European Commission Launches EGNOS Open Service

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Dyflin

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EGNOS is a satellite-based augmentation system that improves the accuracy of satellite navigation signals over Europe. The system is composed of transponders aboard three geostationary satellites hovering high above the Eastern Atlantic and the European continent, linked to a ground network of about 40 positioning stations and four control centers, all interconnected.


The EGNOS coverage area includes most European states and has the built-in capability to be extended to other regions, such as North Africa and EU neighbouring countries.

According to European spokespersons, it improves the accuracy of current GPS signals from about ten meters to two meters. Nevertheless, receiver manufacturers’ demonstrated experience shows results of unaided, uncorrected GPS accuracy around five meters under moderately favorable conditions and medium-grade receiver equipment.


The Commission believes that both European businesses and citizens can greatly benefit from EGNOS. The Commission seeks to support new applications in sectors such as agriculture (high-precision spraying of fertilizers), and transport (for example, automatic road-tolling or pay-per-use insurance schemes). EGNOS can also support much more precise personal navigation services, both for general and specific uses, for example systems to guide blind people, and to improve signal reception in urban areas.


EGNOS will be certified for use in aviation and other safety-critical areas in compliance with the Single European Sky regulation. Through EGNOS a Safety-of-Life service is expected to be in place by mid 2010. This service will provide a valuable warning message informing the user within six seconds in case of a malfunction of the system. A Commercial Service is under test and will also be made available in 2010.


Both the Open Service and the Safety-of-Life Service are provided free of charge, and the European Union is committed to supporting EGNOS for the long term, even after Galileo has become operational. This includes extending its geographical scope within the coverage of the three satellites involved.


The operations of EGNOS are managed, through a contract with the European Commission, by the European Satellite Services Provider, ESSP SaS, a company based in Toulouse, France, founded by seven air navigation services providers. The contract between the Commission and ESSP SaS was signed yesterday, 30 September, and will ensure the management of the EGNOS operations as well as the maintenance of the system until the end of 2013.


The EGNOS Open Service is accessible, without service guarantee or resulting liability, to any user equipped with a GPS/SBAS compatible receiver within the EGNOS coverage area. Most receivers sold today in Europe meet that requirement. No authorisation or receiver-specific certification is required.


EGNOS was developed by European industries, the EOIG (EGNOS Operator and Infrastructure Group) with the support of the European Commission (EC), the European Space Agency (ESA) and Eurocontrol. Since April 1, EGNOS is owned and managed by the European Union while the European Space Agency; who led the design and development of the system, is now the design and procurement agent through a delegation agreement with the European Commission.


More information about EGNOS is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/egnos,
http://www.gsa.europa.eu/go/egnos,
http://www.esa.int/esaNA/egnos.html,
http://www.essp-sas.eu
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Interesting that they chose to use US spelling in the press release.


EDIT. Just realised you posted extracts, without quotes, as well as your own comments and it was your comments that are in American English.
 
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Twister_Ken said:
DGPS anyone?
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That's more or less what EGNOS is -- except that EGNOS covers areas that are out of DGPS coverage, doesn't base its corrections on measurements taken at a single site, spreads its (minimal) cost over a much wider base, and doesn't require a dedicated receiver. More like WAAS, in fact.
 
timbartlett said:
That's more or less what EGNOS is -- except that EGNOS covers areas that are out of DGPS coverage, doesn't base its corrections on measurements taken at a single site, spreads its (minimal) cost over a much wider base, and doesn't require a dedicated receiver. More like WAAS, in fact.
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I understood EGNOS is the European version of WAAS, as it transmits corrrections on the same frequencies and uses the same correction codes, thus allowing US manufactured WAAS enabled receivers to utilise the service. It basically works because the high orbit satellites have a large footprint, and it has been found that most corrections are fairly constant within that footprint (and yes, before anyone jumps in I am aware that ionospheric scintillation can mess up both WAAS and most DGPS corrections as well as basic GPS over localised areas). You do need a WAAS enabled GPS receiver though as the corrections are transmitted from satellites.

By the way Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS) is 'American' for DGPS covering a wide area. I used to know what EGNOS stood for but it was eminently forgetable.
 
EGNOS has been available for some time (but not certified). I have used it for the last 5 months. The improved accuracy is nice to have and worthwhile even on boat.
As just one example I can now pinpoint the position of my anchor reasonably accurately.
 
srm said:
I understood EGNOS is the European version of WAAS, as it transmits corrrections on the same frequencies and uses the same correction codes, thus allowing US manufactured WAAS enabled receivers to utilise the service. It basically works because the high orbit satellites have a large footprint, and it has been found that most corrections are fairly constant within that footprint (and yes, before anyone jumps in I am aware that ionospheric scintillation can mess up both WAAS and most DGPS corrections as well as basic GPS over localised areas). You do need a WAAS enabled GPS receiver though as the corrections are transmitted from satellites.

By the way Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS) is 'American' for DGPS covering a wide area. I used to know what EGNOS stood for but it was eminently forgetable.
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I'd assumed it would of course only work with the newest (fork out £££ ) hardware. Out of curiosity I took my elderly Etrex Vista outside - enabled WAAS in the setup and waited. I found 2 of the new satellites -33 and 37. All the rest - I got 8 or 9 changed to show a small "D" on the signal level bar. Quoted accuracy went from 17feet to 7ft. Presumably it can be better if you had more sky & satellites.
The problem is that dam* few maps are anywhere near good enough for ordinary GPS never mind 7ft resolution?
Might be more useful for tracking people in cars hmm? road pricing? big bro stuff?

Interesting but not super useful afloat.

Graeme
 
jason -and the arguenauts said:
You have to admire the way that the French get other people to subsidise their "national champions" with major projects and even end up with everything headquartered there.
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EGNOS is a European project, not a french one.
It's a joint project by ESA, the European Commission and Eurocontrol, using Inmarsat satellites
ESA is based in France, the EC and Eurocontrol in Belgium, and Inmarsat in UK
It's main control centres are in Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK.

And no, EGNOS is not intended just so that a small number of yachtsmen can know where there boats are to an accuracy of a few feet. Funnily enough, recreational craft are not the only users of satellite navigation and timing. Nor are we the only ones who pay for it.
Just like we are not the only ones who might use or pay for ten miles of motorway that could have been bought with the same money. Personally, I'd rather have Egnos (Europe-wide) than ten miles of motorway in Portugal or Lithuania.

Why complain about it? The per-person cost is so low that it's effectively free.
 
SRM Your signature is a puzzle :- "Prout Quest 31 for sale, near Plymouth and ready to go again".

Go where again. Do you have a web page or link?
 
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