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SISNET
EGNOS broadcasts augmentation signals for GPS through Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. GEO broadcasting is proved to be an efficient strategy for avionic applications and other modes of transport. For some applications, though, it may be of interest to complement GEO broadcasting through other transmission means. For instance, building obstacles in cities or rural canyons may difficult the GEO reception. In those situations, complementary real-time Internet-based broadcasting of the EGNOS signal is of major interest as a way to continue taking the most of the EGNOS potential, irrespectively of the user environment.[1]
Responding to that need, ESA developed and launched the SISNeT service in 2002. SISNeT allows retrieving the EGNOS messages across the Internet in real-time, usually through wireless networks, like GSM or GPRS. Thanks to SISNeT, any user with access to the Internet (e.g. through wireless networks – GSM or GPRS –) may access the EGNOS product, irrespectively of the GEO visibility conditions.
In the early days of SISNeT, advanced simulation activities revealed that the combination of EGNOS and the almost unlimited capabilities of the Internet could open the door to a lot of innovative applications for Satellite Navigation. The evolution of SISNeT to the date has demonstrated and justified what simulations were anticipating, mainly thanks to:
- ^ The ESA SISNeT Project: Current Status and Future Plans; Félix Torán-Martí and Javier Ventura-Traveset ESA GNSS-1 Project Office. European Space Agency (ESA). Toulouse (France).