European GNSS Agency

Following the challenges of 2020, this year will be a key year for the EU Space Programme, European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa said at a panel discussion at the Munich Satellite Navigation Conference, which was held online on March 16-17. The GSA executive director went on to outline some of the upcoming events to look forward to in the year ahead.

The decision to expand the GSA into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) was motivated, among others, by a desire to support Europe’s investment in space, da Costa told the Munich conference participants, adding that this was yet another confirmation that space is an economic enabler with a positive spill-over effect in many sectors of the economy. 

“With EUSPA, new horizons are opening up and the generation of synergies between the different components of the space programme is very much in focus,” he said. Da Costa added that, by combining navigation and Earth observation it would be possible to create value-adding solutions, for example, that mitigate the risk of disasters like oil spills, illegal fishing, or support new precision agriculture practices.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

On Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22, it has become a tradition for us to take a look at how the European Space programme, Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, is helping to protect the environment by driving innovation and enabling solutions that increase efficiency across a wide range of sectors, from aviation and maritime transport to energy and engineering. However, it is in the agriculture sector in particular that synergies between the three EU space components are helping to reduce the environmental footprint.

EU farmers are leveraging synergies between Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus to increase crop productivity, make processes more efficient and reduce resource use with a view to improving their environmental footprint. One example of this is the Spanish company Ixoriguè, which is leveraging satellite and other technology to optimise processes in mountain stockbreeding, which is usually difficult to achieve due to the challenging geographical terrain. 

Read this: Space synergies key for EUSPA

The Ixoriguè solution is an excellent example of how by integrating satellite positioning, sensors, Earth observation with data management and analysis, it is possible to respond to various livestock management needs. In the solution, better geo-localization performance is achieved thanks to Galileo, and when this is combined with Copernicus Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 Earth observation data, Ixoriguè is able to predict grazing areas and available pasture, providing data-driven recommendations to optimise pasture and cattle management.

Solutions platform

Another project that harnesses space synergies, specifically Copernicus and Galileo, in the service of more sustainable agriculture is the FaST digital service platform. Supported by the European Commission’s DG AGRI, DG DEFIS, and the EU ISA2 Programme (DG DIGIT), the platform aims to provide EU farmers, Member State Paying Agencies, farm advisors and developers of digital solutions with capabilities for agriculture, environment and sustainability. The platform uses data from Galileo and Copernicus and will help lay the foundations of a comprehensive digital ecosystem for sustainable farm and land management in Europe. It will support farmers in their administrative decision-making processes, for farm profitability and environmental sustainability. 

Innovative ideas

The Farming by Satellite competition has consistently generated innovative ideas that increase efficiency and improve the environmental footprint of agriculture, and last year was no different. The contestants were tasked with creating a new sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture solution using Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus, and they did exactly that. 

And this: Space synergies to drive economic growth and job creation

First prize in the 2020 edition of the competition went to the Spanish startup Graniot, for a web application that uses European satellite technologies to help agronomists and farmers monitor crops, reduce water waste and avoid poor fertilizer practices. Second prize in the competition went to the Italian team Genuine, for another web-based solution that identifies crop stress and calculates the optimal tractor path for irrigation and fertilisation using Copernicus, EGNOS and Galileo. Third prize went to AI4OceanFarming, for a solution that uses satellite data to identify ocean farming threats such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), ocean acidification (OA), and invasive species. Finally, the Africa prize winner GeoM&E monitoring coffee farms in central Kenya, and indicating the changes over time and areas where farmers could increase yield.

A key objective of the European Space Programme is to support the European Union in achieving its priority policy goals. One such policy objective is the European Green Deal. Through the projects highlighted above, and countless other initiatives, services and applications that make European industries, including agriculture, more efficient – Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are helping the EU to achieve its sustainability goals and to make Europe greener.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

On Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22, it has become a tradition for us to take a look at how the European Space programme, Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, is helping to protect the environment by driving innovation and enabling solutions that increase efficiency across a wide range of sectors, from aviation and maritime transport to energy and engineering. However, it is in the agriculture sector in particular that synergies between the three EU space components are helping to reduce the environmental footprint.

EU farmers are leveraging synergies between Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus to increase crop productivity, make processes more efficient and reduce resource use with a view to improving their environmental footprint. One example of this is the Spanish company Ixoriguè, which is leveraging satellite and other technology to optimise processes in mountain stockbreeding, which is usually difficult to achieve due to the challenging geographical terrain. 

Read this: Space synergies key for EUSPA

The Ixoriguè solution is an excellent example of how by integrating satellite positioning, sensors, Earth observation with data management and analysis, it is possible to respond to various livestock management needs. In the solution, better geo-localization performance is achieved thanks to Galileo, and when this is combined with Copernicus Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 Earth observation data, Ixoriguè is able to predict grazing areas and available pasture, providing data-driven recommendations to optimise pasture and cattle management.

Solutions platform

Another project that harnesses space synergies, specifically Copernicus and Galileo, in the service of more sustainable agriculture is the FaST digital service platform. Supported by the European Commission’s DG AGRI, DG DEFIS, and the EU ISA2 Programme (DG DIGIT), the platform aims to provide EU farmers, Member State Paying Agencies, farm advisors and developers of digital solutions with capabilities for agriculture, environment and sustainability. The platform uses data from Galileo and Copernicus and will help lay the foundations of a comprehensive digital ecosystem for sustainable farm and land management in Europe. It will support farmers in their administrative decision-making processes, for farm profitability and environmental sustainability. 

Innovative ideas

The Farming by Satellite competition has consistently generated innovative ideas that increase efficiency and improve the environmental footprint of agriculture, and last year was no different. The contestants were tasked with creating a new sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture solution using Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus, and they did exactly that. 

And this: Space synergies to drive economic growth and job creation

First prize in the 2020 edition of the competition went to the Spanish startup Graniot, for a web application that uses European satellite technologies to help agronomists and farmers monitor crops, reduce water waste and avoid poor fertilizer practices. Second prize in the competition went to the Italian team Genuine, for another web-based solution that identifies crop stress and calculates the optimal tractor path for irrigation and fertilisation using Copernicus, EGNOS and Galileo. Third prize went to AI4OceanFarming, for a solution that uses satellite data to identify ocean farming threats such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), ocean acidification (OA), and invasive species. Finally, the Africa prize winner GeoM&E monitoring coffee farms in central Kenya, and indicating the changes over time and areas where farmers could increase yield.

A key objective of the European Space Programme is to support the European Union in achieving its priority policy goals. One such policy objective is the European Green Deal. Through the projects highlighted above, and countless other initiatives, services and applications that make European industries, including agriculture, more efficient – Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are helping the EU to achieve its sustainability goals and to make Europe greener.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A European-wide survey aimed at identifying user requirements and use cases for future EU GOVSATCOM services was launched by Member States and EU agencies within the ENTRUSTED project, coordinated by the GSA. The survey is targeted at governmental and institutional users managing security-critical missions, operations and infrastructures. Information will be collected between April and June this year. The survey results will provide key elements to consolidate and prioritise the user requirements for the EU GOVSATCOM programme. For more information, click here.

Governmental and institutional entities need to rely on satellite communications (SatCom) whenever standard communication links are not available and secure communication is needed. The 2021-2027 EU Space Programme will enable the provision of secure SatCom services to governmental users under its new component – the Governmental Satellite Communications (EU GOVSATCOM) Programme. 

Understanding user requirements

The survey will assess the current and evolving needs of prospective EU GOVSATCOM users and qualify the way how they are currently using the existing secure SatCom capabilities. Information obtained from respondents will be aggregated and used to derive a set of prioritised user requirements for future EU GOVSATCOM services and identify relevant use cases. 

Read this: Agile governance needed for secure space systems

“Understanding user requirements is key to providing a targeted service that meets the needs of the user community. This survey will be invaluable in understanding what users expect from EU GOVSATCOM and will help us in shaping future service delivery,” said Flavio SBARDELLATI, project manager for ENTRUSTED at GSA. “We urge all governmental users interested in the GOVSATCOM programme to respond to the survey and help shape the evolution of the service,” he said. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A European-wide survey aimed at identifying user requirements and use cases for future EU GOVSATCOM services was launched by Member States and EU agencies within the ENTRUSTED project, coordinated by the GSA. The survey is targeted at governmental and institutional users managing security-critical missions, operations and infrastructures. Information will be collected between April and June this year. The survey results will provide key elements to consolidate and prioritise the user requirements for the EU GOVSATCOM programme. For more information, click here.

Governmental and institutional entities need to rely on satellite communications (SatCom) whenever standard communication links are not available and secure communication is needed. The 2021-2027 EU Space Programme will enable the provision of secure SatCom services to governmental users under its new component – the Governmental Satellite Communications (EU GOVSATCOM) Programme. 

Understanding user requirements

The survey will assess the current and evolving needs of prospective EU GOVSATCOM users and qualify the way how they are currently using the existing secure SatCom capabilities. Information obtained from respondents will be aggregated and used to derive a set of prioritised user requirements for future EU GOVSATCOM services and identify relevant use cases. 

Read this: Agile governance needed for secure space systems

“Understanding user requirements is key to providing a targeted service that meets the needs of the user community. This survey will be invaluable in understanding what users expect from EU GOVSATCOM and will help us in shaping future service delivery,” said Flavio SBARDELLATI, project manager for ENTRUSTED at GSA. “We urge all governmental users interested in the GOVSATCOM programme to respond to the survey and help shape the evolution of the service,” he said. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A European-wide survey aimed at identifying user requirements and use cases for future EU GOVSATCOM services was launched by Member States and EU agencies within the ENTRUSTED project, coordinated by the GSA. The survey is targeted at governmental and institutional users managing security-critical missions, operations and infrastructures. Information will be collected between April and June this year. The survey results will provide key elements to consolidate and prioritise the user requirements for the EU GOVSATCOM programme. For more information, click here.

Governmental and institutional entities need to rely on satellite communications (SatCom) whenever standard communication links are not available and secure communication is needed. The 2021-2027 EU Space Programme will enable the provision of secure SatCom services to governmental users under its new component – the Governmental Satellite Communications (EU GOVSATCOM) Programme. 

Understanding user requirements

The survey will assess the current and evolving needs of prospective EU GOVSATCOM users and qualify the way how they are currently using the existing secure SatCom capabilities. Information obtained from respondents will be aggregated and used to derive a set of prioritised user requirements for future EU GOVSATCOM services and identify relevant use cases. 

Read this: Agile governance needed for secure space systems

“Understanding user requirements is key to providing a targeted service that meets the needs of the user community. This survey will be invaluable in understanding what users expect from EU GOVSATCOM and will help us in shaping future service delivery,” said Flavio SBARDELLATI, project manager for ENTRUSTED at GSA. “We urge all governmental users interested in the GOVSATCOM programme to respond to the survey and help shape the evolution of the service,” he said. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The 2021 edition of the Galileo Masters opens for submissions on April 19. As in previous years, the 2021 competition is looking for services, applications and business cases that use EGNSS (Galileo and EGNOS), either alone or in synergy with other space components, to tackle important challenges faced by business and society. Want to take your EGNSS-based innovative idea from the drawing board to the market? Click here for more information.

The prize pool in this year’s Galileo Masters is EUR 785,000, which will be spread across seven key challenges, three of which are supported by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The topics of the three GSA challenges build on last year themes, so if you had an idea for last year’s competition that you didn’t manage to bring to fruition, now is the time to dust it off and get it ready for this year!

3 GSA challenges

The EU Space Programme offers free and open data and services that can help monitor and potentially mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. This is the focus of the first challenge from the GSA - Space for Being Safe and Healthy. Under this challenge, we are looking for solutions that use downstream space data provided by Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus to help stem the spread of COVID-19 or to mitigate its impact in the short and long term. 

Read this: MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone: A word from the winners

In our Space for Fun challenge, we are looking for solutions that use Galileo and EGNOS data in the gaming, sports and leisure, and tourism markets. This challenge covers a number of market segments and so there is a wide scope for innovative ideas requiring accurate and authenticated positioning. Finally, we are looking for new applications to address other ongoing challenges, including climate change and environmental degradation, which require urgent attention and innovative solutions. These are the focus of the third GSA challenge - Space for our Planet.

“The COVID pandemic is still with us and, while there were some excellent ideas in last year’s competition for solutions to help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of the pandemic, there is still a lot of scope to leverage Galileo and EGNOS, either alone or in synergy with Earth observation data from Copernicus, to help us in facing this challenge,” said Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director at the GSA. “This is why we have decided to give innovators another opportunity to put forward their ideas this year,” he said.

Watch this: Celebrating 2 billion Galileo enabled smartphones

Through the Galileo Masters, the GSA supports entrepreneurs and start-ups in making their ideas a reality, producing services and applications that respond to societal needs and that address some of the most pressing challenges that we currently face. Another initiative that supports start-ups, and one that might be potentially very useful for Galileo Masters applicants, helping them to get inspiration and to flesh out their ideas, is the new Space Crossroads – a series of online broadcasts where industry leaders, experts, investors and big players share their space experience.

Inspiration from past ideas

If an idea for an application has not yet crystallised in your mind, perhaps you can take some inspiration from past winners of the Galileo Masters prize. The overall prize in the Galileo Masters 2020  went to Angsa Robotics for “Clive,” Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. Thanks to its unique artificial neural network architecture, “Clive” can move independently while detecting and localising individual objects, which enables it to clean grass and gravel areas.

The overall winner of the 2019 Galileo Masters was Performance Cockpit, a business intelligence system that aims to lessen the environmental footprint of the aviation sector by increasing operational efficiency and considerably reducing fuel consumption. The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry.

Inspired? Sign up now and take your idea to the next level in the Galileo Masters 2021!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The 2021 edition of the Galileo Masters opens for submissions on April 19. As in previous years, the 2021 competition is looking for services, applications and business cases that use EGNSS (Galileo and EGNOS), either alone or in synergy with other space components, to tackle important challenges faced by business and society. Want to take your EGNSS-based innovative idea from the drawing board to the market? Click here for more information.

The prize pool in this year’s Galileo Masters is EUR 785,000, which will be spread across seven key challenges, three of which are supported by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The topics of the three GSA challenges build on last year themes, so if you had an idea for last year’s competition that you didn’t manage to bring to fruition, now is the time to dust it off and get it ready for this year!

3 GSA challenges

The EU Space Programme offers free and open data and services that can help monitor and potentially mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. This is the focus of the first challenge from the GSA - Space for Being Safe and Healthy. Under this challenge, we are looking for solutions that use downstream space data provided by Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus to help stem the spread of COVID-19 or to mitigate its impact in the short and long term. 

Read this: MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone: A word from the winners

In our Space for Fun challenge, we are looking for solutions that use Galileo and EGNOS data in the gaming, sports and leisure, and tourism markets. This challenge covers a number of market segments and so there is a wide scope for innovative ideas requiring accurate and authenticated positioning. Finally, we are looking for new applications to address other ongoing challenges, including climate change and environmental degradation, which require urgent attention and innovative solutions. These are the focus of the third GSA challenge - Space for our Planet.

“The COVID pandemic is still with us and, while there were some excellent ideas in last year’s competition for solutions to help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of the pandemic, there is still a lot of scope to leverage Galileo and EGNOS, either alone or in synergy with Earth observation data from Copernicus, to help us in facing this challenge,” said Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director at the GSA. “This is why we have decided to give innovators another opportunity to put forward their ideas this year,” he said.

Watch this: Celebrating 2 billion Galileo enabled smartphones

Through the Galileo Masters, the GSA supports entrepreneurs and start-ups in making their ideas a reality, producing services and applications that respond to societal needs and that address some of the most pressing challenges that we currently face. Another initiative that supports start-ups, and one that might be potentially very useful for Galileo Masters applicants, helping them to get inspiration and to flesh out their ideas, is the new Space Crossroads – a series of online broadcasts where industry leaders, experts, investors and big players share their space experience.

Inspiration from past ideas

If an idea for an application has not yet crystallised in your mind, perhaps you can take some inspiration from past winners of the Galileo Masters prize. The overall prize in the Galileo Masters 2020  went to Angsa Robotics for “Clive,” Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. Thanks to its unique artificial neural network architecture, “Clive” can move independently while detecting and localising individual objects, which enables it to clean grass and gravel areas.

The overall winner of the 2019 Galileo Masters was Performance Cockpit, a business intelligence system that aims to lessen the environmental footprint of the aviation sector by increasing operational efficiency and considerably reducing fuel consumption. The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry.

Inspired? Sign up now and take your idea to the next level in the Galileo Masters 2021!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The 2021 edition of the Galileo Masters opens for submissions on April 19. As in previous years, the 2021 competition is looking for services, applications and business cases that use EGNSS (Galileo and EGNOS), either alone or in synergy with other space components, to tackle important challenges faced by business and society. Want to take your EGNSS-based innovative idea from the drawing board to the market? Click here for more information.

The prize pool in this year’s Galileo Masters is EUR 785,000, which will be spread across seven key challenges, three of which are supported by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The topics of the three GSA challenges build on last year themes, so if you had an idea for last year’s competition that you didn’t manage to bring to fruition, now is the time to dust it off and get it ready for this year!

3 GSA challenges

The EU Space Programme offers free and open data and services that can help monitor and potentially mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. This is the focus of the first challenge from the GSA - Space for Being Safe and Healthy. Under this challenge, we are looking for solutions that use downstream space data provided by Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus to help stem the spread of COVID-19 or to mitigate its impact in the short and long term. 

Read this: MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone: A word from the winners

In our Space for Fun challenge, we are looking for solutions that use Galileo and EGNOS data in the gaming, sports and leisure, and tourism markets. This challenge covers a number of market segments and so there is a wide scope for innovative ideas requiring accurate and authenticated positioning. Finally, we are looking for new applications to address other ongoing challenges, including climate change and environmental degradation, which require urgent attention and innovative solutions. These are the focus of the third GSA challenge - Space for our Planet.

“The COVID pandemic is still with us and, while there were some excellent ideas in last year’s competition for solutions to help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of the pandemic, there is still a lot of scope to leverage Galileo and EGNOS, either alone or in synergy with Earth observation data from Copernicus, to help us in facing this challenge,” said Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director at the GSA. “This is why we have decided to give innovators another opportunity to put forward their ideas this year,” he said.

Watch this: Celebrating 2 billion Galileo enabled smartphones

Through the Galileo Masters, the GSA supports entrepreneurs and start-ups in making their ideas a reality, producing services and applications that respond to societal needs and that address some of the most pressing challenges that we currently face. Another initiative that supports start-ups, and one that might be potentially very useful for Galileo Masters applicants, helping them to get inspiration and to flesh out their ideas, is the new Space Crossroads – a series of online broadcasts where industry leaders, experts, investors and big players share their space experience.

Inspiration from past ideas

If an idea for an application has not yet crystallised in your mind, perhaps you can take some inspiration from past winners of the Galileo Masters prize. The overall prize in the Galileo Masters 2020  went to Angsa Robotics for “Clive,” Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. Thanks to its unique artificial neural network architecture, “Clive” can move independently while detecting and localising individual objects, which enables it to clean grass and gravel areas.

The overall winner of the 2019 Galileo Masters was Performance Cockpit, a business intelligence system that aims to lessen the environmental footprint of the aviation sector by increasing operational efficiency and considerably reducing fuel consumption. The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry.

Inspired? Sign up now and take your idea to the next level in the Galileo Masters 2021!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The 2021 edition of the Galileo Masters opens for submissions on April 19. As in previous years, the 2021 competition is looking for services, applications and business cases that use EGNSS (Galileo and EGNOS), either alone or in synergy with other space components, to tackle important challenges faced by business and society. Want to take your EGNSS-based innovative idea from the drawing board to the market? Click here for more information.

The prize pool in this year’s Galileo Masters is EUR 785,000, which will be spread across seven key challenges, three of which are supported by the European GNSS Agency (GSA). The topics of the three GSA challenges build on last year themes, so if you had an idea for last year’s competition that you didn’t manage to bring to fruition, now is the time to dust it off and get it ready for this year!

3 GSA challenges

The EU Space Programme offers free and open data and services that can help monitor and potentially mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. This is the focus of the first challenge from the GSA - Space for Being Safe and Healthy. Under this challenge, we are looking for solutions that use downstream space data provided by Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus to help stem the spread of COVID-19 or to mitigate its impact in the short and long term. 

Read this: MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone: A word from the winners

In our Space for Fun challenge, we are looking for solutions that use Galileo and EGNOS data in the gaming, sports and leisure, and tourism markets. This challenge covers a number of market segments and so there is a wide scope for innovative ideas requiring accurate and authenticated positioning. Finally, we are looking for new applications to address other ongoing challenges, including climate change and environmental degradation, which require urgent attention and innovative solutions. These are the focus of the third GSA challenge - Space for our Planet.

“The COVID pandemic is still with us and, while there were some excellent ideas in last year’s competition for solutions to help society mitigate and adapt to the effects of the pandemic, there is still a lot of scope to leverage Galileo and EGNOS, either alone or in synergy with Earth observation data from Copernicus, to help us in facing this challenge,” said Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director at the GSA. “This is why we have decided to give innovators another opportunity to put forward their ideas this year,” he said.

Watch this: Celebrating 2 billion Galileo enabled smartphones

Through the Galileo Masters, the GSA supports entrepreneurs and start-ups in making their ideas a reality, producing services and applications that respond to societal needs and that address some of the most pressing challenges that we currently face. Another initiative that supports start-ups, and one that might be potentially very useful for Galileo Masters applicants, helping them to get inspiration and to flesh out their ideas, is the new Space Crossroads – a series of online broadcasts where industry leaders, experts, investors and big players share their space experience.

Inspiration from past ideas

If an idea for an application has not yet crystallised in your mind, perhaps you can take some inspiration from past winners of the Galileo Masters prize. The overall prize in the Galileo Masters 2020  went to Angsa Robotics for “Clive,” Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. Thanks to its unique artificial neural network architecture, “Clive” can move independently while detecting and localising individual objects, which enables it to clean grass and gravel areas.

The overall winner of the 2019 Galileo Masters was Performance Cockpit, a business intelligence system that aims to lessen the environmental footprint of the aviation sector by increasing operational efficiency and considerably reducing fuel consumption. The Aeroficial Intelligence system leverages Galileo positioning and EGNOS augmentation in data-driven solutions that increase operational efficiency and considerably reduce fuel consumption in the aviation industry.

Inspired? Sign up now and take your idea to the next level in the Galileo Masters 2021!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the Space Crossroads, a series of online broadcasts where we will discuss how space is inspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups, enabling new ideas to scale up. The series will feature contributions from industry leaders, experts, investors and big players, who will share their space experience. The format will also allow for Q&As and networking opportunities. Sounds intriguing? Then see you at our first Space Crossroads!

On Thursday 22 April, the GSA will kick off the Space Crossroads, a series dedicated to the people and businesses whose paths keep crossing with space, to discuss how this interaction is enabling the creation of innovative ideas and new businesses and start-ups. 

So, what has inspired the Space Crossroads? Well, in recent years, the GSA has attracted over 600 EU start-ups to participate in the MyGalileoApp, MyGalileoSolution, MyGalileoDrone and other competitions and hackathons. However, winning a competition is only the beginning of a steep learning curve. Ensuring stable revenue is the ultimate dream of all start-ups, and nothing is more important than networking when it comes to getting the first customers on board! 

Through the Space Crossroads, the GSA intends to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs with leaders, experts, investors and big players, creating a supportive environment where new ideas can flourish and move closer to market. Every episode will present exciting new guests and topics. The setting is informal, so grab a coffee and relax in the cosy virtual corner that we have created, where you can interact with speakers and participants. 

Sharing best practices

The Space Crossroads series offers a platform where a virtual community of GSA-incubated start-ups and entrepreneurs can share experiences and best practices to help new ideas and innovation thrive. In the series, GSA start-ups and others can meet, ask questions, receive feedback, learn from each other and make valuable connections.

Read this: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

The Space Crossroads community consist of two different channels, a Slack group where members can exchange information at any time; and a series of virtual webcasts organized every other Thursday by the GSA with the contribution of a rich line up of guests.  The Slack group, which will be moderated by the GSA, will be the place to ask questions and share experiences.  

Topic focused

The series will be available to registered Space Crossroads members, every week you will receive in your inbox a link to the agenda of the next meeting and a log-in to the webcast. The webcasts are chaired by the GSA and feature a calendar of topics and guests, creating a virtual crossroads where ideas and people meet and travel on to new horizons. The registration will be soon available on this page.

The topics and dates of the first four webcasts are: 

• How to step up your game and start playing with the big kids: April 22, 16:00-17:00 
• Receivers: the heart of GNSS solutions: May 6,  16:00-17:00 
• Start-up 101: writing a success story: May 20,  16:00-17:00 
• The top 10 mistakes in B2B sales: 3 June, 16:00-17:00

To see the full draft programme of upcoming webcasts, click here.  

Sneak peek

In the first episode we will start strong to finish even stronger. We will address the elephant in the room for every start-up: how start-ups and young entrepreneurs can get their foot in the door of big companies and create opportunities for cooperation, and how to market and pitch to large corporations.

We will discuss these and other points with our first guest: Ed Parsons from Google. Ed Parsons is a Geospatial Technologist at Google, a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Geospatial Consortium, a Visiting Professor at University College London and, previously, a successful entrepreneur. Join us next Thursday, 22 April, to learn more!

The webcasts will be available through a webex link. Mark your calendars, this is something you certainly do not want to miss!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the Space Crossroads, a series of online broadcasts where we will discuss how space is inspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups, enabling new ideas to scale up. The series will feature contributions from industry leaders, experts, investors and big players, who will share their space experience. The format will also allow for Q&As and networking opportunities. Sounds intriguing? Then see you at our first Space Crossroads!

On Thursday 22 April, the GSA will kick off the Space Crossroads, a series dedicated to the people and businesses whose paths keep crossing with space, to discuss how this interaction is enabling the creation of innovative ideas and new businesses and start-ups. 

So, what has inspired the Space Crossroads? Well, in recent years, the GSA has attracted over 600 EU start-ups to participate in the MyGalileoApp, MyGalileoSolution, MyGalileoDrone and other competitions and hackathons. However, winning a competition is only the beginning of a steep learning curve. Ensuring stable revenue is the ultimate dream of all start-ups, and nothing is more important than networking when it comes to getting the first customers on board! 

Through the Space Crossroads, the GSA intends to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs with leaders, experts, investors and big players, creating a supportive environment where new ideas can flourish and move closer to market. Every episode will present exciting new guests and topics. The setting is informal, so grab a coffee and relax in the cosy virtual corner that we have created, where you can interact with speakers and participants. 

Sharing best practices

The Space Crossroads series offers a platform where a virtual community of GSA-incubated start-ups and entrepreneurs can share experiences and best practices to help new ideas and innovation thrive. In the series, GSA start-ups and others can meet, ask questions, receive feedback, learn from each other and make valuable connections.

Read this: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

The Space Crossroads community consist of two different channels, a Slack group where members can exchange information at any time; and a series of virtual webcasts organized every other Thursday by the GSA with the contribution of a rich line up of guests.  The Slack group, which will be moderated by the GSA, will be the place to ask questions and share experiences.  

Topic focused

The series will be available to registered Space Crossroads members, every week you will receive in your inbox a link to the agenda of the next meeting and a log-in to the webcast. The webcasts are chaired by the GSA and feature a calendar of topics and guests, creating a virtual crossroads where ideas and people meet and travel on to new horizons. The registration will be soon available on this page.

The topics and dates of the first four webcasts are: 

• How to step up your game and start playing with the big kids: April 22, 16:00-17:00 
• Receivers: the heart of GNSS solutions: May 6,  16:00-17:00 
• Start-up 101: writing a success story: May 20,  16:00-17:00 
• The top 10 mistakes in B2B sales: 3 June, 16:00-17:00

To see the full draft programme of upcoming webcasts, click here.  

Sneak peek

In the first episode we will start strong to finish even stronger. We will address the elephant in the room for every start-up: how start-ups and young entrepreneurs can get their foot in the door of big companies and create opportunities for cooperation, and how to market and pitch to large corporations.

We will discuss these and other points with our first guest: Ed Parsons from Google. Ed Parsons is a Geospatial Technologist at Google, a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Geospatial Consortium, a Visiting Professor at University College London and, previously, a successful entrepreneur. Join us next Thursday, 22 April, to learn more!

The webcasts will be available through a webex link. Mark your calendars, this is something you certainly do not want to miss!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the Space Crossroads, a series of online broadcasts where we will discuss how space is inspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups, enabling new ideas to scale up. The series will feature contributions from industry leaders, experts, investors and big players, who will share their space experience. The format will also allow for Q&As and networking opportunities. Sounds intriguing? Then see you at our first Space Crossroads!

On Thursday 22 April, the GSA will kick off the Space Crossroads, a series dedicated to the people and businesses whose paths keep crossing with space, to discuss how this this interaction is enabling the creation of innovative ideas and new businesses and start-ups. 

So, what has inspired the Space Crossroads? Well, in recent years, the GSA has attracted over 600 EU start-ups to participate in the MyGalileoApp, MyGalileoSolution, MyGalileoDrone and other competitions and hackathons. However, winning a competition is only the beginning of a steep learning curve. Ensuring stable revenue is the ultimate dream of all start-ups, and nothing is more important than networking when it comes to getting the first customers on board! 

Through the Space Crossroads, the GSA intends to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs with leaders, experts, investors and big players, creating a supportive environment where new ideas can flourish and move closer to market. Every episode will present exciting new guests and topics. The setting is informal, so grab a coffee and relax in the cosy virtual corner that we have created, where you can interact with speakers and participants. 

Sharing best practices

The Space Crossroads series offers a platform where a virtual community of GSA-incubated start-ups and entrepreneurs can share experiences and best practices to help new ideas and innovation thrive. In the series, GSA start-ups and others can meet, ask questions, receive feedback, learn from each other and make valuable connections.

Read this: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

The Space Crossroads community consist of two different channels, a Slack group where members can exchange information at any time; and a series of virtual webcasts organized every other Thursday by the GSA with the contribution of a rich line up of guests.  The Slack group, which will be moderated by the GSA, will be the place to ask questions and share experiences.  

Topic focused

The series will be available to registered Space Crossroads members, every week you will receive in your inbox a link to the agenda of the next meeting and a log-in to the webcast. The webcasts are chaired by the GSA and feature a calendar of topics and guests, creating a virtual crossroads where ideas and people meet and travel on to new horizons. The registration will be soon available on this page.

The topics and dates of the first four webcasts are: 

• How to step up your game and start playing with the big kids: April 22, 16:00-17:00 
• Receivers: the heart of GNSS solutions: May 6,  16:00-17:00 
• Start-up 101: writing a success story: May 20,  16:00-17:00 
• The top 10 mistakes in B2B sales: 3 June, 16:00-17:00

To see the full draft programme of upcoming webcasts, click here.  

Sneak peek

In the first episode we will start strong to finish even stronger. We will address the elephant in the room for every start-up: how start-ups and young entrepreneurs can get their foot in the door of big companies and create opportunities for cooperation, and how to market and pitch to large corporations.

We will discuss these and other points with our first guest: Ed Parsons from Google. Ed Parsons is a Geospatial Technologist at Google, a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Geospatial Consortium, a Visiting Professor at University College London and, previously, a successful entrepreneur. Join us next Thursday, 22 April, to learn more!

The webcasts will be available through a webex link. Mark your calendars, this is something you certainly do not want to miss!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the Space Crossroads, a series of online broadcasts where we will discuss how space is inspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups, enabling new ideas to scale up. The series will feature contributions from industry leaders, experts, investors and big players, who will share their space experience. The format will also allow for Q&As and networking opportunities. Sounds intriguing? Then see you at our first Space Crossroads!

On Thursday 22 April, the GSA will kick off the Space Crossroads, a series dedicated to the people and businesses whose paths keep crossing with space, to discuss how this this interaction is enabling the creation of innovative ideas and new businesses and start-ups. 

So, what has inspired the Space Crossroads? Well, in recent years, the GSA has attracted over 600 EU start-ups to participate in the MyGalileoApp, MyGalileoSolution, MyGalileoDrone and other competitions and hackathons. However, winning a competition is only the beginning of a steep learning curve. Ensuring stable revenue is the ultimate dream of all start-ups, and nothing is more important than networking when it comes to getting the first customers on board! 

Through the Space Crossroads, the GSA intends to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs with leaders, experts, investors and big players, creating a supportive environment where new ideas can flourish and move closer to market. Every episode will present exciting new guests and topics. The setting is informal, so grab a coffee and relax in the cosy virtual corner that we have created, where you can interact with speakers and participants. 

Sharing best practices

The Space Crossroads series offers a platform where a virtual community of GSA-incubated start-ups and entrepreneurs can share experiences and best practices to help new ideas and innovation thrive. In the series, GSA start-ups and others can meet, ask questions, receive feedback, learn from each other and make valuable connections.

Read this: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

The Space Crossroads community consist of two different channels, a Slack group where members can exchange information at any time; and a series of virtual webcasts organized every other Thursday by the GSA with the contribution of a rich line up of guests.  The Slack group, which will be moderated by the GSA, will be the place to ask questions and share experiences.  

Topic focused

The series will be available to registered Space Crossroads members, every week you will receive in your inbox a link to the agenda of the next meeting and a log-in to the webcast. The webcasts are chaired by the GSA and feature a calendar of topics and guests, creating a virtual crossroads where ideas and people meet and travel on to new horizons. The registration will be soon available on this page.

The topics and dates of the first four webcasts are: 

• How to step up your game and start playing with the big kids: April 22, 16:00-17:00 
• Receivers: the heart of GNSS solutions: May 6,  16:00-17:00 
• Start-up 101: writing a success story: May 20,  16:00-17:00 
• The top 10 mistakes in B2B sales: 3 June, 16:00-17:00

To see the full draft programme of upcoming webcasts, click here.  

Sneak peek

In the first episode we will start strong to finish even stronger. We will address the elephant in the room for every start-up: how start-ups and young entrepreneurs can get their foot in the door of big companies and create opportunities for cooperation, and how to market and pitch to large corporations.

We will discuss these and other points with our first guest: Ed Parsons from Google. Ed Parsons is a Geospatial Technologist at Google, a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Geospatial Consortium, a Visiting Professor at University College London and, previously, a successful entrepreneur. Join us next Thursday, 22 April, to learn more!

The webcasts will be available through a webex link. Mark your calendars, this is something you certainly do not want to miss!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Galileo programme has reached an important milestone, with an estimated 2 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones sold until today. This is an incredible achievement, when we think that the first Galileo-enabled smartphone only hit the market in 2016, and shows that the market has been quick to trust and embrace the advantages that Galileo offers.

Galileo has come a long way since its first entry in the world of smartphones with the launch, in July 2016, of the Aquaris X5 Plus by BQ. Since then the market has expanded rapidly and there are currently over 600 smartphone / tablet models available to users.

“2 billion smartphones sold is a remarkable achievement, and bears testimony to the fact that the market understands and appreciates the added value that Galileo brings in terms of availability, robustness and reliability,” said GSA Guerric Pont, Acting Head of Galileo Services Department. “By providing a highly performing and secure European Global Navigation Satellite System such as Galileo in a multi-constellation world, users of smartphones and wearables can rely on a more accurate and reliable positioning information, especially in urban environments”, he continued , “we are very proud that 40 global smartphone brands are putting their trust in Galileo and its team”.

Watch this: Does my phone #UseGalileo?

Major GNSS segment

The smartphone segment is a major GNSS market. According to the most recent GSA GNSS Market Report, the global installed base of GNSS devices in use is forecast to increase from 6.4 billion in 2019 to 9.6 billion in 2029, with shipments of smartphones outnumbering all other devices.

 “At the GSA, we have been working consistently with user communities and industry to understand their needs and meet their requirements, while at the same time increasing awareness of Galileo’s benefits. Having these large number of Galileo devices in the users’ hands, open also a great potential for downstream entrepreneurs that can now quickly bring their innovative applications to the market. The GSA is supporting European start-ups and SMEs to fully benefit of these opportunities.” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Are you benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To see if your smartphone, or other device, is on the list of Galileo-enabled devices, visit UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Galileo programme has reached an important milestone, with an estimated 2 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones sold until today. This is an incredible achievement, when we think that the first Galileo-enabled smartphone only hit the market in 2016, and shows that the market has been quick to trust and embrace the advantages that Galileo offers.

Galileo has come a long way since its first entry in the world of smartphones with the launch, in July 2016, of the Aquaris X5 Plus by BQ. Since then the market has expanded rapidly and there are currently over 600 smartphone / tablet models available to users.

“2 billion smartphones sold is a remarkable achievement, and bears testimony to the fact that the market understands and appreciates the added value that Galileo brings in terms of availability, robustness and reliability,” said GSA Guerric Pont, Acting Head of Galileo Services Department. “By providing a highly performing and secure European Global Navigation Satellite System such as Galileo in a multi-constellation world, users of smartphones and wearables can rely on a more accurate and reliable positioning information, especially in urban environments”, he continued , “we are very proud that 40 global smartphone brands are putting their trust in Galileo and its team”.

Watch this: Does my phone #UseGalileo?

Major GNSS segment

The smartphone segment is a major GNSS market. According to the most recent GSA GNSS Market Report, the global installed base of GNSS devices in use is forecast to increase from 6.4 billion in 2019 to 9.6 billion in 2029, with shipments of smartphones outnumbering all other devices.

 “At the GSA, we have been working consistently with user communities and industry to understand their needs and meet their requirements, while at the same time increasing awareness of Galileo’s benefits. Having this large number of Galileo devices in the users’ hands, open also a great potential for downstream entrepreneurs that can now quickly bring their innovative applications to the market. The GSA is supporting European start-ups and SMEs to fully benefit of these opportunities.” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Are you benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To see if your smartphone, or other device, is on the list of Galileo-enabled devices, visit UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Galileo programme has reached an important milestone, with an estimated 2 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones sold until today. This is an incredible achievement, when we think that the first Galileo-enabled smartphone only hit the market in 2016, and shows that the market has been quick to trust and embrace the advantages that Galileo offers.

Galileo has come a long way since its first entry in the world of smartphones with the launch, in July 2016, of the Aquaris X5 Plus by BQ. Since then the market has expanded rapidly and there are currently over 600 smartphone / tablet models available to users.

