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In 2023, Galileo continues to provide the world’s most precise satellite navigation information, to more than four billion users worldwide. Galileo services have expanded with many new capabilities that are unique with respect to other GNSS.

EUSPA and ESA continue to enjoy an effective collaboration on the many development, deployment and evolution activities of the Galileo Program, each according to its responsibilities for service provision and system development with the European Commission acting as the program manager.

Stable service performance

The service delivery operations, and the maintenance of the operational systems, are managed by EUSPA, who supervises several contracts that carry-out the day-to-day activities from dedicated control and monitoring centers throughout Europe. The Galileo timing, navigation and SAR/Galileo services provided in 2023 have been delivered with excellent performances that continue to exceed the formal declarations for minimum performance levels (MPL), both in terms of absolute accuracy and overall service availability.

Expansion of service portfolio

The service provision teams have been able to focus on improvements to, and expansion of, the Galileo service portfolio.

OS and I/NAV improvement

Galileo Open Service (OS) users can already benefit from an improved navigation message, being broadcast by the Galileo constellation since mid-2023, which considerably boosts their performance in terms of robustness and time to first fix.

An update of the Galileo OS service definition document (SDD) is planned for the end of this year. This fourth issue of the OS SDD will bring to the users new MPLs (e.g., ranging rate accuracy and ranging accuracy at high percentiles) and improvements of existing MPLs, such as the timeliness of certain notice advisories to Galileo users. This updated OS SDD will also introduce the OS extended operation mode, which is characterized by a gradually degrading ranging accuracy with respect to the nominal operational mode, including outages of the Galileo ground segment, thus increasing the robustness of the OS.

High Accuracy Service

As of the HAS initial service declaration on January 24, Galileo became the first GNSS constellation ever to enable a decimetre-level accuracy, free of charge on a 24/7 basis over most parts of the globe in nominal conditions. The HAS corrections are transmitted directly via the Galileo signal in space (E6-B) and through the internet with the corresponding performance levels systematically met since the declaration. All documentation available here.

OS-NMA

The OS Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) will be a free and open access service allowing the users to confirm that received Galileo navigation data has not been modified and originates from the Galileo system, thus increasing the likelihood of detecting spoofing attacks at the data level and significantly contributing to the security of the solution. The OSNMA public observation phase is currently ongoing (gsc-europa.eu/support-to-developers/osnma-public-observation-test-phase). As part of that, the final OSNMA signal in space (SiS) interface control document (ICD) was published in December 2022, while the broadcast of a compliant SiS together with test certificates for the public key infrastructure started in August, marking the start of the OSNMA initial operational capability. The OSNMA initial service declaration will be achieved after the completion of the service validation activities and is targeted for early 2024.

Safety of life

The Galileo contribution to safety of life services (GoSoL) will cover the provision of Galileo signals and of service guarantees to enable the implementation of horizontal ARAIM service supporting aviation users. The service roadmap is currently under definition with a stepwise approach that will include the broadcast of a test ISM before the operational service is provided.

SAR

SAR/Galileo provides accurate, timely, and reliable distress alert data to help rescue authorities assist in distress situations (forward link service). It also acknowledges the receipt of the distress forward link alert to the beacon in distress via the Galileo navigation SiS (return link service). SAR/Galileo is a geographically distributed system, which was extended with a fourth European MEOLUT installed in La Reunion, in operation since November 2022.

The combination of SAR/Galileo space and ground assets provides excellent performance levels with a mean location accuracy of less than 800 m and a return link delivery latency of less than 1 min, which assisted in the rescue of approximately 1,400 people within EU territories in 2022.

Utilizing the return link service capabilities brings new innovations that further contribute to the global emergency space operations as Galileo moves forward to the implementation phase of the emergency warning satellite service (EWSS). The EWSS will provide national civil protection authorities with a satellite broadcasting capability to broadcast on-demand authenticated alerts to a precise target area and its population directly to any device capable of processing Galileo signals.

Reference documents for each of the above services can be found at the EUSPA European GNSS Service Center website, including technical notes, interface control documents and service declaration documents.

