Better Positioning in the EU

The European Union is setting itself up to be fully functional with a new global navigation satellite system (GNSS) in place by the end of 2014. In November, the EU committed to spending €7 billion (roughly US$9.5 billion) to go toward projects for Europe’s satellite systems Galileo and EGNOS. Over the next twenty years, the EU is committed to spending over €90 billion for the civil GPS system. One of the major differences between Galileo and the United States’ GPS or Russia’s Glonass systems is that this satellite system is entirely funded and provided by civil endeavors, and is not linked to the military (although military systems will have access to it).

The Need for Galileo

The EU has long desired to have a GNSS that can be used for civilian purposes without the possibility or threat of having its services blocked for military purposes. As long as the EU relies on the US GPS service or Russia’s Glonass system, access to GNSS can be limited or repealed, either by accident or design, for any number of reasons. With so many resources and business activity reliant upon GNSS (such as banking and transportation), GNSS independence is paramount. The EU is able to promote this activity due to the fact that it is not designed for military purposes, so it will be able to continue to enjoy international support and allow access to other nations without fear of military repercussions.

Conflict Averted with the US

When Galileo was initially proposed and plans were moving forward, the EU received some resistance from the US. Apparently, the initial proposal for Galileo was set up to broadcast on the same frequency that was being considered for a possible US GPS military code. The US GPS system is actually a “military first” system that allows the military to have a more precise location than civilians do. At that point, there was a planned split being proposed to separate the GPS military and civilian signals to prevent jamming. The US government voiced their concern to the EU in 2001 over their plans and this possible conflict. The problem was averted in 2004, when the EU decided to operate on a different frequency to allow for the American GPS military signal to remain distinct.

Planned Uses of Galileo

There are five main services planned for Galileo. The first will be open access navigation provided free of charge to those with the appropriate equipment to within three meters. Secondly, commercial navigators will be able to pay a fee to receive accurate positioning to the centimeter. A third service will be for safety of life navigation with guaranteed precision. A fourth service will be encrypted public regulated navigation, mostly provided for government use. A fifth service will be for search and rescue that will allow for finding of distress signals, and also to provide feedback that help is on the way.

Better Positioning with EGNOS

One of the benefits of the future Galileo system will be the use of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), which will augment the positioning capabilities of Galileo. The US GPS uses a similar technology with the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), developed by the Federal Aviation Administration. EGNOS, like WAAS, uses ground placed (geostationary) satellites to create better accuracy for GNSS services. Galileo will have over 40 EGNOS stations to help make their positioning more accurate.

While Galileo will not be fully operational for a few years, the concept of civil ownership might create the groundwork for future GNSS plans in regions around the globe. The expense is real in terms of getting these systems off the ground, but the benefits are far ranging and vital. GNSS has much more to offer than just finding your way to grandmother’s house, and plans like Galileo will help ensure you will always be able to find your way.

Timeline of Galileo
May 2003	Beginning of first stage of Galileo program
June 2004	Signed agreement with United States to use a modulation frequency that will prevent interference with US GPS systems and allow for both systems to be used simultaneously
November 2007 and April 2008	Funding issues were addressed and solutions found in re-allocating funds from other EU projects to keep Galileo funded
December 2010	EU voted location in Prague to be headquarters of Galileo project
October 2011	First two of four operational satellites launched to begin in orbit validation (IOV)
October 2012	Second two of four operational satellites launched

 

Non-EU Countries providing funds for Galileo system:

• Israel (as of July 2004)


• Ukraine (as of June 2005)


• Morocco (as of November 2005)


• South Korea (as of January 2006)


• Norway (as of April 2009)

Better Positioning in the EU