“2 billion smartphones sold is a remarkable achievement, and bears testimony to the fact that the market understands and appreciates the added value that Galileo brings in terms of availability, robustness and reliability,” said GSA Guerric Pont, Acting Head of Galileo Services Department. “By providing a highly performing and secure European Global Navigation Satellite System such as Galileo in a multi-constellation world, users of smartphones and wearables can rely on a more accurate and reliable positioning information, especially in urban environments”, he continued , “we are very proud that 40 global smartphone brands are putting their trust in Galileo and its team”.

Watch this: Does my phone #UseGalileo?

Major GNSS segment

The smartphone segment is a major GNSS market. According to the most recent GSA GNSS Market Report, the global installed base of GNSS devices in use is forecast to increase from 6.4 billion in 2019 to 9.6 billion in 2029, with shipments of smartphones outnumbering all other devices.

 “At the GSA, we have been working consistently with user communities and industry to understand their needs and meet their requirements, while at the same time increasing awareness of Galileo’s benefits. Having this large number of Galileo devices in the users’ hands, open also a great potential for downstream entrepreneurs that can now quickly bring their innovative applications to the market. The GSA is supporting European start-ups and SMEs to fully benefit of these opportunities.” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Are you benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To see if your smartphone, or other device, is on the list of Galileo-enabled devices, visit UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Galileo programme has reached an important milestone, with an estimated 2 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones sold until today. This is an incredible achievement, when we think that the first Galileo-enabled smartphone only hit the market in 2016, and shows that the market has been quick to trust and embrace the advantages that Galileo offers.

Galileo has come a long way since its first entry in the world of smartphones with the launch, in July 2016, of the Aquaris X5 Plus by BQ. Since then the market has expanded rapidly and there are currently over 600 smartphone / tablet models available to users.

“2 billion smartphones sold is a remarkable achievement, and bears testimony to the fact that the market understands and appreciates the added value that Galileo brings in terms of availability, robustness and reliability,” said GSA Guerric Pont, Acting Head of Galileo Services Department. “By providing a highly performing and secure European Global Navigation Satellite System such as Galileo in a multi-constellation world, users of smartphones and wearables can rely on a more accurate and reliable positioning information, especially in urban environments”, he continued , “we are very proud that 40 global smartphone brands are putting their trust in Galileo and its team”.

Watch this: Does my phone #UseGalileo?

Major GNSS segment

The smartphone segment is a major GNSS market. According to the most recent GSA GNSS Market Report, the global installed base of GNSS devices in use is forecast to increase from 6.4 billion in 2019 to 9.6 billion in 2029, with shipments of smartphones outnumbering all other devices.

 “At the GSA, we have been working consistently with user communities and industry to understand their needs and meet their requirements, while at the same time increasing awareness of Galileo’s benefits. Having these large number of Galileo devices in the users’ hands, open also a great potential for downstream entrepreneurs that can now quickly bring their innovative applications to the market. The GSA is supporting European start-ups and SMEs to fully benefit of these opportunities.” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Are you benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To see if your smartphone, or other device, is on the list of Galileo-enabled devices, visit UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Galileo programme has reached an important milestone, with an estimated 2 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones sold until today. This is an incredible achievement, when we think that the first Galileo-enabled smartphone only hit the market in 2016, and shows that the market has been quick to trust and embrace the advantages that Galileo offers.

Galileo has come a long way since its first entry in the world of smartphones with the launch, in July 2016, of the Aquaris X5 Plus by BQ. Since then the market has expanded rapidly and there are currently over 600 smartphone / tablet models available to users.

“2 billion smartphones sold is a remarkable achievement, and bears testimony to the fact that the market understands and appreciates the added value that Galileo brings in terms of availability, robustness and reliability,” said GSA Guerric Pont, Acting Head of Galileo Services Department. “By providing a highly performing and secure European Global Navigation Satellite System such as Galileo in a multi-constellation world, users of smartphones and wearables can rely on a more accurate and reliable positioning information, especially in urban environments”, he continued , “we are very proud that 40 global smartphone brands are putting their trust in Galileo and its team”.

Watch this: Does my phone #UseGalileo?

Major GNSS segment

The smartphone segment is a major GNSS market. According to the most recent GSA GNSS Market Report, the global installed base of GNSS devices in use is forecast to increase from 6.4 billion in 2019 to 9.6 billion in 2029, with shipments of smartphones outnumbering all other devices.

 “At the GSA, we have been working consistently with user communities and industry to understand their needs and meet their requirements, while at the same time increasing awareness of Galileo’s benefits. Having these large number of Galileo devices in the users’ hands, open also a great potential for downstream entrepreneurs that can now quickly bring their innovative applications to the market. The GSA is supporting European start-ups and SMEs to fully benefit of these opportunities.” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Are you benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To see if your smartphone, or other device, is on the list of Galileo-enabled devices, visit UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched a new Call for Proposals for the “Acceleration of EGNOS Adoption in Transport”. The objective of the Call is to foster EGNOS uptake in the European aviation, maritime, inland waterways and railway sectors. The deadline for submissions is 19 July 2021. An informative webinar on the call will be held on 23 April; to register, click here. For more information on the call, click here.

A core mission of the GSA is to support European Union objectives and achieve the highest possible return on EU investment in space in terms of benefits to users and economic growth and competitiveness. This is the motivation behind the new Call, which aims to foster EGNOS adoption in transport by enabling users to get equipped with GPS/SBAS-enabled terminals, and supporting Air Navigation Service Providers, airports/heliports, maritime authorities and rail stakeholders in implementing and testing EGNOS-based operations. The budget for the Call is EUR 3,000,000 with the possibility to extend to EUR 10,000,000 depending on budget availability.

EGNOS in aviation

In the aviation sector, implementation actions will include approaches benefitting from Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance 200 (LPV200) service level, PinS LPV procedures and low-level Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) routes in Europe, as well as other advanced operations such as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) routes using SBAS or other operations that help aviation to become more sustainable . 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation - Making Europe's airports more accessible

It will also consider pilot cases on advanced navigation operations benefitting from EGNOS, assessment of new operational scenarios, such as implementation in aerodromes with limited infrastructure and activities promoting the use of EGNOS for other communication and surveillance applications in all phases of flight. The result of this activity will be a wide scale operational implementation of EGNOS-based operations across European airports and airspace users.

By rail and water

In the maritime and inland waterways sector, applications will target the deployment of shore station equipment that enables the transmission of EGNOS corrections over IALA and AIS stations. On the end user side, the activity aims at increasing the use of terminals on board vessels. It also targets the operational introduction of EGNOS in port operations, such as the development and use of EGNOS-capable Portable Pilot units to assist local pilots in the safe navigation of the piloted vessel.

And this: EGNOS and Galileo for Rail

Finally, in the rail sector, the action aims at facilitating the introduction of EGNSS in safety-critical applications. On one hand, it will enable demonstration of EGNSS-based train localisation safety for future inclusion in the ERTMS, by installing the necessary equipment in pilot lines. On the other, the action will enable early EGNSS operational introduction in rail signalling by focusing on non-interoperable railway lines.

An informative webinar on the Call will be held on 23 April; to register, click here. The webinar will cover possible application areas, current trends in the targeted segments as well as the participation rules and detailed instructions to applicants.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched a new Call for Proposals for the “Acceleration of EGNOS Adoption in Transport”. The objective of the Call is to foster EGNOS uptake in the European aviation, maritime, inland waterways and railway sectors. The deadline for submissions is 19 July 2021. An informative webinar on the call will be held on 23 April; to register, click here. For more information on the call, click here.

A core mission of the GSA is to support European Union objectives and achieve the highest possible return on EU investment in space in terms of benefits to users and economic growth and competitiveness. This is the motivation behind the new Call, which aims to foster EGNOS adoption in transport by enabling users to get equipped with GPS/SBAS-enabled terminals, and supporting Air Navigation Service Providers, airports/heliports, maritime authorities and rail stakeholders in implementing and testing EGNOS-based operations. The budget for the Call is EUR 3,000,000 with the possibility to extend to EUR 10,000,000 depending on budget availability.

EGNOS in aviation

In the aviation sector, implementation actions will include approaches benefitting from Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance 200 (LPV200) service level, PinS LPV procedures and low-level Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) routes in Europe, as well as other advanced operations such as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) routes using SBAS or other operations that help aviation to become more sustainable . 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation - Making Europe's airports more accessible

It will also consider pilot cases on advanced navigation operations benefitting from EGNOS, assessment of new operational scenarios, such as implementation in aerodromes with limited infrastructure and activities promoting the use of EGNOS for other communication and surveillance applications in all phases of flight. The result of this activity will be a wide scale operational implementation of EGNOS-based operations across European airports and airspace users.

By rail and water

In the maritime and inland waterways sector, applications will target the deployment of shore station equipment that enables the transmission of EGNOS corrections over IALA and AIS stations. On the end user side, the activity aims at increasing the use of terminals on board vessels. It also targets the operational introduction of EGNOS in port operations, such as the development and use of EGNOS-capable Portable Pilot units to assist local pilots in the safe navigation of the piloted vessel.

And this: EGNOS and Galileo for Rail

Finally, in the rail sector, the action aims at facilitating the introduction of EGNSS in safety-critical applications. On one hand, it will enable demonstration of EGNSS-based train localisation safety for future inclusion in the ERTMS, by installing the necessary equipment in pilot lines. On the other, the action will enable early EGNSS operational introduction in rail signalling by focusing on non-interoperable railway lines.

An informative webinar on the Call will be held on 23 April; to register, click here. The webinar will cover possible application areas, current trends in the targeted segments as well as the participation rules and detailed instructions to applicants.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is organising a webinar on 13 April to provide information on the ‘Enhanced Galileo Green Lane - Design and Implementation’ call. Starting at 15:00 CET, the webinar will last just over an hour and will provide useful information for all parties interested in participating in this invitation to tender. For more information about the tender, click here, and to register for the webinar, click here.

The GSA and the European Commission worked together to develop the Galileo Green Lane app in April 2020 in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The goal was to facilitate the movement of critical goods and freight within the EU in support of the COVID-19 response. 

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the interest of key institutional stakeholders, such as the International Road Transport Union (IRU), in supporting the EU freight transport community, the GSA has launched a new procurement procedure in collaboration with the European Commission.

Enhanced scope

The new procurement aims to enhance the current Galileo Green Lane solution, by extending its scope to strategic road, rail and maritime border crossings between EU Member States and neighbouring countries. Traffic and waiting times will be monitored at new points of interest for the transport community, such as national logistics hubs (including airports), service areas, refuelling stations, parking lots, etc.

Read this: Galileo Green Lane, easing pressure at the EU’s internal borders

The goal of the procurement is to design and develop the overall architecture of a mobile, telematic and/or online solution aiming at facilitating the work of freight dispatchers, road authorities and enforcers at border crossings in Europe, and to operate the developed solution. 

The tenderers will be required to test their solution and operate it for the duration of the contract, which will be from six to 12 months depending on how the COVID situation evolves. The designed architecture may take advantage of EU proprietary developments, databases or techniques (e.g. geofencing algorithms) from the previous Galileo Green Lane platform.

Submitting a successful proposal

The webinar on 13 April will provide an overview of the call priorities and explain the framework and objectives of the procurement. It will also be an opportunity for interested stakeholders and applicants to learn how to prepare a successful proposal. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is organising a webinar on 13 April to provide information on the ‘Enhanced Galileo Green Lane - Design and Implementation’ call. Starting at 15:00 CET, the webinar will last just over an hour and will provide useful information for all parties interested in participating in this invitation to tender. For more information about the tender, click here, and to register for the webinar, click here.

The GSA and the European Commission worked together to develop the Galileo Green Lane app in April 2020 in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The goal was to facilitate the movement of critical goods and freight within the EU in support of the COVID-19 response. 

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the interest of key institutional stakeholders, such as the International Road Transport Union (IRU), in supporting the EU freight transport community, the GSA has launched a new procurement procedure in collaboration with the European Commission.

Enhanced scope

The new procurement aims to enhance the current Galileo Green Lane solution, by extending its scope to strategic road, rail and maritime border crossings between EU Member States and neighbouring countries. Traffic and waiting times will be monitored at new points of interest for the transport community, such as national logistics hubs (including airports), service areas, refuelling stations, parking lots, etc.

Read this: Galileo Green Lane, easing pressure at the EU’s internal borders

The goal of the procurement is to design and develop the overall architecture of a mobile, telematic and/or online solution aiming at facilitating the work of freight dispatchers, road authorities and enforcers at border crossings in Europe, and to operate the developed solution. 

The tenderers will be required to test their solution and operate it for the duration of the contract, which will be from six to 12 months depending on how the COVID situation evolves. The designed architecture may take advantage of EU proprietary developments, databases or techniques (e.g. geofencing algorithms) from the previous Galileo Green Lane platform.

Submitting a successful proposal

The webinar on 13 April will provide an overview of the call priorities and explain the framework and objectives of the procurement. It will also be an opportunity for interested stakeholders and applicants to learn how to prepare a successful proposal. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Beacon Awareness Day (#406Day) on April 6 is an opportunity to celebrate the amazing work carried out by Search and Rescue teams around the world that risk their lives on a daily basis to save people in distress. It also aims to remind the owners of Search and Rescue beacons the need to register their beacon and test them in a regular basis, in particular for what concerns their batteries and, for those already registered, to update their Cospas-Sarsat contact details.

On #406Day2021, we celebrate Search and Rescue teams all around the world. But why 406? Well, 406 Day, as April 6th is written in the US where the initiative emerged, is a reference to the 406 MHz frequency of the Search and Rescue beacons used by the international rescue organisation Cospas-Sarsat. These beacons help save an average of seven lives every day around the world.

The Galileo SAR service is Europe’s contribution to Cospas-Sarsat and, as of January 2020, Galileo provides also the system with a unique feature – its Return Link Service. The Return Link provides the transmitting distress beacon with acknowledgement that the distress signal has been received, its position has been determined and that rescue teams are alerted. This is a major morale booster for the people calling for assistance and, so far, Galileo is the only GNSS to offer such a service to end users.

Unique feature

“Galileo’s Return Link Service is a unique feature that is a perfect example of the GSA’s core mission of linking space to user needs. It is a great European Union achievement. The GSA has also been supporting the development of beacons that are Return Link enabled, in an effort to facilitate the work of the Search and Rescue services, whose generous work we celebrate today,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. 

Read this: Standard published for remote activation of aircraft distress tracking beacons using Galileo RLS

The GSA and its partners – the European Commission, ESA, and CNES - are proud to provide Europe’s contribution to Cospas-Sarsat by placing the Galileo constellation at the disposal of Search and Rescue teams. In just over a year, the last Cospas-Sarsat Council endorsed the Galileo Return Link functionality, allowing the service to finalise the transition to Return Link Service Full Operational 24/7 and global Capacity.

Galileo will continue to provide rescue teams with the best tools possible. To ensure this, consultations are carried out with operational Search and Rescue units to collect their views and expectations, so that the next evolutions of the Galileo SAR will match their operational needs as closely as possible, allowing them to save even more lives in the future.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Security governance needs to be agile and reactive, European GNSS Agency (GSA) Head of Security Stefano Iannitti said at the virtual CYSAT conference, dedicated to cybersecurity for the space industry, which took place in Davos on 17-19 March. Iannitti went on to outline the main threats for a space system and the challenges faced in protecting both the services provided to users and the system itself.

Speaking about the GSA’s experience of space cyber security, Iannitti explained how the Agency monitors such challenges on a daily basis. “To manage cyber security, it is necessary for the right actor to have their hands on the system and to be able to react at the right time. The security governance aims at giving clear responsibility to each layer of the supply chain for that purpose. This governance also includes security assurance processes, internal audits, penetration tests and vulnerability management,” he said.

Evolving threat landscape

With almost two billion Galileo devices worldwide, one of the GSA’s key tasks is to protect the system, enabling it to achieve its full potential to boost innovation for the European economy and its citizens. The GSA Head of Security noted that, given the complexity of both the space segment and the ground segment, there is a wide range of security threats. “Different threats affect different segments and the threat landscape is constantly evolving,” he said.

Read this: Galileo Performance Workshop 2021: The highlights

“Security by design is a key concept,” Iannitti said, adding that this is being applied also in the development of the services provided by other components of the Space Programme, such as GOVSATCOM.

The fact that Galileo sites are spread around the world, often in remote locations, is also a challenge. “With stations spread across the globe, we need to ensure that these are not targets of malicious attacks,” he said, adding that it is necessary not only to protect critical infrastructure, but also the information that the sites contain.

And this: Galileo satellite performs collision avoidance manoeuvre

Iannitti stressed the importance of security intelligence: “You need to know your threats,” he said. He made reference to a recent Galileo satellite manoeuvre to avoid a collision, adding that it is important to monitor what there is in space that poses a threat. “The European Union understands this and has introduced the surveillance and tracking component in the space programme. This gives extra support in handling this type of event and in preventing potential collisions,” he said, adding that the introduction of standards would help everybody in the best management of space.

Comprehensive security coverage

The GSA is in charge of ensuring the security of the various components of the GNSS system and, as it transitions into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), its mandate will expand to cover aspects of other components of the Programme, such as Copernicus along with GOVSATCOM, and potentially also Space Situational Awareness and other initiatives such as the secure connectivity and quantum computing infrastructure that the Union will want to introduce in the Programme. “These are critical systems for the Union and they will have to be protected, especially if they deliver critical governmental services,” he said.

The GSA currently covers all the phases of security provision. The Galileo Security Monitoring Centre is an integral part of the Galileo infrastructure. It monitors and takes action in relation to security threats, alerts and the operational status of systems components. Iannitti said that to close the loop, a security accreditation process is in place. This is provided by the Security Accreditation Board (SAB), which acts independently and is composed of representatives from the Member States, the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Regarding cooperation between EUSPA, other EU institutions and the European Space Agency (ESA), he said that different entities have different competences and missions. “EUSPA will be focused mainly on operations and service provision, and security, of course. For the development of the system we rely on ESA, and we work with all the institutions involved to manage the systems. These systems are of strategic importance to the Union and they also need political oversight,” he said.

For more information on security and the EU Space Programme, click here.

Security governance needs to be agile and reactive, European GNSS Agency (GSA) Head of Security Stefano Iannitti said at the virtual CYSAT conference, dedicated to cybersecurity for the space industry, which took place in Davos on 17-19 March. Iannitti went on to outline the main threats for a space system and the challenges faced in protecting both the services provided to users and the system itself.

Speaking about the GSA’s experience of space cyber security, Iannitti explained how the Agency monitors such challenges on a daily basis. “To manage cyber security, it is necessary for the right actor to have their hands on the system and to be able to react at the right time. The security governance aims at giving clear responsibility to each layer of the supply chain for that purpose. This governance also includes security assurance processes, internal audits, penetration tests and vulnerability management,” he said.

Evolving threat landscape

With almost two billion Galileo devices worldwide, one of the GSA’s key tasks is to protect the system, enabling it to achieve its full potential to boost innovation for the European economy and its citizens. The GSA Head of Security noted that, given the complexity of both the space segment and the ground segment, there is a wide range of security threats. “Different threats affect different segments and the threat landscape is constantly evolving,” he said.

Read this: Galileo Performance Workshop 2021: The highlights

“Security by design is a key concept,” Iannitti said, adding that this is being applied also in the development of the services provided by other components of the Space Programme, such as GOVSATCOM.

The fact that Galileo sites are spread around the world, often in remote locations, is also a challenge. “With stations spread across the globe, we need to ensure that these are not targets of malicious attacks,” he said, adding that it is necessary not only to protect critical infrastructure, but also the information that the sites contain.

And this: Galileo satellite performs collision avoidance manoeuvre

Iannitti stressed the importance of security intelligence: “You need to know your threats,” he said. He made reference to a recent Galileo satellite manoeuvre to avoid a collision, adding that it is important to monitor what there is in space that poses a threat. “The European Union understands this and has introduced the surveillance and tracking component in the space programme. This gives extra support in handling this type of event and in preventing potential collisions,” he said, adding that the introduction of standards would help everybody in the best management of space.

Comprehensive security coverage

The GSA is in charge of ensuring the security of the various components of the GNSS system and, as it transitions into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), its mandate will expand to cover aspects of other components of the Programme, such as Copernicus along with GOVSATCOM, and potentially also Space Situational Awareness and other initiatives such as the secure connectivity and quantum computing infrastructure that the Union will want to introduce in the Programme. “These are critical systems for the Union and they will have to be protected, especially if they deliver critical governmental services,” he said.

The GSA currently covers all the phases of security provision. The Galileo Security Monitoring Centre is an integral part of the Galileo infrastructure. It monitors and takes action in relation to security threats, alerts and the operational status of systems components. Iannitti said that to close the loop, a security accreditation process is in place. This is provided by the Security Accreditation Board (SAB), which acts independently and is composed of representatives from the Member States, the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Regarding cooperation between EUSPA, other EU institutions and the European Space Agency (ESA), he said that different entities have different competences and missions. “EUSPA will be focused mainly on operations and service provision, and security, of course. For the development of the system we rely on ESA, and we work with all the institutions involved to manage the systems. These systems are of strategic importance to the Union and they also need political oversight,” he said.

For more information on security and the EU Space Programme, click here.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is looking for experts to support the Agency with advice on, among others, assessing applications for EU funding, including tenders, grants and prizes, and monitoring of EU-funded projects and contracts. For more information and to download the call click here.

In this call, the GSA is looking for people with a high level of expertise and professional experience in aerospace technologies and engineering, in addition to space applications in transport, agriculture and food, environment and climate change and energy. Other areas of interest include information society, innovation and growth in space applications, safety and security, economic analysis and entrepreneurship, communication and marketing, quality, product and security assurance, configuration management and law. 

Submit your application

The call is aimed at individuals who are citizens of an EU Member State, Switzerland or Norway. Legal entities are not normally eligible to apply. Interested parties are invited to submit an expression of interest to callforexperts@gsa.europa.eu, please refer to the call for proposal for the documents to be submitted.

Based on the received expressions of interest, the GSA will draw up a list of interested experts. As and when needed, the GSA will consult the list and assign a contract to the most appropriate expert for the task to be performed. 

Tasks may be carried out at the GSA's premises or, at the GSA’s request, remotely using electronic communication tools. They also may need to be performed at other sites, to be specified in the contracts.

The list resulting from this call will be valid for five years from the publication of the call in the GSA webpage. Interested parties may submit an expression of interest at any time prior to the last three months of validity of the list,. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is looking for experts to support the Agency with advice on, among others, assessing applications for EU funding, including tenders, grants and prizes, and monitoring of EU-funded projects and contracts. For more information and to download the call click here.

In this call, the GSA is looking for people with a high level of expertise and professional experience in aerospace technologies and engineering, in addition to space applications in transport, agriculture and food, environment and climate change and energy. Other areas of interest include information society, innovation and growth in space applications, safety and security, economic analysis and entrepreneurship, communication and marketing, quality, product and security assurance, configuration management and law. 

Submit your application

The call is aimed at individuals who are citizens of an EU Member State, Switzerland or Norway. Legal entities are not normally eligible to apply. Interested parties are invited to submit an expression of interest to: callforexperts@gsa.europa.eu ; please refer to the call for proposal for the documents to be submitted.

Based on the received expressions of interest, the GSA will draw up a list of interested experts. As and when needed, the GSA will consult the list and assign a contract to the most appropriate expert for the task to be performed. 

Tasks may be carried out at the GSA's premises or, at the GSA’s request, remotely using electronic communication tools. They also may need to be performed at other sites, to be specified in the contracts.

The list resulting from this call will be valid for five years from the publication of the call in the GSA webpage. Interested parties may submit an expression of interest at any time prior to the last three months of validity of the list,. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is looking for experts to support the Agency with advice on, among others, assessing applications for EU funding, including tenders, grants and prizes, and monitoring of EU-funded projects and contracts. For more information and to download the call click here.

In this call, the GSA is looking for people with a high level of expertise and professional experience in aerospace technologies and engineering, in addition to space applications in transport, agriculture and food, environment and climate change and energy. Other areas of interest include information society, innovation and growth in space applications, safety and security, economic analysis and entrepreneurship, communication and marketing, quality, product and security assurance, configuration management and law. 

Submit your application

The call is aimed at individuals who are citizens of an EU Member State, Switzerland or Norway. Legal entities are not normally eligible to apply. Interested parties are invited to submit an expression of interest to callforexperts@gsa.europa.eu, please refer to the call for proposal for the documents to be submitted.

Based on the received expressions of interest, the GSA will draw up a list of interested experts. As and when needed, the GSA will consult the list and assign a contract to the most appropriate expert for the task to be performed. 

Tasks may be carried out at the GSA's premises or, at the GSA’s request, remotely using electronic communication tools. They also may need to be performed at other sites, to be specified in the contracts.

The list resulting from this call will be valid for five years from the publication of the call in the GSA webpage. Interested parties may submit an expression of interest at any time prior to the last three months of validity of the list,. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The winners of the MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone were announced at Entrepreneurship Day, organised by the GSA in March 2021 to promote EGNSS-based creativity and business opportunities. The goal was also to raise awareness of the role of downstream space in achieving the EU’s common goals. The winners spoke about their experience during the competition and how it was helping to take their ideas to the next level.

During the press conference of the Entrepreneurship Day, the GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa said that the winning teams had shown particular excellence in terms of innovation, use of Galileo, and market potential. “The downstream space market is expected to grow by over 70% in the next 10 years. This means reaching a value of 65 billion euros by the end of the decade,” da Costa stated, adding that one of the main goals of the MyGalileo competitions was to tap into this market potential. 

Christoph Kautz, Acting Head of Unit for Development and Applications from the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space noted the need for a strong dynamic and globally competitive EU space industry both upstream and downstream. “The future of the European space industry is a combination of strong institutional leadership and an industrial New Space” he said.

Galileo: faster, safer, greener

Giuseppe Tortora from the team Abzero (Italy), winner of first prize in the MyGalileoDrone competition for Nautilus, a unique tracking solution for the autonomous delivery of medical goods, highlighted the importance of a civil satellite navigation constellation. “This means we can rely on the system all the time. Galileo helps make our system simpler, faster, safer and greener,” he said, adding that the Nautilus solution needed a GNSS that could interact with its Artificial Intelligence to offer a reliable and safe system to guarantee on-time delivery. 

Read this: MGS & MDG: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

“The MyGalileoDrone competition is a push for us to continue our business and grow into a European start-up that can compete on the market,” Tortora said. His teammate Andrea Cannas said that the competition offered mentoring support during the development and a concrete funding opportunity, which is very important to further develop the product and service. “This provides us the opportunity to scale-up and achieve higher accuracy and a safer performance of our solution,” he said.

Bringing space solutions to customers

“Winning this competition is our biggest achievement so far,” said Matija Jasarov from VisionAnchor (Slovenia). VisionAnchor won the first prize in Track 1 (from idea to prototype) of the MyGalileoSolution competition and is the world's first video anchor monitoring system for boats.

 “We saw a multi-million-euro niche for our solution, which allows you to know what is happening underwater at all times and makes it possible to protect underwater vegetation, so it is good both for boat owners and for the environment,” he said. Jasarov said that the GSA support provided through the MyGalileoSolution competition would help get the solution to its first customers because we now have a prototype.

Winner of first prize in Track 2 of MyGalileoSolution (from prototype to product) was 10Lines (Estonia), an autonomous parking lot marking solution. Highlighting the environmental benefits of the solution, team member Janno Paas said that the 10Lines solution is stripe parking lots 7 times faster with robots. This is allowing to save CO2. “GNSS positioning is a very important element of our solution,” he said. 

And this: Galileo enabling infrastructure development in harsh environments

Paas noted in particular the value of the mentoring support received during the competition. “We received a lot of help from the MyGalileoSolution team and have enhanced our standards and the reliability of our solution, as a result. “The success validates what we do. We hope to be out there and visible soon,” said his teammate Tarmo Prints. 

What’s next?

Speaking at the conference, Kautz presented the Cassini initiative actions to support young entrepreneurs. He mentioned the Cassini business accelerator, which would help start-ups to develop a business plan and get start-up funding. “We want to give start-ups access to the sharpest business accelerators in the EU,” he added.

The GSA Executive Director stressed that the winners had demonstrated why these competitions are important. “They give the push to take ideas to the next level. We will continue to accompany all the companies that have applied to the competition, they will continue to be visible on our website, we will also open up new opportunities in the future,” he said. Da Costa added that, with the inclusion of the commercial utilization of Copernicus under the umbrella of the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), future opportunities would also target synergies between the various elements of the space programme.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The winners of the MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone were announced at Entrepreneurship Day, organised by the GSA in March 2021 to promote EGNSS-based creativity and business opportunities. The goal was also to raise awareness of the role of downstream space in achieving the EU’s common goals. The winners spoke about their experience during the competition and how it was helping to take their ideas to the next level.

During the press conference of the Entrepreneurship Day, the GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa said that the winning teams had shown particular excellence in terms of innovation, use of Galileo, and market potential. “The downstream space market is expected to grow by over 70% in the next 10 years. This means reaching a value of 65 billion euros by the end of the decade,” da Costa stated, adding that one of the main goals of the MyGalileo competitions was to tap into this market potential. 

Christoph Kautz, Acting Head of Unit for Development and Applications from the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space noted the need for a strong dynamic and globally competitive EU space industry both upstream and downstream. “The future of the European space industry is a combination of strong institutional leadership and an industrial New Space” he said.

Galileo: faster, safer, greener

Giuseppe Tortora from the team Abzero (Italy), winner of first prize in the MyGalileoDrone competition for Nautilus, a unique tracking solution for the autonomous delivery of medical goods, highlighted the importance of a civil satellite navigation constellation. “This means we can rely on the system all the time. Galileo helps make our system simpler, faster, safer and greener,” he said, adding that the Nautilus solution needed a GNSS that could interact with its Artificial Intelligence to offer a reliable and safe system to guarantee on-time delivery. 

Read this: MGS & MDG: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

“The MyGalileoDrone competition is a push for us to continue our business and grow into a European start-up that can compete on the market,” Tortora said. His teammate Andrea Cannas said that the competition offered mentoring support during the development and a concrete funding opportunity, which is very important to further develop the product and service. “This provides us the opportunity to scale-up and achieve higher accuracy and a safer performance of our solution,” he said.

Bringing space solutions to customers

“Winning this competition is our biggest achievement so far,” said Matija Jasarov from VisionAnchor (Slovenia). VisionAnchor won the first prize in Track 1 (from idea to prototype) of the MyGalileoSolution competition and is the world's first video anchor monitoring system for boats.

 “We saw a multi-million-euro niche for our solution, which allows you to know what is happening underwater at all times and makes it possible to protect underwater vegetation, so it is good both for boat owners and for the environment,” he said. Jasarov said that the GSA support provided through the MyGalileoSolution competition would help get the solution to its first customers because we now have a prototype.

Winner of first prize in Track 2 of MyGalileoSolution (from prototype to product) was 10Lines (Estonia), an autonomous parking lot marking solution. Highlighting the environmental benefits of the solution, team member Janno Paas said that the 10Lines solution is stripe parking lots 7 times faster with robots. This is allowing to save CO2. “GNSS positioning is a very important element of our solution,” he said. 

And this: Galileo enabling infrastructure development in harsh environments

Paas noted in particular the value of the mentoring support received during the competition. “We received a lot of help from the MyGalileoSolution team and have enhanced our standards and the reliability of our solution, as a result. “The success validates what we do. We hope to be out there and visible soon,” said his teammate Tarmo Prints. 

What’s next?

Speaking at the conference, Kautz presented the Cassini initiative actions to support young entrepreneurs. He mentioned the Cassini business accelerator, which would help start-ups to develop a business plan and get start-up funding. “We want to give start-ups access to the sharpest business accelerators in the EU,” he added.

The GSA Executive Director stressed that the winners had demonstrated why these competitions are important. “They give the push to take ideas to the next level. We will continue to accompany all the companies that have applied to the competition, they will continue to be visible on our website, we will also open up new opportunities in the future,” he said. Da Costa added that, with the inclusion of the commercial utilization of Copernicus under the umbrella of the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), future opportunities would also target synergies between the various elements of the space programme.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The winners of the MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone were announced at Entrepreneurship Day, organised by the GSA in March 2021 to promote EGNSS-based creativity and business opportunities. The goal was also to raise awareness of the role of downstream space in achieving the EU’s common goals. The winners spoke about their experience during the competition and how it was helping to take their ideas to the next level.

During the press conference of the Entrepreneurship Day, the GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa said that the winning teams had shown particular excellence in terms of innovation, use of Galileo, and market potential. “The downstream space market is expected to grow by over 70% in the next 10 years. This means reaching a value of 65 billion euros by the end of the decade,” da Costa stated, adding that one of the main goals of the MyGalileo competitions was to tap into this market potential. 

Christoph Kautz, Acting Head of Unit for Development and Applications from the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space noted the need for a strong dynamic and globally competitive EU space industry both upstream and downstream. “The future of the European space industry is a combination of strong institutional leadership and an industrial New Space” he said.

Galileo: faster, safer, greener

Giuseppe Tortora from the team Abzero (Italy), winner of first prize in the MyGalileoDrone competition for Nautilus, a unique tracking solution for the autonomous delivery of medical goods, highlighted the importance of a civil satellite navigation constellation. “This means we can rely on the system all the time. Galileo helps make our system simpler, faster, safer and greener,” he said, adding that the Nautilus solution needed a GNSS that could interact with its Artificial Intelligence to offer a reliable and safe system to guarantee on-time delivery. 

Read this: MGS & MDG: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

“The MyGalileoDrone competition is a push for us to continue our business and grow into a European start-up that can compete on the market,” Tortora said. His teammate Andrea Cannas said that the competition offered mentoring support during the development and a concrete funding opportunity, which is very important to further develop the product and service. “This provides us the opportunity to scale-up and achieve higher accuracy and a safer performance of our solution,” he said.

Bringing space solutions to customers

“Winning this competition is our biggest achievement so far,” said Matija Jasarov from VisionAnchor (Slovenia). VisionAnchor won the first prize in Track 1 (from idea to prototype) of the MyGalileoSolution competition and is the world's first video anchor monitoring system for boats.

 “We saw a multi-million-euro niche for our solution, which allows you to know what is happening underwater at all times and makes it possible to protect underwater vegetation, so it is good both for boat owners and for the environment,” he said. Jasarov said that the GSA support provided through the MyGalileoSolution competition would help get the solution to its first customers because we now have a prototype.

Winner of first prize in Track 2 of MyGalileoSolution (from prototype to product) was 10Lines (Estonia), an autonomous parking lot marking solution. Highlighting the environmental benefits of the solution, team member Janno Paas said that the 10Lines solution is stripe parking lots 7 times faster with robots. This is allowing to save CO2. “GNSS positioning is a very important element of our solution,” he said. 

And this: Galileo enabling infrastructure development in harsh environments

Paas noted in particular the value of the mentoring support received during the competition. “We received a lot of help from the MyGalileoSolution team and have enhanced our standards and the reliability of our solution, as a result. “The success validates what we do. We hope to be out there and visible soon,” said his teammate Tarmo Prints. 

What’s next?

Speaking at the conference, Kautz presented the Cassini initiative actions to support young entrepreneurs. He mentioned the Cassini business accelerator, which would help start-ups to develop a business plan and get start-up funding. “We want to give start-ups access to the sharpest business accelerators in the EU,” he added.

The GSA Executive Director stressed that the winners had demonstrated why these competitions are important. “They give the push to take ideas to the next level. We will continue to accompany all the companies that have applied to the competition, they will continue to be visible on our website, we will also open up new opportunities in the future,” he said. Da Costa added that, with the inclusion of the commercial utilization of Copernicus under the umbrella of the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), future opportunities would also target synergies between the various elements of the space programme.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

GNSS.asia, a Horizon-2020 project of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) that is helping create partnerships between GNSS industries in Europe and Asia, has launched the Soft-Landing programme – a start-up support initiative that will prepare European GNSS-based innovators for scalable success in Asia. Applications should be submitted by 26 March 2021. Interested? Apply here.

Are you a young EU-based start-up with an innovative downstream GNSS product ready to go global? The new start-up support initiative from GNSS.asia may be just what you are looking for! The programme will empower European start-ups, to begin their global journey from the comfort of their own home (offices). 

Ecosystem exploration mission

The initiative will invite up to 10 of Europe’s boldest start-ups with GNSS applications on an ecosystem exploration mission to the Asia-Pacific region in 2021. The selected enterprises will be supported throughout a 5-step internationalisation sprint with workshops and training sessions to access markets globally and to prepare for expansion.

Read this: MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

The start-ups will receive the equivalent of one month’s one-on-one coaching from experienced business coaches and GNSS experts and multipliers in the Asia-Pacific region. This will give them insights into the local GNSS market, acquaint them with local business etiquette, help them to define their business case and to identify the market with the best fit for their products.

Global business opportunities

During the exploration mission, start-ups will be able to familiarise themselves with the local ecosystem, build up their own global network in the international GNSS community, open up global business opportunities, and promote themselves among Asian GNSS stakeholders. Target markets include China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Australasia.

And this: GSA GNSS Market Report

The selected start-ups will receive financial support of up to EUR 2,000 to reimburse their travel costs required to effectively participate in the programme and to leverage what it has to offer. To be eligible, a start-up should be incorporated, younger than five years, offer a downstream GNSS product or solution, and be based in the European Union.

Does that sound like you? If yes, then don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity. To apply now, click here. For more information, visit the GNSS.asia website or watch the Soft-Landing Programme information session recording.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Molière project, which aims at developing innovative mobility solutions using GNSS and blockchain, is to host a virtual hackathon in Barcelona on 22-26 March targeting groundbreaking ideas to tackle the challenges faced when implementing new mobility services. Do you have an innovative idea for the mobility sector? Register here before March 22.

The goal of the Molière hackathon is to identify the needs of mobility services and to prototype ideas and products that will fuel the innovation stream of the Molière concept and vision. Over the space of five days, a new generation of entrepreneurs, along with GNSS and blockchain experts, will work together to tackle pressing challenges in urban mobility and create world-class innovative solutions. 