Full operational capability infrastructure development toward completion

Space segment

The production of the third batch of Galileo FOC satellites, by the satellite manufacturer OHB Systems, has been completed for an overall amount of 12 satellites. The acceptance review for the last couple of spacecraft took place in June.

This amounts to an overall production by OHB Systems of 34 Galileo FOC Satellites (14 satellites in batch one, eight satellites in batch two and 12 satellites in batch three) of which 24 are in orbit. The remaining 10 satellites are in storage waiting for the next launch opportunity in 2024.

Ground segment

The ground segment is going through a major upgrade with the roll-out of the new System Build 2.0 infrastructure in support of public regulated service IOC and open service FOC.

The new version of the ground mission segment developed by Thales Alenia Space France will be oriented to increase service robustness and resilience, besides high performance. It will provide virtualized hardware and software infrastructure at the Galileo Control Centers, triple receiver chain redundancy in the sensor stations’ remote sites and two additional sites located in Wallis (Pacific Ocean) and Bonaire (Caribbean Sea) to increase global coverage with 15 sites overall. A new mission monitoring capability has been implemented for the operators using the SAFE/Agile methodology. Furthermore, a system extended contingency mode will be implemented to cope with outages lasting up to seven days with smooth navigation performance degradation.

A new version of the Galileo Security Facility will be deployed at the Galileo Security Monitoring Centers offering an evolution of the public regulated service (PRS) capabilities through new enhanced SiS access control. Furthermore, a new state of the art cyber security monitoring system will be implemented.

The System Build 2.0 infrastructure qualification was completed by ESA in July. Migration in operation is based on an innovative concept consisting of a replica of the operational chains to ensure seamless transition from the current system in operation to the newly deployed one. The completion of the migration into operations is planned for the beginning of 2024, with the schedule being continuously monitored at the program level.

An upgrade of the ground control segment in charge of command and control of the constellation is under qualification by the industrial consortium led by GMV. It will provide additional flexibility to allow for deployment in between launches and to address resolution of hardware and software obsolescence, including cyber security, operability improvements and a security monitoring overlay. Furthermore, it will upgrade the Telemetry Tracking and Control (TTC) station in Redu, Belgium, and deploy an additional station in Fucino, Italy, co-located with the Galileo Control Center, bringing to nine the overall number of TTC stations.

Second generation fast forward

Galileo’s second generation (G2G) will introduce many innovative technologies to offer unprecedented precision, robustness, and flexibility.

For the development of G2G activities 2023 was a key year, with the development of the first batch of G2 satellites, the start of all contracts for in-orbit validation of the ground segment and system test beds and the preparation of the initial operational capability (IOC) design, through the consolidation of the mission/service roadmaps with the EC, EUSPA, and the delegates from EU member states.

This year, Europe has taken the necessary steps to unchain the development of key GNSS features, which will exponentially enhance GNSS accuracy for the worldwide communities in the future:

• New and improved services.
• Unique flexibility of ground and space systems to enable 12-18 months service time to market, without the need for constellation replenishment.
• Upgraded robustness of key infrastructure items.
• State of the art GNSS technology leading to centimeter-level precision.
• New GNSS signals, including extended data capacity for added value services.
• And of course, as a key factor, a full backward compatibility with Galileo First Generation and other GNSS systems.

G2G: Incremental steps for enhanced capabilities over the next decade

The ESA completed the G2G system preliminary design review in July, focused on three key incremental phases of the G2G:

• G2G In-Orbit Validation (G2GIOV): specification, design and validation activities for the sake of ensuring the full development of the first batch of G2G satellites and all the associated infrastructure for launch and early orbit phase, in-orbit testing, in-orbit validation, initial enhancement of Galileo services and addition of new Galileo service components.
• G2G Initial Operational Capability (G2GIOC): design and specifications required for the complementary procurements that will ensure new Galileo services, as enabled by G2G infrastructure, including both the second batch of G2G satellites and the G2G ground segment.
• G2G Full Operational Capability (G2GFOC): Identification of key technological enablers and additional capabilities required for final G2G implementation, including the bridge to future synergies with other EU and ESA programs.

