Europe gets its own GPS constellation

The new Galileo system that could change the face of GPS

The US GPS system is getting quite long in the tooth, and has some well-known shortcomings. It can be tricky, for example, to get a signal in urban ‘canyons’ between tall buildings and even in some densely wooded areas.

Originally designed for military use, there’s no guarantee of service availability; if the US decides it’s necessary, civilian use of the signals could be stopped at the flick of a switch.

Some of those problems can be overcome with receivers able to pick up additional signals from ground or satellite-based overlays, providing greater accuracy.

But with roads and skies becoming more and more congested, navigation systems are seen as one of the key tools to solve the problems, helping track aircraft, charge for road use and perhaps one day even to allow accurate computer driving.

None of that, though, could be possible in a situation where the civilian GPS signal might suddenly disappear. And so Galileo has been born, with one satellite recently launched, to claim the frequencies necessary for the system to operate.

Galileo is a European project, with other countries around the world joining in as partners. It will provide a civilian navigation system with greater accuracy than GPS, and has been designed to provide multiple levels of service – so there will be enhanced facilities available at a price, for groups of users that need them. The system is expected to be in operation between 2008 and 2010.

It’s designed to be interoperable with GPS; in future, you’ll be likely to hear talk of GNSS or Global Navigation Satellite Service, a term that encompasses both Galileo and GPS.

Existing receivers aren’t likely to notice any difference – though a software update may make them Galileo-aware – but within a couple of years, equipment should appear that will receive both signals, providing faster and more accurate positioning.
In fact, it’s this equipment that’s one of the other driving factors behind Galileo, with the European Commission expecting that Galileo will spawn a market for new receivers and services around the world. Some estimates suggest revenues of over 250b Euros per year and many new jobs in Europe.

What does Galileo mean right now? Really, the answer to that is ‘not much’. If you’re thinking of buying GPS equipment, go ahead. With just one test satellite so far, whatever you buy now is going to be adequate for a few years.

You may even have time to buy a fresh set of maps for your system in a couple of years’ time, too. By then, the hardware you’re using will be ripe for replacement, and that’s the time you should start thinking about a system that will work with the Galileo satellites. For more information, go to the European Space Agency's site.

This article is part of a group test of satellite navigation systems. Others are:
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Europe's GPS constellation