Two challenges

The participants can choose from two different tracks. The first challenge is to Improve inaccurate geo-positioning of sharing vehicles due to critical zones of the city. With urban vehicle-sharing services, there is frequently room for improvement of geo-positioning accuracy in certain urban areas. This challenge aims to find solutions to improve positioning systems to potentially obtain more precise data for the Data Marketplace.

Read this: MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone: Galileo means business for SMEs and start-ups!

The second challenge is Smart contract definition for mobility data exchange of a marketplace. The participants will be asked to define the protocols and tools that will be used during data exchange in the open mobility data layer (MDM), with a special focus on geo-positioning data. 

Introductory webinar

A webinar will be held on 22 March to present the Molière project and the hackathon to the general public. GNSS and blockchain technology experts will inspire the hackathon participants and talk them through the challenges they should resolve. After the webinar, the teams will work in an online environment to develop their solutions.

This hackathon will provide an opportunity for brilliant young talents to test their skills with the help of mentors and experts, who will guide them throughout the competition, while working with peers who share the same passion for digital technology and innovation.

And this: Point.IoT 2021 – another year of exciting Galileo-powered IoT innovations

The participants will have until 25 March to work on their solutions, and will have an opportunity to showcase them to key mobility companies, including project partner SEAT MÓ and iomob. The jury will select the finalists, who will present their final projects on 26 March. During the hackathon, all the groups will have the opportunity to attend individual online mentoring sessions to get feedback on their work, and to benefit from a co-creative and collaborative environment.

For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Safety of Life (SoL) Service is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Since it was declared operational in March 2011, the EGNOS SoL Service has been supporting civil aviation by enabling approaches down to LPV (Localiser Performance with Vertical guidance) minima at airports across Europe.

The EGNOS SoL Service consists of timing and positioning signals intended for transport applications in domains where lives could be endangered if the performance of the navigation system is degraded below specific accuracy limits. The SoL service is based on integrity data provided through the EGNOS satellite signals. 

With over 700 EGNOS-based procedures at 367 airports and helipads, the EGNOS services increase safety, accessibility and efficiency for operators and pilots approaching airport and helipads in Europe. More accessible airports equal more commercial opportunities for airlines and new flight routes at regional and international level, with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance.

Read this: Helicopter Medical Emergency Flight lands at Motol Hospital thanks to EGNOS

The aviation sector has developed the certification scheme for EGNOS services, as well as the approval process for avionics and approach operations needed to use the SoL Service. Organisations implementing EGNOS-based procedures include air navigation service providers (ANSP), aerodrome operators and rotorcraft operators. However, the SoL Service is also intended to support applications in a wide range of other domains such as maritime, rail and road.

Significant environmental impact

“Since its launch in 2011, the EGNOS Safety of Life Service has been making the aviation sector safer and more efficient for European operators. Apart from the increased safety, it has made remote airports more accessible and is helping to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of aviation. As uptake increases, these benefits will be increasingly felt in other safety-critical sectors also, such as maritime or rail” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

The most obvious environmental impact of aviation is CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. With the aim of contributing to a “clean sky”, a methodology has been defined for air operators to calculate the reduction of CO2 emissions thanks to EGNOS-enabled LPV approaches. 

Two main sources of fuel savings have been identified, the first being related to the airport approach. Today, many airports require airplanes to make their approach step by step, levelling off at each stage and thus burning more fuel. EGNOS enables smooth and continuous glide path approaches that are more fuel efficient. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation - Making Europe's airports more accessible

The second is the avoidance of go-arounds due to poor visibility (aborted landings) in EGNOS capable airports thanks to the lower decision height, down to 200 feet or 60 meters, for pilots to evaluate if the visibility is good enough to continue the landing process.  Minimizing diversions equals less fuel consumption, a win-win solution for both, the environment and the airlines. By 2025, 80,000 flight delays and 20,000 diversions will be avoided across Europe thanks to the contribution of EGNOS to the landing procedure of EGNOS-equipped airports.

Navigation operations based on the EGNOS SoL Service may require specific authorisation issued by the relevant authority. In the EU, the requirements governing the implementation of an EGNOS-based procedure are set down in the Single European Sky (SES) Regulation, and all related EU regulatory provisions applicable to the implementation of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) operations.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Safety of Life (SoL) Service is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Since it was declared operational in March 2011, the EGNOS SoL Service has been supporting civil aviation by enabling approaches down to LPV (Localiser Performance with Vertical guidance) minima at airports across Europe.

The EGNOS SoL Service consists of timing and positioning signals intended for transport applications in domains where lives could be endangered if the performance of the navigation system is degraded below specific accuracy limits. The SoL service is based on integrity data provided through the EGNOS satellite signals. 

With over 750 EGNOS-based procedures at 386 airports and helipads, the EGNOS services increase safety, accessibility and efficiency for operators and pilots approaching airport and helipads in Europe. More accessible airports equal more commercial opportunities for airlines and new flight routes at regional and international level, with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance.

Read this: Helicopter Medical Emergency Flight lands at Motol Hospital thanks to EGNOS

The aviation sector has developed the certification scheme for EGNOS services, as well as the approval process for avionics and approach operations needed to use the SoL Service. Organisations implementing EGNOS-based procedures include air navigation service providers (ANSP), aerodrome operators and rotorcraft operators. However, the SoL Service is also intended to support applications in a wide range of other domains such as maritime, rail and road.

Significant environmental impact

“Since its launch in 2011, the EGNOS Safety of Life Service has been making the aviation sector safer and more efficient for European operators. Apart from the increased safety, it has made remote airports more accessible and is helping to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of aviation. As uptake increases, these benefits will be increasingly felt in other safety-critical sectors also, such as maritime or rail” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

The most obvious environmental impact of aviation is CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. With the aim of contributing to a “clean sky”, a methodology has been defined for air operators to calculate the reduction of CO2 emissions thanks to EGNOS-enabled LPV approaches. 

Two main sources of fuel savings have been identified, the first being related to the airport approach. Today, many airports require airplanes to make their approach step by step, levelling off at each stage and thus burning more fuel. EGNOS enables smooth and continuous glide path approaches that are more fuel efficient. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation - Making Europe's airports more accessible

The second is the avoidance of go-arounds due to poor visibility (aborted landings) in EGNOS capable airports thanks to the lower decision height, down to 200 feet or 60 meters, for pilots to evaluate if the visibility is good enough to continue the landing process.  Minimizing diversions equals less fuel consumption, a win-win solution for both, the environment and the airlines. By 2025, 80,000 flight delays and 20,000 diversions will be avoided across Europe thanks to the contribution of EGNOS to the landing procedure of EGNOS-equipped airports.

Navigation operations based on the EGNOS SoL Service may require specific authorisation issued by the relevant authority. In the EU, the requirements governing the implementation of an EGNOS-based procedure are set down in the Single European Sky (SES) Regulation, and all related EU regulatory provisions applicable to the implementation of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) operations.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Safety of Life (SoL) Service is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Since it was declared operational in March 2011, the EGNOS SoL Service has been supporting civil aviation by enabling approaches down to LPV (Localiser Performance with Vertical guidance) minima at airports across Europe.

The EGNOS SoL Service consists of timing and positioning signals intended for transport applications in domains where lives could be endangered if the performance of the navigation system is degraded below specific accuracy limits. The SoL service is based on integrity data provided through the EGNOS satellite signals. 

With over 700 EGNOS-based procedures at 367 airports and helipads, the EGNOS services increase safety, accessibility and efficiency for operators and pilots approaching airport and helipads in Europe. More accessible airports equal more commercial opportunities for airlines and new flight routes at regional and international level, with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance.

Read this: Helicopter Medical Emergency Flight lands at Motol Hospital thanks to EGNOS

The aviation sector has developed the certification scheme for EGNOS services, as well as the approval process for avionics and approach operations needed to use the SoL Service. Organisations implementing EGNOS-based procedures include air navigation service providers (ANSP), aerodrome operators and rotorcraft operators. However, the SoL Service is also intended to support applications in a wide range of other domains such as maritime, rail and road.

Significant environmental impact

“Since its launch in 2011, the EGNOS Safety of Life Service has been making the aviation sector safer and more efficient for European operators. Apart from the increased safety, it has made remote airports more accessible and is helping to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of aviation. As uptake increases, these benefits will be increasingly felt in other safety-critical sectors also, such as maritime or rail” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

The most obvious environmental impact of aviation is CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. With the aim of contributing to a “clean sky”, a methodology has been defined for air operators to calculate the reduction of CO2 emissions thanks to EGNOS-enabled LPV approaches. 

Two main sources of fuel savings have been identified, the first being related to the airport approach. Today, many airports require airplanes to make their approach step by step, levelling off at each stage and thus burning more fuel. EGNOS enables smooth and continuous glide path approaches that are more fuel efficient. 

Watch this: EGNOS for Aviation - Making Europe's airports more accessible

The second is the avoidance of go-arounds due to poor visibility (aborted landings) in EGNOS capable airports thanks to the lower decision height, down to 200 feet or 60 meters, for pilots to evaluate if the visibility is good enough to continue the landing process.  Minimizing diversions equals less fuel consumption, a win-win solution for both, the environment and the airlines. By 2025, 80,000 flight delays and 20,000 diversions will be avoided across Europe thanks to the contribution of EGNOS to the landing procedure of EGNOS-equipped airports.

Navigation operations based on the EGNOS SoL Service may require specific authorisation issued by the relevant authority. In the EU, the requirements governing the implementation of an EGNOS-based procedure are set down in the Single European Sky (SES) Regulation, and all related EU regulatory provisions applicable to the implementation of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) operations.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) together with the European Commission have published an Information Note on the Galileo High Accuracy Service, providing an overview of the main characteristics of the service, along with information on features such as service levels, target performance, an implementation roadmap, and an overview of the target markets for the service. You can download the Information Note here.

The market for high-accuracy positioning is very dynamic, driven by various factors, including emerging applications such as autonomous vehicles and drones; technological advances such as dual-frequency chipsets for the mass-market; and the market situation, with cheap or free-of-charge augmentation services available in some countries. These factors are resulting in the democratisation of high accuracy, which is becoming a more widespread commodity, rather than the exclusive domain of professional applications.

With the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS), Galileo will pioneer a worldwide, free high-accuracy positioning service aimed at applications that require higher performance than that offered by the Galileo Open Service.

Benefitting several markets

Target markets for the HAS include geomatics, agriculture or consumer solutions. Transport is also a major potential target market, with possible applications in aviation, road, rail and maritime and inland waterways. In these markets, the HAS will provide high-accuracy precise point positioning corrections for Galileo and GPS free of charge, in the Galileo E6-B data component and by terrestrial means, to achieve real-time improved user positioning performances, with a positioning error of less than two decimetres in nominal conditions.

Read this: Galileo enabling infrastructure development in harsh environments

“With its High Accuracy Service, Galileo will be the first satellite constellation able to provide a high-accuracy precise point positioning service globally, directly through the Signal in Space,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “This will be another key differentiator of the Galileo system, giving it a competitive advantage over other systems and allowing it to foster innovation in both consolidated and emerging markets,” he said.

HAS Initial Service

HAS Phase 1 will cover the provision of an initial Galileo High Accuracy Service resulting from the implementation of a high-accuracy data generation system processing Galileo data only.  Phase 2 will see full provision of the Galileo High Accuracy Service, meeting its target performance of 20 cm worldwide positioning accuracy after 2024.

Through the HAS, Galileo will offer a unique service with the transmission of corrections directly via Galileo satellites, allowing free high-accuracy positioning globally, for everyone.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) together with the European Commission have published an Information Note on the Galileo High Accuracy Service, providing an overview of the main characteristics of the service, along with information on features such as service levels, target performance, an implementation roadmap, and an overview of the target markets for the service. You can download the Information Note here.

The market for high-accuracy positioning is very dynamic, driven by various factors, including emerging applications such as autonomous vehicles and drones; technological advances such as dual-frequency chipsets for the mass-market; and the market situation, with cheap or free-of-charge augmentation services available in some countries. These factors are resulting in the democratisation of high accuracy, which is becoming a more widespread commodity, rather than the exclusive domain of professional applications.

With the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS), Galileo will pioneer a worldwide, free high-accuracy positioning service aimed at applications that require higher performance than that offered by the Galileo Open Service.

Benefitting several markets

Target markets for the HAS include geomatics, agriculture or consumer solutions. Transport is also a major potential target market, with possible applications in aviation, road, rail and maritime and inland waterways. In these markets, the HAS will provide high-accuracy precise point positioning corrections for Galileo and GPS free of charge, in the Galileo E6-B data component and by terrestrial means, to achieve real-time improved user positioning performances, with a positioning error of less than two decimetres in nominal conditions.

Read this: Galileo enabling infrastructure development in harsh environments

“With its High Accuracy Service, Galileo will be the first satellite constellation able to provide a high-accuracy precise point positioning service globally, directly through the Signal in Space,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “This will be another key differentiator of the Galileo system, giving it a competitive advantage over other systems and allowing it to foster innovation in both consolidated and emerging markets,” he said.

HAS Initial Service

HAS Phase 1 will cover the provision of an initial Galileo High Accuracy Service resulting from the implementation of a high-accuracy data generation system processing Galileo data only.  Phase 2 will see full provision of the Galileo High Accuracy Service, meeting its target performance of 20 cm worldwide positioning accuracy after 2024.

Through the HAS, Galileo will offer a unique service with the transmission of corrections directly via Galileo satellites, allowing free high-accuracy positioning globally, for everyone.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) organised an online workshop on 3 March to provide an in-depth analysis of the performance of Galileo and show how this performance is evaluated and how it is crucial for service provision in every user application.

The workshop focused in particular on the Galileo Open Service (OS) as defined in the OS Service Definition Document (SDD) and the Programme’s needs for performance monitoring against the defined Minimum Performance Levels (MPLs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Attention was also paid to publicly available data, products and tools that can be used for GNSS monitoring. In addition to the GSA, the workshop involved representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) and of the EU Member States and gathered nearly 500 participants. 

Workshop outcome

At the workshop, a number of technical topics were addressed.

• All presenters confirmed that the Initial Services commitments as described in the OS SDD are met, some events were observed and discussed, but the Galileo performance, also compared to other GNSS, especially in terms of accuracy is good. 
• When monitoring the performance of Galileo, it is important that the satellite health status should be verified for F/NAV and I/NAV ephemerides using broadcast navigation data consolidated from a global network. However, there is no standard on how to generate a consolidated navigation message from publicly available data– the quality and availability depends on latency of this data. 
• It is important for users to check the status of the navigation messages as specified in the Galileo OS Signal-in-Space (SiS) Interface Control Document (ICD) and the SDD. This requires that the receivers monitor the Signal-in-Space health flags: signal health status (SHS), data validity status (DVS) and Signal-In-Space accuracy (SISA). The Galileo system uses these three SiS health flags to protect users, and all of them need to be monitored and appropriate actions taken as specified in the ICD. Both the ICD and SDD are available for download on the website of the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

Read this: EUSW - status of Galileo services

• With respect to using reference stations for performance monitoring, it is recommended to use a geodetic grade receiver connected to a geodetic antenna. This generates high-quality data using multiple frequencies and signals. 
• Real-time data provides an overview of GNSS status in nominal situations. However, not all information from the signals required for monitoring is available in the real-time streams using the RTCM standard. Some sources also provide real-time broadcast orbit and clock corrections in the state space representation (SSR) format, yet unusual events and anomalies might not be reflected properly in these streams, as the underlying processing software might not be able to handle those events well.
• The Galileo Service Operator runs the system to maintain the performance specified in the SDD. Performance may vary within set margins due to operational, maintenance or deployment constraints. In light of this, interpretation of results is key for proper GNSS performance monitoring. It is good practice to make use of redundancy and always to confirm results with other sources, when possible. 

Galileo Reference Centre

The GSA has established the Galileo Reference Centre (GRC) with a primary mission of providing an independent means to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Galileo services and the quality of the Signal-in-Space. The GRC is the European hub for these activities, integrating contributions from European national entities, such as research centres, timing laboratories, and national space agencies.

Watch this: Galileo Reference Centre

Performance is measured against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the computation of which depends on GNSS data measurements and derived reference products (e.g. precise orbits, satellites clock corrections). It can also be assessed based on publicly available data and products, which exist with various levels of quality, reliability and latency. To be able to compare results obtained by independent sources, it is important to have a common understanding, guidelines for monitoring and a sound assessment methodology. This is what the Galileo performance workshop aims to provide.

All the presentations delivered during the workshop are now available here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Under the management of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), a collision avoidance manoeuvre for satellite GSAT0219 was performed over the past weekend. This manoeuvre was conducted following a collision risk alert received from EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EUSST).

On 25 February, the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) received from the EUSST a collision risk alert between GSAT0219 and an inert Ariane 4 upper stage launched in 1989. Following this warning, GSOp started to closely monitor the risk, in close cooperation with EUSST that was refining its predictions. 

In line with operational procedures, GSOp informed the GSA of the situation. In a joint effort with the European Commission, the GSA managed the follow-up activities. The effective cooperation between EUSST and the GSA/GSOp was instrumental to the success of the mission and bears testimony to the need for efficient cooperation between different organisations in the space sector.

Manoeuvre authorised

Following refinement of the Ariane 4 orbit, the risk of collision was still unacceptably high, so, after assessment of different strategies and associated risks on the service provision, the GSA authorised the execution of an avoidance manoeuvre. The satellite was taken out of service on 5 March, and users were informed via NAGU #2021009. The collision avoidance manoeuvre was performed shortly thereafter, by temporarily relocating the satellite away from its nominal position. Satellite GSAT0219 is expected to be reintroduced into service in Calendar Week 11 (15.03 – 21.03) after the completion of two station keeping manoeuvres to reposition it into its nominal operational orbit. Users will be kept informed via NAGUs.

This is the first time a collision avoidance manoeuvre has been performed for a satellite in the Galileo constellation.

After smartphones, wearables are the second most sold GNSS device, with 70 million shipments in 2019 alone. Given this trend, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) was motivated to test smartwatch devices under various conditions. Three devices were selected that, to a certain extent, characterise the Galileo-enabled device offering on the market in 2020: the Suunto 9, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Garmin Fenix 6X PRO. The tests delivered some interesting results.

The tests were carried out by the Airbus Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) team under a Galileo System Support contract with the GSA. The main objective was to evaluate the navigation performance of the wearables in different receiver configurations and environments. To evaluate the devices’ performance, the tests assessed positioning accuracy and PVT availability. 

All the tests were carried out close to an Airbus site south of Munich, and included an open sky static test, an open sky pedestrian test, and an open sky bike test. In addition, there were three suburban dynamic tests (two pedestrian – one with the watch worn on the wrist and one on a backpack, and one bike test), an urban static test, and two forest dynamic tests (pedestrian and bike), both of which had alternating vegetation of broadleaf trees and conifers. 

Read this: Point.IoT 2021 – another year of exciting Galileo-powered IoT innovations

Each test was executed three times in order to cover all the possible GNSS receiver configurations. Subtests with the corresponding GNSS receiver configurations are presented in the table below. 

Figure 1: Data collection of forest dynamic pedestrian test case

After smartphones, wearables are the second most sold GNSS device, with 70 million shipments in 2019 alone. Given this trend, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) was motivated to test smartwatch devices under various conditions. Three devices were selected that, to a certain extent, characterise the Galileo-enabled device offering on the market in 2020: the Suunto 9, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Garmin Fenix 6X PRO. The tests delivered some interesting results.

The tests were carried out by the Airbus Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) team under a Galileo System Support contract with the GSA. The main objective was to evaluate the navigation performance of the wearables in different receiver configurations and environments. To evaluate the devices’ performance, the tests assessed positioning accuracy and PVT availability. 

All the tests were carried out close to an Airbus site south of Munich, and included an open sky static test, an open sky pedestrian test, and an open sky bike test. In addition, there were three suburban dynamic tests (two pedestrian – one with the watch worn on the wrist and one on a backpack, and one bike test), an urban static test, and two forest dynamic tests (pedestrian and bike), both of which had alternating vegetation of broadleaf trees and conifers. 

Read this: Point.IoT 2021 – another year of exciting Galileo-powered IoT innovations

Each test was executed three times in order to cover all the possible GNSS receiver configurations. Subtests with the corresponding GNSS receiver configurations are presented in the table below. 

Figure 1: Data collection of forest dynamic pedestrian test case

The EUROCAE “ED-277 - Minimum Aviation System Performance Standard for Aircraft Emergency Locator Transmitter Remote Command Via Return Link Service”  has been published and is available  . It describes the characteristics of remote command via the Return Link Service for Emergency Locator Transmitter Distress Tracking  - ELT(DT) - in particular for remote beacon activation and deactivation. Today, only Galileo provides Return Link capability.

Remote activation of a distress beacon is very relevant for aviation, as cases of aircraft disappearing still occur, such as the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, and the accident with the Air France flight AF447 between Rio and Paris in 2009. 

When investigations drag out, this only increases the negative economic and social impacts of the event. Faced with this problem, the aviation community is developing new solutions and standards to better estimate the location of an aircraft during an in-flight distress situation and improve response operations. 

Return Link Service as a unique Galileo differentiator

This latest document is targeted at service providers and users of the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS) and focuses on the high-level concept and typical functional interface and user requirements for aviation. The new standard complements previous standards in this field and the cases mandated by ICAO regulations . It offers the possibility to Commercial Aircraft Operators, to remotely activate ELT(DT)s in cases that are neither covered by ‘manual’ activation by the crew, nor by ‘automatic’ distress logic derived from the EUROCAE ED-237 standard. Remote beacon activation possibility is a valuable service for aircraft operators and air traffic services, as it helps to better determine the aircraft trajectory and shorten the time to locate the aircraft and potential survivors,  in cases where other mechanisms failed and communication with the pilot is lost. 

“This standard is the result of a joint effort at international level, with the main objective to contribute to saving lives.”, says Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of the European GNSS Agency.

Read this: Happy birthday Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) Return Link Service!

Galileo’s Return Link Service has been operational since January 2020 and it is still the only GNSS that offers such capability. The ED-277 document is particularly relevant for Galileo, as it describes the requirements for a remote command service using the return link, and describes the operational concept that can be assessed in potential evolutions of the Galileo services  .

End-to-end validation

“User needs were carefully assessed in the concept of operation and validated in H2020 HELIOS project. The GSA integrated strategy leveraging Research & Innovation demonstrated once more how it substantially contributes to user and market uptake”, says Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development.

The concept of operation was developed in cooperation with users and in consultation with airlines. What’s more, the concept has been validated in an end-to-end test by the HELIOS project during two test campaigns: on the ground in 2019 and in flight, as part of the largest worldwide flight test for distress tracking, in November 2020. In both exercises, the team included interested airlines (Iberia and Air France) as well as air traffic controllers from Spain and France (Enaire and DGAC), together with Spanish and French rescue/mission coordination centres, along with France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

And this: Remote beacon activation with Galileo return link successfully tested

“The implementation of this Remote Beacon Activation standard for Galileo is the next logical step as it fully leverages the capabilities provided by Galileo’s Return Link Service today”, says Guerric Pont, GSA Head of Galileo Exploitation.

ED-277 is the result of 3 years’ work by EUROCAE, that started at the beginning of 2018, and has been now concluded. The group behind this standard was led by aviation beacon manufacturers Orolia and ECA Aerospace, with the European GNSS Agency (GSA) acting as secretary of the group, which also included representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and CNES.   Aviation stakeholders, including air navigation service providers, rescue coordination centres and industry, all actively contributed to the group.

The EUROCAE “ED-277 - Minimum Aviation System Performance Standard for Aircraft Emergency Locator Transmitter Remote Command Via Return Link Service”  has been published and is available. It describes the characteristics of remote command via the Return Link Service for Emergency Locator Transmitter Distress Tracking  - ELT(DT) - in particular for remote beacon activation and deactivation. Today, only Galileo provides Return Link capability.

Remote activation of a distress beacon is very relevant for aviation, as cases of aircraft disappearing still occur, such as the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, and the accident with the Air France flight AF447 between Rio and Paris in 2009. 

When investigations drag out, this only increases the negative economic and social impacts of the event. Faced with this problem, the aviation community is developing new solutions and standards to better estimate the location of an aircraft during an in-flight distress situation and improve response operations. 

Return Link Service as a unique Galileo differentiator

This latest document is targeted at service providers and users of the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS) and focuses on the high-level concept and typical functional interface and user requirements for aviation. The new standard complements previous standards in this field and the cases mandated by ICAO regulations . It offers the possibility to Commercial Aircraft Operators, to remotely activate ELT(DT)s in cases that are neither covered by ‘manual’ activation by the crew, nor by ‘automatic’ distress logic derived from the EUROCAE ED-237 standard. Remote beacon activation possibility is a valuable service for aircraft operators and air traffic services, as it helps to better determine the aircraft trajectory and shorten the time to locate the aircraft and potential survivors,  in cases where other mechanisms failed and communication with the pilot is lost. 

“This standard is the result of a joint effort at international level, with the main objective to contribute to saving lives.”, says Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of the European GNSS Agency.

Read this: Happy birthday Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) Return Link Service!

Galileo’s Return Link Service has been operational since January 2020 and it is still the only GNSS that offers such capability. The ED-277 document is particularly relevant for Galileo, as it describes the requirements for a remote command service using the return link, and describes the operational concept that can be assessed in potential evolutions of the Galileo services  .

End-to-end validation

“User needs were carefully assessed in the concept of operation and validated in H2020 HELIOS project. The GSA integrated strategy leveraging Research & Innovation demonstrated once more how it substantially contributes to user and market uptake”, says Fiammetta Diani, Head of Market Development.

The concept of operation was developed in cooperation with users and in consultation with airlines. What’s more, the concept has been validated in an end-to-end test by the HELIOS project during two test campaigns: on the ground in 2019 and in flight, as part of the largest worldwide flight test for distress tracking, in November 2020. In both exercises, the team included interested airlines (Iberia and Air France) as well as air traffic controllers from Spain and France (Enaire and DGAC), together with Spanish and French rescue/mission coordination centres, along with France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

And this: Remote beacon activation with Galileo return link successfully tested

“The implementation of this Remote Beacon Activation standard for Galileo is the next logical step as it fully leverages the capabilities provided by Galileo’s Return Link Service today”, says Guerric Pont, GSA Head of Galileo Exploitation.

ED-277 is the result of 3 years’ work by EUROCAE, that started at the beginning of 2018, and has been now concluded. The group behind this standard was led by aviation beacon manufacturers Orolia and ECA Aerospace, with the European GNSS Agency (GSA) acting as secretary of the group, which also included representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA), and CNES.   Aviation stakeholders, including air navigation service providers, rescue coordination centres and industry, all actively contributed to the group.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is excited to announce the winners in this year’s MyGalileoSolution & MyGalileoDrone competitions. After a lively debate, the jury has selected the winning teams in both competitions based not only on their innovative use of key Galileo differentiators, but also on their market-oriented approach and potential for wide uptake. The winning teams were announced during Entrepreneurship Day, hosted by the GSA on 2 March. And so, without further ado, the winners are…

In the MyGalileoDrone competition, the first prize went to the team Abzero (Italy), for Nautilus – a unique tracking solution for the autonomous delivery of medical goods. Second prize was awarded to Spectralight (Poland) for SpectraDrone, a greener alternative to classical fireworks. ThunderFly (Czech Republic) received third prize for TF-ATMON – a system for performing in-situ atmospheric measurements, while fourth prize went to Raytrack (Spain) for 5GBeamCheck, which uses a UAV to perform 5G antenna tests. The winning team receives EUR 100,000, with EUR 60,000 going to the team in second place, EUR 40,000 for third place, and EUR 30,000 to the fourth.

MyGalileoSolution results

In the MyGalileoSolution competition, the first place in Track 1 (from idea to prototype) went to VisionAnchor (Slovenia) the world's first video anchor monitoring system for boats, with second prize going to BitPet (Norway), an Augmented Reality mobile game where each player takes care of a digital pet. Third prize went to BeeLive (Greece), a beekeeper's decision-making and social networking tool based on GNSS-enabled devices. 

Read this: Galileo enabling infrastructure development in harsh environments

Meanwhile, in Track 2 (from prototype to product), the top three teams were 10Lines (Estonia), an autonomous parking lot marking solution in first place, followed by V-Labs (Switzerland), an Augmented Reality solution for visualising, measuring and modifying geospatial data with centimetre accuracy in second, and Lympik Oculus (Austria), a sport analysis application in third. MyGalileoSolution is the biggest competition ever organised by the GSA, with a prize pool of almost EUR 1.5 million shared by 50 teams, including the six finalists, with awards ranging from EUR 15,000 to EUR 60,000.

Fostering Galileo’s uptake

At the Entrepreneurship Day, the top contestants from both competitions presented their applications and pitched their ideas after which the winning teams were announced and the prizes awarded. 

“This year’s competition was exceptional and I congratulate all the winners on their victory,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “The MyGalileoSolution and MyGalileoDrone competitions play an important role in fostering the uptake of Galileo across a wide range of market segments. A key role of the GSA, and of EUSPA in the future, is to increase the competitiveness of the EU downstream industry by supporting innovators, SMEs and start-ups. These two competitions help us to do exactly that,” he said.

About MyGalileoDrone & MyGalileoSolution

MyGalileoSolution and MyGalileoDrone are the continuation of the successful MyGalileoApp competition. The competitions, which ran over 6 months, included multiple rounds of reviews with GSA, market and technology experts, and the teams received mentoring on a variety of subjects. More than 600 applications were received to both competitions and 80 start-ups were supported by the GSA to realize their dream.

And this: Galileo delivers accuracy; drones deliver solutions

The teams came from various locations in Europe and represent academia and industry alike. They include start-ups and SMEs from a broad spectrum of market segments. The total prize pool of the competitions is EUR 1.7 million, including the grand prizes for the top teams and smaller awards for qualifying solutions. Contestants were evaluated based on criteria such as innovation, Galileo relevance, market potential and feasibility of implementing the ideas. 

About Entrepreneurship Day

Entrepreneurship Day, hosted by the GSA on 2 March, is one of the first events launched under the umbrella of the CASSINI initiative. The half-day event is one of many upcoming activities to be hosted by the GSA, aimed at supporting entrepreneurship by providing opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators.

The event aimed to promote EGNSS-based creative ideas and lucrative business opportunities, to raise awareness of the role of downstream space in achieving the EU’s common goals and priorities, and to provide a networking platform for all interested parties.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Motol University Hospital – Prague’s largest medical facility – embraces EGNOS technology and becomes accessible even under harsh weather conditions.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are crucial in times of crises such as global pandemics, and are an integral part of many healthcare systems across the globe. They help with emergency evacuations and inter-hospital transports across Europe and also with transporting doctors and medical equipment to remote sites. Often, adverse weather conditions or other factors, such as smoke, cause helicopters to divert or abort landings. In addition, many hospitals lack costly ground-based helicopter navigation equipment to provide guidance in bad weather, which may lead to significant delays when time is of the essence.

To continue delivering high level healthcare services, Motol University Hospital upgraded its facilities by implementing an EGNOS landing procedure, allowing helicopters to land safely even under bad weather conditions on the rooftop helipad of the hospital. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System. It is improving the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems by offering an additional layer of accuracy in the landing procedure.

Thanks to EGNOS, the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, pilots can navigate through the clouds and fog, and land safely at the Prague-based hospital. Hospital accessibility around the clock is crucial for the transportation of critically ill patients and also for operations such as the organ transplant transportation service of Motol Hospital.

“I am delighted that the GSA has been instrumental to the implementation of this procedure and that Motol Hospital now relies on EGNOS to ensure that patients in critical conditions can safely land on its helipad. I am looking forward to making more hospitals accessible across the European Union.’’ says GSA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. 

“As the director of the Motol University Hospital, I am pleased that the European GNSS Agency (GSA) helped to create and implement a satellite-based procedure for the hospital’s helipad. This will enable using the helipad in adverse weather conditions, while the complicated transfer of patients to emergency will be eliminated. Above all, it will enhance our Transplant Programme as it will allow very quick organ transfer directly from the helicopter to the operating rooms’’, concludes Motol University Hospital Director, Dr. Miloslav Ludvík 

The first flight landed early in December 2020, with the participation of the Aviation Service of the Police of the Czech Republic where an Airbus EGNOS-enabled helicopter H135 (EC135) landed successfully at Motol’s helipad with the help of EGNOS.

Read the press release in CZ here and EN here

Watch the video below:

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Motol University Hospital – Prague’s largest medical facility – embraces EGNOS technology and becomes accessible even under harsh weather conditions.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are crucial in times of crises such as global pandemics, and are an integral part of many healthcare systems across the globe. They help with emergency evacuations and inter-hospital transports across Europe and also with transporting doctors and medical equipment to remote sites. Often, adverse weather conditions or other factors, such as smoke, cause helicopters to divert or abort landings. In addition, many hospitals lack costly ground-based helicopter navigation equipment to provide guidance in bad weather, which may lead to significant delays when time is of the essence.

To continue delivering high level healthcare services, Motol University Hospital upgraded its facilities by implementing an EGNOS landing procedure, allowing helicopters to land safely even under bad weather conditions on the rooftop helipad of the hospital. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System. It is improving the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems by offering an additional layer of accuracy in the landing procedure.

Thanks to EGNOS, the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, pilots can navigate through the clouds and fog, and land safely at the Prague-based hospital. Hospital accessibility around the clock is crucial for the transportation of critically ill patients and also for operations such as the organ transplant transportation service of Motol Hospital.

“I am delighted that the GSA has been instrumental to the implementation of this procedure and that Motol Hospital now relies on EGNOS to ensure that patients in critical conditions can safely land on its helipad. I am looking forward to making more hospitals accessible across the European Union.’’ says GSA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. 

“As the director of the Motol University Hospital, I am pleased that the European GNSS Agency (GSA) helped to create and implement a satellite-based procedure for the hospital’s helipad. This will enable using the helipad in adverse weather conditions, while the complicated transfer of patients to emergency will be eliminated. Above all, it will enhance our Transplant Programme as it will allow very quick organ transfer directly from the helicopter to the operating rooms’’, concludes Motol University Hospital Director, Dr. Miloslav Ludvík 

The flight landed early in December 2020, with the participation of the Aviation Service of the Police of the Czech Republic where an Airbus EGNOS-enabled helicopter H135 (EC135) landed successfully at Motol’s helipad with the help of EGNOS.

Read the press release in CZ here and EN here

Watch the video below:

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Motol University Hospital – Prague’s largest medical facility – embraces EGNOS technology and becomes accessible even under harsh weather conditions.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are crucial in times of crises such as global pandemics, and are an integral part of many healthcare systems across the globe. They help with emergency evacuations and inter-hospital transports across Europe and also with transporting doctors and medical equipment to remote sites. Often, adverse weather conditions or other factors, such as smoke, cause helicopters to divert or abort landings. In addition, many hospitals lack costly ground-based helicopter navigation equipment to provide guidance in bad weather, which may lead to significant delays when time is of the essence.

To continue delivering high level healthcare services, Motol University Hospital upgraded its facilities by implementing an EGNOS landing procedure, allowing helicopters to land safely even under bad weather conditions on the rooftop helipad of the hospital. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System. It is improving the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems by offering an additional layer of accuracy in the landing procedure.

Thanks to EGNOS, the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, pilots can navigate through the clouds and fog, and land safely at the Prague-based hospital. Hospital accessibility around the clock is crucial for the transportation of critically ill patients and also for operations such as the organ transplant transportation service of Motol Hospital.

“I am delighted that the GSA has been instrumental to the implementation of this procedure and that Motol Hospital now relies on EGNOS to ensure that patients in critical conditions can safely land on its helipad. I am looking forward to making more hospitals accessible across the European Union.’’ says GSA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. 

“As the director of the Motol University Hospital, I am pleased that the European GNSS Agency (GSA) helped to create and implement a satellite-based procedure for the hospital’s helipad. This will enable using the helipad in adverse weather conditions, while the complicated transfer of patients to emergency will be eliminated. Above all, it will enhance our Transplant Programme as it will allow very quick organ transfer directly from the helicopter to the operating rooms’’, concludes Motol University Hospital Director, Dr. Miloslav Ludvík 

The implementation of this procedure as first in the Czech republic on the hospital helipad has been co-funded by GSA within the EGNOS Adoption CZ project under Aviation Grant Programme.  The demonstration of this approach procedure took place early in December 2020, with the participation of the Aviation Service of the Police of the Czech Republic where an Airbus EGNOS-enabled helicopter H135 (EC135) landed successfully at Motol’s helipad thanks to EGNOS.

Read the press release in CZ here and EN here

Watch the video below:

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Motol University Hospital – Prague’s largest medical facility – embraces EGNOS technology and becomes accessible even under harsh weather conditions.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are crucial in times of crises such as global pandemics, and are an integral part of many healthcare systems across the globe. They help with emergency evacuations and inter-hospital transports across Europe and also with transporting doctors and medical equipment to remote sites. Often, adverse weather conditions or other factors, such as smoke, cause helicopters to divert or abort landings. In addition, many hospitals lack costly ground-based helicopter navigation equipment to provide guidance in bad weather, which may lead to significant delays when time is of the essence.

To continue delivering high level healthcare services, Motol University Hospital upgraded its facilities by implementing an EGNOS landing procedure, allowing helicopters to land safely even under bad weather conditions on the rooftop helipad of the hospital. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System. It is improving the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems by offering an additional layer of accuracy in the landing procedure.

Thanks to EGNOS, the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, pilots can navigate through the clouds and fog, and land safely at the Prague-based hospital. Hospital accessibility around the clock is crucial for the transportation of critically ill patients and also for operations such as the organ transplant transportation service of Motol Hospital.

“I am delighted that the GSA has been instrumental to the implementation of this procedure and that Motol Hospital now relies on EGNOS to ensure that patients in critical conditions can safely land on its helipad. I am looking forward to making more hospitals accessible across the European Union.’’ says GSA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. 