G2G in-orbit validation infrastructure – satellite hardware under validation

The two parallel contracts with Thales Alenia Space and Airbus to develop and manufacture each of six G2G batch one satellites (G2SB1A and B) achieved key milestones this year.

On the G2SB1 satellite A side, the prime contractor tested engineering model payloads and structural models at its premises and delivered them to ESA’s Technology Center (ESTEC). The validation of the new G2G payload capabilities and the key mechanical, vibration and acoustical testing milestones have been achieved.

These satellites will provide the following key innovations: reconfigurable fully digital navigation payload; point-to-point connection between satellites by inter-satellite-link for command and control, and ranging functionalities; electric propulsion for orbit-raising capabilities; advanced jamming and spoofing protection mechanisms; on-board authentication capabilities; increased ground-to-space data rate; and improved time reference (number of clocks and advanced clock monitoring functions).

Key mechanical and launch-related tests on the structural models stacked configurations were performed in the last quarter of this year, in order to simulate the launcher environment and satellite separation dynamics.

On the G2SB1 satellite B and the PHM and RAFS clock manufacturing sides, activities are ongoing as planned, with key HW infrastructure developed and tested in the respective Industrial Primes premises.

This included as key events in 2023 the full testing of the satellite advanced engineering model antenna and the creation of a satellite atomic clock farm in industry premises to produce the more than 70 atomic clocks required for the 12 G2 batch one satellites.

The next steps for these contracts are the completion of the equipment and satellite CDRs, expected in the coming months, in order to engage (starting at the end of 2024) with the critical system compatibility test campaigns of the G2G IOV ground segment infrastructure and system engineering test beds under development.

G2G in-orbit validation infrastructure – ground segment and test beds in full development

The key system engineering, ground segment and test beds infrastructure procurements were all awarded during the first semester of 2023, giving EC/EUSPA/ESA and the industrial teams a brief moment of respite and celebration.

Following a competition process that encompassed about 12 months of detailed technical, management and legal interactions, 11 industrial prime contractors were selected for a set of contracts engaging about $1 billion euros of public sector investment:

• Four contracts for system engineering, signal and performance, system validation and security and PRS activities.
• Four contracts for ground segment in-orbit validation infrastructure.
• Three contracts for system test bed activities plus a series of technological developments in the receivers and constellation simulation side.
• Once completed in the years to come, these infrastructure developments will ensure not only the launch and early orbit phasing and in-orbit validation of the novel G2G satellite’s capabilities, but also enable the provision to all world users of enhanced Galileo services.

G2G initial and final operational capability moving ahead

In line with the outcomes of the system preliminary design review, two new lines of GNSS improvements are well underway at program level.
In the area of G2G initial operational capability (IOC), which will provide new G2G initial services, an extensive preparatory work has been performed by EUSPA in order to derive the mission needs (as defined by the EC and its Member States), into a set of service evolution roadmaps for the more than one dozen Galileo services.

This work has been supported by ESA dossiers providing incremental implementation of these services, in a continuous improvement ramp-up process, which guarantees backward compatibility and seamless enhancement.

The relevant procurements that will enable, in combination with the in-orbit validation infrastructure, the provision of these services are currently under consolidation:

• G2G IOC ground segment, with an initial version to be procured in 2024.
• G2G satellites batch two, which is expected to start its competitive procurement procedure in the second part of the EU’s 2021-2028 multi-financial framework.

In addition, work is well advanced in the definition of the key technological developments and system trade-offs that will be analyzed for inclusion in the G2G final operational capability (FOC), expected early in the 2030s.

Critical technologies being analyzed include optical inter-satellite links, advanced governmental payloads, new ground segment and signal technologies and in-space constellation monitoring, among others. ESA expects to complete the preparation of the system-critical design review by the end of 2024 or early 2025 and to submit it for in-depth review by the EC, EUSPA and European member states stakeholders.

