Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
A group of Stanford Ph.D. and Masters graduates, with work experience among them at SpaceX, Ford Motor Systems, Blue Origin, Booz Allen Hamilton and other firms, has launched a start-up to start up a low-Earth orbit successor to GPS and other GNSS. The existing services, they say, are not up to the challenges of autonomy. They founded Xona Space Systems to supplant the venerable satnav systems.
By Inside GNSS
The Position Authenticated Tachograph foR OSNMA Launch (PATROL) project is developing the first external GNSS facility for smart tachographs, using Galileo’s new Open Service Authentication (OS-NMA). The tachograph, a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver’s activity selected from a choice of modes, uses Galileo authentication to verify that the navigation data received from satellites is genuine.
By Inside GNSS
The U.S. Air Force updated the GPS Standard Positioning System (SPS) Performance Standard (PS) in mid-April, 2020, the first new Performance Standard document since 2008. It includes mention of and pre-Initial Operating Capability (IOC) performance standards for the new civil GPS signals L2C and L5 for the first time. In another new feature, the document mentions “expanded capabilities which allow the total size of operational constellation to grow beyond the previous maximum of 32 Navstar satellites” for “more robust constellation availability to enhance the overall SPS SIS performance.”
By Inside GNSS
In three hours over two days, this special virtual workshop and professional learning experience rigorously investigates safety, integrity, standards and testing for precise positioning in automotive, both driven and driverless. It asks — and answers! — these crucial questions:
By Inside GNSS
A great man has left us, left the international GNSS community. Dr. Javad Ashjaee passed away in Moscow on May 30 from the corona virus illness, a family member reported on social media.
By Alan Cameron
Hexagon | NovAtel has released its first purpose-built driver, powered by Robot Operating System (ROS), to support its OEM7 family of GNSS receivers. The driver, developed by NovAtel engineers, provides an optimized interface enabling users to accelerate autonomous development projects
By Inside GNSS
A new marine-certified quad-band GNSS receiver, the LD900 from VERIPOS, delivers accurate, reliable positioning in demanding offshore environments. The LD900 can track four GNSS frequencies simultaneously to ensure a precise position is always available at sea. When combined with Apex5 correction services from VERIPOS, it delivers accuracy levels as precise as 5 cm (95%) to provide robust positioning for the most challenging applications, including deepwater drilling, seismic, construction, and survey.
By Inside GNSS
GPS satellites usually transmit their signals with constant power. However, a so-called “Flex Power” is foreseen to increase the strength of individual signals to better fulfill operational constraints. Flex power operations can be detected in carrier-to-noise density ratio (C/N0) observations provided by GNSS receivers of the global tracking network of the International GNSS Service (IGS).
By Peter Steigenberger, et al.
Critical infrastructure has a compelling need to infer the assurance of PVT estimates—as do users in general. However, traditional PNT platforms do not offer a principled way to infer assurance from multiple anti-spoofing (A-S) techniques, situational awareness (SA) information, and other auxiliary sources such as network data. Here we introduce, a PNT Trust Inference Engine (PNTTING) that can assess PNT trust according to probabilistic models with rigorous semantics.
Researchers in the PRoPART project developed a 10-centimeter accurate and robust position determination system for autonomous vehicles, demonstrating a safe merge of a fully automated heavy truck between two cars driving at speed in an adjacent lane.
By Peter Gutierrez
The Federal Communications Commission ignored a technical standard defining radio-frequency interference. The five commissioners licensed powerful terrestrial broadcast next to the satellite band, exposing national defense and critical infrastructure to harm.
The Federal Communications Commission should really consider updating its motto. “Firm, fast, flexible, and fair” has a bit of an old-fashioned ring. As mottos go, it fails to keep up with the times.
By Alan Cameron
The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded two contracts to Thales Alenia Space concerning system evolution of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
By Inside GNSS