“As the director of the Motol University Hospital, I am pleased that the European GNSS Agency (GSA) helped to create and implement a satellite-based procedure for the hospital’s helipad. This will enable using the helipad in adverse weather conditions, while the complicated transfer of patients to emergency will be eliminated. Above all, it will enhance our Transplant Programme as it will allow very quick organ transfer directly from the helicopter to the operating rooms’’, concludes Motol University Hospital Director, Dr. Miloslav Ludvík 

The implementation of this procedure as first in the Czech republic on the hospital helipad has been co-funded by GSA within the EGNOS Adoption CZ project under Aviation Grant Programme.  The demonstration of this approach procedure took place early in December 2020, with the participation of the Aviation Service of the Police of the Czech Republic where an Airbus EGNOS-enabled helicopter H135 (EC135) landed successfully at Motol’s helipad thanks to EGNOS.

Read the press release in CZ here and EN here

Watch the video below:

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Motol University Hospital – Prague’s largest medical facility – embraces EGNOS technology and becomes accessible even under harsh weather conditions.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are crucial in times of crises such as global pandemics, and are an integral part of many healthcare systems across the globe. They help with emergency evacuations and inter-hospital transports across Europe and also with transporting doctors and medical equipment to remote sites. Often, adverse weather conditions or other factors, such as smoke, cause helicopters to divert or abort landings. In addition, many hospitals lack costly ground-based helicopter navigation equipment to provide guidance in bad weather, which may lead to significant delays when time is of the essence.

To continue delivering high level healthcare services, Motol University Hospital upgraded its facilities by implementing an EGNOS landing procedure, allowing helicopters to land safely even under bad weather conditions on the rooftop helipad of the hospital. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System. It is improving the performance of Global Navigation Satellite Systems by offering an additional layer of accuracy in the landing procedure.

Thanks to EGNOS, the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, pilots can navigate through the clouds and fog, and land safely at the Prague-based hospital. Hospital accessibility around the clock is crucial for the transportation of critically ill patients and also for operations such as the organ transplant transportation service of Motol Hospital.

“I am delighted that the GSA has been instrumental to the implementation of this procedure and that Motol Hospital now relies on EGNOS to ensure that patients in critical conditions can safely land on its helipad. I am looking forward to making more hospitals accessible across the European Union.’’ says GSA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa. 

“As the director of the Motol University Hospital, I am pleased that the European GNSS Agency (GSA) helped to create and implement a satellite-based procedure for the hospital’s helipad. This will enable using the helipad in adverse weather conditions, while the complicated transfer of patients to emergency will be eliminated. Above all, it will enhance our Transplant Programme as it will allow very quick organ transfer directly from the helicopter to the operating rooms’’, concludes Motol University Hospital Director, Dr. Miloslav Ludvík 

The implementation of this procedure as first in the Czech republic on the hospital helipad has been co-funded by GSA within the EGNOS Adoption CZ project under Aviation Grant Programme and coordinated by GNSS Centre of Excellence. The procedure has been designed by Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic and the demonstration of this approach procedure took place early in December 2020, with the participation of the Aviation Service of the Police of the Czech Republic where an Airbus EGNOS-enabled helicopter H135 (EC135) landed successfully at Motol’s helipad thanks to EGNOS.

Read the press release in CZ here and EN here

Watch the video below:

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

At an infrastructure project in Norway, Galileo-enabled machine guidance systems continued to operate in a challenging environment when others had already given up. This had a major impact in terms of work continuity and operating costs, so it is clear that access to Galileo’s differentiators will be a key criterion for industry and service providers when selecting operating systems in the future.

The infrastructure project in question is the Follo Line (Follobanen) - a EUR 2.4-billion high-speed railway project that aims to cut commute times between the Norwegian urban centres of Oslo and Ski by half. The line includes a 19-km tunnel, after which a 2-km section of track is being laid between high sheet pile walls on both sides, to protect passenger trains from falling rocks. 

During construction of this segment, machines used guidance technology from various providers for automated digging enabled by RTK positioning with centimetre-level accuracy. Accuracy at this level is required to ensure proper alignment of the wall segments as well as effective water drainage slopes. 

Differentiators making a difference

As the walls went up, they created a canyon around the construction site. Suddenly, one by one, the machine guidance systems started to fail. Excavators and loaders were grounded for days, incurring costs and delays for the operators. As construction slowly progressed, eventually only those machines with Galileo-enabled 3D guidance systems from  Makin’ - a Scandinavian machine control supplier - equipped with the latest AsteRx-U GNSS receivers from Septentrio, were still operational on the site. 

 “Galileo’s differentiators, such as better multipath mitigation and multi-frequency, together with multi-constellation capability, are delivering real benefits to users. We are working closely with industry to make them aware of these benefits so they can pass them on to their customers,” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Operators are becoming increasingly aware. “Robust GNSS receivers in our guidance systems helped us get the reputation we needed to become the number one machine control company in Norway in under two years,” said Makin’ Chief Operating Officer Ruben Hensen.

Improved availability and accuracy

The construction site canyon blocked satellite visibility required by the GNSS guidance systems. As traditional GPS systems failed, only receivers that had access to the highest number of positioning satellites continued operating. The multi-constellation capacity of the Septentrio receivers on the Makin’ systems meant that they had access to more satellites, giving them the best positioning availability.

Watch this: What is Multipath?

In addition, the more signals a receiver can access the more information it can gather from the available satellites. For example, Galileo multi-frequency receivers make use of five signals per satellite, while dual-frequency receivers can make use of only two signals. This makes positioning of multi-frequency receivers more reliable in areas where the number of visible satellites is limited. Multi-frequency receivers also improve positioning accuracy by resolving ionospheric errors.

On the rail line project, metal fences around the construction site not only blocked low-elevation satellites but also generated reflected GNSS signals causing multipath. Receivers with access to the Galileo constellation benefit from the multipath mitigation that Galileo signals offer, allowing them to work better in challenging environments. 

When GNSS outages occur, guidance system integrators can lose time and money, while workers in the field get demotivated. From the experience of the Norwegian rail project, it is clear that not all GNSS receivers are made equal, and access to Galileo signals can make all the difference to a machine’s guidance systems when projects get tough. Having a high-quality Galileo-enabled GNSS receiver allows machine control systems to work even in the toughest environments.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Following last week’s announcement, we can now unveil the second panel of the upcoming Entrepreneurship Day. Our contestants in the MyGalileoSolution competition - start-ups and entrepreneurs from all over Europe - have been busy polishing their solutions and finalising their pitches for the panel on Enhanced Human & Internet of Things. We are very excited to share what they have been up to and we invite you to register for our event to find out more!

The second panel of GSA’s Entrepreneurship Day looks at how MyGalileoSolution’s proposals under the Enhanced Human & Internet of Things have tapped into the potential for innovation of Galileo and beyond, devising solutions that integrate different technologies such as GNSS, 5G, and IoT, and are versatile enough to respond to very different user needs. 

The competition showed how, thanks to their knowledge and creativity capital, European start-ups can raise up to new challenges, redefining new services and applications for the benefit of a wide range of users. 

Read this: MyGalileoSolution Selected Teams Track 1 and 2

The jury of MyGalileoSolution was impressed by the novel approach taken by many of the teams in this year’s competition. Besides the challenge of evaluating the solutions, based on their societal impact, technical feasibility and business potential, it has been hard to assign the proposals to categories as many of the proposals can serve very different markets. 

Precision, robustness and ubiquity in positioning

The solutions presented in the Enhanced Human & Internet of Things panel focus on improving our lives through interconnected devices by building on Galileo’s capability to deliver extremely precise, robust and ubiquitous positioning and timing information. In this field, Galileo can offer a set of unique features as signal authentication to prevent spoofing, additional frequencies for better accuracy in urban environments, and high accuracy for more demanding applications. The soon to be launched Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) and the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) will bring these benefits to the novel Galileo solutions. As recently announced, the OSNMA service is already in the internal testing phase. 

The MyGalileoSolution finalists offer a wide array of GNSS-based solutions, from autonomous robots, to asset management, from quick response in emergency scenarios, to helping visually impaired in precise orientation. All this is made possible by Galileo’s interoperability with the latest technological trends, as showcased in our White Paper on IoT.

Join us online on 2 March, 2021!

Tune in on March 2 to learn more about all of the breakthrough ideas that you will wish you came up with first! Selected projects will present their solutions to other fellow entrepreneurs and the event participants. You will also have a chance to hear from the industry experts, who will look into the latest GNSS tech trends and innovation. Our start-ups on this panel will discuss:

• How to save lives and secure valuable assets with cutting edge technology and smart devices?
• How to optimise and automate maintenance activities in apiculture, viticulture, park, road rail, and power line management with the use of robotics and IoT?
• How to assist the visually impaired with the help of satellites and sounds?

Register now to find out which application is deemed the most successful by our jury and investors, and is awarded the grand prize. 

Following last week’s announcement, we can now unveil the second panel of the upcoming Entrepreneurship Day. Our contestants in the MyGalileoSolution competition - start-ups and entrepreneurs from all over Europe - have been busy polishing their solutions and finalising their pitches for the panel on Enhanced Human & Internet of Things. We are very excited to share what they have been up to and we invite you to register for our event to find out more!

The second panel of GSA’s Entrepreneurship Day looks at how MyGalileoSolution’s proposals under the Enhanced Human & Internet of Things have tapped into the potential for innovation of Galileo and beyond, devising solutions that integrate different technologies such as GNSS, 5G, and IoT, and are versatile enough to respond to very different user needs. 

The competition showed how, thanks to their knowledge and creativity capital, European start-ups can raise up to new challenges, redefining new services and applications for the benefit of a wide range of users. 

Read this: MyGalileoSolution Selected Teams Track 1 and 2

The jury of MyGalileoSolution was impressed by the novel approach taken by many of the teams in this year’s competition. Besides the challenge of evaluating the solutions, based on their societal impact, technical feasibility and business potential, it has been hard to assign the proposals to categories as many of the proposals can serve very different markets. 

Precision, robustness and ubiquity in positioning

The solutions presented in the Enhanced Human & Internet of Things panel focus on improving our lives through interconnected devices by building on Galileo’s capability to deliver extremely precise, robust and ubiquitous positioning and timing information. In this field, Galileo can offer a set of unique features as signal authentication to prevent spoofing, additional frequencies for better accuracy in urban environments, and high accuracy for more demanding applications. The soon to be launched Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) and the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) will bring these benefits to the novel Galileo solutions. As recently announced, the OSNMA service is already in the internal testing phase. 

The MyGalileoSolution finalists offer a wide array of GNSS-based solutions, from autonomous robots to asset management, from a quick response in emergency scenarios to helping the visually impaired in precise orientation. All this is made possible by Galileo’s interoperability with the latest technological trends, as showcased in our White Paper on IoT.

Join us online on 2 March, 2021!

Tune in on March 2 to learn more about all of the breakthrough ideas that you will wish you came up with first! Selected projects will present their solutions to other fellow entrepreneurs and the event participants. You will also have a chance to hear from the industry experts, who will look into the latest GNSS tech trends and innovation. Our start-ups on this panel will discuss:

• How to save lives and secure valuable assets with cutting edge technology and smart devices?
• How to optimise and automate maintenance activities in apiculture, viticulture, park, road rail, and power line management with the use of robotics and IoT?
• How to assist the visually impaired with the help of satellites and sounds?

Register now to find out which application is deemed the most successful by our jury and investors, and is awarded the grand prize. 

Harnessing the benefits of EU Space, the GSA-funded H-Gear project places the safety and security of motorcyclists at the top of the list

In recent years, more and more adults switch to two-wheelers. Congested cities, fuel efficiency, lower environmental impact or simply the sense of freedom while riding are some of the reasons why motorcycles are gaining ground as a favorite means of transport. The double-digit spike in motorbike sales in 2020, notwithstanding the crisis in automotive, clearly underlines this preference. Seeing this shift in transportation patterns and with motorcycles thefts soaring, the H-Gear team developed a twofold solution to provide safety and security to motorcycle drivers by relying on EU Space technology, in particular that of Galileo. 

An anti-theft service inspired by Galileo connected to your smartphone!

The consortium led by Vitrociset, Spaceexe, Antenna Provider and with the precious contribution of Honda rolled out a device equipped with sensors and a Galileo-enabled receiver that can be integrated into small/medium motorcycles. Here’s how it works:  in case the vehicle is moved, an alert message is sent to the owner of the vehicle via a dedicated mobile app. It is then up to the user to decide whether to call the authorities and intervene. The Galileo chipset in the device allows users and the authorities to track down the vehicle but also authenticate that the location is not spoofed thanks the unique Galileo Authentication Service (OS-NMA). The app offers also features such as a parking locator for forgetful riders, and acts as a dashboard storing information on the vehicle status, travelled distance, driving time and speed, and monitoring the battery status, among others.

Read also this: eCall: 2 years of saving lives

Security hand in hand with safety

April 2018 marked the entry into force of the eCall, becoming mandatory in all newly produced car models across the Union. eCall is automatically activated as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash. Once activated, the system dials the European emergency number 112 and establishes a telephone link to the appropriate emergency call centre. By speeding up emergency response times by 40% in urban areas and 50% in the countryside, it is estimated that eCall could help prevent 2,500 road deaths and save EUR 26 billion every year.

Tapping into the success of the European initiative eCall - an automatic system activated as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash, and dialing the European emergency number 112 - the consortium integrated the eCall technology on a Honda motorbike. Once the H-Gear device detects a hard fall, the mobile app is activated, and a menu opens up with the options ‘’SOS Call’’ ‘’Cancel’’ and ‘’Service Center’’. Should this be a light fall and the biker is able to continue their journey, they can simply dismiss by tapping “I’m OK’’.

The mobile app will wait for the user to respond and will not automatically call the emergency services. If the user does not reply within 1 minute, the app will alert the Service Center and an operator will contact them. Failing to respond to the operator’s call, the emergency services will be alerted. The rider’s emergency contacts (provided while setting up the app profile) will also be notified about the incident location as an additional security layer. 

“The characteristics that our clients are looking for are reliability and durability of the motorcycle, with particular attention to safety”, says Francesco Simone, Technical Quality Manager in Honda Italia. “In the future, the eCall and Anti-theft system will integrate perfectly in this evident customer´s need for enhanced protection’’ he concluded.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Harnessing the benefits of EU Space, the GSA-funded H-Gear project places the safety and security of motorcyclists at the top of the list

In recent years, more and more adults switch to two-wheelers. Congested cities, fuel efficiency, lower environmental impact or simply the sense of freedom while riding are some of the reasons why motorcycles are gaining ground as a favorite means of transport. The double-digit spike in motorbike sales in 2020, notwithstanding the crisis in automotive, clearly underlines this preference. Seeing this shift in transportation patterns and with motorcycles thefts soaring, the H-Gear team developed a twofold solution to provide safety and security to motorcycle drivers by relying on EU Space technology, in particular that of Galileo. 

An anti-theft service inspired by Galileo connected to your smartphone!

The consortium led by Vitrociset, Spaceexe, Antenna Provider and with the precious contribution of Honda rolled out a device equipped with sensors and a Galileo-enabled receiver that can be integrated into small/medium motorcycles. Here’s how it works:  in case the vehicle is moved, an alert message is sent to the owner of the vehicle via a dedicated mobile app. It is then up to the user to decide whether to call the authorities and intervene. The Galileo chipset in the device allows users and the authorities to track down the vehicle but also authenticate that the location is not spoofed thanks to the unique Galileo Authentication Service (OS-NMA). The app offers also features such as a parking locator for forgetful riders, and acts as a dashboard storing information on the vehicle status, travelled distance, driving time and speed, and monitoring the battery status, among others.

Read also this: eCall: 2 years of saving lives

Security hand in hand with safety

April 2018 marked the entry into force of the eCall, becoming mandatory in all newly produced car models across the Union. eCall is automatically activated as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash. Once activated, the system dials the European emergency number 112 and establishes a telephone link to the appropriate emergency call centre. By speeding up emergency response times by 40% in urban areas and 50% in the countryside, it is estimated that eCall could help prevent 2,500 road deaths and save EUR 26 billion every year.

Tapping into the success of the European initiative eCall - an automatic system activated as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash, and dialing the European emergency number 112 - the consortium integrated the eCall technology on a Honda motorbike. Once the H-Gear device detects a hard fall, the mobile app is activated, and a menu opens up with the options ‘’SOS Call’’ ‘’Cancel’’ and ‘’Service Center’’. Should this be a light fall and the biker is able to continue their journey, they can simply dismiss by tapping “I’m OK’’.

The mobile app will wait for the user to respond and will not automatically call the emergency services. If the user does not reply within 1 minute, the app will alert the Service Center and an operator will contact them. Failing to respond to the operator’s call, the emergency services will be alerted. The rider’s emergency contacts (provided while setting up the app profile) will also be notified about the incident location as an additional security layer. 

“The characteristics that our clients are looking for are reliability and durability of the motorcycle, with particular attention to safety”, says Francesco Simone, Technical Quality Manager in Honda Italia. “In the future, the eCall and Anti-theft system will integrate perfectly in this evident customer´s need for enhanced protection’’ he concluded.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Harnessing the benefits of EU Space, the GSA-funded H-Gear project places the safety and security of motorcyclists at the top of the list

In recent years, more and more adults switch to two-wheelers. Congested cities, fuel efficiency, lower environmental impact or simply the sense of freedom while riding are some of the reasons why motorcycles are gaining ground as a favorite means of transport. The double-digit spike in motorbike sales in 2020, notwithstanding the crisis in automotive, clearly underlines this preference. Seeing this shift in transportation patterns and with motorcycles thefts soaring, the H-Gear team developed a twofold solution to provide safety and security to motorcycle drivers by relying on EU Space technology, in particular that of Galileo. 

An anti-theft service inspired by Galileo connected to your smartphone!

The consortium led by Vitrociset, Spaceexe, Antenna Provider and with the precious contribution of Honda rolled out a device equipped with sensors and a Galileo-enabled receiver that can be integrated into small/medium motorcycles. Here’s how it works:  in case the vehicle is moved, an alert message is sent to the owner of the vehicle via a dedicated mobile app. It is then up to the user to decide whether to call the authorities and intervene. The Galileo chipset in the device allows users and the authorities to track down the vehicle but also authenticate that the location is not spoofed thanks to the unique Galileo Authentication Service (OS-NMA). The app offers also features such as a parking locator for forgetful riders, and acts as a dashboard storing information on the vehicle status, travelled distance, driving time and speed, and monitoring the battery status, among others.

Read also this: eCall: 2 years of saving lives

Security hand in hand with safety

April 2018 marked the entry into force of the eCall, becoming mandatory in all newly produced car models across the Union. eCall is automatically activated as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash. Once activated, the system dials the European emergency number 112 and establishes a telephone link to the appropriate emergency call centre. By speeding up emergency response times by 40% in urban areas and 50% in the countryside, it is estimated that eCall could help prevent 2,500 road deaths and save EUR 26 billion every year.

Tapping into the success of the European initiative eCall - an automatic system activated as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash, and dialing the European emergency number 112 - the consortium integrated the eCall technology on a Honda motorbike. Once the H-Gear device detects a hard fall, the mobile app is activated, and a menu opens up with the options ‘’SOS Call’’ ‘’Cancel’’ and ‘’Service Center’’. Should this be a light fall and the biker is able to continue their journey, they can simply dismiss by tapping “I’m OK’’.

The mobile app will wait for the user to respond and will not automatically call the emergency services. If the user does not reply within 1 minute, the app will alert the Service Center and an operator will contact them. Failing to respond to the operator’s call, the emergency services will be alerted. The rider’s emergency contacts (provided while setting up the app profile) will also be notified about the incident location as an additional security layer. 

“The characteristics that our clients are looking for are reliability and durability of the motorcycle, with particular attention to safety”, says Francesco Simone, Technical Quality Manager in Honda Italia. “In the future, the eCall and Anti-theft system will integrate perfectly in this evident customer´s need for enhanced protection’’ he concluded.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

We are ready to announce the finalists in this year’s MyGalileoDrone competition. After serious deliberation, our jury has narrowed down the 30 semi-finalists to the final 10 teams still in the running for the EUR 230,000 prize pot.

From 190 submissions, 346 registered teams and 470 registered applicants, we have arrived at a shortlist of 10 teams. And so, without further ado, the finalists are:

1. Raytrack - Inspection and maintenance
2. RigiTech - Medical delivery services 
3. NAUTILUS -  Medical delivery services
4. D2X-ination -  Communication and navigation
5. TF-ATMON -  Weather monitoring
6. SOARER -  Leisure
7. Pixbrush -  Inspection and maintenance
8. Spectalight.io -  Leisure
9. PortDrone -  Port operations
10. SmartSAR -  Emergency management

“We have been very impressed by the high number and quality of proposals received by start-ups and innovators from 28 European countries,” said Fiammetta Diani, GSA Head of Market Development.

“The goal of the competition is to harness Europe’s innovative potential to deliver solutions needed by people and industry. The teams have done exactly that: from search and rescue to monitoring, maintenance and service delivery, the proposed solutions show great market potential. The GSA provided focused support to entrepreneurs to boost their business model and will continue to support them identifying first customers and match with potential investors.” she said.

For more information on the innovative applications and services developed by the 10 finalists, click here.

The final stretch

The MyGalileoDrone finals will take place on 17 February, when the 10 teams will have to perform a pre-demo of their solution and explain their strategy to bring their solution to the market to GSA board. Based on these presentations, the jury will select the four winners. The winners will be announced and awarded during Entrepreneurship Day on 2 March, where the projects will also be able to present their ideas to investors. Take a look here for more information on the selection process.

Read this: Entrepreneurship Day to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions

The winning team will receive EUR 100,000, with EUR 60,000 going to the team in second place, EUR 40,000 for third place, and a fourth prize of EUR 30,000. The 10 finalists have a little over a week left to polish up their final presentations - we wish them all the best of luck on 17 February!

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Point.IoT, a fast-paced programme targeting next-generation IoT solutions using Galileo, is ramping up for its second year. Like last year, the competition aims to spark creativity and problem solving among Europe’s most innovative IoT developers and entrepreneurs. Got what it takes to design the ultimate industry solution? Then click here. The deadline is 30 April 2021.

By combining data from different devices and applications, IoT can generate valuable insights while improving reactions and responses in an ever-changing and competitive landscape. When fused with the enhanced accuracy and coverage offered by Galileo, the potential is practically limitless. 

To tap into this potential, Point.IoT is offering teams of innovators and entrepreneurs the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and leverage IoT and Galileo to tackle important real-life challenges that companies are currently facing. This year, participants can propose solutions addressing two areas: transportation & logistics in a connected world, and mobile robotics & automation as a competitive edge.

Read this: Entrepreneurship Day to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions

Innovative solutions for real-life challenges

Point.IoT is challenging the participants to address the evolving needs of different industries and service providers. In the first of the challenges, participants will need to develop innovative solutions that cover every aspect of the logistics process from acquisition and distribution to quality assurance along the way. In the second challenge, participants will need to build an IoT solution that leverages mobile robotics and/or automation technologies to improve precision and efficiencies in the manufacturing and delivery of everyday products.  For more information, check out the Challenges page on the Point.IoT website.

10 teams of ambitious entrepreneurs will be selected to develop the next generation of IoT solutions. This three-month entrepreneurial experience includes:

• An action-packed, two-day virtual boot camp designed to kick-start IoT innovation; 
• Three months of technical and business sprints with access to leading industry experts for continuous guidance and support; 
• A Point.IoT demo day to celebrate the hard work and success of all the participants. 

The 10 teams will pitch their solutions to a jury, which will evaluate the quality and market potential of each team's solution and decide on the overall winner and EUR 20,000 cash prize recipient.

And this: Power-efficient positioning for The Internet of Things - White Paper

Got what it takes?

If you think you have what it takes to design a novel solution to one of this year’s challenges, then let us know about it. The application process is simple. All you have to do is choose an industry challenge, apply on the platform and wait for confirmation. The online platform provides step-by-step guidance on what is required, as well as hints to ensure the best chance of success. 

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to network, engage and innovate. The open call for applications runs from 1 February to 30 April 2021. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Point.IoT, a fast-paced programme targeting next-generation IoT solutions using Galileo, is ramping up for its second year. Like last year, the competition aims to spark creativity and problem solving among Europe’s most innovative IoT developers and entrepreneurs. Got what it takes to design the ultimate industry solution? Then click here. The deadline is 30 April 2021.

By combining data from different devices and applications, IoT can generate valuable insights while improving reactions and responses in an ever-changing and competitive landscape. When fused with the enhanced accuracy and coverage offered by Galileo, the potential is practically limitless. 

To tap into this potential, Point.IoT is offering teams of innovators and entrepreneurs the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and leverage IoT and Galileo to tackle important real-life challenges that companies are currently facing. This year, participants can propose solutions addressing two areas: transportation & logistics in a connected world, and mobile robotics & automation as a competitive edge.

Read this: Entrepreneurship Day to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions

Innovative solutions for real-life challenges

Point.IoT is challenging the participants to address the evolving needs of different industries and service providers. In the first of the challenges, participants will need to develop innovative solutions that cover every aspect of the logistics process from acquisition and distribution to quality assurance along the way. In the second challenge, participants will need to build an IoT solution that leverages mobile robotics and/or automation technologies to improve precision and efficiencies in the manufacturing and delivery of everyday products.  For more information, check out the Challenges page on the Point.IoT website.

10 teams of ambitious entrepreneurs will be selected to develop the next generation of IoT solutions. This three-month entrepreneurial experience includes:

• An action-packed, two-day virtual boot camp designed to kick-start IoT innovation; 
• Three months of technical and business sprints with access to leading industry experts for continuous guidance and support; 
• A Point.IoT demo day to celebrate the hard work and success of all the participants. 

The 10 teams will pitch their solutions to a jury, which will evaluate (can we something here like “the quality and market potential of”) each team's solution and decide on the overall winner and EUR 20,000 cash prize recipient.

And this: Power-efficient positioning for The Internet of Things - White Paper

Got what it takes?

If you think you have what it takes to design a novel solution to one of this year’s challenges, then let us know about it. The application process is simple. All you have to do is choose an industry challenge, apply on the platform and wait for confirmation. The online platform provides step-by-step guidance on what is required, as well as hints to ensure the best chance of success. 

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to network, engage and innovate. The open call for applications runs from 1 February to 30 April 2021. For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Galileo has started testing Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) in the signal-in-space, allowing the first-ever OSNMA-protected position fix to be successfully computed. Testing will continue over the next months, ahead of a so-called “public observation” phase. This is the first-ever transmission of authentication features in open GNSS signals of a global navigation system.

The Galileo OSNMA is an authentication mechanism that allows GNSS receivers to verify the authenticity of GNSS information, making sure that the data they receive are indeed from Galileo and have not been modified in any way.

Pioneering a long-awaited service

On November 18th 2020, 15:28 UTC, Galileo satellites started the transmission of authentication data for testing purposes. This was the first-ever signal-in-space (SIS) with the so-called OSNMA, Galileo’s data authentication service. As part of the tests, OSNMA receivers successfully calculated a message-authenticated position for the first time. 

“Ensuring the validity of positions elaborated by GNSS is one of the main challenges before addressing an entirely new set of applications demanding dependability and resilience. Galileo is now set on course to deliver on this highly anticipated feature and has many more novel features in store for the coming years”, says Matthias Petschke, Director of Space at the European Commission, DG DEFIS. 

OS Increased Robustness

“Galileo’s Open Service Navigation Message Authentication is one of its key differentiators. The additional robustness that it will provide to the Galileo signal will be critical for many applications, particularly those where security and trustworthiness are a priority, making the OSNMA a key component in any resilient PNT solution”, says Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of the European GNSS Agency.

“Up until now, as a navigation satellite disseminates navigation and timing data, there is no way of confirming these data are indeed coming from their apparent originator. As a result, the data could be falsified, a phenomenon known as spoofing, where corrupt false signals mislead receivers about their position, misleading their users in turn, with potentially serious consequences”, comments Paul Verhoef, Director of Navigation at the European Space Agency. 

Testing Activities

OSNMA test signals are being broadcast by the Galileo constellation using the spare bits from the current navigation message, therefore not impacting the legacy OS receivers implementing the current OS Signal-In-Space Interface Control Document (OS SIS ICD). 

The first tests used eight Galileo satellites for around two hours on November 18th. Tests have continued ever since, for intermittent periods, and will continue over the next months. 

Next steps

Upon successful completion of the internal testing phase, a public observation phase will begin, in which the OSNMA signal will be publicly accessible. In preparation of this phase, the OSNMA user Signal-In-Space Interface Control Document (OSNMA SIS ICD), receiver implementation guidelines, and the necessary cryptographic materials will be published. This will allow receiver manufacturers and application developers to test and prepare their products.

During the public observation phase, feedback will be gathered from users, leading to the consolidation of the service. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has selected Eutelsat Communications for the development, integration and operation of its next-generation EGNOS GEO-4 service. The contract agreed between Eutelsat and GSA covers 15 years of service provision and represents a total value of EUR 100 million.

The contract signed between the GSA and Eutelsat on 8 February 2021, is the result of an open tender launched by the GSA at the end of 2019. The signing of the contract will kick off a two-year service preparation phase, followed by 15 years of service provision. Of the EUR 100 million baseline, only EUR 15.5 million will be committed under the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) the remaining EUR 85 million is subject to the confirmation of funds allocated to the EGNOS programme from the European Union budget for 2021-2027. 

Watch this: The Story of EGNOS

Commenting on the agreement, Rodolphe Belmer, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat said: “We are delighted to have been entrusted once again by the GSA for this critical mission. It showcases the unparalleled coverage of our fleet as well as our technological expertise and reliability. Space technology continues to change the way we live, and we are delighted to support the GSA to ensure that European citizens get the most out of satellite navigation programmes.”.

Enhancing GSA’s core mission

Rodrigo da Costa, GSA Executive Director added: “The GSA has awarded Eutelsat the EGNOS GEO-4 contract to manage this important payload that enhances the GSA’s core mission to deliver reliable and secure space-based services. By delivering innovation and thus benefits , satellite navigation is changing how we manage the mobility, safety and security of people and goods for Europe and beyond in fundamental ways.”

The EGNOS payload on GEO-4 is necessary to ensure the transition from EGNOS V2 to EGNOS V3. 

And this: EGNOS for aviation

Eutelsat already operates the EGNOS GEO-3 payload on its EUTELSAT 5 West B satellite, which entered into service in February 2020. Built by Airbus Defence and Space, the new Eutelsat payload is scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2022.    

Improved positioning

EGNOS is the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service that acts as an augmentation service to global positioning systems, to improve the reliability of positioning information. This is ensured by a crucial integrity message that is essential in aviation where GNSS alone does not satisfy strict operational requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It is especially important during critical flight stages such as the final approach. 

Other transport means including maritime and rail also benefit from the EGNOS Safety of Life service. Thanks to its Open Service, EGNOS also increases the positioning accuracy for other land-based applications, notably precision farming, geomatics, and land management.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

GNSS is a key enabler for drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), ensuring safety of navigation and providing increased reliability for both consumer and commercial applications. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, over the past decade, drones have become a significant GNSS segment, overtaking mature segments such as maritime, aviation and agriculture in terms of shipments, according to the GNSS Market Report.

At the same time as we have seen this growth in drone traffic, with UAVs used in more and more application areas and a steadily growing user base, new regulatory measures have been put in place to harmonise the European drone market and guarantee the highest level of safety. 

In line with these market trends and new regulations and in support of EU priorities, the GSA defined several innovation areas in the MyGalileoDrone and MyGalileoSolution competitions - such as parcel delivery, emergency and crisis management, infrastructure inspection, leisure etc. - with the aim of challenging contestants to design, develop, test and deliver drone-based applications for commercial launch using Galileo-enabled receivers.

Critical precision

It is difficult to understate the importance of the precision provided by Galileo for drone-enabled services, especially if it is not possible to ensure line-of-sight or human supervision at all times. The improved integrity and high accuracy of Galileo positioning information helps drones to follow their assigned routes closely, especially in urban areas.

Read this: Entrepreneurship Day to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions

“We were delighted to work together with the MyGalileoDrone and MyGalileoSolution competitors, who joined us virtually from across Europe. These teams represent start-ups and SMEs, business and academia alike,” said Katerina Strelcova, GSA Aviation Market Development Innovation Officer. “The contestants showed great creativity in identifying new service areas, achieved technological breakthroughs, and introduced novel business models. The results promise to have a positive societal impact and an excellent commercial value,” she said.

A World of Drones

After rounds of meticulous reviews, expert consultations, and mentoring, the 37 most innovative drone solutions developed during the two competitions will be presented at the “World of Drones” session of the Entrepreneurship Day that will take place  2 March. At this online event, the GSA will showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions delivering cutting-edge services across a range of application areas.

Watch this: EGNOS for Drones

Projects from MyGalileoDrone will be presented, along with the AirCoffee, Artificial Intelligence Autonomous VTOL Drone Platform, GALENCODER, SigLoc, TechNovator, Touchdown, and DROCATS projects from MyGalileoSolution. 

Make sure to join us and learn how the innovative teams are:

• delivering critical goods on time in remote and densely populated areas;
• helping to find  survivors at sea during search and rescue missions;
• guiding boats to their port moorings;
• combining drones with unmanned ground vehicles to assess and maintain road surface markings;
• monitoring pollution, and much more!

Register now to find out which application is deemed most successful by our jury and investors, and is awarded the grand prize. Make sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with all the latest news.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The Galileo Performance Workshop 2021 led by the European GNSS Agency will offer an in-depth analysis of the performance of Galileo and how it is evaluated for users.

Satellite positioning has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide a multitude of services enabling applications in a broad spectrum of sectors ranging from aviation to maritime, to agriculture and location-based services. GNSS data are used by businesses, start-ups, and public bodies as well as by a wide range of innovative projects in order to bring added value to their endeavours. According to the 2019 GSA GNSS Market Report, the GNSS downstream market revenues from both devices and services, will grow from €150 bln in 2019 to €325 bln in 2029. By 2029, added-value service revenues will account for €166 bln, more than half of the total global GNSS revenues. With such economic impact, the need for monitoring the performance of GNSS is a critical part of the service delivery.

The GSA has established the Galileo Reference Centre (GRC) with a primary mission of providing independent means to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Galileo services and the quality of the signals in space. The GRC is the European hub for such activities, integrating contributions from European national entities, such as research centres, timing laboratories, and national space agencies with its own functionality.

The performance is measured by so-called Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the computation of which depends on GNSS data measurements and derived reference products (e.g. precise orbits, satellites clock corrections). It can be based on publicly available data and products, which are available with various levels of quality, reliability and latency. To be able to compare results obtained by independent sources, it is important to have a common understanding, guidelines for monitoring and a sound assessment methodology. 

This online webinar organised by the GSA on March 3rd at 14:00 CET will give you the opportunity to better understand how the performance of Galileo services is crucial for the service provision for every user application. There will be a particular focus on:

• the Galileo programme needs for performance monitoring 
• the Galileo services as defined in the Service Definition Document (SDD)
• the Minimum Performance Levels (MPLs)
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are quantifiable measures used to evaluate the performance
• publicly available data, products and tools that can be used for GNSS monitoring
• a set of monitoring and assessment guidelines for the implementation of a solution able to monitor the Galileo system performance based on publicly available data, products, and tools. 

The workshop will gather GSA and Member States representatives and is open to anyone interested in GNSS.

For your information, the presentations delivered during the Galileo service status session during the EU Space Week can be found here.

Registrations are now open.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is hosting a virtual Entrepreneurship Day on 2 March to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions delivering cutting-edge services across a range of application areas. At the event, the finalists of MyGalileoSolution and MyGalileoDrone competitions will pitch in front of investors and venture capitalists, demonstrating novel drone solutions, enhanced human and Internet of Things ideas and innovative mobile applications. Interested in inspirational start-up pitches? Register here.

GNSS is driving innovation and supporting new and disruptive technologies in a wide range of sectors. Start-ups have been particularly enthusiastic in embracing the potential offered by the EU Space Programme to develop new applications and services, as can be seen from the entries in the #MyGalileoDrone and #MyGalileoSolution competitions, organised by the GSA.

Space for EU priorities

Entrepreneurship Day will present some of the most innovative projects from these competitions. The half-day event, which will take place online, will bring together investors, accelerators, the start-up community, tech influencers, GNSS innovators and everybody interested in space to hear from around 80 EU start-ups about how their Galileo-based innovations, developed with support from the GSA, are meeting important societal challenges and supporting the EU strategic agenda. 

Read this: Next generation EU Space apps pitching at EUSW Investors Forum

In particular, teams from MyGalileoDrone selected to participate include solutions that support EU priorities like the European Green Deal, Europe’s digital strategy, resilience and recovery, and promoting the European way of life. The MyGalileoSolution ideas also address strategic challenges, such as crisis and emergency response, smart transport, digitalisation and cybersecurity.

Competition winners to be announced

The event will culminate with the announcement of the winners of the MyGalileoDrone and MyGalileoSolution competitions. At the online awards ceremony, the six MyGalileoSolution finalists will receive awards ranging from EUR 15,000 to EUR 60,000, while the four MyGalileoDrone finalists will share a prize pot of EUR 230,000, with prizes ranging from EUR 30,000 to EUR 100,000.

Make sure to attend, to get inspiration from the worthy winners and from the other participating start-ups, and learn which MyGalileo start-up is most highly rated by the investor network.  If you are interested in space and want to learn how space-based innovations are responding to current and future challenges, then Entrepreneurship Day is a not-to-be-missed event. For more information, click here. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is hosting a virtual Entrepreneurship Day on 2 March to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions delivering cutting-edge services across a range of application areas. At the event, the finalists of MyGalileoSolution and MyGalileoDrone competitions will pitch in front of investors and venture capitalists, demonstrating novel drone solutions, enhanced human and Internet of Things ideas and innovative mobile applications. Interested in inspirational start-up pitches? Register here.

GNSS is driving innovation and supporting new and disruptive technologies in a wide range of sectors. Start-ups have been particularly enthusiastic in embracing the potential offered by the EU Space Programme to develop new applications and services, as can be seen from the entries in the #MyGalileoDrone and #MyGalileoSolution competitions, organised by the GSA.