Conclusions

Galileo keeps providing continuous and stable services to users with new enhanced capabilities offering high accuracy, authentication and faster time to first fix. The space and ground infrastructure development for the first generation is progressing toward public regulated service IOC and open service FOC.
In parallel, for G2G, hardware production of the new satellites is well under way and the ground segment development has started to maintain Galileo competitive with the other GNSS.

We continue to strive toward achieving the vision defined at the end of the previous decade: “If you can imagine a novel satellite navigation service, we will implement it in 12-18 months.”

We have an exciting road ahead.

About the Author: Matteo Luccio

Matteo Luccio, GPS World’s Editor-in-Chief, possesses more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for GNSS and geospatial technology magazines. He began his career in the industry in 2000, serving as managing editor of GPS World and Galileo’s World, then as editor of Earth Observation Magazine and GIS Monitor. His technical articles have been published in more than 20 professional magazines, including Professional Surveyor Magazine, Apogeo Spatial and xyHt. Luccio holds a master’s degree in political science from MIT. He can be reached at mluccio@northcoastmedia.net or 541-543-0525.

GPS turns 50 this year, marking five decades of transforming the world in ways that have profoundly impacted society. Since its approval as a program on December 17th, 1973, GPS has revolutionized the way we navigate and comprehend our world, often in ways few realize.

To honor this achievement, a special event will be held at the South Shore Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Houston, Texas, on December 5, at 6:00PM. This event aims to be a historic tribute to GPS’s journey and its impact on the global community.

At the special event, Matteo Luccio, editor in chief of GPS World, will lead an engaging discussion with Brad Parkinson, the original chief architect of GPS, shedding light on the system’s early days, its far-reaching impacts on humanity, and exciting prospects for the future.

Members of the press, federal employees, Resilient Navigation Timing Foundation members, PNT Advisory Board members, and presenters may attend the event for free. Others can secure their attendance for $75, which includes an optional one-year membership in the RNT Foundation.

To reserve your spot, RSVP at inquiries@RNTFnd.org no later than November 27.

The President’s National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board, which advises the government on GPS and related issues, will meet the following two days in the same location. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend. Click here for more information on that event.

About the Author: Matteo Luccio

Matteo Luccio, GPS World’s Editor-in-Chief, possesses more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for GNSS and geospatial technology magazines. He began his career in the industry in 2000, serving as managing editor of GPS World and Galileo’s World, then as editor of Earth Observation Magazine and GIS Monitor. His technical articles have been published in more than 20 professional magazines, including Professional Surveyor Magazine, Apogeo Spatial and xyHt. Luccio holds a master’s degree in political science from MIT. He can be reached at mluccio@northcoastmedia.net or 541-543-0525.

About the Author: Matteo Luccio

Matteo Luccio, GPS World’s Editor-in-Chief, possesses more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for GNSS and geospatial technology magazines. He began his career in the industry in 2000, serving as managing editor of GPS World and Galileo’s World, then as editor of Earth Observation Magazine and GIS Monitor. His technical articles have been published in more than 20 professional magazines, including Professional Surveyor Magazine, Apogeo Spatial and xyHt. Luccio holds a master’s degree in political science from MIT. He can be reached at mluccio@northcoastmedia.net or 541-543-0525.

Vigilant Aerospace Systems, a provider of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid safety systems for UAVs and advanced air mobility (AAM), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop a detect-and-avoid system for the Air Force’s new long-endurance UAV.

According to the published project description, the objective is to “integrate a mature detect and avoid capability on an existing long-endurance, Group V UAS platform, for increased aircraft and pilot-in-the-loop operational awareness that leverages new and evolving C-SWaP sensors and sensor fusion software.”

The project is sponsored by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project through the SBIR program. The program is designed to bring dual-use technologies, which can help both civilian and military users, into the military, with a focus on high-impact, near-term implementations.

FlightHorizon is detect-and-avoid and airspace management software that combines data from aircraft transponders, radar, UAV autopilots and live Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data to create a single picture of the airspace around a UAV. The software displays air traffic, predicts trajectories and provides avoidance commands to the remote pilot or autopilot. The system can be used on the ground or onboard the UAV and can be configured for any size of aircraft.

