Monthly Archives: February 2017

Smart cities get a boost from Galileo

Smart cities get a boost from GalileoThe vision of a smart transport system for cities has so far given rise to many technologies, from driverless cars to automatic detection of incidents and traffic light-free transportation designs. The GHOST consortium is contributing with a solution of its own: geo-localised snapshots of ‘Points of interest’ (POI) reporting the likes of street lighting anomalies or road deterioration.

The idea behind GHOST (Galileo EnHancement as BoOster of the Smart CiTies) is simple yet incredibly effective. Instead of requiring heavy investment in new technologies, the consortium makes use of existing public transport solutions and connects them to a web portal by means of a camera equipped with a Galileo receiver. Once set up, the system takes pictures of predefined POIs, sends them to an image processing server that automatically detects anomalies, and reports these anomalies to relevant authorities by means of a web portal. Read more…

Leave a reply

Septentrio GNSS technology guarantees DEME’s operations in areas of interference

Septentrio_AsteRxThe Belgian dredging, environmental and engineering group DEME relies on the accuracy and reliability of the AsteRx family of precise GNSS positioning solutions from Septentrio.

DEME is using Septentrio’s AsteRx GNSS receivers to obtain centimetre-level accuracy for all their dredging and marine construction operations worldwide. These receivers are specifically designed to operate in difficult conditions: from ice-covered Arctic ports to the tropical climates of Southeast Asia; whether dredging a few metres from the coast line to constructing wind turbines kilometres out at sea. Read more…

Leave a reply

FCC seeks comments on Galileo use in US

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is inviting public comments on the European Commission’s request for a waiver of licensing requirements applicable to Galileo receivers in the United States. Comments are due Feb. 21. Read the notice here.

If the waiver is approved, Galileo-capable receivers won’t need to be licensed in the U.S. At present, FCC rules require that receivers operating with non-U.S.-licensed space stations obtain a license. Read more…

Leave a reply

Galileo Commercial Service Implementing Decision enters into force

Welcoming the adoption of the Galileo Commercial Service Implementing Decision, the European Commission and the GSA confirm that the first generation of Galileo will provide users with High Accuracy and Authentication services. The Commercial Service will complement the Galileo Open Service by providing an additional navigation signal and added-value services in a different frequency band. Unlike the Open Service, the Commercial Service signal can be encrypted in order to control access to Galileo Commercial Services.

“The Commercial Service is unique in that its services are not provided by any other GNSS programme and thus represents a unique opportunity for Galileo to differentiate itself from other systems and offer users an added value to the standard positioning services already available,” says GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. Read more…

Leave a reply

Do winter weather conditions have an effect on the accuracy of GNSS devices?

GPS receiver at Concordia Research Station, AntarcticaAlthough most of us won’t be navigating through such extreme conditions, to find out, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) asked the experts working in Antarctica.

The holidays are over and all we are left with is another couple of months of cold, wet and foggy winter weather. And there’s nothing worse than having to travel in winter weather conditions. Whether it’s walking to a meeting or driving across town, at least you can depend on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), including Galileo, to help guide you to your destination along the most efficient route possible. All you have to do is plug the coordinates into your smartphone or in-vehicle navigation device, bundle up and head out – letting GNSS take care of the rest. Read more…

Leave a reply

Timing service based on Galileo

The timing services supplied by global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are an increasingly important, but often unrecognised, part of today’s modern infrastructure.

This is because the vital role of space-based timing is only exposed when it fails – something that became abundantly clear in January 2016, when a software upload to US GPS satellites induced a 13-microsecond misalignment.

Although this might seem like a small difference, it had a big impact. Read more…

Leave a reply

u-blox launches ultra-small multi-GNSS module

ZOE-M8Gu‑blox (SIX:UBXN), a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and chips, announced the launch of ZOE‑M8G, an ultra‑compact GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver module, especially designed for markets where small size, minimal weight and high location precision are essential.

ZOE‑M8G offers exceptionally high location accuracy by concurrently connecting to GPS, Galileo and either GLONASS or BeiDou. It also provides industry‑leading -167 dBm navigation sensitivity. This makes the ultra‑small ZOE‑M8G perfect for wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and asset tracker applications. Read more…

Leave a reply