Space for EU priorities

Entrepreneurship Day will present some of the most innovative projects from these competitions. The half-day event, which will take place online, will bring together investors, accelerators, the start-up community, tech influencers, GNSS innovators and everybody interested in space to hear from around 80 EU start-ups about how their Galileo-based innovations, developed with support from the GSA, are meeting important societal challenges and supporting the EU strategic agenda. 

Read this: Next generation EU Space apps pitching at EUSW Investors Forum

In particular, teams from MyGalileoDrone selected to participate include solutions that support EU priorities like the European Green Deal, Europe’s digital strategy, resilience and recovery, and promoting the European way of life. The MyGalileoSolution ideas also address strategic challenges, such as crisis and emergency response, smart transport, digitalisation and cybersecurity.

Competition winners to be announced

The event will culminate with the announcement of the winners of the MyGalileoDrone and MyGalileoSolution competitions. At the online awards ceremony, the six MyGalileoSolution finalists will receive awards ranging from EUR 15,000 to EUR 60,000, while the four MyGalileoDrone finalists will share a prize pot of EUR 230,000, with prizes ranging from EUR 30,000 to EUR 100,000.

Make sure to attend, to get inspiration from the worthy winners and from the other participating start-ups, and learn which MyGalileo start-up is most highly rated by the investor network.  If you are interested in space and want to learn how space-based innovations are responding to current and future challenges, then Entrepreneurship Day is a not-to-be-missed event. For more information, click here. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A year after declared operational, the Galileo Return Link Service has been exceeding the performance levels committed in the SAR/Galileo Service Definition Document. With the recent upgrade in its European ground facilities, Galileo SAR is leading the way as an important component of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme.

A year ago, the Galileo Return Link Service (RLS), a unique feature of Galileo Search & Rescue service was declared operational. The service is enabling people in distress to receive an automatic acknowledgement that their location has been determined and that help is on the way. With the activation of beacon capable of receiving Galileo RLS, the people in need of help will see a blue light blinking on top indicating the confirmation message. So far, Galileo is the only GNSS to offer such service to end users. 

Exceeding performance targets  

The end-to-end Return Link Message delivery is expected to take about 15 minutes.

The continuous monitoring of the Galileo SAR and the Return Link Service confirmed that the Service has been available 99.99% of the time, and that the Galileo RLS system took an average of 0.61 minutes (37 seconds) to deliver the automatic acknowledgement to the activated beacons as observed by the Galileo Reference Beacons (see Figure). Both performance parameters are significantly better than their target values of 95% and 15 minutes respectively. More information about performance and target can be found in the SAR Service Definition Document (SAR SDD) and the Quarterly Performance Reports.

RLS beacons steadily finding their way to the market 

Upon the RLS operational declaration, different beacon manufacturers worldwide are integrating the Galileo RLS technology to newly produced devices and many of them are already in testing phase. Earlier in December, H2020 funded Helios Project launched the first Galileo-enabled PLB featuring the Return Link Service in 18 European countries. The consortium led by Orolia Maritime seeks to commercialize not only PLBs but also ELTs and EPIRBs to improve the search and rescue activities in the air, at sea and on land. 

The Galileo Return Link Service increases survival rates by giving an important psychological boost to people in distress. Experts of Cospas-Sarsat estimated that the international SAR system, with the contribution of the Galileo Search and Rescue service, saves more than 2000 lives a year. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

As cities strive to make their transport systems more efficient and user-friendly, they are increasingly turning to GNSS-based solutions. The Czech capital Prague, which has already leveraged GNSS to modernise its tram fleet, is now turning to a Galileo-enabled solution to improve drivers’ experience in the city’s road tunnels.

Drivers using the tunnels on Prague’s Ring Road can’t have failed to notice that satnav does not work in a large section of the tunnels, as they receive the message ‘GPS Signal Lost’. This is not usually a problem in classic tunnels with only one entrance and one exit, but in more complex tunnel systems drivers can get confused. 

Forward-looking solutions

To deal with this issue, the Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) commissioned a study into possible solutions to navigation signal loss in tunnels. Based on the findings of this study, a GNSS signal retransmission solution using Galileo is now being tested in the Bubeneč Tunnel, part of the city’s Blanka Tunnel Complex.

“GNSS is an important tool in the toolbox of any forward-looking city looking to modernise its transport systems and make them better adapted to the needs of urban dwellers,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “By supporting solutions ranging from mobility as a service to parking support and passenger information systems, GNSS is helping to build the urban transport systems of the future,” he said. 

Watch this: European GNSS for Smart Mobility

The first stage of Bubeneč Tunnel project will see repeaters installed at three locations in the tunnel. The GNSS signal will be routed from an antenna above ground to the repeaters in the tunnel via a short cable line. Although initially the entire tunnel will not be covered by the signal, the retransmission between the individual stations will nevertheless increase the accuracy of the navigation solution, increasing driver comfort. This pilot project will verify the functionality, performance and coverage of the transmitted signal in the tunnel.

Interesting technical challenge

"This is great news for all drivers, they will no longer have to hesitate about which tunnel exit to use, and which direction to take at the next junction if the navigation signal has not yet been recovered. TSK has started testing three GNSS repeaters in the Bubeneč Tunnel, which can transmit the signal of all available navigation systems and thus ensure functional navigation in the first parts of the Blanka tunnel complex,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.

“This is also an interesting technical challenge. We need to install an antenna on the surface above the tunnel that receives the GNSS signal from the satellites, which we transfer to the equipment in the tunnel, located at exactly the same place as the antenna on the surface,” Scheinherr said.

Read this: EGNOS and Galileo for ITS and road transport

Once the functionality is tested, a decision will be reached on whether to extend the technology to the entire Blanka Tunnel and to other tunnels in Prague. The advantage of this system is that it allows operation of standard on-board navigation equipment or mobile phones, which makes the solution more versatile and accessible for all users.

Prague is one of many EU cities that is turning to GNSS to upgrade its transport system. The city of Madrid has also using GNSS-based intelligent transport solutions to improve user experience on the city’s buses. By enabling intelligent transport solutions of this kind, GNSS is supporting Europe’s cities in their efforts to become smarter and more sustainable, thereby contributing to EU’s priorities for a greener, more digital Europe.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

As cities strive to make their transport systems more efficient and user-friendly, they are increasingly turning to GNSS-based solutions. The Czech capital Prague, which has already leveraged GNSS to modernise its tram fleet, is now turning to a Galileo-enabled solution to improve drivers’ experience in the city’s road tunnels.

Drivers using the tunnels on Prague’s Ring Road can’t have failed to notice that satnav does not work in a large section of the tunnels, as they receive the message ‘GPS Signal Lost’. This is not usually a problem in classic tunnels with only one entrance and one exit, but in more complex tunnel systems drivers can get confused. 

Forward-looking solutions

To deal with this issue, the Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) commissioned a study into possible solutions to navigation signal loss in tunnels. Based on the findings of this study, a GNSS signal retransmission solution using Galileo is now being tested in the Bubeneč Tunnel, part of the city’s Blanka Tunnel Complex.

“GNSS is an important tool for any forward-looking city looking at modernizing its transport systems and make them better adapted to the needs of urban dwellers,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “By supporting solutions ranging from mobility as a service to parking support and passenger information systems, GNSS is helping to build the urban transport systems of the future,” he said. 

Watch this: European GNSS for Smart Mobility

The first stage of Bubeneč Tunnel project will see repeaters installed at three locations in the tunnel. The GNSS signal will be routed from an antenna above ground to the repeaters in the tunnel via a short cable line. Although initially the entire tunnel will not be covered by the signal, the retransmission between the individual stations will nevertheless increase the accuracy of the navigation solution, increasing driver comfort. This pilot project will verify the functionality, performance and coverage of the transmitted signal in the tunnel.

Interesting technical challenge

"This is great news for all drivers, they will no longer have to hesitate about which tunnel exit to use, and which direction to take at the next junction if the navigation signal has not yet been recovered. TSK has started testing three GNSS repeaters in the Bubeneč Tunnel, which can transmit the signal of all available navigation systems and thus ensure functional navigation in the first parts of the Blanka tunnel complex,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.

“This is also an interesting technical challenge. We need to install an antenna on the surface above the tunnel that receives the GNSS signal from the satellites, which we transfer to the equipment in the tunnel, located at exactly the same place as the antenna on the surface,” Scheinherr said.

Read this: EGNOS and Galileo for ITS and road transport

Once the functionality is tested, a decision will be reached on whether to extend the technology to the entire Blanka Tunnel and to other tunnels in Prague. The advantage of this system is that it allows operation of standard on-board navigation equipment or mobile phones, which makes the solution more versatile and accessible for all users.

Prague is one of many EU cities that is turning to GNSS to upgrade its transport system. The city of Madrid has also using GNSS-based intelligent transport solutions to improve user experience on the city’s buses. By enabling intelligent transport solutions of this kind, GNSS is supporting Europe’s cities in their efforts to become smarter and more sustainable, thereby contributing to EU’s priorities for a greener, more digital Europe.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

As cities strive to make their transport systems more efficient and user-friendly, they are increasingly turning to GNSS-based solutions. The Czech capital Prague, which has already leveraged GNSS to modernise its tram fleet, is now turning to a Galileo-enabled solution to improve drivers’ experience in the city’s road tunnels.

Drivers using the tunnels on Prague’s Ring Road can’t have failed to notice that satnav does not work in a large section of the tunnels, as they receive the message ‘GPS Signal Lost’. This is not usually a problem in classic tunnels with only one entrance and one exit, but in more complex tunnel systems drivers can get confused. 

Forward-looking solutions

To deal with this issue, the Prague Technical Road Administration (TSK) commissioned a study into possible solutions to navigation signal loss in tunnels. Based on the findings of this study, a GNSS signal retransmission solution using Galileo is now being tested in the Bubeneč Tunnel, part of the city’s Blanka Tunnel Complex.

“GNSS is an important tool for any forward-looking city looking at modernizing its transport systems and making them better adapted to the needs of urban dwellers,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “By supporting solutions ranging from mobility as a service to parking support and passenger information systems, GNSS is helping to build the urban transport systems of the future,” he said. 

Watch this: European GNSS for Smart Mobility

The first stage of Bubeneč Tunnel project will see repeaters installed at three locations in the tunnel. The GNSS signal will be routed from an antenna above ground to the repeaters in the tunnel via a short cable line. Although initially the entire tunnel will not be covered by the signal, the retransmission between the individual stations will nevertheless increase the accuracy of the navigation solution, increasing driver comfort. This pilot project will verify the functionality, performance and coverage of the transmitted signal in the tunnel.

Interesting technical challenge

"This is great news for all drivers, they will no longer have to hesitate about which tunnel exit to use, and which direction to take at the next junction if the navigation signal has not yet been recovered. TSK has started testing three GNSS repeaters in the Bubeneč Tunnel, which can transmit the signal of all available navigation systems and thus ensure functional navigation in the first parts of the Blanka tunnel complex,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.

“This is also an interesting technical challenge. We need to install an antenna on the surface above the tunnel that receives the GNSS signal from the satellites, which we transfer to the equipment in the tunnel, located at exactly the same place as the antenna on the surface,” Scheinherr said.

Read this: EGNOS and Galileo for ITS and road transport

Once the functionality is tested, a decision will be reached on whether to extend the technology to the entire Blanka Tunnel and to other tunnels in Prague. The advantage of this system is that it allows operation of standard on-board navigation equipment or mobile phones, which makes the solution more versatile and accessible for all users.

Prague is one of many EU cities that is turning to GNSS to upgrade its transport system. The city of Madrid has also using GNSS-based intelligent transport solutions to improve user experience on the city’s buses. By enabling intelligent transport solutions of this kind, GNSS is supporting Europe’s cities in their efforts to become smarter and more sustainable, thereby contributing to EU’s priorities for a greener, more digital Europe.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

One of the main motivations behind the creation of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is to generate synergies between the different components of the EU Space Programme, particularly navigation, Earth observation and secure communications, according to European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

In his keynote address at a session on ‘Space data and downstream applications’ at the 13th European Space Conference on 12 January, da Costa noted that EUSPA is an opportunity for the EU Space Programme and for Europe as a whole, as it will enable the creation of synergies between navigation (EGNOS and Galileo), earth observation (Copernicus) and telecommunications (GOVSATCOM).

EUSPA will maximise its contribution to the EU Space Programme being the organisation that puts European Union space assets at the service of its citizens, he said. This was something that was also underlined by other participants in this session. 

Da Costa noted for example the potential for synergies between navigation and Earth observation in transport and agriculture. “By bringing navigation and earth observation together we can bring transport one step ahead, and do the same in agriculture, thereby making a big contribution to the Green Deal,” he said.

Aligned with EU priorities

The EU Space Programme is instrumental for the EU´s key policy areas – be it the Green Deal, Digitisation or contributing to a greener and stronger economy in Europe in general. “We are very closely aligned with the priorities of the EU. For instance, Galileo and EGNOS already make an important contribution to a greener environmental footprint,” da Costa said, citing the example of precision agriculture, where an increased number of tractors equipped with EGNOS and Galileo are helping to improve environmental performance in the sector.

Read this: Users benefitting from Galileo accuracy in latest Javad receivers

Da Costa concluded: “EUSPA will not just be a bigger GSA. It is a new agency that will benefit from the GSA’s experience and will work closely with its partners in the European Commission, the European Space Agency and in industry.”

Pandemic response

Due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s Space Conference took place online and the pandemic was very much in focus. Asked about the GSA’s response, da Costa said that the Agency had taken action to ensure the safe and secure continuity of operations for Galileo and EGNOS and to support SMEs and start-ups, making sure that the flow of funding to support innovation continued. 

Moreover, concrete initiatives like the Galileo Green Lane app, implemented jointly with the European Commission, eased the management of traffic congestion at EU borders during the crisis and helped to mitigate its impacts and keep critical goods flowing. “We will have to come back from the crisis with an economy that is more resilient, more robust and greener. The space programme will have a very significant role to play in this,” da Costa said, adding that space technologies are important for the economy, as they add value in practically all sectors.

And this: GSA launches call for Venture Capitalists

Da Costa also spoke amongst others with Thomas Dermine, Belgian State Secretary for Economic Recovery and Strategic Investments, in a session on “Enhancement of European Space Asset Cyber Resilience’’. Underlining the operational experience gained by the GSA for EGNOS and Galileo, da Costa stressed that security of the space assets is essential for the development of the EU Space Programme and that, as an EU agency in the forefront of the implementation of the EU Space Programme, the GSA was already concretely following the EU rules in this regard. “Cybersecurity is complex and requires monitoring 24/7. This is what we are doing with the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre,” he said.

EGNSS for energy

At a session on ‘Space for Energy, and Clean Energy for Space,’ GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani spoke about the role of Galileo in the energy sector, touching on areas such as the synchronisation of energy networks and the importance of accuracy and robustness in smart grids that help distributing more and more energy from renewable sources. Diani also stressed the importance of synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus in the energy sector, to improve the site selection, construction, operation and maintenance of wind farms, for example.

“EUSPA will further foster the use of space technologies for the energy sector, for example by offering innovation opportunities for start-ups, implementing new business models for this fast changing domain, and creating Galileo-Copernicus solutions to increase renewable energy production and distribution, as an important contribution to the European Green Deal,” she said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

One of the main motivations behind the creation of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is to generate synergies between the different components of the EU Space Programme, particularly navigation, Earth observation and secure communications, according to European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

In his keynote address at a session on ‘Space data and downstream applications’ at the 13th European Space Conference on 12 January, da Costa noted that EUSPA is an opportunity for the EU Space Programme and for Europe as a whole, as it will enable the creation of synergies between navigation (EGNOS and Galileo), earth observation (Copernicus) and telecommunications (GOVSATCOM).

EUSPA will maximise its contribution to the EU Space Programme being the organisation that puts European Union space assets at the service of its citizens, he said. This was something that was also underlined by other participants in this session. 

Da Costa noted for example the potential for synergies between navigation and Earth observation in transport and agriculture. “By bringing navigation and earth observation together we can bring transport one step ahead, and do the same in agriculture, thereby making a big contribution to the Green Deal,” he said.

Aligned with EU priorities

The EU Space Programme is instrumental for the EU´s key policy areas – be it the Green Deal, Digitisation or contributing to a greener and stronger economy in Europe in general. “We are very closely aligned with the priorities of the EU. For instance, Galileo and EGNOS already make an important contribution to a greener environmental footprint,” da Costa said, citing the example of precision agriculture, where an increased number of tractors equipped with EGNOS and Galileo are helping to improve environmental performance in the sector.

Read this: Users benefitting from Galileo accuracy in latest Javad receivers

Da Costa concluded: “EUSPA will not just be a bigger GSA. It is a new agency that will benefit from the GSA’s experience and will work closely with its partners in the European Commission, the European Space Agency and in industry.”

Pandemic response

Due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s Space Conference took place online and the pandemic was very much in focus. Asked about the GSA’s response, da Costa said that the Agency had taken action to ensure the safe and secure continuity of operations for Galileo and EGNOS and to support SMEs and start-ups, making sure that the flow of funding to support innovation continued. 

Moreover, concrete initiatives like the Galileo Green Lane app, implemented jointly with the European Commission, eased the management of traffic congestion at EU borders during the crisis and helped to mitigate its impacts and keep critical goods flowing. “We will have to come back from the crisis with an economy that is more resilient, more robust and greener. The space programme will have a very significant role to play in this,” da Costa said, adding that space technologies are important for the economy, as they add value in practically all sectors.

And this: GSA launches call for Venture Capitalists

Da Costa also spoke amongst others with Thomas Dermine, Belgian State Secretary for Economic Recovery and Strategic Investments, in a session on “Enhancement of European Space Asset Cyber Resilience’’. Underlining the operational experience gained by the GSA for EGNOS and Galileo, da Costa stressed that security of the space assets is essential for the development of the EU Space Programme and that, as an EU agency in the forefront of the implementation of the EU Space Programme, the GSA was already concretely following the EU rules in this regard. “Cybersecurity is complex and requires monitoring 24/7. This is what we are doing with the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre,” he said.

EGNSS for energy

At a session on ‘Space for Energy, and Clean Energy for Space,’ GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani spoke about the role of Galileo in the energy sector, touching on areas such as the synchronisation of energy networks and the importance of accuracy and robustness in smart grids that help distributing more and more energy from renewable sources. Diani also stressed the importance of synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus in the energy sector, to improve the site selection, construction, operation and maintenance of wind farms, for example.

“EUSPA will further foster the use of space technologies for the energy sector, for example by offering innovation opportunities for start-ups, implementing new business models for this fast changing domain, and creating Galileo-Copernicus solutions to increase renewable energy production and distribution, as an important contribution to the European Green Deal,” she said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

One of the main motivations behind the creation of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is to generate synergies between the different components of the EU Space Programme, particularly navigation, Earth observation and secure communications, according to European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

In his keynote address at a session on ‘Space data and downstream applications’ at the 13th European Space Conference on 12 January, da Costa noted that EUSPA is an opportunity for the EU Space Programme and for Europe as a whole, as it will enable the creation of synergies between navigation (EGNOS and Galileo), earth observation (Copernicus) and telecommunications (GOVSATCOM).

EUSPA will maximise its contribution to the EU Space Programme being the organisation that puts European Union space assets at the service of its citizens, he said. This was something that was also underlined by other participants in this session. 

Da Costa noted for example the potential for synergies between navigation and Earth observation in transport and agriculture. “By bringing navigation and earth observation together we can bring transport one step ahead, and do the same in agriculture, thereby making a big contribution to the Green Deal,” he said.

Aligned with EU priorities

The EU Space Programme is instrumental for the EU´s key policy areas – be it the Green Deal, Digitisation or contributing to a greener and stronger economy in Europe in general. “We are very closely aligned with the priorities of the EU. For instance, Galileo and EGNOS already make an important contribution to a greener environmental footprint,” da Costa said, citing the example of precision agriculture, where an increased number of tractors equipped with EGNOS and Galileo are helping to improve environmental performance in the sector.

Read this: Users benefitting from Galileo accuracy in latest Javad receivers

Da Costa concluded: “EUSPA will not just be a bigger GSA. It is a new agency that will benefit from the GSA’s experience and will work closely with its partners in the European Commission, the European Space Agency and in industry.”

Pandemic response

Due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s Space Conference took place online and the pandemic was very much in focus. Asked about the GSA’s response, da Costa said that the Agency had taken action to ensure the safe and secure continuity of operations for Galileo and EGNOS and to support SMEs and start-ups, making sure that the flow of funding to support innovation continued. 

Moreover, concrete initiatives like the Galileo Green Lane app, implemented jointly with the European Commission, eased the management of traffic congestion at EU borders during the crisis and helped to mitigate its impacts and keep critical goods flowing. “We will have to come back from the crisis with an economy that is more resilient, more robust and greener. The space programme will have a very significant role to play in this,” da Costa said, adding that space technologies are important for the economy, as they add value in practically all sectors.

And this: GSA launches call for Venture Capitalists

Da Costa also spoke amongst others with Thomas Dermine, Belgian State Secretary for Economic Recovery and Strategic Investments, in a session on “Enhancement of European Space Asset Cyber Resilience’’. Underlining the operational experience gained by the GSA for EGNOS and Galileo, da Costa stressed that security of the space assets is essential for the development of the EU Space Programme and that, as an EU agency in the forefront of the implementation of the EU Space Programme, the GSA was already concretely following the EU rules in this regard. “Cybersecurity is complex and requires monitoring 24/7. This is what we are doing with the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre,” he said.

EGNSS for energy

At a session on ‘Space for Energy, and Clean Energy for Space,’ GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani spoke about the role of Galileo in the energy sector, touching on areas such as the synchronisation of energy networks and the importance of accuracy and robustness in smart grids that help distributing more and more energy from renewable sources. Diani also stressed the importance of synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus in the energy sector, to improve the site selection, construction, operation and maintenance of wind farms, for example.

“EUSPA will further foster the use of space technologies for the energy sector, for example by offering innovation opportunities for start-ups, implementing new business models for this fast changing domain, and creating Galileo-Copernicus solutions to increase renewable energy production and distribution, as an important contribution to the European Green Deal,” she said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Ionospheric effects can be a major source of disruption to GNSS signals, so it is important to be able to predict and compensate for these disturbances. With this in mind, the European Commission-funded Galileo Ionosphere Prediction Service (IPS) monitors ionospheric activity and informs GNSS users in good time of an upcoming event that could disrupt GNSS signals and applications.

The IPS monitors and forecasts solar and ionospheric activity and predicts its effect on GNSS signals and on the final performance of user applications. The Service makes it possible to anticipate any degradation of performance, allowing operators to put in place mitigation measures in good time.

The IPS predictions are delivered for ionosphere-related parameters and GNSS performance at both the European and global level. Delivered in three time scales (nowcast, 30 minutes and 24 hours ahead), the alerts are sent to registered users when the IPS predictions exceed thresholds that have been-pre-defined by the user.

User benefits

The IPS will benefit all users of GNSS signals whose operations can be seriously disrupted by insufficient GNSS performance, in particular the aviation industry, where GNSS performance is important for safety.

In addition, institutional actors interested in operational space weather can reuse the IPS prediction products, compare them with their own predictions, or feed the additional observation and prediction data into their own algorithms to improve the reliability of the forecast. Other users that stand to benefit include electricity and energy grids and professional users such as construction and civil engineering businesses that require stable precise positioning accuracy for their operations.

The prototype has been developed and funded by Horizon 2020, involving a team of engineers and scientists from across Europe, with the support of the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy.

The prototype is now operated by the Joint Research Center, Ispra, where tests and validation campaigns will continue and new products will be developed and added to the product portfolio.

To access the portal, click here.

Ionosphere Prediction Service Products

The IPS generates more than 160 different products in three areas:

Solar physics

• Automatic detection of solar active regions and evaluation of flare occurrence probability.
• Nowcasting and forecasting of flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
• Measurements of solar energetic particles (SEP) and galactic cosmic rays (GCR).

Ionosphere

• Total electron content (TEC) and scintillation nowcast, short-term and long-term forecast mapping tools on global and/or regional scale.

GNSS performance

• Nowcasting and forecasting of GNSS tracking errors, loss of signal lock and expected levels of positioning errors.
• Detection of travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs).

For more details, please contact the Galileo Help Desk. Moreover, if you wish to receive NAGUs and notifications about new Galileo publications, please register on the GSC web portal and subscribe to our Newsletters.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Ionospheric effects can be a major source of disruption to GNSS signals, so it is important to be able to predict and compensate for these disturbances. With this in mind, the European Commission-funded Galileo Ionosphere Prediction Service (IPS) monitors ionospheric activity and informs GNSS users in good time of an upcoming event that could disrupt GNSS signals and applications.

The IPS monitors and forecasts solar and ionospheric activity and predicts its effect on GNSS signals and on the final performance of user applications. The Service makes it possible to anticipate any degradation of performance, allowing operators to put in place mitigation measures in good time.

The IPS predictions are delivered for ionosphere-related parameters and GNSS performance at both the European and global level. Delivered in three time scales (nowcast, 30 minutes and 24 hours ahead), the alerts are sent to registered users when the IPS predictions exceed thresholds that have been-pre-defined by the user.

User benefits

The IPS will benefit all users of GNSS signals whose operations can be seriously disrupted by insufficient GNSS performance, in particular the aviation industry, where GNSS performance is important for safety.

In addition, institutional actors interested in operational space weather can reuse the IPS prediction products, compare them with their own predictions, or feed the additional observation and prediction data into their own algorithms to improve the reliability of the forecast. Other users that stand to benefit include electricity and energy grids and professional users such as construction and civil engineering businesses that require stable precise positioning accuracy for their operations.

The prototype has been developed and funded by Horizon 2020, involving a team of engineers and scientists from across Europe, with the support of the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy.

The prototype is now operated by the Joint Research Center, Ispra, where tests and validation campaigns will continue and new products will be developed and added to the product portfolio.

To access the portal, click here.

Ionosphere Prediction Service Products

The IPS generates more than 160 different products in three areas:

Solar physics

• Automatic detection of solar active regions and evaluation of flare occurrence probability.
• Nowcasting and forecasting of flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
• Measurements of solar energetic particles (SEP) and galactic cosmic rays (GCR).

Ionosphere

• Total electron content (TEC) and scintillation nowcast, short-term and long-term forecast mapping tools on global and/or regional scale.

GNSS performance

• Nowcasting and forecasting of GNSS tracking errors, loss of signal lock and expected levels of positioning errors.
• Detection of travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs).

For more details, please contact the Galileo Help Desk. Moreover, if you wish to receive NAGUs and notifications about new Galileo publications, please register on the GSC web portal and subscribe to our Newsletters.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

We are pleased to announce the release of the new Galileo Open Service Signal in Space Interface Control Document (OS SIS ICD v2.0). This second issue of the document is available for download in the Programme Reference Documents section of the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) web portal.

The OS SIS ICD is geared towards Galileo receiver manufacturers and it specifies the interface between the Galileo Space Segment and the Galileo User Segment.

What’s new?

This new issue of the OS SIS ICD introduces major updates for all Galileo Open Service users. In particular, three new features are introduced to the I/NAV message transmitted on the Galileo E1-B signal component:

• Reduced Clock and Ephemeris Data (RedCED);
• Reed-Solomon Outer Forward Error Correction Data (FEC2); and
• Secondary Synchronization Pattern (SSP).

These new features represent a major evolution of the Galileo Open Service signals, which will provide all users with a more robust and faster retrieval of the Clock and Ephemeris Data, particularly for users in challenging environments, while at the same time allowing for a faster reconstruction of the Galileo System Time (GST). 

This will result in a faster Time to First Fix for users whose receivers are able to exploit the new solutions. The new solutions are fully backward compatible, as they take advantage of parts of the I/NAV message previously marked as spare or reserved. This means that there will be no impact on legacy users and receivers that do not process these spare/reserved fields.

Advance preparation

Although these modified signals are not yet being broadcast by the Galileo satellites, this document will allow receiver manufacturers to prepare in advance. The Galileo Programme intends to support receiver manufacturers with the implementation of the new I/NAV capabilities, including by means of dedicated testing campaigns to be carried out in 2021-2022. The Galileo system is set to begin transmitting the new I/NAV capabilities by 2023.

The GSA will communicate with users through the usual channels about these possibilities in due time.  For more details, please contact the Galileo Help Desk. Moreover, if you wish to receive NAGUs and notifications about new Galileo publications, please register on the GSC web portal and subscribe to our Newsletters.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Users in the surveying community, among others, are benefiting from Galileo accuracy in the latest GNSS receivers from Javad, which are able to track all available Galileo signals. Thanks to the increased resistance to multipath and advanced signal design, Galileo capability makes the receivers particularly suitable for work in challenging environments.

Javad receivers have been Galileo-enabled since 2008, when the company’s receivers first tracked the Galileo E1/E5A signals. Since then, the receivers’ capabilities have expanded to add the Galileo E1/E5A, E5B/AltBoc and finally the E6 signals. The company’s 874-channel TRIUMPH 3 receiver, with new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), benefits from the full range of Galileo signals, as does its TRIUMPH-LS Plus receiver. 

Leveraging Galileo to benefit users

The receivers use all Galileo signals in a multi-system, multi-frequency RTK solution with four “super engines”. Each engine uses all signals from all satellites but with different parameters for different conditions. Galileo E5 AltBOC signals show the greatest multipath reduction compared to other signals and, when combined with Javad's multipath reduction (MPR) technique, this makes for an optimal solution.

Read this: Alstom pioneers the use of Galileo to help measure the location and speed of trains

“Ensuring that end users have the optimal service is our ultimate goal. This is why it is gratifying to see companies leveraging Galileo differentiators, such as reduced resistance to multipath, and combining these with their own techniques to deliver optimal service to their customers,” said Eduard Escalona, GSA Geomatics Market Development Innovation Officer.

HAS-enabled

Javad receivers also efficiently process Galileo signals for a fast and reliable Real Time Postprocessed Kinematics (RTPK) solution. RTPK is a recent innovation at Javad GNSS and combines the strengths of RTK and PPK into a system that can post-process RTK data and verify its results in parallel and in real time.

And this: Precise Point Positioning opens up new possibilities for mass market applications

In addition, Javad GNSS receivers benefit from the low level of orbit and clock errors of Galileo signals. As a result, there are minimal jumps in computed autonomous position, even under conditions with poor position dilution of precision (PDOP). The JAVAD GNSS receivers are also designed to work with the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) and support will be announced after the final specifications of the HAS have been published.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

We have kept you waiting long enough! The projects selected for acceleration in Track 1 and Track 2 of the #MyGalileoSolution competition have been confirmed. The 30 Track 1 projects and the 20 selected for Track 2 were chosen from over 200 applications and will share the almost EUR 1.5-million prize pool.

To remind you – participants in this year’s #MyGalileoSolution were invited to choose between four innovation areas before submitting their ideas to either Track 1 or Track 2. The innovation areas support the European Union’s priorities and cover crisis and emergency response, smart transport for the Green Deal, solutions for the digital age, and cybersecurity.

Spotlight on Galileo differentiators

Projects submitted with solutions for the digital age include applications based on blockchain, in addition to ideas using augmented reality in many application areas ranging from gaming and tourism to real estate and agriculture. In general, the ideas submitted are poised to make very good use of Galileo differentiators, especially the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA) and the Galileo High Accuracy Service.

Read this: Geomatics on the Move: the results are in

Ideas in the area of smart transport for the Green Deal include smart mobility solutions and applications to optimise public transport. Other selected projects propose new concepts for sustainable agriculture (vineyards, apiculture), carbon footprint monitoring solutions, and tracking applications for assets, humans and pets. Solutions based on drones and robotics were particularly popular. 

Expanding GNSS community

There is a good geographical spread in this year’s competition, with applications selected from 22 countries, with France and Spain leading the pack with seven selected projects each, followed by Italy with four. We were also happy to see innovative applications from additional countries this year, including Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Cyprus. Most of the selected projects are start-ups or groups of students, along with a few established companies. 

MyGalileoSolution in numbers

The vast majority of applicants this year applied to the GSA for the first time, which shows that we are expanding our GNSS community. What’s more, thanks to #MyGalileoSolution, four university spinoffs have been launched, creating business opportunities by translating research results into workable technologies that lead to market solutions.

“All the applications in this year’s competition were high quality, which made the selection a long and challenging process,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz Musial, in charge of LBS and IoT market development at the GSA. “All the selected teams have been participating in virtual progress calls  with their assigned mentors over the last few weeks, and they are excited to have the opportunity to realize their dream products with the support of the GSA,” she said.

And this: Spanish team wins Farming by Satellite Prize 2020

The projects selected for Track 1 will see their applications taken from idea to prototype. The idea is to develop a beta version of their applications or a prototype of their solutions, reaching at least 50% of functionality. Meanwhile, the projects selected for Track 2 will see their applications advance from prototype to product. In this Track, the projects start with a beta version or a prototype of an application and develop a fully functioning solution ready for commercialisation

#MyGalileoSolution is the biggest competition ever organized by the GSA, with a prize pool of almost EUR 1.5 million to be shared by the 50 teams, including six finalists, with awards ranging from EUR 15,000 to EUR 60,000. The six winners will be announced on 2 March 2021.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

We have kept you waiting long enough! The projects selected for acceleration in Track 1 and Track 2 of the #MyGalileoSolution competition have been confirmed. The 30 Track 1 projects and the 20 selected for Track 2 were chosen from over 200 applications and will share the almost EUR 1.5-million prize pool.

To remind you – participants in this year’s #MyGalileoSolution were invited to choose between four innovation areas before submitting their ideas to either Track 1 or Track 2. The innovation areas support the European Union’s priorities and cover crisis and emergency response, smart transport for the Green Deal, solutions for the digital age, and cybersecurity.

Spotlight on Galileo differentiators

Projects submitted with solutions for the digital age include applications based on blockchain, in addition to ideas using augmented reality in many application areas ranging from gaming and tourism to real estate and agriculture. In general, the ideas submitted are poised to make very good use of Galileo differentiators, especially the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA) and the Galileo High Accuracy Service.

Read this: Geomatics on the Move: the results are in

Ideas in the area of smart transport for the Green Deal include smart mobility solutions and applications to optimise public transport. Other selected projects propose new concepts for sustainable agriculture (vineyards, apiculture), carbon footprint monitoring solutions, and tracking applications for assets, humans and pets. Solutions based on drones and robotics were particularly popular. 

Expanding GNSS community

There is a good geographical spread in this year’s competition, with applications selected from 22 countries, with France and Spain leading the pack with seven selected projects each, followed by Italy with four. We were also happy to see innovative applications from additional countries this year, including Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Cyprus. Most of the selected projects are start-ups or groups of students, along with a few established companies. 

MyGalileoSolution in numbers

The vast majority of applicants this year applied to the GSA for the first time, which shows that we are expanding our GNSS community. What’s more, thanks to #MyGalileoSolution, four university spinoffs have been launched, creating business opportunities by translating research results into workable technologies that lead to market solutions.

“All the applications in this year’s competition were high quality, which made the selection a long and challenging process,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz Musial, in charge of LBS and IoT market development at the GSA. “All the selected teams have been participating in virtual progress calls  with their assigned mentors over the last few weeks, and they are excited to have the opportunity to realize their dream products with the support of the GSA,” she said.

And this: Spanish team wins Farming by Satellite Prize 2020

The projects selected for Track 1 will see their applications taken from idea to prototype. The idea is to develop a beta version of their applications or a prototype of their solutions, reaching at least 50% of functionality. Meanwhile, the projects selected for Track 2 will see their applications advance from prototype to product. In this Track, the projects start with a beta version or a prototype of an application and develop a fully functioning solution ready for commercialisation

#MyGalileoSolution is the biggest competition ever organized by the GSA, with a prize pool of almost EUR 1.5 million to be shared by the 50 teams, including six finalists, with awards ranging from EUR 15,000 to EUR 60,000. The six winners will be announced on 2 March 2021.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

2020 has been a challenging year, yet thanks to the dedication of the GSA team and our cooperation with the European Commission, ESA, Member States, industry (upstream and downstream) and with our colleagues and stakeholders throughout Europe, we have managed to continue to deliver secure EGNOS and Galileo services to an increasing number of users around the globe.

The year started with the declaration of a key Galileo differentiator – the Return Link Service. The value of the service was demonstrated recently with the dramatic rescue of a French sailor when his solo round-the-world yacht race came to an end in rough seas. 

Another early success was the entry into service of the EGNOS GEO-3 payload, which will augment both GPS and Galileo in the L1 and L5 bands, provide additional satellite-based augmentation system service capabilities through a new SBAS channel on L5, and will deliver increased EGNOS service availability within and beyond the EU, supporting a growing number of users.

However, by March it was already clear that the Coronavirus situation was not going to go away any time soon. As Europe entered lockdown, across all GSA sites we started to work on ensuring business continuity. With little advance notice, and leveraging on the agility and creativity of the whole team, we quickly moved almost all our activities on-line without significant disruption. Together with the European Commission we looked into GNSS-based solutions to respond to the crisis, and developed an app to ease pressure at the EU’s internal borders. The “Galileo Green Lane” app proved to be very popular with border authorities and drivers and helped enable the efficient transit of critical goods, keeping EU borders open to freight at this critically important time.

Throughout the year, we continued to work on a series of initiatives to boost innovation and support European entrepreneurs working on ideas and applications leveraging Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, with a particular focus on synergies between the three. Engagement with the MyGalileoDrone, Geomatics on the Move, Farming by Satellite and MyGalileoSolution competitions has exceeded expectations. In October, we issued the third edition of our eagerly awaited GNSS User Technology Report. Do make sure you have a read through it yourself over the Christmas break if you have not yet done so.

Together we have put in place all the necessary measures to increase the resilience of operations at the Galileo and EGNOS operational centres in Europe and remote sites around the world. The success of this joint effort is measured by the quality of services delivered every day by EGNOS and Galileo. We have also deployed further system updates, in cooperation with ESA and industry, and have demonstrated the GSMC dual site operations with our new Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) site in Spain. 

As we progress towards full operational capability, we are working non-stop to make Galileo more robust, continuously learning from day-to-day operations and our experience from past events. The Galileo Search and Rescue ground facilities have also been upgraded. The latest upgrades carried out on SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals in Spain, Cyprus and Norway are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion, which ultimately translates into more lives being saved.