The software is based on two licensed NASA patents and the company has completed contracts with NASA, the FAA and a project with the USAF’s 49th Operating Group’s MQ-9 Reaper fleet to track training flights. It is designed to meet industry technical standards and to help UAS operators fly beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS).

The new Air Force project incorporates prior research and development by the company in solving the automatic self-separation and collision avoidance problem for UAVs. To evaluate sensors and algorithms and establish standards-compliance and risk ratios, the company has completed hundreds of hours of flight tests with the system and thousands of simulated aircraft encounters inside the software’s built-in simulation engine, according to Vigilant Aerospace Systems.

About the Author: Matteo Luccio

Matteo Luccio, GPS World’s Editor-in-Chief, possesses more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for GNSS and geospatial technology magazines. He began his career in the industry in 2000, serving as managing editor of GPS World and Galileo’s World, then as editor of Earth Observation Magazine and GIS Monitor. His technical articles have been published in more than 20 professional magazines, including Professional Surveyor Magazine, Apogeo Spatial and xyHt. Luccio holds a master’s degree in political science from MIT. He can be reached at mluccio@northcoastmedia.net or 541-543-0525.

Warning sirens about the vulnerabilities of GPS to jamming, spoofing, solar activity and other disruptions have been blaring for many years. Now the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which represents other federal civil departments and agencies on all GPS-related matters within the federal government, might finally be moving from study to action. On September 12, at the annual meeting of the Civil GPS Service Interface Committee held in conjunction with ION GNSS+ in Denver, Robert Hampshire, DOT’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer, announced the release of DOT’s Complementary Positioning Navigation and Timing Action Plan. It aims to drive CPNT adoption across the United States transportation system and within other critical infrastructure areas. You can read more here and download the plan here. 

Which GPS vulnerabilities does DOT aim to address and how quickly can it “drive adoption” of CPNT? Attempting to answer these questions requires pushing through a dense thicket of bureaucratic jargon. I asked Karen Van Dyke, Director for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and Spectrum Management in Hampshire’s office four questions. What follows are excerpts from her answers. You can read her full response here.

What is your office’s charter within the federal government to advance the development and deployment of complementary PNT?

Her office’s efforts, Van Dyke told me, “support federal policy governing PNT programs and activities for national and homeland security, civil, commercial, and scientific purposes. These include Executive Order 13905, Strengthening National Resilience Through Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services (EO 13905) and Space Policy Directive 7, The United States Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Policy (SPD-7).”

Which GPS vulnerabilities and at what scale is this plan addressing?

The action plan, Van Dyke told me, “addresses disruption, denial, and manipulation of GPS for critical infrastructure sectors” on “both a widespread and local scale.”

How and when will this action plan move the federal government’s posture on CPNT from study to action?

Van Dyke cited field demonstrations conducted in 2020 by the Volpe Center of candidate PNT technologies that could offer complementary service in the event of GPS disruptions and a 2021 report to Congress that distilled the PNT resiliency recommendations. DOT, she said, should develop “system requirements for PNT functions that support safety-critical services” and “standards, test procedures, and monitoring capabilities to ensure that PNT services, and the equipage that utilize them, meet the necessary levels of safety and resilience”.

How does DOT intend to engage PNT stakeholders?

Van Dyke pointed to a PNT Industry roundtable that DOT held in August 2022 that included representatives from CPNT technology vendors and critical infrastructure sectors and “informed the development” of the action plan. She also pointed out that on September 11, DOT issued a request for information “as one of the steps to drive adoption” of CPNT services “to augment GPS for the nation’s transportation system, and through the executive branch interagency process, for other critical infrastructure sectors.”

Stay tuned.

Matteo Luccio | Editor-in-Chief

mluccio@northcoastmedia.net

Stacking containers

Septentrio

Septentrio has been working on port automation projects with Kalmar, a Finnish company that offers a wide range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centers and heavy industry. I discussed this collaboration with Stef van der Loo, market access manager at Septentrio. Following are excerpts of our conversation. For a much longer version, click here.

What are the challenges operating in a port?

