Toulouse space show13 May 2008Reaping the benefits of GalileoThere is a “window of opportunity” for Europe to seize the future benefits offered specifically by Galileo, the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and the development of applications and services for needs to go in parallel with the deployment of the system. This was the view of Pedro Pedreira, the head of the EU’s GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA), speaking at the Toulouse space show on 25 April 2008.  Pedreira said that satellite navigation was a boom area that promised even greater potential in the future, both economically and for society as a whole. The GSA estimates put the incremental benefits for Europe from the introduction of Galileo and its precursor EGNOS at over €60 billion in the period up to 2030, he said, but warned that this could not be taken for granted. There were two key areas for action that are needed if the future European GNSS systems are to reach their full potential, said Pedreira. The first is to ensure that the full operational capability was reached in time – for Galileo this is set for 2013 – and the second is to develop markets for applications and services. “We have to develop the supply and demand for services. We believe that in order to create a snowball effect and attract capital to the sector we have to look at the segments with the greatest potential and prioritise them,” he said. “We need viable business models and ways to motivate players to enter the market.” Getting the right conditionsThe GSA helps market development through ‘regulatory enablers’, such as certification, standardisation and regulation, and by motivating and supporting promising initiatives by supporting research. The Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the EU’s mechanism for funding research, has a total budget of €350 million for satellite navigation over the period 2007 to 2013, with €40 million allocated in both 2007 and 2008. Priority areas for this funding, said Pedreira, include road and aviation applications and he called for large-scale, cross-border projects. “We need meaningful practical demonstrators that overcome problems in inter-operability. It is important to create awareness in the EU of GNSS and encourage the early adoption of systems,” he added. The GSA was currently assessing proposals made under the first call made last year and will launch the second call later this year, said Mr Pedreira. “We have had some very promising proposals, and are considering what the priorities are for the second call.” Encouraging SMEs is a priority and their participation was good in the first call, said Pedreira, but more can be done to help them get involved in projects in the future. “We are looking at possibilities to help SMEs team up with venture capitalists.” Industry viewRepresentatives from various industry sectors gave their views on the steps ahead to development of applications for Galileo and EGNOS. Francisco Salabert, from air navigation regulators Eurocontrol, estimated that 70% of flights use GPS at the moment, and that satellite navigation would become even more integral to aviation in the future. “The reliance on GNSS for all phases of flight will become more robust,” he said. “Safety is paramount and GNSS can improve it through better vertical guidance.” He said that European aviation industry was keen to use Galileo but they needed greater certainty from regulators as soon as possible, with costs a key factor. “We are determined to go for GNSS systems but we need to consider the economic, legal and safety aspects and the transition,” he added. “This needs to be made clear as soon as possible.” PotentialMichael Monnerat from technology developers Thales agreed that there was considerable potential for the development of applications as satellite navigation became more integrated into everyday life. “Users will become more and more used to this type of technology and demand more from it,” he said. “The worldwide market for location based services (LBSs) is very big,” he added. “But there is a lot to do before this becomes a reality.” Monnerat said that the current technology, based on autonomous GPS, had limited scope for the mass market, he said and the development of more promising applications would only be possible with the greater accuracy and reliability that Galileo will bring. “Galileo is the future required technology of the market,” he said. However, he pointed out that it would only be through the development of ‘assisted’ services, combining GNSS and telecommunication technologies. Harmonisation Efforts have been underway to introduce standards for EGNOS over the last six years and greater efforts for the harmonisation of national policies should come through a plan on radio navigation that the European Commission is currently developing. Philippe Hamet from the Commission’s directorate general for energy and transport said that the Commission is examining the needs of each transport sector through consultation with experts from industry and member states. “Radio navigation is applicable for all transport domains but consultation is needed on how to create compliant systems,” he said. The consultation will continue throughout 2008, and the plan is likely to be released early next year, he added. Major eventThis was the first edition of the Toulouse Space Show, gathering over 1500 delegates participants from industry, research, regulating authorities and other key decision makers. The show combined three annual events – the European navigation conference (ENC-GNSS), the European forum on time frequencies (EFTF) and the international week on space applications, with 28 technical sessions and over 90 exhibitors. The next ENC-GNSS will take place in Naples between the 3rd and 6th May 2009, while the second Toulouse Space show has already been scheduled between the 29th March and 2nd April 2010. For more information
|