All our events moved online, turning the physical restrictions imposed by Covid-19 into an opportunity to reach new user communities and go global, this was the case for example with the User Consultation Platform and our annual European Space Week online. The latter event, which was special to me since it was my first European Space Week as GSA Executive Director, was a great success with over 3000 participants from more than 100 countries. 

Looking to the year ahead, the transformation of the GSA into the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) will finally happen, with the new regulation expected to be formally adopted in early 2021. We will work together to overcome challenges and create opportunities, with a particular focus on exploiting the synergies between the different components of the programme.

As this challenging year ends, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my team at the GSA for their dedication, hard work, commitment and the great spirit demonstrated throughout the year. I would also like to thank our partners at the European Commission, at the European Space Agency and in the Member States and industry for your support in achieving our shared goals. Finally, I would like to thank you, the EUSpace user community, for your ongoing trust and support. It is thanks to this support that the GSA is growing from strength to strength and is able to continue delivering on the promise of space for Europe and its citizens.

Happy holidays to you all.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

2020 has been a challenging year, yet thanks to the dedication of the GSA team and our cooperation with the European Commission, ESA, Member States, industry (upstream and downstream) and with our colleagues and stakeholders throughout Europe, we have managed to continue to deliver secure EGNOS and Galileo services to an increasing number of users around the globe.

The year started with the declaration of a key Galileo differentiator – the Return Link Service. The value of the service was demonstrated recently with the dramatic rescue of a French sailor when his solo round-the-world yacht race came to an end in rough seas. 

Another early success was the entry into service of the EGNOS GEO-3 payload, which will augment both GPS and Galileo in the L1 and L5 bands, provide additional satellite-based augmentation system service capabilities through a new SBAS channel on L5, and will deliver increased EGNOS service availability within and beyond the EU, supporting a growing number of users.

However, by March it was already clear that the Coronavirus situation was not going to go away any time soon. As Europe entered lockdown, across all GSA sites we started to work on ensuring business continuity. With little advance notice, and leveraging on the agility and creativity of the whole team, we quickly moved almost all our activities on-line without significant disruption. Together with the European Commission we looked into GNSS-based solutions to respond to the crisis, and developed an app to ease pressure at the EU’s internal borders. The “Galileo Green Lane” app proved to be very popular with border authorities and drivers and helped enable the efficient transit of critical goods, keeping EU borders open to freight at this critically important time.

Throughout the year, we continued to work on a series of initiatives to boost innovation and support European entrepreneurs working on ideas and applications leveraging Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, with a particular focus on synergies between the three. Engagement with the MyGalileoDrone, Geomatics on the Move, Farming by Satellite and MyGalileoSolution competitions has exceeded expectations. In October, we issued the third edition of our eagerly awaited GNSS User Technology Report. Do make sure you have a read through it yourself over the Christmas break if you have not yet done so.

Together we have put in place all the necessary measures to increase the resilience of operations at the Galileo and EGNOS operational centres in Europe and remote sites around the world. The success of this joint effort is measured by the quality of services delivered every day by EGNOS and Galileo. We have also deployed further system updates, in cooperation with ESA and industry, and have demonstrated the GSMC dual site operations with our new Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) site in Spain. 

As we progress towards full operational capability, we are working non-stop to make Galileo more robust, continuously learning from day-to-day operations and our experience from past events. The Galileo Search and Rescue ground facilities have also been upgraded. The latest upgrades carried out on SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals in Spain, Cyprus and Norway are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion, which ultimately translates into more lives being saved.

All our events moved online, turning the physical restrictions imposed by Covid-19 into an opportunity to reach new user communities and go global, this was the case for example with the User Consultation Platform and our annual European Space Week online. The latter event, which was special to me since it was my first European Space Week as GSA Executive Director, was a great success with over 3000 participants from more than 100 countries. 

Looking to the year ahead, the transformation of the GSA into the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) will finally happen, with the new regulation expected to be formally adopted in early 2021. We will work together to overcome challenges and create opportunities, with a particular focus on exploiting the synergies between the different components of the programme.

As this challenging year ends, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my team at the GSA for their dedication, hard work, commitment and the great spirit demonstrated throughout the year. I would also like to thank our partners at the European Commission, at the European Space Agency and in the Member States and industry for your support in achieving our shared goals. Finally, I would like to thank you, the EUSpace user community, for your ongoing trust and support. It is thanks to this support that the GSA is growing from strength to strength and is able to continue delivering on the promise of space for Europe and its citizens.

Happy holidays to you all.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

2020 has been a challenging year, yet thanks to the dedication of the GSA team and our cooperation with the European Commission, ESA, Member States, industry (upstream and downstream) and with our colleagues and stakeholders throughout Europe, we have managed to continue to deliver secure EGNOS and Galileo services to an increasing number of users around the globe.

The year started with the declaration of a key Galileo differentiator – the Return Link Service. The value of the service was demonstrated recently with the dramatic rescue of a French sailor when his solo round-the-world yacht race came to an end in rough seas. 

Another early success was the entry into service of the EGNOS GEO-3 payload, which will augment both GPS and Galileo in the L1 and L5 bands, provide additional satellite-based augmentation system service capabilities through a new SBAS channel on L5, and will deliver increased EGNOS service availability within and beyond the EU, supporting a growing number of users.

However, by March it was already clear that the Coronavirus situation was not going to go away any time soon. As Europe entered lockdown, across all GSA sites we started to work on ensuring business continuity. With little advance notice, and leveraging on the agility and creativity of the whole team, we quickly moved almost all our activities on-line without significant disruption. Together with the European Commission we looked into GNSS-based solutions to respond to the crisis, and developed an app to ease pressure at the EU’s internal borders. The “Galileo Green Lane” app proved to be very popular with border authorities and drivers and helped enable the efficient transit of critical goods, keeping EU borders open to freight at this critically important time.

Throughout the year, we continued to work on a series of initiatives to boost innovation and support European entrepreneurs working on ideas and applications leveraging Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, with a particular focus on synergies between the three. Engagement with the MyGalileoDrone, Geomatics on the Move, Farming by Satellite and MyGalileoSolution competitions has exceeded expectations. In October, we issued the third edition of our eagerly awaited GNSS User Technology Report. Do make sure you have a read through it yourself over the Christmas break if you have not yet done so.

Together we have put in place all the necessary measures to increase the resilience of operations at the Galileo and EGNOS operational centres in Europe and remote sites around the world. The success of this joint effort is measured by the quality of services delivered every day by EGNOS and Galileo. We have also deployed further system updates, in cooperation with ESA and industry, and have demonstrated the GSMC dual site operations with our new Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) site in Spain. 

As we progress towards full operational capability, we are working non-stop to make Galileo more robust, continuously learning from day-to-day operations and our experience from past events. The Galileo Search and Rescue ground facilities have also been upgraded. The latest upgrades carried out on SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals in Spain, Cyprus and Norway are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion, which ultimately translates into more lives being saved.

All our events moved online, turning the physical restrictions imposed by Covid-19 into an opportunity to reach new user communities and go global, this was the case for example with the User Consultation Platform and our annual European Space Week online. The latter event, which was special to me since it was my first European Space Week as GSA Executive Director, was a great success with over 3000 participants from more than 100 countries. 

Looking to the year ahead, the transformation of the GSA into the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) will finally happen, with the new regulation expected to be formally adopted in early 2021. We will work together to overcome challenges and create opportunities, with a particular focus on exploiting the synergies between the different components of the programme.

As this challenging year ends, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my team at the GSA for their dedication, hard work, commitment and the great spirit demonstrated throughout the year. I would also like to thank our partners at the European Commission, at the European Space Agency and in the Member States and industry for your support in achieving our shared goals. Finally, I would like to thank you, the EUSpace user community, for your ongoing trust and support. It is thanks to this support that the GSA is growing from strength to strength and is able to continue delivering on the promise of space for Europe and its citizens.

Happy holidays to you all.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched a call for expressions of interest to set up a database of Venture Capital Entities (VCs) interested in investing in European innovative companies working in the downstream space domain. The goal is to allow start-ups and SMEs in the downstream space segment to connect with investors that may be interested in their products.

In an effort to meet the needs of users of downstream space applications and services, the GSA has consistently taken action to support start-ups, SMEs and space-based R&D projects in developing innovative applications based on European GNSS. The present call is a continuation of this work.

The list of Venture Capitalists interested in investing in space will be published on the GSA website in the hope that this will make it easier for companies in the downstream space sector to get in touch with investors. The database of the VCs will be kept for 7 years.

Read this: Precise Point Positioning opens up new mass market possibilities  

Interested in registering?

If you are a VC and are interested in registering on the database, you should submit the following information to the email address research@gsa.europa.eu, clearly indicating “Call for expression of interest - VCs” in the subject line:

• Company name
• Market segments of interest
• Short description of the VC
• Link to the VC website
• Contact point

There is no registration deadline.

Creating jobs, improving lives

This call for expression of interest follows on from the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the GSA and the European Investment Bank in September last year to bring together the expertise and experience required to explore new investment support for the European space-based economy. Within the MoU the GSA agreed with the EIB to create a publicly available Space Venture Capitalists database.

And this: Timing is everything – GNSS and the energy grids of the future

The ultimate goal of these efforts is to create high-skilled jobs in the EU and improve the day-to-day lives of Europeans by supporting innovative companies and accelerating the development of new applications that use European global navigation satellite systems and Earth observation data. Cooperation with Venture Capitalists, facilitated by the new database, will support space-based companies in increasing competitiveness in the downstream space sector. 

For more information on the Call, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched a call for expressions of interest to set up a database of Venture Capital Entities (VCs) interested in investing in European innovative companies working in the downstream space domain. The goal is to allow start-ups and SMEs in the downstream space segment to connect with investors that may be interested in their products.

In an effort to meet the needs of users of downstream space applications and services, the GSA has consistently taken action to support start-ups, SMEs and space-based R&D projects in developing innovative applications based on European GNSS. The present call is a continuation of this work.

The list of Venture Capitalists interested in investing in space will be published on the GSA website in the hope that this will make it easier for companies in the downstream space sector to get in touch with investors. The database of the VCs will be kept for 7 years.

Read this: Precise Point Positioning opens up new mass market possibilities  

Interested in registering?

If you are a VC and are interested in registering on the database, you should submit the following information to the email address research@gsa.europa.eu, clearly indicating “Call for expression of interest - VCs” in the subject line:

• Company name
• Market segments of interest
• Short description of the VC
• Link to the VC website
• Contact point

There is no registration deadline.

Creating jobs, improving lives

This call for expression of interest follows on from the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the GSA and the European Investment Bank in September last year to bring together the expertise and experience required to explore new investment support for the European space-based economy. Within the MoU the GSA agreed with the EIB to create a publicly available Space Venture Capitalists database.

And this: Timing is everything – GNSS and the energy grids of the future

The ultimate goal of these efforts is to create high-skilled jobs in the EU and improve the day-to-day lives of Europeans by supporting innovative companies and accelerating the development of new applications that use European global navigation satellite systems and Earth observation data. Cooperation with Venture Capitalists, facilitated by the new database, will support space-based companies in increasing competitiveness in the downstream space sector. 

For more information on the Call, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Stakeholders from around Europe and the world gathered online on 7-12 December to attend this year’s edition of European Space Week. Despite the constraints put in place by the Coronavirus pandemic, the event was a great success, with over 3000 participants involved in the discussions, plenaries, consultation platforms and award ceremonies that took place during the week.

The first online edition of EUSW provided an occasion for members of the global space community to come together to celebrate the achievements of the European Space Programme. It was an occasion to hear from users about their needs and requirements, to discuss the strategic direction of EUSpace, and how to ensure that the programme continues to provide the services needed to meet Europe’s strategic priorities.

In total, there were around 100 speakers, who took part in 14 sessions spread across the week. Speaking at the week’s opening session, a plenary on the User Consultation Platform, European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted that he was very happy to see that many people from Europe and around the world had registered to attend the event. “I am happy to see that we have quickly adapted to new circumstances, in the same way that the Space Programme has adapted to meet the needs of users,” he said.

Robust budgetary support

A series of plenary sessions early in the week discussed the latest developments in the EU Space Programme and its strategic direction for the coming years, along with how to support the development of business based on EUSpace. At the session, EC Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that the space business was changing. “The cost of doing space is decreasing, competition is evolving and European space actors will have to adapt,” he said, adding that to support this change, the next Multi-annual Financial Framework would have a robust budgetary envelope of EUR 13 billion for space.

Read this: High accuracy and synergies in focus at UCP

In addition to the online format, there were a number of innovations at this year’s event. Copernicus was represented for the first time, with a session on the status and future of Europe’s eyes on Earth. There were also new sessions, such as on how to promote the EU space programme, and how to improve equality and inclusion in the industry. A session on secure satellite communications presented the GOVSATCOM programme, Europe’s response to cyber and hybrid threats and natural disasters.

There was also a high amount of interest in the Investor Forum, which brought start-ups/SMEs from a wide range of business backgrounds together with investors interested in investing in EU space technology. In total, 10 start-ups presented their ideas to the panel of investors. For more information on this session, click here. 

A week of celebration

EUSW was also an occasion to announce the winners of various innovation competitions organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) in partnership with other stakeholders. These included Geomatics on the Move, Farming by Satellite and the Galileo and Copernicus Masters. These competitions are an important source of innovative applications and solutions that meet current and future needs in various market segments.

Watch this: Thank you for joining the #EUSpaceWeek 2020

Looking to the future, the GSA executive director noted that the year ahead would mark an important evolution for the European Space Programme, with the expansion of the GSA into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). “EUSPA will continue to be user-oriented. Our goal is to use safe and secure space services across all market segments, while increasing the competitiveness of downstream industry, contributing to sustainable growth, security and safety of the European Union.,” he said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Stakeholders from around Europe and the world gathered online on 7-12 December to attend this year’s edition of European Space Week. Despite the constraints put in place by the Coronavirus pandemic, the event was a great success, with over 3000 participants involved in the discussions, plenaries, consultation platforms and award ceremonies that took place during the week.

The first online edition of EUSW provided an occasion for members of the global space community to come together to celebrate the achievements of the European Space Programme. It was an occasion to hear from users about their needs and requirements, to discuss the strategic direction of EUSpace, and how to ensure that the programme continues to provide the services needed to meet Europe’s strategic priorities.

In total, there were around 100 speakers, who took part in 14 sessions spread across the week. Speaking at the week’s opening session, a plenary on the User Consultation Platform, European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted that he was very happy to see that many people from Europe and around the world had registered to attend the event. “I am happy to see that we have quickly adapted to new circumstances, in the same way that the Space Programme has adapted to meet the needs of users,” he said.

Robust budgetary support

A series of plenary sessions early in the week discussed the latest developments in the EU Space Programme and its strategic direction for the coming years, along with how to support the development of business based on EUSpace. At the session, EC Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that the space business was changing. “The cost of doing space is decreasing, competition is evolving and European space actors will have to adapt,” he said, adding that to support this change, the next Multi-annual Financial Framework would have a robust budgetary envelope of EUR 13 billion for space.

Read this: High accuracy and synergies in focus at UCP

In addition to the online format, there were a number of innovations at this year’s event. Copernicus was represented for the first time, with a session on the status and future of Europe’s eyes on Earth. There were also new sessions, such as on how to promote the EU space programme, and how to improve equality and inclusion in the industry. A session on secure satellite communications presented the GOVSATCOM programme, Europe’s response to cyber and hybrid threats and natural disasters.

There was also a high amount of interest in the Investor Forum, which brought start-ups/SMEs from a wide range of business backgrounds together with investors interested in investing in EU space technology. In total, 10 start-ups presented their ideas to the panel of investors. For more information on this session, click here. 

A week of celebration

EUSW was also an occasion to announce the winners of various innovation competitions organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) in partnership with other stakeholders. These included Geomatics on the Move, Farming by Satellite and the Galileo and Copernicus Masters. These competitions are an important source of innovative applications and solutions that meet current and future needs in various market segments.

Looking to the future, the GSA executive director noted that the year ahead would mark an important evolution for the European Space Programme, with the expansion of the GSA into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). “EUSPA will continue to be user-oriented. Our goal is to use safe and secure space services across all market segments, while increasing the competitiveness of downstream industry, contributing to sustainable growth, security and safety of the European Union.,” he said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Stakeholders from around Europe and the world gathered online on 7-12 December to attend this year’s edition of European Space Week. Despite the constraints put in place by the Coronavirus pandemic, the event was a great success, with over 3000 participants involved in the discussions, plenaries, consultation platforms and award ceremonies that took place during the week.

The first online edition of EUSW provided an occasion for members of the global space community to come together to celebrate the achievements of the European Space Programme. It was an occasion to hear from users about their needs and requirements, to discuss the strategic direction of EUSpace, and how to ensure that the programme continues to provide the services needed to meet Europe’s strategic priorities.

In total, there were around 100 speakers, who took part in 14 sessions spread across the week. Speaking at the week’s opening session, a plenary on the User Consultation Platform, European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted that he was very happy to see that many people from Europe and around the world had registered to attend the event. “I am happy to see that we have quickly adapted to new circumstances, in the same way that the Space Programme has adapted to meet the needs of users,” he said.

Robust budgetary support

A series of plenary sessions early in the week discussed the latest developments in the EU Space Programme and its strategic direction for the coming years, along with how to support the development of business based on EUSpace. At the session, EC Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that the space business was changing. “The cost of doing space is decreasing, competition is evolving and European space actors will have to adapt,” he said, adding that to support this change, the next Multi-annual Financial Framework would have a robust budgetary envelope of EUR 13 billion for space.

Read this: High accuracy and synergies in focus at UCP

In addition to the online format, there were a number of innovations at this year’s event. Copernicus was represented for the first time, with a session on the status and future of Europe’s eyes on Earth. There were also new sessions, such as on how to promote the EU space programme, and how to improve equality and inclusion in the industry. A session on secure satellite communications presented the GOVSATCOM programme, Europe’s response to cyber and hybrid threats and natural disasters.

There was also a high amount of interest in the Investor Forum, which brought start-ups/SMEs from a wide range of business backgrounds together with investors interested in investing in EU space technology. In total, 10 start-ups presented their ideas to the panel of investors. For more information on this session, click here. 

A week of celebration

EUSW was also an occasion to announce the winners of various innovation competitions organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) in partnership with other stakeholders. These included Geomatics on the Move, Farming by Satellite and the Galileo and Copernicus Masters. These competitions are an important source of innovative applications and solutions that meet current and future needs in various market segments.

Looking to the future, the GSA executive director noted that the year ahead would mark an important evolution for the European Space Programme, with the expansion of the GSA into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). “EUSPA will continue to be user-oriented. Our goal is to use safe and secure space services across all market segments, while increasing the competitiveness of downstream industry, contributing to sustainable growth, security and safety of the European Union.,” he said.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

One of the highlights of Day 3 of European Space Week was the Investors Forum, which brought start-ups/SMEs from a wide range of business backgrounds together with investors interested in innovative EU space technology. In total, 10 start-ups presented their ideas to the panel of investors.

Organised by the European GNSS Agency, the Investor Forum gave the opportunity to ten start-ups to pitch their ideas and prototypes to a panel of leading investors. There is an increasing demand for smart space-based applications to respond to current and future market needs, and global challenges.

Introducing the Forum, Christoph Kautz from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space said that the EU’s ambition is to support the creation of a European New Space segment consisting of markets with paying customers in which private investors fund expansion. He urged the start-ups, private and institutional partners to be ambitious.

Ten innovative ideas

Dcubed: This project’s mission is to accelerate the utilisation of space through the creation of innovative and user-friendly technologies. It develops products, such as actuators, with the specific needs of New Space customers in mind. Dcubed is looking for a partner that thinks that new space is the future and sees potential in Europe to compete with the US. For more info: www.dcubed.space

Planblue believes that threats posed to nature and society, by climate change or plastic pollution for example, need to be tackled and understood using real-time, objective and automated tools. This is what the company provides with its technology. They are looking for a partner that shares the same desire to achieve the greater good and to tackle big problems. For more info: www.planblue.com

iCaune’s DRACONAV solution is a fully integrated and secure multi-GNSS module designed to provide confidence and improve resilience in the position, velocity and time computed from satellite navigation systems. From an investor they are looking to accelerate business and marketing development, and receive help in financing R&D and recruiting new technical staff. For more information: www.fdc.fr/draconav/

Vake is a ship tracking system that can be used to fight illegal fishing and smuggling. When navigational messages get lost, scrambled or switched off, Vake can verify a ship’s position and movements using satellite images and by running "face" recognition algorithms to identify a ship. They are looking for an investor with experience in offshore assets, who can build their network and provide advice on the way forward. For more information: www.vake.ai

Ansur produces innovative software solutions that optimise bandwidth use when communicating photos and videos, giving fast and precise communication of critical visual information in challenging situations, making it possible to save lives. From an investor, they are looking for advice and networks - someone that can contribute to company growth with more than funding. For more information: www.ansur.no

EPIC Blue has developed a wearable – Shyn – that offers reliable positioning both indoors and outdoors, even if GNSS is unavailable. It can be used by first responders or in industry, to locate people indoors or to increase awareness of closeness to hazards. From an investor they are looking for know-how to accelerate business development and increase their international footprint. For more information: www.shyn.blue/

Angsa Robotics has developed Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel, such as bottle caps or cigarette butts, that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. They are looking for an investor that shares their vision for a sustainable and successful high-tech company, and their principles of meaningful and impactful work. For more information: angsa-robotics.com

Deep Blue Globe is a start-up providing a solution for autonomous maritime navigation powered by artificial intelligence and using data on real time maritime traffic and weather conditions. Its Polaris service aims to help polar fisheries optimise navigation routes and identify the best fishing grounds using Earth observation, GNSS and historical catch data. They are looking for an investor involved in the maritime sector to give them the final push to enter a European market worth more than EUR 1 billion. For more information: polaris.deepblueglobe.eu

Breeze Technologies develops small-scale air quality sensors that can measure common pollutants like carbon and nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matter and many more. It can benefit the chronically ill, asthmatics, parents with young children, or runners looking for pollution-free routes. They are looking for an investor that shares their vision to create healthier more liveable cities. For more information: www.breeze-technologies.de

Village Data Analytics (VIDA) is an Earth observation and AI-powered custom software that enables data-driven investment, business and policy decisions in rural villages in Africa and Asia. By increasing transparency, it reduces the risk of investment in remote areas. They are looking for an investor that will help them to prioritise market opportunities and invest in new technology development and market scale-up. For more information: www.villagedata.io

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

One of the highlights of Day 3 of European Space Week was the Investors Forum, which brought start-ups/SMEs from a wide range of business backgrounds together with investors interested in innovative EU space technology. In total, 10 start-ups presented their ideas to the panel of investors.

Organised by the European GNSS Agency, the Investors Forum gave the opportunity to ten start-ups to pitch their ideas and prototypes to a panel of leading investors. There is an increasing demand for smart space-based applications to respond to current and future market needs, and global challenges.

Introducing the Forum, Christoph Kautz from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space said that the EU’s ambition is to support the creation of a European New Space segment consisting of markets with paying customers in which private investors fund expansion. He urged the start-ups, private and institutional partners to be ambitious.

Ten innovative ideas

Dcubed: This project’s mission is to accelerate the utilisation of space through the creation of innovative and user-friendly technologies. It develops products, such as actuators, with the specific needs of New Space customers in mind. Dcubed is looking for a partner that thinks that new space is the future and sees potential in Europe to compete with the US. For more info: www.dcubed.space

Planblue believes that threats posed to nature and society, by climate change or plastic pollution for example, need to be tackled and understood using real-time, objective and automated tools. This is what the company provides with its technology. They are looking for a partner that shares the same desire to achieve the greater good and to tackle big problems. For more info: www.planblue.com

iCaune’s DRACONAV solution is a fully integrated and secure multi-GNSS module designed to provide confidence and improve resilience in the position, velocity and time computed from satellite navigation systems. From an investor they are looking to accelerate business and marketing development, and receive help in financing R&D and recruiting new technical staff. For more information: www.fdc.fr/draconav/

Vake is a ship tracking system that can be used to fight illegal fishing and smuggling. When navigational messages get lost, scrambled or switched off, Vake can verify a ship’s position and movements using satellite images and by running "face" recognition algorithms to identify a ship. They are looking for an investor with experience in offshore assets, who can build their network and provide advice on the way forward. For more information: www.vake.ai

Ansur produces innovative software solutions that optimise bandwidth use when communicating photos and videos, giving fast and precise communication of critical visual information in challenging situations, making it possible to save lives. From an investor, they are looking for advice and networks - someone that can contribute to company growth with more than funding. For more information: www.ansur.no

EPIC Blue has developed a wearable – Shyn – that offers reliable positioning both indoors and outdoors, even if GNSS is unavailable. It can be used by first responders or in industry, to locate people indoors or to increase awareness of closeness to hazards. From an investor they are looking for know-how to accelerate business development and increase their international footprint. For more information: www.shyn.blue/

Angsa Robotics has developed Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel, such as bottle caps or cigarette butts, that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. They are looking for an investor that shares their vision for a sustainable and successful high-tech company, and their principles of meaningful and impactful work. For more information: angsa-robotics.com

Deep Blue Globe is a start-up providing a solution for autonomous maritime navigation powered by artificial intelligence and using data on real time maritime traffic and weather conditions. Its Polaris service aims to help polar fisheries optimise navigation routes and identify the best fishing grounds using Earth observation, GNSS and historical catch data. They are looking for an investor involved in the maritime sector to give them the final push to enter a European market worth more than EUR 1 billion. For more information: polaris.deepblueglobe.eu

Breeze Technologies develops small-scale air quality sensors that can measure common pollutants like carbon and nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matter and many more. It can benefit the chronically ill, asthmatics, parents with young children, or runners looking for pollution-free routes. They are looking for an investor that shares their vision to create healthier more liveable cities. For more information: www.breeze-technologies.de

Village Data Analytics (VIDA) is an Earth observation and AI-powered custom software that enables data-driven investment, business and policy decisions in rural villages in Africa and Asia. By increasing transparency, it reduces the risk of investment in remote areas. They are looking for an investor that will help them to prioritise market opportunities and invest in new technology development and market scale-up. For more information: www.villagedata.io

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

One of the highlights of Day 3 of European Space Week was the Investors Forum, which brought start-ups/SMEs from a wide range of business backgrounds together with investors interested in innovative EU space technology. In total, 10 start-ups presented their ideas to the panel of investors.

Organised by the European GNSS Agency, the Investors Forum gave the opportunity to ten start-ups to pitch their ideas and prototypes to a panel of leading investors. There is an increasing demand for smart space-based applications to respond to current and future market needs, and global challenges.

Introducing the Forum, Christoph Kautz from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space said that the EU’s ambition is to support the creation of a European New Space segment consisting of markets with paying customers in which private investors fund expansion. He urged the start-ups, private and institutional partners to be ambitious.

Ten innovative ideas

Dcubed: This project’s mission is to accelerate the utilisation of space through the creation of innovative and user-friendly technologies. It develops products, such as actuators, with the specific needs of New Space customers in mind. Dcubed is looking for a partner that thinks that new space is the future and sees potential in Europe to compete with the US. For more info: www.dcubed.space

Planblue believes that threats posed to nature and society, by climate change or plastic pollution for example, need to be tackled and understood using real-time, objective and automated tools. This is what the company provides with its technology. They are looking for a partner that shares the same desire to achieve the greater good and to tackle big problems. For more info: www.planblue.com

iCaune’s DRACONAV solution is a fully integrated and secure multi-GNSS module designed to provide confidence and improve resilience in the position, velocity and time computed from satellite navigation systems. From an investor they are looking to accelerate business and marketing development, and receive help in financing R&D and recruiting new technical staff. For more information: www.fdc.fr/draconav/

Vake is a ship tracking system that can be used to fight illegal fishing and smuggling. When navigational messages get lost, scrambled or switched off, Vake can verify a ship’s position and movements using satellite images and by running "face" recognition algorithms to identify a ship. They are looking for an investor with experience in offshore assets, who can build their network and provide advice on the way forward. For more information: www.vake.ai

Ansur produces innovative software solutions that optimise bandwidth use when communicating photos and videos, giving fast and precise communication of critical visual information in challenging situations, making it possible to save lives. From an investor, they are looking for advice and networks - someone that can contribute to company growth with more than funding. For more information: www.ansur.no

EPIC Blue has developed a wearable – Shyn – that offers reliable positioning both indoors and outdoors, even if GNSS is unavailable. It can be used by first responders or in industry, to locate people indoors or to increase awareness of closeness to hazards. From an investor they are looking for know-how to accelerate business development and increase their international footprint. For more information: www.shyn.blue/

Angsa Robotics has developed Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel, such as bottle caps or cigarette butts, that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. They are looking for an investor that shares their vision for a sustainable and successful high-tech company, and their principles of meaningful and impactful work. For more information: angsa-robotics.com

Deep Blue Globe is a start-up providing a solution for autonomous maritime navigation powered by artificial intelligence and using data on real time maritime traffic and weather conditions. Its Polaris service aims to help polar fisheries optimise navigation routes and identify the best fishing grounds using Earth observation, GNSS and historical catch data. They are looking for an investor involved in the maritime sector to give them the final push to enter a European market worth more than EUR 1 billion. For more information: polaris.deepblueglobe.eu

Breeze Technologies develops small-scale air quality sensors that can measure common pollutants like carbon and nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matter and many more. It can benefit the chronically ill, asthmatics, parents with young children, or runners looking for pollution-free routes. They are looking for an investor that shares their vision to create healthier more liveable cities. For more information: www.breeze-technologies.de

Village Data Analytics (VIDA) is an Earth observation and AI-powered custom software that enables data-driven investment, business and policy decisions in rural villages in Africa and Asia. By increasing transparency, it reduces the risk of investment in remote areas. They are looking for an investor that will help them to prioritise market opportunities and invest in new technology development and market scale-up. For more information: www.villagedata.io

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The latest upgrades carried out on the SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals of Spain, Cyprus and Norway, earlier in the summer are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion.

Since the declaration of its Initial Services in December 2016, Galileo has been going from strength to strength, enabling a multitude of new solutions across all market segments. One of the system’s unique capability that is being provided uninterrupted since day one is the Search and Rescue (SAR) service together with the pioneering Galileo Return Link Service. Galileo’s contribution to the Medium Earth Orbit Satellites Search and Rescue System (MEOSAR) managed by the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme translates into 2000 lives saved per year. 

Galileo SAR ground infrastructure supporting the "invisible’’ space segment 

From emitting a distress signal to being rescued by emergency responders, the Galileo signals travel 23,000 km from the ground to space and back. When a person in distress activates a Galileo enabled emergency beacon, the Galileo satellites capture the signal and transmit it to three ground stations strategically deployed across Europe called ‘’MEOLUTs’’ (Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminals) which calculate the precise location of the person in destress. Once the location is determined, it is transmitted to different Mission Control Centres (MCCs) around the world that coordinate the rescue operations. It is only when the MCCs are informed about a potential incident that the Galileo Return Link Service is activated. The user then receives back via the Galileo satellites a confirmation message that their position is known and that help is on the way.

The European MEOLUTs are an integral part of the Galileo SAR ground segment. The three MEOLUTs based in Larnaca (Cyprus), Maspalomas (Spain) and Spitsbergen (Norway) are equipped with 12 measurement antennas (4 antennas per station). For a more robust performance and coverage, the twelve antennas are further coordinated and optimized by a specific facility called MEOLUT Tracking Coordination Facility deployed in Toulouse (France).

MEOLUTs update bringing the Medium Earth Orbit SAR System one step closer to Full Operational Capability (FOC)

The MEOSAR system offers many advantages to SAR operations such as near real-time worldwide coverage and faster detection and localisation services to all end users. To support the transition towards the FOC of the MEOSAR system, the European MEOLUTs were upgraded during the course of the past months and an extensive test campaign was conducted. The results met the operational, performance and functional requirements specified in the COSPAS-SARSAT documentation to allow operations at a MEOSAR FOC performance level. The results were reviewed by a COSPAS-SARSAT dedicated expert working group in October which recommended the approval.

The European MEOLUTs are the first to achieve such level of performance. This millstone coupled with an upgrade at the Mission Control Centers in Cyprus, Spain and Norway will be of big relevance when COSPAS-SARSAT determines MEOSAR’s readiness to Full Operational Capability.

The Larnaca MEOLUT facility has been installed on Makarios Teleport site. It is an isolated area close to the southern shore of Cyprus between the coastal towns of Limassol and Larnaca. It is operated by Cyprus Telecommunication Authorities and is connected to the Cyprus Mission Control Centre. 

The Maspalomas MEOLUT facility has been installed on the Maspalomas Space Station site on the Spanish Canary island of Gran Canaria. It is operated by INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Spain) and is connected to the Spanish Mission Control Centre.

The Spitsbergen MEOLUT facility has been installed on the SvalSat Satellite Ground Station site at the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It is operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services and is connected to the Norwegian Mission Control Centre.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The latest upgrades carried out on the SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals of Spain, Cyprus and Norway, earlier in the summer are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion.

Since the declaration of its Initial Services in December 2016, Galileo has been going from strength to strength, enabling a multitude of new solutions across all market segments. One of the system’s unique capability that is being provided uninterrupted since day one is the Search and Rescue (SAR) service together with the pioneering Galileo Return Link Service. Galileo’s contribution to the Medium Earth Orbit Satellites Search and Rescue System (MEOSAR) managed by the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme translates into 2000 lives saved per year. 

Galileo SAR ground infrastructure supporting the "invisible’’ space segment 

From emitting a distress signal to being rescued by emergency responders, the Galileo signals travel 23,000 km from the ground to space and back. When a person in distress activates a Galileo enabled emergency beacon, the Galileo satellites capture the signal and transmit it to three ground stations strategically deployed across Europe called ‘’MEOLUTs’’ (Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminals) which calculate the precise location of the person in destress. Once the location is determined, it is transmitted to different Mission Control Centres (MCCs) around the world that coordinate the rescue operations. It is only when the MCCs are informed about a potential incident that the Galileo Return Link Service is activated. The user then receives back via the Galileo satellites a confirmation message that their position is known and that help is on the way.

The European MEOLUTs are an integral part of the Galileo SAR ground segment. The three MEOLUTs based in Larnaca (Cyprus), Maspalomas (Spain) and Spitsbergen (Norway) are equipped with 12 measurement antennas (4 antennas per station). For a more robust performance and coverage, the twelve antennas are further coordinated and optimized by a specific facility called MEOLUT Tracking Coordination Facility deployed in Toulouse (France).

MEOLUTs update bringing the Medium Earth Orbit SAR System one step closer to Full Operational Capability (FOC)

The MEOSAR system offers many advantages to SAR operations such as near real-time worldwide coverage and faster detection and localisation services to all end users. To support the transition towards the FOC of the MEOSAR system, the European MEOLUTs were upgraded during the course of the past months and an extensive test campaign was conducted. The results met the operational, performance and functional requirements specified in the COSPAS-SARSAT documentation to allow operations at a MEOSAR FOC performance level. The results were reviewed by a COSPAS-SARSAT dedicated expert working group in October which recommended the approval.

The European MEOLUTs are the first to achieve such level of performance. This millstone coupled with an upgrade at the Mission Control Centers in Cyprus, Spain and Norway will be of big relevance when COSPAS-SARSAT determines MEOSAR’s readiness to Full Operational Capability.

The Larnaca MEOLUT facility has been installed on Makarios Teleport site. It is an isolated area close to the southern shore of Cyprus between the coastal towns of Limassol and Larnaca. It is operated by Cyprus Telecommunication Authorities and is connected to the Cyprus Mission Control Centre. 

The Maspalomas MEOLUT facility has been installed on the Maspalomas Space Station site on the Spanish Canary island of Gran Canaria. It is operated by INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Spain) and is connected to the Spanish Mission Control Centre.

The Spitsbergen MEOLUT facility has been installed on the SvalSat Satellite Ground Station site at the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It is operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services and is connected to the Norwegian Mission Control Centre.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The latest upgrades carried out on the SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals of Spain, Cyprus and Norway, earlier in the summer are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion.

Since the declaration of its Initial Services in December 2016, Galileo has been going from strength to strength, enabling a multitude of new solutions across all market segments. One of the system’s unique capability that is being provided uninterrupted since day one is the Search and Rescue (SAR) service together with the pioneering Galileo Return Link Service. Galileo’s contribution to the Medium Earth Orbit Satellites Search and Rescue System (MEOSAR) managed by the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme translates into 2000 lives saved per year. 

Galileo SAR ground infrastructure supporting the "invisible’’ space segment 

From emitting a distress signal to being rescued by emergency responders, the Galileo signals travel 23,000 km from the ground to space and back. When a person in distress activates a Galileo enabled emergency beacon, the Galileo satellites capture the signal and transmit it to three ground stations strategically deployed across Europe called ‘’MEOLUTs’’ (Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminals) which calculate the precise location of the person in destress. Once the location is determined, it is transmitted to different Mission Control Centres (MCCs) around the world that coordinate the rescue operations. It is only when the MCCs are informed about a potential incident that the Galileo Return Link Service is activated. The user then receives back via the Galileo satellites a confirmation message that their position is known and that help is on the way.

The European MEOLUTs are an integral part of the Galileo SAR ground segment. The three MEOLUTs based in Larnaca (Cyprus), Maspalomas (Spain) and Spitsbergen (Norway) are equipped with 12 measurement antennas (4 antennas per station). For a more robust performance and coverage, the twelve antennas are further coordinated and optimized by a specific facility called MEOLUT Tracking Coordination Facility deployed in Toulouse (France).

MEOLUTs update bringing the Medium Earth Orbit SAR System one step closer to Full Operational Capability (FOC)

The MEOSAR system offers many advantages to SAR operations such as near real-time worldwide coverage and faster detection and localisation services to all end users. To support the transition towards the FOC of the MEOSAR system, the European MEOLUTs were upgraded during the course of the past months and an extensive test campaign was conducted. The results met the operational, performance and functional requirements specified in the COSPAS-SARSAT documentation to allow operations at a MEOSAR FOC performance level. The results were reviewed by a COSPAS-SARSAT dedicated expert working group in October which recommended the approval.