In a container terminal or port, everything is interconnected and, therefore, complex. Lately, GNSS has become more popular, especially when coupled with inertial navigation, because the technology has become more capable of delivering centimeter-level accuracy even in challenging environments where the line-of-sight to GNSS satellites may be partially blocked by containers or structures.
What drives higher accuracy?

Every year, every terminal stacks a certain number of containers, but not all the information about them is given to the terminal operating system (TOS) automatically. Sometimes, operators must search for misplaced containers, which may require stopping operations and deploying additional personnel. Additionally, it is not very safe to go into these yards. This is one reason why ports began to deploy positioning systems. However, ten years ago, with meter accuracy, they were failing all the time. Now, improvements in the technology have enabled GNSS to become fit for the challenge. In terminals, you can use GNSS or INS systems for vehicle traffic management, autonomous vehicles and tasks, or to get the position of a container.

For example, when a reach stacker reaches into a stack and locks a container in place, it’s crucial to have a very reliable centimeter-level position. Errors grow as the data is processed from the control systems to the TOS. To know for certain the position of a container when it was placed in a stack errors must not exceed half a meter. Therefore, the reliability and accuracy of the GNSS/INS is crucial for container positioning.

Do you buy the IMUs and do all the integration?

We buy the IMUs mostly from Analog Devices. The integrated inertial navigation solution is our own. We focus on inertial navigation in several markets — including logistics, autonomous mining, and agricultural robotics.

What is the division of labor between you and Kalmar?

Kalmar is both an OEM and an integrator. They are a guru for the automation of logistics terminals. We work with them mainly as an integrator. They will go to a terminal, like other integrators, and install the systems and other equipment. Kalmar built a whole sensor stack with all types of sensors and integrated this in their packages, such as SmartPort. With a train-the-trainer principle, our engineers trained Kalmar employees, so they have first line control of the installations and troubleshooting. Then we are ready to support them where we can. We have a continuous feedback loop with several logistics customers for suggestions and product recommendations for the evolution of our products and services for this segment.

Straddling containers

JAVAD GNSS 

One of the largest container companies in the world needed a solution to manage its straddle carriers, which are specialized container handling vehicles at ports that can pick up large containers and move them to trucks, trains, or other container stacks. This is very challenging for container terminal operators because ports are highly complex operating environments that also provide other maritime services, such as storing and managing cargo, forwarding freight, and clearing customs. To handle containers safely and efficiently, modern terminals have buildings, equipment, and cranes in addition to straddle carriers. All this infrastructure creates a lot of multipath that stresses the capabilities of GNSS receivers.

To develop and install this new system for straddle carrier vehicles, the container company turned to JAVAD GNSS and to ALLSAT GmbH, a German engineering, geodetic and electronic company founded in 1991 that has been JAVAD’s German distribution partner since 1995. To address the challenge, in 2022, ALLSAT GmbH applied a new digital twin concept to supply and support the commissioning of several hundred JAVAD GNSS rover solutions at three international seaports. This required obtaining real-time and highly accurate positional data for moving straddle carriers and uploading it to a terminal information system for control and documentation.

ALLSAT deployed a geodetic conceptual design that integrates JAVAD GNSS Delta-3S receivers and RingAnt G5T and GrAnt-G5T antennas to deliver precise surveying of two GNSS reference stations per port, then commissioned the system on all the straddle carrier vehicles from a single source. It also developed a solution employing two redundantly operating reference stations that broadcast RTK correction data for all GNSS (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou) on different IP addresses/radio frequencies. All the JAVAD RTK rovers can receive and process data from both correction sources in parallel thanks to their 874 channels and parallel processors. This offers two advantages. First, it provides a comprehensive fallback in the unlikely event that one reference station fails. Second, it greatly improves the reliability, speed and accuracy of the rovers, which operate in an environment rife with signal shadowing and multipath influences.

