites in orbit by the end of the year.

The pair of satellites left ESA’s technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, on April 4, cocooned within protective air-conditioned containers. They were then driven to Luxembourg Airport, where they were loaded aboard a Boeing 747 cargo jet for a dawn takeoff the following morning.

The satellites touched down at Cayenne — Félix Eboué Airport in French Guiana at 11:15 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Still within their canisters, they were driven to the Guiana Space Centre and unboxed that evening within the cleanroom environment of the centre’s S1A payload preparation building. A fit check is scheduled next, to ensure the satellites can be attached to the dispenser.

ESNC 2016

The largest international competition for the commercial use of satellite navigation once again seeks outstanding ideas and business models, with prizes worth a total of €1 million in more than 25 categories.

The deadline for submissions to the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) is June 30. The official website provides all relevant information on prizes, partners, and terms of participation. The ESNC is geared toward individuals and teams from companies, research facilities and universities around the world.

May 1, 2016