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EGNOS Commercial Data Distribution Service
| EGNOS | |
|---|---|
| Title | EGNOS Commercial Data Distribution Service |
| Author(s) | GMV. |
| Level | Basic |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
The EGNOS Commercial Data Distribution Service (CDDS) represents the provision of additional data for professional users not provided by the EGNOS signal broadcast by geostationary satellites but by other distribution channels. The CDDS will be offered on a controlled access basis, i.e. Internet based resources or cellular phones, and is intended for ground based customers who require enhanced performances for commercial and professional users. The Service has not yet been declared available and a dedicated Service Definition Document (SDD) will be published upon its declaration.
First step towards EGNOS CDDS: EGNOS Data Access System (EDAS)
In order to gather user requirements for the final CDDS, The European Commission has leaded an initiative, The EGNOS Data Access System (EDAS), to provide EGNOS data by making the following services available:[1][2]
- Transmission of EGNOS data using the RTCM SC 104 standard (directly usable by maritime DGPS receivers).
- Access to raw data from the RIMS network receivers.
EDAS will constitute the means for the EGNOS multimodal service growth and introduction of the EGNOS CDDS and represents the main interface point for multimodal Service Providers to deliver EGNOS products in real-time, within guaranteed performance boundaries.[3]
EDAS is provided by the European Satellite Service Provider (ESSP), it is the single point of access for the data collected and generated by the EGNOS infrastructure and it represents an intermediate step towards the definition of the EGNOS CDDS by the European Commission.[4]
EGNOS CDDS Applications
Service providers can exploit the CDDS to provide added value to final users in various domains and applications such as the ones highlighted:
- Applications for individual handsets and mobile phones (LBS)
- Road transport
- Maritime & Rail transport
- Civil protection and Goods Transportation
There are a series of pioneer R&D projects in the aforementioned domains that make use of EGNOS through EDAS. Some of them are detailed hereafter:
Location Based Services (LBS)
The LBS sector include GNSS-enabled mobile phones, smartphones and services, and represents 52% of the global GNSS market.[5] To promote the development of EGNOS/EDAS based LBS applications, the EC has funded R&D projects to provide toolkits for manufacturers.
In urban areas where acquiring satellite signals may be difficult and often provokes a loss of accuracy and performance degradation, EGNOS corrections could still be applied through the EGNOS CDDS. Some of the latest R&D projects developed in this frames are listed bellow and a the complete list of ongoing projects is described in detail in the EC GNNS Applications site.[5]
- PERNASVIP: to develop a GNSS-based mobility service dedicated to visually disabled pedestrians in urban environment.[6]
- ATLAS: concerns the development of an assurance and authentication service for GNSS-derived time and position information for use in liability-critical LBS applications across a wide variety of market sectors.[7]
Road Applications
Intelligent transport systems for road transport represent an important segment of the GNSS market. The wide range of applications do not only cover in-car navigation, but also user charging for an efficient use of the road infrastructure, fleet management and logistics. Road User Charging (RUC) is becoming a strategy for authorities to manage increasingly congested road networks throughout Europe. This approach implies recording journey information by using a GNSS receiver embedded in an OBU and such solutions aided by EGNOS through CDDS have been widely analyzed.[8]
The EC contributes to the development of EGNOS based technologies for road applications by promoting contracts in this framework. Some of these projects are briefly presented hereafter:[5]
- GINA: aims at investigating the factors which could enable the application of GNSS-based road pricing followed by a nationwide demonstration in the Netherlands.[9]
- SIGNATURE: develops new features improving road user charging in terms of charging accuracy (correct cost per trip),charging integrity (probability and amount of overcharging) and charging availability (amount of charged usage).[10]
- GALAPAGOS: develops a positioning system for logistic applications with a special focus on container tracking.[11]
Rail and Maritime Applications
The Mediterranean Introduction of GNSS Services (METIS)[12] is an EGNOS demonstration that implements EGNOS use in transport domains over the Euro-Mediterranean area, to prepare market for Galileo.
This project relies not only on the EGNOS Signal In Space (SIS) but also on the distribution of EGNOS products via EDAS. Moreover it identified opportunities for EGNOS CDDS in the Mediterranean area for the next decade by proving technical feasibility and quantified benefits.
SAFEPORT[13] is another project developed in the frame of Active Vessel Traffic Management that exploits the EGNOS accuracy, reliability and safety of life aspects by means of the EGNOS Safety of Life and CDDS services.
Civil protection and Goods Transportation
In disaster situations, transport and communications infrastructures may become unavailable. However, relief operations need to rely on precise information as regards the location of rescue teams, topography or hazard maps.[5]
Besides, Oil&Gas Companies and Special Transportation companies, with a key role played by National Authorities who have the need to monitor the status of the traffic of dangerous goods in national territories represent an important user segment for the application of the EGNOS CDDS in safe transportation.[14]
EGNOS CDDS based tracking for the tracking & tracing services for the regulated control of dangerous material transport are presently demonstrated and proven in real-life cases involving Italian industry and authorities[15] and it has been shown that commercial transport operators and users can benefit from effective shipment, whereas Law enforcement agencies take advantages from guaranteed information related to position, travelling times and route.
Research and Development
EDAS can facilitate EGNOS Evolution activities and a significant number of R&D activities. One such initiative is the magicSBAS product. magicSBAS is is an Augmentation System that collects GPS and GLONASS data (measurements and ephemeris) from a regional network of reference stations, computes satellite orbits and clocks, ionospheric and integrity information, and broadcasts messages to the final user via Internet.[16]
Notes
References
- ^ GSA's Introduction to EDAS
- ^ EGNOS User Guide for Developers
- ^ The vehicle to the future EGNOS CDDS
- ^ ESSP Web Site
- ^ a b c d GNSS Applications EC Portal
- ^ PERNASVIP Web
- ^ ATLAS Project
- ^ SignatureI
- ^ GINA Project
- ^ SIGNATURE Project
- ^ GALAPAGOS Project
- ^ EGNOS demonstrations in the Mediterranean Area
- ^ SAFEPORT Project
- ^ The EGNOS Service to Provide Ground Based Access to EGNOS – EDAS Beta test findings; Reinhard Blasi, GSA; Rafael Cardoso-Herce, Didier De Greef, ESSP; José Ramón López-Pérez, Francisco J. Jiménez-Roncero, AENA; Ángel Gavín-Alarcón, GMV; Monica Pesce, VVA
- ^ EGNOS in support of safe transport of Dangerous material: the joint experience of MENTORE and ENI; A. Di Fazio, Telespazio S.p.A; D. Pizzorni, Eni - Refining & Marketing, Logistica Secondari; M. Zazza, Ministero dei Trasporti Direzione Generale dei Sistemi Informatici e Statistici
- ^ GMV´s magicSBAS Web Site