Working closely with its client and JAVAD GNSS, ALLSAT was able to implement this project, from initial idea to verification and commissioning, in only a few weeks. The combination of redundant, multi-constellation reference stations and JAVAD GNSS multi-base RTK yielded a solution that is highly reliable and available, providing for continuous operation despite the challenging environmental conditions. Additionally, JAVAD GNSS provides firmware updates for the life of the devices, which will enable the customer to rely on this base rover solution for the next 10 years.

Tracking trains

M3 Systems 

M3 Systems, a French-Belgian geolocation company founded in 1999, has long supported the R&D activities of European space and civil aviation agencies. It also markets products that it developed through its R&D activities. In recent years, M3 Systems expanded its activities into the automotive and rail sectors. To develop a new device for trains, it partnered with two Belgian companies: Logiplus, which makes onboard electronic systems for trains, and ALSTOM Belgium, a division of ALSTOM group, which builds trains and equipment for train tracks. “The objective during the product design was the development of a hybrid sensor that uses both a GNSS sensor to provide absolute positioning, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to compensate for environmental obstructions such as trees and urban canyons by calculating the train’s position based on its last GNSS-based absolute position,” explained Jérémy Skelton, project lead at M3 Systems.

IMUs have long been coupled with GNSS because each technology compensates for the other one’s limitations: IMUs suffer from drift and GNSS receivers from signal loss in certain environments. In theory, surveying the tracks and using odometry to monitor a train’s linear position on them would suffice to locate it. In practice, however, wheel encoders “are prone to errors because the wheels are subjected to a lot of sliding and skidding,” Skelton said.  “So, we need completely independent sensors.”

This requirement led ALSTOM to propose the development of the IGLOO (an acronym for IMU & GNSS vehicle odometry) input device, which integrates all the different sensors. Logiplus designed and manufactured the hardware, while M3 Systems wrote the algorithm.

The project, which was partially funded thanks to a grant from the European Regional Development Fund and supported by the Région Wallonne of Belgium, was divided into three components:

• The software to couple the IMU and the GNSS to compute the train’s velocity.
• The auto-calibration solution, which eliminates the need for automatic calibration when starting the sensor.
• A hardware platform that incorporates a low cost IMU.

The consortium defines three kinds of zones in which a train will operate, depending on the trustworthiness in each zone of the GNSS signals. “For example, an environment with a clear view of the sky and no nearby obstacles is trustworthy,” Skelton said, “while a forest, an urban canyon, or the entry into a tunnel are not. Without GNSS support, eventually the IMU will also become unreliable.”

At very low speeds, errors must be very low, but at higher speeds a greater speed error is allowed. Operators can extract different levels of data from a GNSS receiver. To achieve a tight GNSS-INS coupling, they can use the Doppler delays and hybridize them with the IMU or use the tracking loop and set the range and Doppler. For a loose coupling, they can directly use the GNSS receiver’s positioning, velocity, and timing data. All couplings are performed by using Bayesian filters, for example the Kalman filter. “Loose coupling will give you less accuracy, reliability, and integrity, but it will also be less CPU-intensive,” Skelton said.

For data acquisition on a train, M3 Systems generated a printed circuit board (PCB) with a u-blox GNSS receiver, a Septentrio Asterix GNSS receiver, nine IMUs (which enables them to choose the best one for the use case), a reference trajectory unit that provides ground truth, and a computer that takes the data from the GNSS receivers and the IMUs. “Everything was integrated for measurement purposes on a rack on a train that runs here in Belgium,” Skelton said, “and all the data was retrieved automatically via a 4G internet connection. We have collected a few thousand kilometers traveled, a few hours of tunnels, and both trustworthy and untrustworthy GNSS signals.”

M3 Systems’ partner Logiplus designed the product to support the hybridization software and interface with the European vital computer (EVC), which monitors and continuously calculates the train’s maximum speed and braking curve. “It is critical for the EVC to have perfect knowledge of the train’s speed, which is the main reason we designed this new device,” Skelton said. “What is specific in that hardware is the computing power, the two systems (GNSS and inertial), and the data fusion algorithm, which allows the hardware to evolve. For example, we can switch to a different IMU.”

