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Tag: data fusion

  • Route Masters to build integrated public transport platform for African megacities

    Route Masters to build integrated public transport platform for African megacities

    Photo: peeterv/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
    Photo: peeterv/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

    Route Masters signed up to U.K. program SPRINT to develop an innovative transport management solution for African cities

    Route Masters, based at the European Space Agency BIC UK in Harwell in Oxfordshire, has signed up to the national SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) business support program to develop an innovative transport management solution for African cities.

    Funding from SPRINT will enable Route Masters to collaborate with the University of Leicester on building a full suite of technology tools and algorithmic data models. This will help the company to achieve its aim of becoming the largest integrated public-transport platform for emerging African megacities.

    Route Masters is developing an algorithm based on single-band GNSS positioning within cities. The solution will deliver transport flow models superimposed on satellite-based city maps. The technology utilizes applied mathematics to build digital route maps that will accurately deliver journey times and modes for city planning tools and mobile navigation applications for consumers.

    This data fusion project will combine dual-band GNSS with single-band GNSS and satellite derived city maps. The solution will be leveraged to deliver planning and control intelligence services and consumer services and, after University of Leicester validation, it will be tested and deployed as an active prototype in Lagos, Nigeria.

    The University of Leicester will provide Route Masters with expertise in algorithms and software development for data driven space projects as well as high-performance computational (HPC) facilities.

    The project will be funded by a grant from the £4.8 million SPRINT programme that provides unprecedented access to university space expertise and facilities. SPRINT helps businesses through the commercial exploitation of space data and technologies.

    “We’re a highly ambitious sustainable business with the goal of creating the largest technology-enabled data platform for transport on the African continent,” Meir Wachs, CEO of Route Masters, said. “The support of SPRINT will enable us to develop our technology in specific areas, working with the Leicester mathematics school to accelerate our development in certain key areas and to build a robust and rigorous solution that can make an actual impact on the world.”

    “Projects such as this SPRINT one with Route Masters are of great benefit to the university as they enable us to engage with vibrant companies and transfer our knowledge into commercial innovative applications,” added Alberto Paganini, Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at the University of Leicester.

    “We’re bringing advanced mathematical methods, data analysis and software development to the project, not only supporting the commercial development of Route Masters’ technology but also allowing us to integrate the insight gained into our curriculum to further enhance the employability skills of our students.”

    Muyiwa Omopariola, Lead Transport Analyst at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) also expressed his support for the project, noting, “I greatly support technology innovation in the transport sector, especially in Lagos and across the emerging world. We look forward to seeing their continued progress.”

  • Alstom pioneers use of Galileo to help measure location and speed of trains

    Alstom pioneers use of Galileo to help measure location and speed of trains

    Photo: Alstrom
    Photo: Alstrom

    News from the European GNSS Agency

    In June, Alstom became the first railway manufacturer to integrate certified data-fusion algorithms for fail-safe train localization, using position and speed of trains based on GNSS data coming from multiple constellations, including Galileo.

    The added value of Galileo and EGNOS in the European railway sector is widely known, especially when it comes to non-safety applications, such asset management and passenger information services.

    In recent years, however, with multi-constellation becoming the norm and multifrequency receivers being adopted rapidly, rail stakeholders view GNSS-based solutions as game-changers for the future of European Train Control System (ETCS).

    A recent example of EGNSS adoption in rail operations is the innovative odometry solution deployed by Alstom to measure the location and speed of its trains. The French rolling-stock manufacturer introduced a new sensor type, with a hybridisation of satellite information and inertial sensors. The solution is primarily using GNSS Doppler information, derived from Galileo, GPS and GLONASS constellations (configurable).

    Such use allows to improve the overall confidence in the resulting speed, along with specific algorithms to master the resulting location accuracy. The GNSS receiver is an automotive grade receiver manufactured by u-blox. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) used to supplement information in case of GNSS loss is based on enhanced micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, with temperature compensation.

    The new odometry system based on data fusion, which Alstom is currently implementing in Norway, is applicable to all types of trains and all environments, including the harshest weather conditions. It is estimated that by 2026, 450 trains will be equipped with this new feature across Norway.

    Increased safety, lower costs for rail companies

    Wheel slipping and sliding especially during demanding weather conditions can affect the odometer accuracy and the proper functioning of the different sensors involved. By incorporating Galileo signals as an extra layer of accuracy, Alstom managed to create a system that is capable of providing a more robust speed and location estimate. This space data fusion approach —certified by Belgorail — minimizes the need for the costly external radar components for localisation and speed measurement currently used.

    “Industry embedding Galileo in their solutions is the proof that we are on the right path to ensure the market uptake of the EU Space Programme technology,” said Rodrigo da Costa, GSA executive director. “This is a recognition of the capability of EGNSS to reduce the need for infrastructure and related cost, while maintaining the operational safety of ETCS.”