The final presentation of the National GNSS Knowledge Center project, funded through the European Space Agency (ESA) NAVISP program, was recently delivered by representatives from CGI Netherlands, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), and S&T.
The initiative was launched in answer to prior Dutch national studies IKUS-I and IKUS-II on GNSS vulnerabilities and focused on increasing GNSS knowledge and resilience across Dutch critical infrastructure sectors.
The final presentation featured speakers from two of the collaborating organizations: Alexandra Zevenbergen and Efthymios Tsantopoulos from CGI and Annemarie van Zwol from NLR. The presentation summarized the project’s two primary activities: the establishment of a GNSS knowledge portal and the carrying out of a national GNSS monitoring study.
The portal, available at https://pntportal.eu/, includes ten GNSS masterclass lectures, resilience assessment tools, mitigation advice, a news feed on GNSS interference, downloadable resilience assessments and a manual for resiliency maintenance.
The resilience assessment component is based on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s resilient PNT conformance framework. It involved identifying organizational requirements, evaluating responses, and assigning resilience levels and sub-scores to participating entities.
In-depth study
Parallel to the portal development, a GNSS monitoring study was conducted at key Dutch critical infrastructure locations: the National Metrology Institute, a power station, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and the Port of Rotterdam. Monitoring equipment included SCOUT, GIDAS Portable, and Signal Sense devices. The main monitoring phase lasted an average of 30 consecutive days per location. Collected data was analyzed post-monitoring.
The study documented hundreds of GNSS signal disruptions. Two locations showed significant numbers of interference events: 54 warnings and 23 alarms (events longer than 30 seconds). Many short-duration, low-power disruptions were also observed, primarily attributed to unintentional interference from local equipment.
Results were presented to a guidance committee and stakeholders at Schiphol Airport. Recommendations include deploying permanent multiband monitoring systems, real-time classification and alert integration, and the development of defined alert thresholds, governance, and mitigation plans.
Zevenbergen said position, navigation and timing (PNT) information remains vital to the functioning of Dutch critical infrastructure. Following a final review of study results, the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) reaffirmed this position, and a formal letter was sent to the Dutch parliament to underscore the continuing importance of resilient GNSS infrastructure.
The National GNSS Knowledge Center project was funded under ESA’s NAVISP Element 3, which supports member states’ PNT initiatives and national strategies.