The IGLOO system complies with the specified safety requirements, contributing to a more reliable knowledge of the train speed, which reduces the risk of accidents and fatalities, improves traffic flow, and improves the efficiency and safety of the train operations, Skelton pointed out.

Surveying a railroad

Eos Positioning Systems 

Network Rail, which owns and manages the railway infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales, needed an as-is survey of up to 50,000 electrical assets along 400 miles of rails in the eastern region of the country. It turned to Arcadis, a design and consultancy firm that specializes in sustainable design and engineering services. The project required delivering accurate building information modeling (BIM) plans of the rail line to support operations and maintenance of the electrified infrastructure, while ensuring a safe working environment for the surveying teams. Using Arrow 100 GNSS receivers from Canadian manufacturer Eos Positioning Systems and Esri’s ArcGIS Survey123 and ArcGIS Hub software, Arcadis was able to efficiently capture the data with sub-meter accuracy and share it with Network Rail in real-time.

Arcadis decided to conduct a digital field survey to collect the data and to use GIS to manage it, said Gideon Simons, Associate Director of GIS and Geospatial Consultant at Arcadis. “We provided the survey teams iPads, the Esri application, and the GNSS receivers.” For corrections, it used the Ordnance Survey’s OS Net. “We found through a few assessments and testing that the Eos Arrow’s precision was good enough to meet the project’s requirements.”

The region surveyed is mostly rural but the rail line traverses some very urbanized areas. “One of the first challenges was surveying under cover in stations and in quite a few tunnels. So, we developed methodologies using georeferenced plans and imagery and taking temporary datums using GNSS outside the tunnels, to measure distance and offsets to the assets in the tunnels with measuring wheels that allowed for post-survey processing and the location accuracy required,” said Simons.

Photography was also a key to the success of the project. “In just one depot, we surveyed thousands of assets with many inside train sheds,” said Simons. “We use 360-degree cameras and train view cameras, so that we really understand where assets should be placed.”

The next stage for Network Rail is to maintain that equipment — whether it’s replacing it, bringing it up to code, or potentially installing new assets, Simons pointed out. “In the UK, we use a variety of measurements — imperial and metric. So, it’s been very helpful for the client to have just one source of truth reference that supports their work yet that can still link with other systems and ease communication with wider teams.”

SwissDrones, a global manufacturer and operator of long-range uncrewed helicopter systems for inspection, surveillance and public safety applications, has announced its SDO 50 V2 multi-mission, single-turbine uncrewed helicopter system has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization.

This authorization allows aerial service provider Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU), partner of SwissDrones, to operate the SDO 50 V2 beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) across the U.S. This achievement marks the first-of-its-kind authorization within the United States, allowing PAU to broaden its capabilities in inspection, patrol and survey missions over extensive distances.

SwissDrones and PAU collaborated over the course of three years to build a concept of safe BVLOS operations (CONOPS) and conducted numerous flight trials in the U.S. using the SDO 50 V2. All regulatory and safety requirements were met in cooperation with the FAA to enable extended-range inspection and patrol flights over linear infrastructure under the same regulations as traditional-crewed aircraft.

PAU intends to use this aircraft for a variety of data-gathering tasks, including high-resolution imaging, lidar data collection and thermal imaging.

Depending on the specific sensor package and operating area, PUA inspection flights can span distances of more than 60 miles, allowing operators to conduct multiple inspections efficiently within a single flight.

With a maximum weight of 191 pounds, the SDO 50 V2 can carry sensors weighing between 30 and 70 pounds and maintain flights lasting over three hours. These extended flights make it ideal for missions requiring multiple sensors, offering nearly ten times the endurance and three times the lift capacity compared to aircraft weighing under 55 pounds that operate under Part 107 waivers.

The SDO 50 V2 has also received a Special Airworthiness Certificate (SAC-EC) from the FAA. SwissDrones is among the first organizations to obtain a European drone operator license, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC). This certificate grants SwissDrones the authority to self-authorize flight operations for its aircraft across EASA countries, encompassing BVLOS operations within the specified certificate limits. Additional regulatory approvals from civil aviation authorities will be announced in the coming months.