The European MEOLUTs are the first to achieve such level of performance. This milestone coupled with an upgrade at the Mission Control Centers in Cyprus, Spain and Norway will be of big relevance when COSPAS-SARSAT determines MEOSAR’s readiness to Full Operational Capability.

The Larnaca MEOLUT facility has been installed on Makarios Teleport site. It is an isolated area close to the southern shore of Cyprus between the coastal towns of Limassol and Larnaca. It is operated by Cyprus Telecommunication Authorities and is connected to the Cyprus Mission Control Centre. 

The Maspalomas MEOLUT facility has been installed on the Maspalomas Space Station site on the Spanish Canary island of Gran Canaria. It is operated by INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Spain) and is connected to the Spanish Mission Control Centre.

The Spitsbergen MEOLUT facility has been installed on the SvalSat Satellite Ground Station site at the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It is operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services and is connected to the Norwegian Mission Control Centre.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The latest upgrades carried out on the SAR/Galileo Local User Terminals of Spain, Cyprus and Norway, earlier in the summer are helping the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme transition towards MEOSAR completion.

Since the declaration of its Initial Services in December 2016, Galileo has enabled a multitude of new solutions across all market segments. One of the system’s unique capability that is being provided uninterrupted since day one is the Search and Rescue (SAR) service together with the pioneering Galileo Return Link Service. Galileo’s contribution to the Medium Earth Orbit Satellites Search and Rescue System (MEOSAR) managed by the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme translates into 2000 lives saved per year. 

Galileo SAR ground infrastructure supporting the "invisible’’ space segment 

From emitting a distress signal to being rescued by emergency responders, the Galileo signals travel 23,000 km from the ground to space and back. When a person in distress activates a Galileo enabled emergency beacon, the Galileo satellites capture the signal and transmit it to three ground stations strategically deployed across Europe called ‘’MEOLUTs’’ (Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminals) which calculate the precise location of the person in distress. Once the location is determined, it is transmitted to different Mission Control Centres (MCCs) around the world that coordinate the rescue operations. It is only when the MCCs are informed about a potential incident that the Galileo Return Link Service is activated. The user then receives back via the Galileo satellites a confirmation message that their position is known and that help is on the way.

The European MEOLUTs are an integral part of the Galileo SAR ground segment. The three MEOLUTs based in Larnaca (Cyprus), Maspalomas (Spain) and Spitsbergen (Norway) are equipped with 12 measurement antennas (4 antennas per station). For a more robust performance and coverage, the twelve antennas are further coordinated and optimized by a specific facility called MEOLUT Tracking Coordination Facility deployed in Toulouse (France).

MEOLUTs update bringing the Medium Earth Orbit SAR System one step closer to Full Operational Capability (FOC)

The MEOSAR system offers many advantages to SAR operations such as near real-time worldwide coverage and faster detection and localisation services to all end users. To support the transition towards the FOC of the MEOSAR system, the European MEOLUTs were upgraded during the course of the past months and an extensive test campaign was conducted. The results met the operational, performance and functional requirements specified in the COSPAS-SARSAT documentation to allow operations at a MEOSAR FOC performance level. The results were reviewed by a COSPAS-SARSAT dedicated expert working group in October which recommended the approval.

The European MEOLUTs are the first to achieve such level of performance. This milestone coupled with an upgrade at the Mission Control Centers in Cyprus, Spain and Norway will be of big relevance when COSPAS-SARSAT determines MEOSAR’s readiness to Full Operational Capability.

The Larnaca MEOLUT facility has been installed on Makarios Teleport site. It is an isolated area close to the southern shore of Cyprus between the coastal towns of Limassol and Larnaca. It is operated by Cyprus Telecommunication Authorities and is connected to the Cyprus Mission Control Centre. 

The Maspalomas MEOLUT facility has been installed on the Maspalomas Space Station site on the Spanish Canary island of Gran Canaria. It is operated by INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Spain) and is connected to the Spanish Mission Control Centre.

The Spitsbergen MEOLUT facility has been installed on the SvalSat Satellite Ground Station site at the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It is operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services and is connected to the Norwegian Mission Control Centre.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A session on Horizon 2020 success stories, held on the final day of European Space Week, highlighted some of the innovative projects that took advantage of EU H2020 funding to develop ideas leveraging Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, or synergies between the programmes, to produce products for the market. The session included some valuable advice for anyone thinking about applying for funding.

Kicking off the session, GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted the importance of the downstream space sector in terms of job and value creation. “Innovation and the increasing volume of data and services available, are contributing to the sustainable growth of EU start-ups, SMEs and companies,” he said, adding that success stories from Horizon 2020 were proof that EU investment support is essential for innovation. 

Looking to the future, da Costa said that the GSA would continue its work with Horizon Europe, building on the successes of Horizon 2020. “The next period will bring additional investment and instruments to the downstream space segment,” he said.

Read this: Let us have your feedback on Galileo/EGNOS – User satisfaction survey launched

The representative from the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) also noted that the downstream sector is an area of growth where many jobs are created, adding that tomorrow’s space applications would pave the way for a whole range of innovative applications for European industry. He also introduced the EUR 1-billion CASSINI (Competitive Space Start-ups for INnovatIon) initiative, which aims to expand the number of start-ups creating businesses based on innovative EU space technologies.

The voice of experience

A number of successful Horizon 2020 projects gave their advice to other projects considering applying for EU support. The need to put together a strong team was something that many of the successful projects advised. Isabel Botey from the DCS4COP project said that it is necessary to gather a strong team of experts, and have a strong vision and an easy to understand strategy. “Talk to customers. They are the best consultants for a successful business,” she said.

Ernst Pfeiffer from the Large European Antenna project (Project LEA) advised projects to apply for funding only if its fits exactly with their project’s specialisation. “Select your team carefully and involve your national contact point for advice and recommendations,” he said. Linda Moser from the EcoLaSS project advised applicants to have a strong vision that goes beyond tomorrow’s state of the art and meets societal challenges. She said that, as projects can last for a long time, it is important to ensure that the results will still be relevant by the project’s end. 

And this: High accuracy and synergies in focus at UCP

Raúl Arnau Prieto from Greenpatrol advised applicants to prepare their proposal well in advance and match their technical challenges to the scope of the call, while Pedro Russo from SpaceEU advised to build a consortium that truly cares about the challenge that the project addresses.

Winding up the session, MEP Cristophe Grudler noted that the projects presented during the session showed how dynamic the EU space sector is, and proved that EU investment is key to support competitiveness and innovation in the EU space industry.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A session on Horizon 2020 success stories, held on the final day of European Space Week, highlighted some of the innovative projects that took advantage of EU H2020 funding to develop ideas leveraging Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, or synergies between the programmes, to produce products for the market. The session included some valuable advice for anyone thinking about applying for funding.

Kicking off the session, GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted the importance of the downstream space sector in terms of job and value creation. “Innovation and the increasing volume of data and services available, are contributing to the sustainable growth of EU start-ups, SMEs and companies,” he said, adding that success stories from Horizon 2020 were proof that EU investment support is essential for innovation. 

Looking to the future, da Costa said that the GSA would continue its work with Horizon Europe, building on the successes of Horizon 2020. “The next period will bring additional investment and instruments to the downstream space segment,” he said.

Read this: Let us have your feedback on Galileo/EGNOS – User satisfaction survey launched

The representative from the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) also noted that the downstream sector is an area of growth where many jobs are created, adding that tomorrow’s space applications would pave the way for a whole range of innovative applications for European industry. He also introduced the EUR 1-billion CASSINI (Competitive Space Start-ups for INnovatIon) initiative, which aims to expand the number of start-ups creating businesses based on innovative EU space technologies.

The voice of experience

A number of successful Horizon 2020 projects gave their advice to other projects considering applying for EU support. The need to put together a strong team was something that many of the successful projects advised. Isabel Botey from the DCS4COP project said that it is necessary to gather a strong team of experts, and have a strong vision and an easy to understand strategy. “Talk to customers. They are the best consultants for a successful business,” she said.

Ernst Pfeiffer from the Large European Antenna project (Project LEA) advised projects to apply for funding only if its fits exactly with their project’s specialisation. “Select your team carefully and involve your national contact point for advice and recommendations,” he said. Linda Moser from the EcoLaSS project advised applicants to have a strong vision that goes beyond tomorrow’s state of the art and meets societal challenges. She said that, as projects can last for a long time, it is important to ensure that the results will still be relevant by the project’s end. 

And this: High accuracy and synergies in focus at UCP

Raúl Arnau Prieto from Greenpatrol advised applicants to prepare their proposal well in advance and match their technical challenges to the scope of the call, while Pedro Russo from SpaceEU advised to build a consortium that truly cares about the challenge that the project addresses.

Winding up the session, MEP Cristophe Grudler noted that the projects presented during the session showed how dynamic the EU space sector is, and proved that EU investment is key to support competitiveness and innovation in the EU space industry.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

A session on Horizon 2020 success stories, held on the final day of European Space Week, highlighted some of the innovative projects that took advantage of EU H2020 funding to develop ideas leveraging Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, or synergies between the programmes, to produce products for the market. The session included some valuable advice for anyone thinking about applying for funding.

Kicking off the session, GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted the importance of the downstream space sector in terms of job and value creation. “Innovation and the increasing volume of data and services available, are contributing to the sustainable growth of EU start-ups, SMEs and companies,” he said, adding that success stories from Horizon 2020 were proof that EU investment support is essential for innovation. 

Looking to the future, da Costa said that the GSA would continue its work with Horizon Europe, building on the successes of Horizon 2020. “The next period will bring additional investment and instruments to the downstream space segment,” he said.

Read this: Let us have your feedback on Galileo/EGNOS – User satisfaction survey launched

The representative from the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) also noted that the downstream sector is an area of growth where many jobs are created, adding that tomorrow’s space applications would pave the way for a whole range of innovative applications for European industry. He also introduced the EUR 1-billion CASSINI (Competitive Space Start-ups for INnovatIon) initiative, which aims to expand the number of start-ups creating businesses based on innovative EU space technologies.

The voice of experience

A number of successful Horizon 2020 projects gave their advice to other projects considering applying for EU support. The need to put together a strong team was something that many of the successful projects advised. Isabel Botey from the DCS4COP project said that it is necessary to gather a strong team of experts, and have a strong vision and an easy to understand strategy. “Talk to customers. They are the best consultants for a successful business,” she said.

Ernst Pfeiffer from the Large European Antenna project (Project LEA) advised projects to apply for funding only if its fits exactly with their project’s specialisation. “Select your team carefully and involve your national contact point for advice and recommendations,” he said. Linda Moser from the EcoLaSS project advised applicants to have a strong vision that goes beyond tomorrow’s state of the art and meets societal challenges. She said that, as projects can last for a long time, it is important to ensure that the results will still be relevant by the project’s end. 

And this: High accuracy and synergies in focus at UCP

Raúl Arnau Prieto from Greenpatrol advised applicants to prepare their proposal well in advance and match their technical challenges to the scope of the call, while Pedro Russo from SpaceEU advised to build a consortium that truly cares about the challenge that the project addresses.

Winding up the session, MEP Cristophe Grudler noted that the projects presented during the session showed how dynamic the EU space sector is, and proved that EU investment is key to support competitiveness and innovation in the EU space industry.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

In the smart energy grids of the future, all energy market participants will communicate with each other, making energy supplies more reactive. This will bring many benefits, including reduced costs, improved efficiency and the seamless integration of the distribution of energy sources, including renewable energy. However, for smart grids to operate successfully they will have to be based on a solid and robust synchronisation infrastructure. This is where GNSS comes in.

Grid systems rely on GNSS clocks as a time reference source and atomic clocks as a backup in case of outages. GNSS receivers are comparably low-cost, reliable, high-precision timing sources that can be implemented in a large number in intelligent grids, to enable real-time automatic control of the grid.

“Due to the importance of the power system to our lives and economies, and the likelihood of future smart grid reliance on high-precision timing, it is critical that GNSS signals be resilient against interference, including spoofing,” said GSA Executive Director da Costa. “The accuracy and robustness of the Galileo service, and the added layer of protection offered by the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication, means that Galileo will be the go-to solution for grid operators,” he said.

Galileo time

Two projects currently developing Galileo-enabled timing receivers, supported by the GSA through its Fundamental Elements funding programme, are GIANO and GEARS. Both receivers will make critical infrastructure and in particular the energy networks more robust against spoofing and will provide accurate Galileo-based timing and synchronisation capabilities.

Read this: Galileo for Timing and Synchronisation Applications

“The Galileo programme is slowly becoming the EU’s official time reference that, together with national UTC(k) network time distribution, creates new powerful and robust synchronisation references for smart-grids,” said Tomasz Widomski, a member of the supervisory board of ELPROMA, a Polish manufacturer of NTP/PTP time servers.

“It is believed that the power industry evolving towards smart grids will rely on this solid foundation of timing information.  The main and regional systems must be tamper-proof and protected against external interferences – the time and synchronisation must be safe,” he said.

Horizon 2020 success story

ELPROMA was a member of the Horizon 2020 ‘DEMonstrator of EGNSS services based on Time Reference Architecture’ (Demetra) project, which developed a prototype of an EGNSS-based time disseminator that provides time certification, redundancy, resilience, integrity and improved accuracy, while validating the concept of ‘time as a service’. 

And this: Galileo-inspired opportunities for critical infrastructures presented at ITSF 2020

The company went on to win a seven-figure contract to supply Rubidium IEEE1588 NTS-5000 servers to support a country-scale modern smart grid system in Asia (read more here). These servers incorporate a modified version of the cyber-security solution developed as part of the Demetra project. As such, this is a Horizon 2020 success story.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

In the smart energy grids of the future, all energy market participants will communicate with each other, making energy supplies more reactive. This will bring many benefits, including reduced costs, improved efficiency and the seamless integration of the distribution of energy sources, including renewable energy. However, for smart grids to operate successfully they will have to be based on a solid and robust synchronisation infrastructure. This is where GNSS comes in.

Grid systems rely on GNSS clocks as a time reference source and atomic clocks as a backup in case of outages. GNSS receivers are comparably low-cost, reliable, high-precision timing sources that can be implemented in a large number in intelligent grids, to enable real-time automatic control of the grid.

“Due to the importance of the power system to our lives and economies, and the likelihood of future smart grid reliance on high-precision timing, it is critical that GNSS signals be resilient against interference,” said GSA Executive Director da Costa. “The accuracy and robustness of the Galileo service, and the added layer of protection that will be offered by the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication, means that Galileo will be the go-to solution for grid operators,” he said.

Galileo time

Two projects currently developing Galileo-enabled timing receivers, supported by the GSA through its Fundamental Elements funding programme, are GIANO and GEARS. Both receivers will make critical infrastructure and in particular the energy networks more robust against spoofing and will provide accurate Galileo-based timing and synchronisation capabilities.

Read this: Galileo for Timing and Synchronisation Applications

“The Galileo programme is slowly becoming the EU’s official time reference that, together with national UTC(k) network time distribution, creates new powerful and robust synchronisation references for smart-grids,” said Tomasz Widomski, a member of the supervisory board of ELPROMA, a Polish manufacturer of NTP/PTP time servers.

“It is believed that the power industry evolving towards smart grids will rely on this solid foundation of timing information.  The main and regional systems must be tamper-proof and protected against external interferences – the time and synchronisation must be safe,” he said.

Horizon 2020 success story

ELPROMA was a member of the Horizon 2020 ‘DEMonstrator of EGNSS services based on Time Reference Architecture’ (Demetra) project, which developed a prototype of an EGNSS-based time disseminator that provides time certification, redundancy, resilience, integrity and improved accuracy, while validating the concept of ‘time as a service’. 

And this: Galileo-inspired opportunities for critical infrastructures presented at ITSF 2020

The company went on to win a seven-figure contract to supply Rubidium IEEE1588 NTS-5000 servers to support a country-scale modern smart grid system in Asia (read more here). These servers incorporate a modified version of the cyber-security solution developed as part of the Demetra project. As such, this is a Horizon 2020 success story.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

In the smart energy grids of the future, all energy market participants will communicate with each other, making energy supplies more reactive. This will bring many benefits, including reduced costs, improved efficiency and the seamless integration of the distribution of energy sources, including renewable energy. However, for smart grids to operate successfully they will have to be based on a solid and robust synchronisation infrastructure. This is where GNSS comes in.

Grid systems rely on GNSS clocks as a time reference source and atomic clocks as a backup in case of outages. GNSS receivers are comparably low-cost, reliable, high-precision timing sources that can be implemented in a large number in intelligent grids, to enable real-time automatic control of the grid.

“Due to the importance of the power system to our lives and economies, and the likelihood of future smart grid reliance on high-precision timing, it is critical that GNSS signals be resilient against interference,” said GSA Executive Director da Costa. “The accuracy and robustness of the Galileo service, and the added layer of protection that will be offered by the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication, means that Galileo will be the go-to solution for grid operators,” he said.

Galileo time

Two projects currently developing Galileo-enabled timing receivers, supported by the GSA through its Fundamental Elements funding programme, are GIANO and GEARS. Both receivers will make critical infrastructure and in particular the energy networks more robust against spoofing and will provide accurate Galileo-based timing and synchronisation capabilities.

Read this: Galileo for Timing and Synchronisation Applications

“The Galileo programme is slowly becoming the EU’s official time reference that, together with national UTC(k) network time distribution, creates new powerful and robust synchronisation references for smart-grids,” said Tomasz Widomski, a member of the supervisory board of ELPROMA, a Polish manufacturer of NTP/PTP time servers.

“It is believed that the power industry evolving towards smart grids will rely on this solid foundation of timing information.  The main and regional systems must be tamper-proof and protected against external interferences – the time and synchronisation must be safe,” he said.

Horizon 2020 success story

ELPROMA was a member of the Horizon 2020 ‘DEMonstrator of EGNSS services based on Time Reference Architecture’ (Demetra) project, which developed a prototype of an EGNSS-based time disseminator that provides time certification, redundancy, resilience, integrity and improved accuracy, while validating the concept of ‘time as a service’. 

And this: Galileo-inspired opportunities for critical infrastructures presented at ITSF 2020

The company went on to win a seven-figure contract to supply Rubidium IEEE1588 NTS-5000 servers to support a country-scale modern smart grid system in Asia (read more here). These servers incorporate a modified version of the cyber-security solution developed as part of the Demetra project. As such, this is a Horizon 2020 success story.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the 2020 editions of its Galileo User Satisfaction Survey and EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey. These surveys play an important role in the evolution of the EGNSS programmes by feeding users’ needs and requirements into programme development. 

Our motto at the GSA is ‘linking space to user needs’ and these are not empty words – users have always been at the heart of Galileo and EGNOS service provision, and feedback from users on their experience of the programmes is invaluable in shaping our services, making sure that they develop in line with market needs and continue to meet user requirements in the best way possible.

A targeted approach

The Galileo and EGNOS User Satisfaction Surveys are addressing all users and market segments including.: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, Road, Location Based Services, Agriculture, Surveying and Mapping and LBS. When responding to the survey, select the market segment in which you operate; the market segment that corresponds to your main area of activity; or the market segment that is the most important for your company or organisation, if you are active in multiple market segments.  The Galileo User Satisfaction survey is also looking for user feedback on the support provided to the users via the Galileo Service Center. You can access the Galileo survey here.

Take part to the Galileo survey here.

In addition to the various market segments, the EGNOS survey also covers all the EGNOS services, including the Open Service, the Safety of Life Service and the EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS). It also assesses the EGNOS service provider’s management of EGNOS User Support Services. For the EGNOS survey, click here.

Take part to the EGNOS survey here.

The feedback was positive in the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey, with a global user satisfaction score of 8.6 out of 10, up from 8.3 in the previous year. User satisfaction with EGNOS support was up across all the support services – the website, documentation and the helpdesk.

Based on the feedback, recommendations were drawn up for improvements across all the EGNOS services and support to users. For an overview of the results of the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey and the recommendations it generated, click here. We strongly encourage Galileo or EGNOS users to take part in the survey and help us fine-tune our service provision. The more users respond, from all market segments, the better the GSA and the Galileo and EGNOS systems will be able to go on meeting the requirements of the entire user community. The surveys only takes a few minutes to complete and your feedback will make a real difference.

In the 2019 Galileo User Satisfaction Survey, we were pleased to see that overall satisfaction with the service was up from the previous year, with 94% of users satisfied with the service and 97% of users happy to recommend the service to others. Based on user feedback, a number of recommendations were drawn up to strengthen the GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the 2020 editions of its Galileo User Satisfaction Survey and EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey. These surveys play an important role in the evolution of the EGNSS programmes by feeding users’ needs and requirements into programme development. 

Our motto at the GSA is ‘linking space to user needs’ and these are not empty words – users have always been at the heart of Galileo and EGNOS service provision, and feedback from users on their experience of the programmes is invaluable in shaping our services, making sure that they develop in line with market needs and continue to meet user requirements in the best way possible.

A targeted approach

The Galileo and EGNOS User Satisfaction Surveys are addressing all users and market segments including.: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, Road, Location Based Services, Agriculture, Surveying and Mapping and LBS. When responding to the survey, select the market segment in which you operate; the market segment that corresponds to your main area of activity; or the market segment that is the most important for your company or organisation, if you are active in multiple market segments.  The Galileo User Satisfaction survey is also looking for user feedback on the support provided to the users via the Galileo Service Center. You can access the Galileo survey here.

Take part to the Galileo survey here.

In addition to the various market segments, the EGNOS survey also covers all the EGNOS services, including the Open Service, the Safety of Life Service and the EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS). It also assesses the EGNOS service provider’s management of EGNOS User Support Services. For the EGNOS survey, click here.

Take part to the EGNOS survey here.

The feedback was positive in the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey, with a global user satisfaction score of 8.6 out of 10, up from 8.3 in the previous year. User satisfaction with EGNOS support was up across all the support services – the website, documentation and the helpdesk.

Based on the feedback, recommendations were drawn up for improvements across all the EGNOS services and support to users. For an overview of the results of the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey and the recommendations it generated, click here. We strongly encourage Galileo or EGNOS users to take part in the survey and help us fine-tune our service provision. The more users respond, from all market segments, the better the GSA and the Galileo and EGNOS systems will be able to go on meeting the requirements of the entire user community. The surveys only takes a few minutes to complete and your feedback will make a real difference.

In the 2019 Galileo User Satisfaction Survey, we were pleased to see that overall satisfaction with the service was up from the previous year, with 94% of users satisfied with the service and 97% of users happy to recommend the service to others. Based on user feedback, a number of recommendations were drawn up to strengthen the GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the 2020 editions of its Galileo User Satisfaction Survey and EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey. These surveys play an important role in the evolution of the EGNSS programmes by feeding users’ needs and requirements into programme development. 

Our motto at the GSA is ‘linking space to user needs’ and these are not empty words – users have always been at the heart of Galileo and EGNOS service provision, and feedback from users on their experience of the programmes is invaluable in shaping our services, making sure that they develop in line with market needs and continue to meet user requirements in the best way possible.

A targeted approach

The Galileo and EGNOS User Satisfaction Surveys are addressing all users and market segments including.: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, Road, Location Based Services, Agriculture, Surveying and Mapping and LBS. When responding to the survey, select the market segment in which you operate; the market segment that corresponds to your main area of activity; or the market segment that is the most important for your company or organisation, if you are active in multiple market segments.  The Galileo User Satisfaction survey is also looking for user feedback on the support provided to the users via the Galileo Service Center. You can access the Galileo survey here.

Take part to the Galileo survey here.

In addition to the various market segments, the EGNOS survey also covers all the EGNOS services, including the Open Service, the Safety of Life Service and the EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS). It also assesses the EGNOS service provider’s management of EGNOS User Support Services. For the EGNOS survey, click here.

Take part to the EGNOS survey here.

The feedback was positive in the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey, with a global user satisfaction score of 8.6 out of 10, up from 8.3 in the previous year. User satisfaction with EGNOS support was up across all the support services – the website, documentation and the helpdesk.

Based on the feedback, recommendations were drawn up for improvements across all the EGNOS services and support to users. For an overview of the results of the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey and the recommendations it generated, click here. We strongly encourage Galileo or EGNOS users to take part in the survey and help us fine-tune our service provision. The more users respond, from all market segments, the better the GSA and the Galileo and EGNOS systems will be able to go on meeting the requirements of the entire user community. The surveys only takes a few minutes to complete and your feedback will make a real difference.

In the 2019 Galileo User Satisfaction Survey, we were pleased to see that overall satisfaction with the service was up from the previous year, with 94% of users satisfied with the service and 97% of users happy to recommend the service to others. Based on user feedback, a number of recommendations were drawn up to strengthen the GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the 2020 editions of its Galileo User Satisfaction Survey and EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey. These surveys play an important role in the evolution of the EGNSS programmes by feeding users’ needs and requirements into programme development. 

Our motto at the GSA is ‘linking space to user needs’ and these are not empty words – users have always been at the heart of Galileo and EGNOS service provision, and feedback from users on their experience of the programmes is invaluable in shaping our services, making sure that they develop in line with market needs and continue to meet user requirements in the best way possible.

A targeted approach

The Galileo and EGNOS User Satisfaction Surveys are addressing all users and market segments including.: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, Road, Location Based Services, Agriculture and Surveying and Mapping. When responding to the survey, select the market segment in which you operate; the market segment that corresponds to your main area of activity; or the market segment that is the most important for your company or organisation, if you are active in multiple market segments.  The Galileo User Satisfaction survey is also looking for user feedback on the support provided to the users via the Galileo Service Center. You can access the Galileo survey here.

Take part to the Galileo survey here.

In addition to the various market segments, the EGNOS survey also covers all the EGNOS services, including the Open Service, the Safety of Life Service and the EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS). It also assesses the EGNOS service provider’s management of EGNOS User Support Services. For the EGNOS survey, click here.

Take part to the EGNOS survey here.

The feedback was positive in the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey, with a global user satisfaction score of 8.6 out of 10, up from 8.3 in the previous year. User satisfaction with EGNOS support was up across all the support services – the website, documentation and the helpdesk.

Based on the feedback, recommendations were drawn up for improvements across all the EGNOS services and support to users. For an overview of the results of the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey and the recommendations it generated, click here. We strongly encourage Galileo or EGNOS users to take part in the survey and help us fine-tune our service provision. The more users respond, from all market segments, the better the GSA and the Galileo and EGNOS systems will be able to go on meeting the requirements of the entire user community. The surveys only takes a few minutes to complete and your feedback will make a real difference.

In the 2019 Galileo User Satisfaction Survey, we were pleased to see that overall satisfaction with the service was up from the previous year, with 94% of users satisfied with the service and 97% of users happy to recommend the service to others. Based on user feedback, a number of recommendations were drawn up to strengthen the GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is launching the 2020 editions of its Galileo User Satisfaction Survey and EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey. These surveys play an important role in the evolution of the EGNSS programmes by feeding users’ needs and requirements into programme development. 

Our motto at the GSA is ‘linking space to user needs’ and these are not empty words – users have always been at the heart of Galileo and EGNOS service provision, and feedback from users on their experience of the programmes is invaluable in shaping our services, making sure that they develop in line with market needs and continue to meet user requirements in the best way possible.

A targeted approach

The Galileo and EGNOS User Satisfaction Surveys are addressing all users and market segments including.: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, Road, Location Based Services, Agriculture and Surveying and Mapping. When responding to the survey, select the market segment in which you operate; the market segment that corresponds to your main area of activity; or the market segment that is the most important for your company or organisation, if you are active in multiple market segments.  The Galileo User Satisfaction survey is also looking for user feedback on the support provided to the users via the Galileo Service Center. You can access the Galileo survey here.

Take part in the Galileo survey here.

In addition to the various market segments, the EGNOS survey also covers all the EGNOS services, including the Open Service, the Safety of Life Service and the EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS). It also assesses the EGNOS service provider’s management of EGNOS User Support Services. For the EGNOS survey, click here.

Take part in the EGNOS survey here.

The feedback was positive in the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey, with a global user satisfaction score of 8.6 out of 10, up from 8.3 in the previous year. User satisfaction with EGNOS support was up across all the support services – the website, documentation and the helpdesk.

Based on the feedback, recommendations were drawn up for improvements across all the EGNOS services and support to users. For an overview of the results of the 2019 EGNOS User Satisfaction Survey and the recommendations it generated, click here. We strongly encourage Galileo or EGNOS users to take part in the survey and help us fine-tune our service provision. The more users respond, from all market segments, the better the GSA and the Galileo and EGNOS systems will be able to go on meeting the requirements of the entire user community. The surveys only takes a few minutes to complete and your feedback will make a real difference.

In the 2019 Galileo User Satisfaction Survey, we were pleased to see that overall satisfaction with the service was up from the previous year, with 94% of users satisfied with the service and 97% of users happy to recommend the service to others. Based on user feedback, a number of recommendations were drawn up to strengthen the GNSS Service Centre (GSC).

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Alphamonitoring System, from the joint Italian-French team Alphageomega, has taken the Traditional Geomatics prize in this year’s Geomatics on the Move Competition, while the Integrated Geomatics Prize went to the Greek team 3 Deep Vision for their project Bathymetry from UAV Imagery and Machine Learning. The winners shared in the overall prize of EUR 30,000, with a total of 10 prizes offered in the two categories.

The Traditional Geomatics category looked for solutions in which the main innovation was based on the use of EGNSS, employing traditional equipment such as surveying or GIS grade GNSS receivers. In this category, Alphageomega designed and built an all-in-one system that helps to improve remote real-time knowledge of displacements at sensitive critical infrastructures and the surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Geomatics category targeted integrated surveying solutions that use Galileo or EGNOS along with tools and technologies such as drones, mobile mapping, laser scanners or Augmented/Mixed Reality, both within geomatics applications or beyond. 

The winner in this category - Bathymetry from UAV Imagery and Machine Learning - aims to implement a scalable and transferable web service for mapping shallow waters. This web service will facilitate the detailed and accurate monitoring and mapping of sensitive coastal areas, especially in times of climate crisis, taking as input georeferenced UAV images or 3D point clouds.

Targeted solutions

“With the Geomatics on the Move Prize, born from our collaboration with  the CLGE and the CLGE Young Surveyors’ Prize, we are encouraging innovators to leverage space technology and target real needs in the mapping and surveying community. Despite being the first edition in this new format, I was very impressed with the quality of the entries and congratulate the worthy winners,” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Read this: Want to know more about EGNSS for geomatics?

This year’s Geomatics on the Move competition marks the ninth year of partnership between the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors and the GSA. Through this initiative, the GSA aims to further increase the use of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus in the field of geomatics and to increase awareness of the benefits these EU Space Programmes provide toward fostering innovative geomatics applications.

Geomatics on the Move is an ideas competition. The contenders had to present their solutions and demonstrate them through a written submission in the form of a poster and a live pitch at the finals. The prizes were awarded at an online ceremony on December 9, held as part of European Space Week.

Alphamonitoring System, from the joint Italian-French team Alphageomega, has taken the Traditional Geomatics prize in this year’s Geomatics on the Move Competition, while the Integrated Geomatics Prize went to the Greek team 3 Deep Vision for their project Bathymetry from UAV Imagery and Machine Learning. The winners shared in the overall prize of EUR 30,000, with a total of 8 prizes offered in the two categories.

The Traditional Geomatics category looked for solutions in which the main innovation was based on the use of EGNSS, employing traditional equipment such as surveying or GIS grade GNSS receivers. In this category, Alphageomega designed and built an all-in-one system that helps to improve remote real-time knowledge of displacements at sensitive critical infrastructures and the surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Geomatics category targeted integrated surveying solutions that use Galileo or EGNOS along with tools and technologies such as drones, mobile mapping, laser scanners or Augmented/Mixed Reality, both within geomatics applications or beyond. 

The winner in this category - Bathymetry from UAV Imagery and Machine Learning - aims to implement a scalable and transferable web service for mapping shallow waters. This web service will facilitate the detailed and accurate monitoring and mapping of sensitive coastal areas, especially in times of climate crisis, taking as input georeferenced UAV images or 3D point clouds.

Targeted solutions

“With the Geomatics on the Move Prize, born from our collaboration with  the CLGE and the CLGE Young Surveyors’ Prize, we are encouraging innovators to leverage space technology and target real needs in the mapping and surveying community. Despite being the first edition in this new format, I was very impressed with the quality of the entries and congratulate the worthy winners,” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Read this: Want to know more about EGNSS for geomatics?

This year’s Geomatics on the Move competition marks the ninth year of partnership between the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors and the GSA. Through this initiative, the GSA aims to further increase the use of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus in the field of geomatics and to increase awareness of the benefits these EU Space Programmes provide toward fostering innovative geomatics applications.

Geomatics on the Move is an ideas competition. The contenders had to present their solutions and demonstrate them through a written submission in the form of a poster and a live pitch at the finals. The prizes were awarded at an online ceremony on December 9, held as part of European Space Week.

Alphamonitoring System, from the joint Italian-French team Alphageomega, has taken the Traditional Geomatics prize in this year’s Geomatics on the Move Competition, while the Integrated Geomatics Prize went to the Greek team 3 Deep Vision for their project Bathymetry from UAV Imagery and Machine Learning. The winners shared in the overall prize of EUR 30,000, with a total of 10 prizes offered in the two categories.

The Traditional Geomatics category looked for solutions in which the main innovation was based on the use of EGNSS, employing traditional equipment such as surveying or GIS grade GNSS receivers. In this category, Alphageomega designed and built an all-in-one system that helps to improve remote real-time knowledge of displacements at sensitive critical infrastructures and the surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Geomatics category targeted integrated surveying solutions that use Galileo or EGNOS along with tools and technologies such as drones, mobile mapping, laser scanners or Augmented/Mixed Reality, both within geomatics applications or beyond. 

The winner in this category - Bathymetry from UAV Imagery and Machine Learning - aims to implement a scalable and transferable web service for mapping shallow waters. This web service will facilitate the detailed and accurate monitoring and mapping of sensitive coastal areas, especially in times of climate crisis, taking as input georeferenced UAV images or 3D point clouds.

Targeted solutions

“With the Geomatics on the Move Prize, born from our collaboration with  the CLGE and the CLGE Young Surveyors’ Prize, we are encouraging innovators to leverage space technology and target real needs in the mapping and surveying community. Despite being the first edition in this new format, I was very impressed with the quality of the entries and congratulate the worthy winners,” said GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani.

Read this: Want to know more about EGNSS for geomatics?

This year’s Geomatics on the Move competition marks the ninth year of partnership between the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors and the GSA. Through this initiative, the GSA aims to further increase the use of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus in the field of geomatics and to increase awareness of the benefits these EU Space Programmes provide toward fostering innovative geomatics applications.

Geomatics on the Move is an ideas competition. The contenders had to present their solutions and demonstrate them through a written submission in the form of a poster and a live pitch at the finals. The prizes were awarded at an online ceremony on December 9, held as part of European Space Week.

Graniot, a team from Spain, has won this year’s 1st Farming by Satellite Prize. The winning team developed a web application that uses European satellite technologies to help agronomists and farmers monitor crops, reduce water waste and avoid poor fertilisation practices. The Farming by Satellite Prize promotes the use of GNSS and Earth observation in Europe and includes a special Africa Prize.

The Italian team Genuine received second prize in the competition for a web-based solution that identifies crop stress the optimal tractor path for irrigation and fertilisation using Copernicus, EGNOS and Galileo. The third prize went to AI4OceanFarming, also from Spain, for a solution that uses satellite data to identify ocean farming threats such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), ocean acidification (OA), and invasive species. Finally, the Special Africa Prize went to the Kenyan-Italian team GeoM&E for a solution that uses European satellite technology to monitor coffee diseases. 

The winners beat stiff competition from 40 other young teams with innovative ideas. The judges selected first a short list of the best teams to then take their ideas forward to a ‘Deep Dive’ phase. The selected eight grand finalists had the opportunity to pitch their solutions during a final ‘live’ judging round. 

An inspiring experience

“We’re honoured to be chosen as winners of the Farming by Satellite Prize 2020. We will put the EUR 5,000 cash prize to good use developing our satellite crop monitoring web application further. The whole journey has been a great experience that would not have be possible without the support of UGREmprendedora and the Andalucia Agrotech Digital Innovation Hub,” said Pablo Romero Díaz and Manuel Castro Ruiz from Graniot. “We’ve learnt so much. We have been inspired by the feedback from the judges and have enjoyed seeing the entries from all the grand finalists during the awards ceremony.” 

Read this: A “Cerealist’s Diary”, the testimony of a wheat farmer

 “The innovation and wide variety of agriculture applications submitted by young innovators this year has been wonderful to see. It confirms the value of encouraging the next generation of farmers to explore the use of satellite technologies in agriculture to enable sustainable farming practices,” said Joaquín Reyes González, who judged the competition on behalf of the European GNSS Agency (GSA).

Hans Dufourmont, a judge for the European Environment Agency (EEA), highlighted the environmental credentials of the entries: “The agricultural sector needs to continue developing sustainable food production practices and improve their impact on the environment and climate. It’s great to see Galileo and Copernicus convincing young farmers to become tech savvy entrepreneurs and develop competitive yet sustainable agriculture.”

Increased use of EGNSS and Copernicus in agriculture

The Farming by Satellite Prize is an initiative of the GSA and the EEA, supported by agricultural engineering equipment manufacturer CLAAS. The competition aims to increase the use of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus in European agriculture. The Prize also intends to raise awareness on the benefits the EU Space Programme provides toward fostering innovative and sustainable farming solutions. The objective of the Special Africa Prize is to encourage young Africans to develop satellite-based solutions that cater to the specific needs and resources of communities and lands in Africa.

Watch this: European Satellites for Agriculture

Commenting on the winning idea, Marcel Fölsch from CLAAS said: “The Graniot team has consistently presented a high-quality solution throughout all stages of this year’s competition. It is great to see their focus on olive farming in southern Europe, allowing them to narrow in on specific customer needs and present a compelling remote sensing solution to their users. We’re pleased to award the top prize to a team clearly driving the adoption of sustainable agriculture practises in Europe.”

Contestants were tasked with creating a new sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture solution using Galileo, EGNOS and/or Copernicus. Solutions had to demonstrate a novel approach to the use of satellite services for farming, while ensuring accurate technical feasibility and a maximum impact on the farming industry. 

Participation was open to young farmers, academics, and professionals between the ages of 18 and 32. They could take part as individuals or as a team of up to four. For the Special Africa Prize, at least one applicant was required to be a citizen of or resident in an African country.

 For more information, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Angsa Robotics has won the overall prize in the Galileo Masters 2020 with “Clive,” Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot, which collects small pieces of rubbish left on grass or gravel that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems.

Thanks to its unique artificial neural network architecture, “Clive” can move independently while detecting and localising individual objects, which enables it to clean grass and gravel areas. Individual objects such as bottle caps or cigarette butts are targeted for collection but insects are spared, in a win-win solution for the environment. Since conventional sweeping machines are designed for flat asphalt surfaces, they are unsuitable for these types of surfaces, so these surfaces have typically had to be cleaned manually. 

“Clive” also creates an economic benefit for its customers. Its target use cases include the cleaning of festival venues after events and the daily cleaning of parks and other green spaces. Precise localisation via GNSS is essential to its operation: With better localisation, the robot can plan a more efficient path and clean a given area faster. 

Forward-thinking applications

“Angsa Robotics is combining precise GNSS localisation with further state-of-the art techniques such as artificial intelligence and robotics. Its innovative solution is an impressive reflection of what the Agency was looking for with its three challenges in this year’s edition of Galileo Masters: forward-thinking applications of space for future generations,” European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa said at the digital Space Awards.

After winning both the GSA Space for Our Planet Challenge and the Galileo Prize Bavaria, Angsa Robotics was presented with a EUR 10,000 cash prize as the Overall Winner of Galileo Masters 2020, having beat out 23 other challenge and prize winners. In addition, the pioneering start-up was selected as one of the winners of the Galileo Incubation Programme, which includes an incubation and acceleration prize package worth up to EUR 62,000.

The winners of the Galileo Masters 2020 international innovation competition were announced during the online Space Awards on 8 December as part of European Space Week 2020. Seventeen winners selected by the Galileo Prize Partners had the chance to present their ideas to an international audience at a Space Pitches session at EUSW on 7 December.

EGNSS driving innovation

European GNSS and the accurate, highly reliable positioning data it delivers is an essential element in the uptake of autonomous vehicles such as cars, drones, or robots. Autonomous vehicles are already a growing segment in the transport and automotive sector, in urban air mobility, and in the drone market. 

By combining GNSS with on-board sensors and systems such as cameras, radar, or inertial sensors, robotic applications are also being developed for the construction, manufacturing, maintenance, monitoring, and the healthcare and household sectors. Satellite navigation data provides the accuracy, integrity, reliability, and availability required to operate autonomous vehicles. 

Global innovation network for Galileo

Galileo Masters’ network of 101 partners from 18 countries focuses on the regional implementation of the competition to ensure a high level of diversity while enhancing both job growth potential and regional development opportunities. The competition’s backbone consists of 17 Prize Partners that are involved in specific areas at the local level, providing participants with valuable support in launching their businesses across Europe. 

“Galileo Masters has given a significant boost to the rise of the GNSS industry in Europe,” said AZO CEO Thorsten Rudolph. “The top 100 companies that have grown out of the innovative ideas of more than 13,000 Galileo Masters participants since 2004 have created more than 3,300 jobs and generated EUR 178 million in total turnover in 2019. In recent years, these companies have also raised around EUR 524 million in venture capital.”

By fostering entrepreneurs and start-ups, Galileo Masters’ long-term objective is to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness with high-tech space solutions on a global scale. This was why the European Commission established Europe’s unique Galileo Incubation programme for the top six winners of Galileo Masters. For the fourth time, this programme will offer the year’s winners access to dedicated incubation services (worth up to EUR 372,000 in total) at their preferred incubation centre in the Europe-wide Galileo Masters network.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

European Space Week 2020 kicked off on Monday 7 December with the User Consultation Platform (UCP) plenary, where users from different market segments presented the results of work carried out during the UCP over the previous week. Copernicus users were included in the UCP for the first time, and possible services and applications arising from synergies between Copernicus and Galileo were very much in focus.

Opening the UCP plenary, GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted that users were central to EGNSS. “This is why the User Consultation Platform is so important – it helps us to develop new services,” he said, adding that it is also a valuable tool for industry and for policy-makers, with inputs feeding into the development of new GNSS applications and into Horizon Europe downstream activities. 

EGNSS for post-COVID recovery

Representing the Aviation segment, Vanessa Rullier, Senior Manager at the European Business Aviation Association, noted that recovery from COVID would depend on society’s ability to meet its social and environmental obligations. She said that more should be done to extend the use of EGNOS approaches to reduce aviation’s footprint. Synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus can play a role in finding the best sustainable trajectory for aircraft, she said.

Read this: ICAO approves new standards and recommended practices for EGNOS and Galileo

Captain Johan Gahnstrom from CompetenSEA noted a clear trend towards the development of new assistance functions in the Maritime sector, along with the first steps towards automated vessels, not only for maritime and inland waterways but also for surveillance and fisheries control. With regard to the latter, he noted that a precise verified location would be essential for monitoring vessels, adding that Galileo and OS-NMA authentication would be very important in providing an undisputable position.

In the area of Natural Disasters & Emergency Response, Juan Luis Valero from the European Union Satellite Centre said that user feedback was positive on the three new Galileo services based on the Return Link Service (Remote Beacon Activation service, Two-Way Communication service, and Beacon Distress Positioning sharing service). He noted that users had identified a few challenges associated with the implementation of these new services, mainly related to power supply, user interface, and integration with platforms, such as boats. 

Need for High Accuracy 

Samuel Ryckewaert General Manager at Ubiscale said that in the Mass Market power consumption is a recurring issue and that 91% of users consider it crucial. Regarding Galileo differentiators, he said that 55% of users had shown a high interest in high accuracy. Miguel Ortiz, geolocation research engineer at the French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (IFSTTAR), also noted the importance of high accuracy. He said that automated driving had high demands in terms of not only accuracy, but also availability and robustness. Regarding the High Accuracy Service, he said the UCP highlighted the need to design new EGNSS services and to plan their evolution aligned with the market landscape, to avoid entering into competition with commercial offers.

Michele Tozzi from the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) noted that GNSS is key for the deployment of new mobility services such as MaaS and combined mobility, and that space data is also extremely useful to improve the efficiency of traditional services. He said that it is necessary to raise awareness about Galileo’s benefits, and that projects such Ariadna are working to achieve this.

Heinz Reichinger from RUAG Space noted that there are many different applications in the space sector, all of which have different priorities and accuracy requirements. He said that a position accuracy of 3.5m is good for many space applications and that the Galileo HAS service is already needed in this market segment. He said that there is also increasing interest in authentication for resilient GNSS-based navigation in space.

Robustness against spoofing

Heiko Gerstrung, Managing Director at Meinberg Funkuhren GmbH noted that protection against GNSS jamming and spoofing threats is now on the agenda of most - if not all - infrastructure operators. The UCP Critical Infrastructure session highlighted the importance of a built-in GNSS authentication service such as Galileo OS-NMA - but also the Galileo Commercial Authentication Service (CAS) - to improve robustness against GNSS spoofing. 

And this: New Galileo-inspired opportunities for Critical Infrastructures presented at ITSF 2020

As regards the timing and synchronization segment, Guerric Pont from the GSA said that standardisation is an important building block to help market uptake. He said that telecom operators already had to follow standards, but that technical guidelines specifically covering GNSS issues would be useful. 

In the context of Agriculture and Geomatics, Pablo Olmos from Leica Geosystems said that synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus provide a much better understanding of the environment and unlock the potential to create new applications and businesses. He said that these synergies are also essential for the Farm to Fork strategy in agriculture, helping to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. 

Winding up the session, the GSA’s Head of Market Development Fiametta Diani noted that the UCP had highlighted two commonalities from across the market segments: the importance of Galileo’s differentiators – HAS and OS-NMA - which will bring in new user communities; and the need to leverage synergies between Galileo and Copernicus, particularly in the area of sustainable mobility.

Looking ahead, she said that the inputs from the UCP would feed into updates of the GSA’s User Needs and Requirements reports, while helping to improve current services and shape the evolution of the next generation of services and applications.

European Space Week 2020 kicked off on Monday 7 December with the User Consultation Platform (UCP) plenary, where users from different market segments presented the results of work carried out during the UCP over the previous week. Copernicus users were included in the UCP for the first time, and possible services and applications arising from synergies between Copernicus and Galileo were very much in focus.

Opening the UCP plenary, GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa noted that users were central to EGNSS. “This is why the User Consultation Platform is so important – it helps us to develop new services,” he said, adding that it is also a valuable tool for industry and for policy-makers, with inputs feeding into the development of new GNSS applications and into Horizon Europe downstream activities. 

EGNSS for post-COVID recovery

Representing the Aviation segment, Vanessa Rullier, Senior Manager at the European Business Aviation Association, noted that recovery from COVID would depend on society’s ability to meet its social and environmental obligations. She said that more should be done to extend the use of EGNOS approaches to reduce aviation’s footprint. Synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus can play a role in finding the best sustainable trajectory for aircraft, she said.

Read this: ICAO approves new standards and recommended practices for EGNOS and Galileo

Captain Johan Gahnstrom from CompetenSEA noted a clear trend towards the development of new assistance functions in the Maritime sector, along with the first steps towards automated vessels, not only for maritime and inland waterways but also for surveillance and fisheries control. With regard to the latter, he noted that a precise verified location would be essential for monitoring vessels, adding that Galileo and OS-NMA authentication would be very important in providing an undisputable position.

In the area of Natural Disasters & Emergency Response, Juan Luis Valero from the European Union Satellite Centre said that user feedback was positive on the three new Galileo services based on the Return Link Service (Remote Beacon Activation service, Two-Way Communication service, and Beacon Distress Positioning sharing service). He noted that users had identified a few challenges associated with the implementation of these new services, mainly related to power supply, user interface, and integration with platforms, such as boats. 

Need for High Accuracy 

Samuel Ryckewaert General Manager at Ubiscale said that in the Mass Market power consumption is a recurring issue and that 91% of users consider it crucial. Regarding Galileo differentiators, he said that 55% of users had shown a high interest in high accuracy. Miguel Ortiz, geolocation research engineer at the French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (IFSTTAR), also noted the importance of high accuracy. He said that automated driving had high demands in terms of not only accuracy, but also availability and robustness. Regarding the High Accuracy Service, he said the UCP highlighted the need to design new EGNSS services and to plan their evolution aligned with the market landscape, to avoid entering into competition with commercial offers.

Michele Tozzi from the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) noted that GNSS is key for the deployment of new mobility services such as MaaS and combined mobility, and that space data is also extremely useful to improve the efficiency of traditional services. He said that it is necessary to raise awareness about Galileo’s benefits, and that projects such Ariadna are working to achieve this.

Heinz Reichinger from RUAG Space noted that there are many different applications in the space sector, all of which have different priorities and accuracy requirements. He said that a position accuracy of 3.5m is good for many space applications and that the Galileo HAS service is already needed in this market segment. He said that there is also increasing interest in authentication for resilient GNSS-based navigation in space.

Robustness against spoofing

Heiko Gerstung, Managing Director at Meinberg Funkuhren GmbH noted that protection against GNSS jamming and spoofing threats is now on the agenda of most - if not all - infrastructure operators. The UCP Critical Infrastructure session highlighted the importance of a built-in GNSS authentication service such as Galileo OS-NMA - but also the Galileo Commercial Authentication Service (CAS) - to improve robustness against GNSS spoofing. 

And this: New Galileo-inspired opportunities for Critical Infrastructures presented at ITSF 2020

As regards the timing and synchronization segment, Guerric Pont from the GSA said that standardisation is an important building block to help market uptake. He said that telecom operators already had to follow standards, but that technical guidelines specifically covering GNSS issues would be useful. 

In the context of Agriculture and Geomatics, Pablo Olmos from Leica Geosystems said that synergies between EGNSS and Copernicus provide a much better understanding of the environment and unlock the potential to create new applications and businesses. He said that these synergies are also essential for the Farm to Fork strategy in agriculture, helping to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use. 

Winding up the session, the GSA’s Head of Market Development Fiametta Diani noted that the UCP had highlighted two commonalities from across the market segments: the importance of Galileo’s differentiators – HAS and OS-NMA - which will bring in new user communities; and the need to leverage synergies between Galileo and Copernicus, particularly in the area of sustainable mobility.

Looking ahead, she said that the inputs from the UCP would feed into updates of the GSA’s User Needs and Requirements reports, while helping to improve current services and shape the evolution of the next generation of services and applications.

Earlier in November, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) approved new Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) paving the way for the development of new Dual Frequency Multi-Constellation Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (DFMC SBAS).

The ICAO SARPs are technical specifications that constitute the basis for harmonized global aviation safety and efficiency in the air and on the ground. While not legally binding for ICAO Member States, SARPs help standardize functional and performance requirements of air navigation facilities and services and ensure the orderly development of air transport.

Based on analyses, simulations and tests carried out by various organizations around the world, the SARPs on the use and development of DFMC SBAS were validated and approved by the Navigation Systems Panel of the ICAO earlier in November.

"The approval of SARPs is a milestone for EGNOS and Galileo but also for European aviation. Dual Frequency Multiconstellation SBAS will become a key enabler in aviation and provide improved availability, continuity, and accuracy by correcting two frequencies from more than one constellation" say GSA Agency’s Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa.

"We’re also very proud to have contributed to the standardization, by initiating projects EDG²E  and MUGG aimed at prototyping GPS and Galileo SBAS receivers, and already driving the EGNOS programme on its way to implement this new DFMC SBAS standard through the development of EGNOS V3." confirmed Jean-Marc Pieplu, Head of the EGNOS Services Department at the GSA.

Watch This: EGNOS Cases: Lanzarote

DFMC SBAS & aviation: opening up new possibilities for air transportation

With multi-constellation becoming the norm, the GNSS industry is now witnessing a shift towards the adoption of multifrequency. Four of the global SBAS plan to upgrade their services to support multiple frequency bands and multiple constellations in the years to come.

While the current SBASs can only correct GPS and GLONASS signals, the DFMC SBAS concept will enable signal corrections from multiple GNSS constellations and will have the ability to capture signals from 92 satellites simultaneously.

DMFC SBASs will also enable the use of non-Geostationary satellites for sending signal corrections. In the case of EGNOS, the potential use of satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) can allow for better coverage in northern latitudes, increased availability for EGNOS supported approaches and thus more accessible European airports. 

While avionics will continue to benefit from the L1 frequency, the additional L5 frequency will provide robustness against radiofrequency interference on L1 or L5 frequencies. What is more, using dual frequencies equals more resilience to ionospheric disturbances caused by magnetic storms but also robustness against spoofing or jamming.

Augmenting more than one constellation provides also an extra layer of navigation safety for airlines in case one GNSS constellation is degraded or becomes unavailable.

For more information on the current performance and evolution of EGNOS, the European SBAS, register for the EGNOS Service Status Session taking place on 8 December at 14:00 CET during the European Space Week 2020.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Earlier in November, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) approved new Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) paving the way for the development of new Dual Frequency Multi-Constellation Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (DFMC SBAS).

The ICAO SARPs are technical specifications that constitute the basis for harmonized global aviation safety and efficiency in the air and on the ground. While not legally binding for ICAO Member States, SARPs help standardize functional and performance requirements of air navigation facilities and services and ensure the orderly development of air transport.

Based on analyses, simulations and tests carried out by various organizations around the world, the SARPs on the use and development of DFMC SBAS were validated and approved by the Navigation Systems Panel of the ICAO earlier in November.

"The approval of SARPs is a milestone for EGNOS and Galileo but also for European aviation. Dual Frequency Multi-constellation SBAS will become a key enabler in aviation and provide improved availability, continuity, and accuracy by correcting two frequencies from more than one constellation" says GSA’s Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa.

"We’re also very proud to have contributed to the standardization, by initiating projects EDG²E  and MUGG aimed at prototyping GPS and Galileo SBAS receivers, and already driving the EGNOS programme on its way to implement this new DFMC SBAS standard through the development of EGNOS V3." confirmed Jean-Marc Pieplu, Head of the EGNOS Services Department at the GSA.

Watch This: EGNOS Cases: Lanzarote

DFMC SBAS & aviation: opening up new possibilities for air transportation

With multi-constellation becoming the norm, the GNSS industry is now witnessing a shift towards the adoption of multi-frequency. Four of the global SBAS plan to upgrade their services to support multiple frequency bands and multiple constellations in the years to come.

While the current SBASs can only correct GPS and GLONASS signals, the DFMC SBAS concept will enable signal corrections from multiple GNSS constellations and will have the ability to capture signals from 92 satellites simultaneously.

DMFC SBASs will also enable the use of non-Geostationary satellites for sending signal corrections. In the case of EGNOS, the potential use of satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) can allow for better coverage in northern latitudes, increased availability for EGNOS supported approaches and thus more accessible European airports. 

While avionics will continue to benefit from the L1 frequency, the additional L5 frequency will provide robustness against radiofrequency interference on L1 or L5 frequencies. What is more, using dual frequencies equals more resilience to ionospheric disturbances caused by magnetic storms but also robustness against spoofing or jamming.

Augmenting more than one constellation provides also an extra layer of navigation safety for airlines in case one GNSS constellation is degraded or becomes unavailable.

For more information on the current performance and evolution of EGNOS, the European SBAS, register for the EGNOS Service Status Session taking place on 8 December at 14:00 CET during the European Space Week 2020.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Earlier in November, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) approved new Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) paving the way for the development of new Dual Frequency Multi-Constellation Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (DFMC SBAS).

The ICAO SARPs are technical specifications that constitute the basis for harmonized global aviation safety and efficiency in the air and on the ground. While not legally binding for ICAO Member States, SARPs help standardize functional and performance requirements of air navigation facilities and services and ensure the orderly development of air transport.

Based on analyses, simulations and tests carried out by various organizations around the world, the SARPs on the use and development of DFMC SBAS were validated and approved by the Navigation Systems Panel of the ICAO earlier in November.

"The approval of SARPs is a milestone for EGNOS and Galileo but also for European aviation. Dual Frequency Multi-constellation SBAS will become a key enabler in aviation and provide improved availability, continuity, and accuracy by correcting two frequencies from more than one constellation" says GSA’s Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa.

"We’re also very proud to have contributed to the standardization, by initiating projects EDG²E  and MUGG aimed at prototyping GPS and Galileo SBAS receivers, and already driving the EGNOS programme on its way to implement this new DFMC SBAS standard through the development of EGNOS V3." confirmed Jean-Marc Pieplu, Head of the EGNOS Services Department at the GSA.

The EGNOS Programme contributions to the definition of this new standard has been enabled through joint efforts of the European Commission, GSA, ESA and European industry.

Watch This: EGNOS Cases: Lanzarote

DFMC SBAS & aviation: opening up new possibilities for air transportation

With multi-constellation becoming the norm, the GNSS industry is now witnessing a shift towards the adoption of multi-frequency. Four of the global SBAS plan to upgrade their services to support multiple frequency bands and multiple constellations in the years to come.

While the current SBASs can only correct GPS and GLONASS signals, the DFMC SBAS concept will enable signal corrections from multiple GNSS constellations and will have the ability to capture signals from 92 satellites simultaneously.

DMFC SBASs will also enable the use of non-Geostationary satellites for sending signal corrections. In the case of EGNOS, the potential use of satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) can allow for better coverage in northern latitudes, increased availability for EGNOS supported approaches and thus more accessible European airports. 

While avionics will continue to benefit from the L1 frequency, the additional L5 frequency will provide robustness against radiofrequency interference on L1 or L5 frequencies. What is more, using dual frequencies equals more resilience to ionospheric disturbances caused by magnetic storms but also robustness against spoofing or jamming.

Augmenting more than one constellation provides also an extra layer of navigation safety for airlines in case one GNSS constellation is degraded or becomes unavailable.

For more information on the current performance and evolution of EGNOS, the European SBAS, register for the EGNOS Service Status Session taking place on 8 December at 14:00 CET during the European Space Week 2020.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Eight teams have been selected for the Grand Finale of the 5th Farming by Satellite Prize, which aims to promote the use of EGNSS and Earth Observation in sustainable agriculture in Europe and Africa.

This year, the competition has challenged teams from across Europe and Africa to use Satellite Technologies to improve Agriculture and reduce Environmental Impact, providing an opportunity for new EU space empowered ideas.

The winners of the Farming by Satellite Prize 2020, featuring the Special Africa Prize devoted to young African innovators, will be announced live at the online awards ceremony on 30 November 2020, starting at 18:00 CET. The teams will pitch their solutions to the audience, sharing their visions for sustainable agriculture. They will be joined by keynote speakers from the prize partners the European GNSS Agency, European Environment Agency and CLAAS, who will share insights into the use of European satellite technologies to improve agriculture, from both a policy and industry perspective.

For the full agenda and to register for the event, head to the Farming by Satellite Prize 2020 website here.

Watch this: European Satellites for Agriculture

Space for Agriculture: Meet the top 8 solutions

With more than 80 submissions from across Europe and Africa received, 18 pre-selected teams participated in the Deep Dive Phase, presenting their innovations in pitch deck format. Eight grand finalists have been selected and are now competing for the first three places and the Special Africa Prize in a prize pool totalling €10,000:

• AI4Ocean Farming - Using satellite data for ocean farming

This solution studies the feasibility of establishing a space-connected ocean farming system. AI4OceanFarming identifies ocean farming threats to mitigate losses and increase the success rate and performance of this farm sector. This analysis is done by merging satellite data from Copernicus together with GNSS, Mercator Ocean, ECMWF, in-situ data from IoT devices deployed on the field, and their own specialised databases. The team hopes to optimise the performance of ocean farming, increasing food security and minimising the overexploitation of ocean resources.

• Genuine - Optimising tractor navigation route

Genuine is a unique web application to support farmers with identifying the crop borders, crop stress, and to guide tractor paths for optimal fertilization and irrigation. The solution combines Copernicus Sentinel-2 data and Galileo signals to generate prescription maps and to improve farmers’ activities in the field. The team aims to provide an integrated Copernicus and EGNSS solution that accelerates the transition to sustainable agriculture.

• Graniot - Satellite crop monitoring

One third of the water used in Europe goes to the agricultural sector. In Spain, that number rises to almost 80% and a part of it is wasted and/or contaminated by inefficient fertilising practices. Graniot offers a web application for agronomists and farmers to conduct weekly crop monitoring by using European satellite technologies to focus on vigour, chlorophyll, and water stress. With a background in telecommunications engineering, the co-founders are on a mission to bring a more sustainable agriculture to Southern Europe.

• RVRI - Irrigating the future

Water scarcity and CO2 emissions linked to pumping water are contributing to climate change. RVRI is a system that is able to detect the level of humidity of the soil and crop by analysing in real time the difference between the direct GNSS signal and the GNSS signal reflected on the soil. Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery is used to show crop information in the mobile app. With this information the system can vary the irrigation rate and communicate with the cloud where the application data is stored. The team wants to create intelligent systems that do not overload farmers with data, but provide actionable insights.

• Harvesting Prizes - Farming correctly, we all win

Harvesting Prizes is a tool that integrates all Variable Rate Application (VRA) files for every land parcel in a farm. GNSS positioning data is used to localise the user and link all VRA maps. It is then able to translate the input rates into real monetary outcomes, like €/ha and kg CO2/ha. The solution integrates Copernicus Sentinel-2 images, Galileo Open Service Message Authentication Feature (OS-NMA), and cloud services to provide a robust service that is easy to use. Additionally, mobile networks will be used to transfer information to and from the cloud. The young innovators believe that sustainable agriculture practices should be rewarded directly to the farmer.

• BAOBAB - Bridging agriculture and satellite observations for the African farming business

The Baobab solution combines weather models and Earth observation data to support crop management by farmers. It exploits modern satellite technology to directly deliver timely and accurate weather forecasts to farmers. The data results are integrated into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and delivered to the farmers for timely and accurate weather forecasts. This allows farmers to take early action and reduce potential damages. The team has the vision to significantly improve farming activities in Uganda.

• GeoM&E

GeoM&E offers farmers the opportunity to assess differences in agriculture fields over time and location, and enables users to assess vegetation phenology such as planting and harvesting. It specifically looks at the assessment of coffee farms in central Kenya, indicating the changes over time and areas where farmers could increase yield. The GeoM&E would provide African farmers with access to the geoinformation in just one click.

• HerdsAssist - The herder’s guide and foretell to pasture

HerdsAssist is a new way of grazing management for farmers to lessen the land competition in Africa. Using a mobile application that draws data such as land-use and land-cover maps from Copernicus, farmers can be better informed about the location of their kettle and where other farmlands are. For example, farmers can use a virtual fencing band that uses Galileo satellite positioning to determine the location of animals. The team behind HerdsAssist hopes to create the digital grazing management tool for farmers around the world.

Read this: From #EUSpace to farm to fork

About the Farming by Satellite Prize

The Farming by Satellite Prize rewards young innovators exploring the use of data and signals from the European space programmes Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus to improve agriculture and reduce environmental impact. A joint initiative of the GSA and the EEA, the prize invites applicants to submit their ideas for a more sustainable, productive, and efficient agriculture industry in Europe. Don’t forget to register for the award ceremony here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Eight teams have been selected for the Grand Finale of the 5th Farming by Satellite Prize, which aims to promote the use of EGNSS and Earth Observation in sustainable agriculture in Europe and Africa.

This year, the competition has challenged teams from across Europe and Africa to use Satellite Technologies to improve Agriculture and reduce Environmental Impact, providing an opportunity for new EU space empowered ideas.

The winners of the Farming by Satellite Prize 2020, featuring the Special Africa Prize devoted to young African innovators, will be announced live at the online awards ceremony on 30 November 2020, starting at 18:00 CET. The teams will pitch their solutions to the audience, sharing their visions for sustainable agriculture. They will be joined by keynote speakers from the prize partners the European GNSS Agency, European Environment Agency and CLAAS, who will share insights into the use of European satellite technologies to improve agriculture, from both a policy and industry perspective.

For the full agenda and to register for the event, head to the Farming by Satellite Prize 2020 website here.

Watch this: European Satellites for Agriculture

Space for Agriculture: Meet the top 8 solutions

With more than 80 submissions from across Europe and Africa, received, 18 pre-selected teams participated in the Deep Dive Phase, presenting their innovations in pitch deck format. Eight grand finalists have been selected and are now competing for the first three places and the Special Africa Prize in a prize pool totalling €10,000:

• AI4Ocean Farming - Using satellite data for ocean farming

This solution studies the feasibility of establishing a space-connected ocean farming system. AI4OceanFarming identifies ocean farming threats to mitigate losses and increase the success rate and performance of this farm sector. This analysis is done by merging satellite data from Copernicus together with GNSS, Mercator Ocean, ECMWF, in-situ data from IoT devices deployed on the field, and their own specialised databases. The team hopes to optimise the performance of ocean farming, increasing food security and minimising the overexploitation of ocean resources.

• Genuine - Optimising tractor navigation route

Genuine is a unique web application to support farmers with identifying the crop borders, crop stress, and to guide tractor paths for optimal fertilization and irrigation. The solution combines Copernicus Sentinel-2 data and Galileo signals to generate prescription maps and to improve farmers’ activities in the field. The team aims to provide an integrated Copernicus and EGNSS solution that accelerates the transition to sustainable agriculture.

• Graniot - Satellite crop monitoring

One third of the water used in Europe goes to the agricultural sector. In Spain, that number rises to almost 80% and a part of it is wasted and/or contaminated by inefficient fertilising practices. Graniot offers a web application for agronomists and farmers to conduct weekly crop monitoring by using European satellite technologies to focus on vigour, chlorophyll, and water stress. With a background in telecommunications engineering, the co-founders are on a mission to bring a more sustainable agriculture to Southern Europe.

• RVRI - Irrigating the future

Water scarcity and CO2 emissions linked to pumping water are contributing to climate change. RVRI is a system that is able to detect the level of humidity of the soil and crop by analysing in real time the difference between the direct GNSS signal and the GNSS signal reflected on the soil. Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery is used to show crop information in the mobile app. With this information the system can vary the irrigation rate and communicate with the cloud where the application data is stored. The team wants to create intelligent systems that do not overload farmers with data, but provide actionable insights.

• Harvesting Prizes - Farming correctly, we all win

Harvesting Prizes is a tool that integrates all Variable Rate Application (VRA) files for every land parcel in a farm. GNSS positioning data is used to localise the user and link all VRA maps. It is then able to translate the input rates into real monetary outcomes, like €/ha and kg CO2/ha. The solution integrates Copernicus Sentinel-2 images, Galileo Open Service Message Authentication Feature (OS-NMA), and cloud services to provide a robust service that is easy to use. Additionally, mobile networks will be used to transfer information to and from the cloud. The young innovators believe that sustainable agriculture practices should be rewarded directly to the farmer.

• BAOBAB - Bridging agriculture and satellite observations for the African farming business

The Baobab solution combines weather models and Earth observation data to support crop management by farmers. It exploits modern satellite technology to directly deliver timely and accurate weather forecasts to farmers. The data results are integrated into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and delivered to the farmers for timely and accurate weather forecasts. This allows farmers to take early action and reduce potential damages. The team has the vision to significantly improve farming activities in Uganda.

• GeoM&E

GeoM&E offers farmers the opportunity to assess differences in agriculture fields over time and location, and enables users to assess vegetation phenology such as planting and harvesting. It specifically looks at the assessment of coffee farms in central Kenya, indicating the changes over time and areas where farmers could increase yield. The GeoM&E would provide African farmers with access to the geoinformation in just one click.

• HerdsAssist - The herder’s guide and foretell to pasture

HerdsAssist is a new way of grazing management for farmers to lessen the land competition in Africa. Using a mobile application that draws data such as land-use and land-cover maps from Copernicus, farmers can be better informed about the location of their kettle and where other farmlands are. For example, farmers can use a virtual fencing band that uses Galileo satellite positioning to determine the location of animals. The team behind HerdsAssist hopes to create the digital grazing management tool for farmers around the world.

Read this: From #EUSpace to farm to fork

About the Farming by Satellite Prize

The Farming by Satellite Prize rewards young innovators exploring the use of data and signals from the European space programmes Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus to improve agriculture and reduce environmental impact. A joint initiative of the GSA and the EEA, the prize invites applicants to submit their ideas for a more sustainable, productive, and efficient agriculture industry in Europe. Don’t forget to register for the award ceremony here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The 3rd edition of the User Consultation Platform (UCP) for the European Space Programme will take place on 1-2 December, ahead of European Space Week 2020. This is a unique opportunity for the rapidly expanding community of space tech users to inform the organisations and institutions that oversee the programme of their experience and requirements, helping to shape the future evolution of the system. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your say – register now.

This year’s UCP will involve two days of extensive exchange at 12 parallel sessions in which users are grouped by market segment 1. These sessions will be an ideal opportunity for business and industry leaders, entrepreneurs, service providers, innovators, and space user communities to express their needs, to share best practices and to present case studies.

One-of-a kind opportunity

The UCP is a one-of-a kind networking opportunity that gives the entire space ecosystem the opportunity to explore new synergies and keep abreast of the latest developments in this fast-paced sector. The Platform’s format allows all the various space stakeholders to share their experiences and expertise and learn from each other, helping them to grow stronger and become more innovative and competitive.

Watch this: Impact the future of EU Space technology, join the User Consultation Platform 2020

At the sessions, the user community will discuss their needs while receiving updates on testing campaigns, main market trends, the evolution of the Galileo and EGNOS systems, and new developments in R&D. New to the 2020 edition of the UCP will be the addition of other Copernicus users and GovSatCom users, which means that the UCP 2020 will be more representative than ever

As the EU Space Programmes evolve, so do the needs of their users. Building on the central role of users in shaping EU Space applications, the outcomes of the UCP will help inform the decision-making process around service definition and service provision, leveraging on the unique perspective and experience of the multi-disciplinary EU Space user community.

Wrap-up at EUSW

The results of the UCP will be presented to the entire EU Space community during the plenaries at European Space Week on 7-11 December. The outcomes of the UCP GOVSATCOM session will be presented at a session on Secure Satellite Communications on December 9, while all other segments will present the outcomes of their panel discussions on December 7. Check out the EU Space Week site for the times.

Watch this: EU Space Week 2020 coming to your screens 7-11 December

As the GSA transitions into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the Agency is even more committed to delivering on its role and mission to link space to user needs, to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation and to enable the development of a strong downstream market. The User Consultation Platform is a valuable resource, supporting the Agency in this mission and engaging users to ensure that EU Space works for everyone. If you haven’t already registered to take part, do so now. We look forward to meeting with you online in December.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

• 1. Road, Agriculture & Forestry, Maritime & Ocean Monitoring, Geomatics & Urban Planning, Public Transport, Natural Disasters & Emergency Response, Critical Infrastructures, Rail, Mass market, Space Users, Aviation & Drones and Governmental.

The 3rd edition of the User Consultation Platform (UCP) for the European Space Programme will take place on 1-2 December, ahead of European Space Week 2020. This is a unique opportunity for the rapidly expanding community of space tech users to inform the organisations and institutions that oversee the programme of their experience and requirements, helping to shape the future evolution of the system. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your say – register now.

This year’s UCP will involve two days of extensive exchange at 12 parallel sessions in which users are grouped by market segment 1. These sessions will be an ideal opportunity for business and industry leaders, entrepreneurs, service providers, innovators, and space user communities to express their needs, to share best practices and to present case studies.

One-of-a kind opportunity

The UCP is a one-of-a kind networking opportunity that gives the entire space ecosystem the opportunity to explore new synergies and keep abreast of the latest developments in this fast-paced sector. The Platform’s format allows all the various space stakeholders to share their experiences and expertise and learn from each other, helping them to grow stronger and become more innovative and competitive.

Watch this: Impact the future of EU Space technology, join the User Consultation Platform 2020

At the sessions, the user community will discuss their needs while receiving updates on testing campaigns, main market trends, the evolution of the Galileo and EGNOS systems, and new developments in R&D. New to the 2020 edition of the UCP will be the addition of other Copernicus users and GovSatCom users, which means that the UCP 2020 will be more representative than ever

As the EU Space Programme evolves, so do the needs of their users. Building on the central role of users in shaping EU Space applications, the outcomes of the UCP will help inform the decision-making process around service definition and service provision, leveraging on the unique perspective and experience of the multi-disciplinary EU Space user community.

Wrap-up at EUSW

The results of the UCP will be presented to the entire EU Space community during the plenaries at European Space Week on 7-11 December. The outcomes of the UCP GOVSATCOM session will be presented at a session on Secure Satellite Communications on December 9, while all other segments will present the outcomes of their panel discussions on December 7. Check out the EU Space Week site for the schedule.

Watch this: EU Space Week 2020 coming to your screens 7-11 December

As the GSA transitions into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the Agency is even more committed to delivering on its role and mission to link space to user needs, to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation and to enable the development of a strong downstream market. The User Consultation Platform is a valuable resource, supporting the Agency in this mission and engaging users to ensure that EU Space works for everyone. If you haven’t already registered to take part, do so now. We look forward to meeting with you online in December.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

• 1. Road, Agriculture & Forestry, Maritime & Ocean Monitoring, Geomatics & Urban Planning, Public Transport, Natural Disasters & Emergency Response, Critical Infrastructures, Rail, Mass market, Space Users, Aviation & Drones and Governmental.

The 3rd edition of the User Consultation Platform (UCP) for the European Space Programme will take place on 1-2 December, ahead of European Space Week 2020. This is a unique opportunity for the rapidly expanding community of space tech users to inform the organisations and institutions that oversee the programme of their experience and requirements, helping to shape the future evolution of the system. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your say – register now.

This year’s UCP will involve two days of extensive exchange at 12 parallel sessions in which users are grouped by market segment 1. These sessions will be an ideal opportunity for business and industry leaders, entrepreneurs, service providers, innovators, and space user communities to express their needs, to share best practices and to present case studies.

One-of-a kind opportunity

The UCP is a one-of-a kind networking opportunity that gives the entire space ecosystem the opportunity to explore new synergies and keep abreast of the latest developments in this fast-paced sector. The Platform’s format allows all the various space stakeholders to share their experiences and expertise and learn from each other, helping them to grow stronger and become more innovative and competitive.

Watch this: Impact the future of EU Space technology, join the User Consultation Platform 2020

At the sessions, the user community will discuss their needs while receiving updates on testing campaigns, main market trends, the evolution of the Galileo and EGNOS systems, and new developments in R&D. New to the 2020 edition of the UCP will be the addition of other Copernicus users and GovSatCom users, which means that the UCP 2020 will be more representative than ever

As the EU Space Programme evolves, so do the needs of their users. Building on the central role of users in shaping EU Space applications, the outcomes of the UCP will help inform the decision-making process around service definition and service provision, leveraging on the unique perspective and experience of the multi-disciplinary EU Space user community.

Wrap-up at EUSW

The results of the UCP will be presented to the entire EU Space community during the plenaries at European Space Week on 7-11 December. The outcomes of the UCP GOVSATCOM session will be presented at a session on Secure Satellite Communications on December 9, while all other segments will present the outcomes of their panel discussions on December 7. Check out the EU Space Week site for the schedule.

Watch this: EU Space Week 2020 coming to your screens 7-11 December

As the GSA transitions into the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the Agency is even more committed to delivering on its role and mission to link space to user needs, to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation and to enable the development of a strong downstream market. The User Consultation Platform is a valuable resource, supporting the Agency in this mission and engaging users to ensure that EU Space works for everyone. If you haven’t already registered to take part, do so now. We look forward to meeting with you online in December.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

• 1. Road, Agriculture & Forestry, Maritime & Ocean Monitoring, Geomatics & Urban Planning, Public Transport, Natural Disasters & Emergency Response, Critical Infrastructures, Rail, Mass market, Space Users, Aviation & Drones and Governmental.