New EGNOS SDK
On July 20th 2012 the European Commission has launched the enhanced version of the EGNOS SDK with new attractive features to allow application developers to take advantage of the benefits of EGNOS, and to use these in any application they develop for mobile devices.
Today DKE Aerospace and VVA Consulting can proudly launch the improved version of the EGNOS SDK available on the EGNOS Portal, developed to provide application developers with a more complete and usable toolkit with enhanced functionalities.
The EGNOS SDK offers an easy, straight-forward implementation and allows developers to understand the EGNOS system through the different modules in the source code. The toolkit provides a set of libraries enabling developers to easily implement EGNOS corrections coming from the signal in space or the Internet, and directly make use of EGNOS advantages when using location-enabled applications.
The EGNOS SDK offers a set of NEW attractive functionalities, demonstrated through the Demo Application. The Tracking feature of the EGNOS SDK enables application developers to choose different options to display their GPS and/or EGNOS and/or R&D position over the smartphone’s map. The Skyplot view feature displays the position of the overhead EGNOS and GPS satellites and also provides an augmented reality showing a live video streaming of the sky with the possibility to identify EGNOS and GPS satellites in real time. In addition, from the R&D Position Type menu is possible to access 6 advanced options proposing innovative ways of computing a position, to get an improved accuracy. As far as Integrity is concerned, the users can define different levels of integrity to be displayed – Horizontal Protection Level (for specific information about EGNOS SDK functionalities refer to the EGNOS portal:
EGNOS SDK is fully useable for different operating systems: Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7 and it has been developed in both Java and C, the latter allowing easy and quick ports to Linux.
To directly download and get more information about the EGNOS SDK, visit the EGNOS website.
To get more insight about the EGNOS SDK project refer to our previous blogpost : “VVA Consulting and DKE support the EC – DG ENTR in creating the EGNOS SDK”
EGNOS-SDK (aka EGNOS toolkit)
The EGNOS-SDK shall enable the usage of EGNOS on smarphones. Its main components are shown in figure 1.
Figure 1 The EGNOS-SDK - an overview of the main components
EGNOS is a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), an infrastructure that consists of three geostationary satellites over Europe and a network of ground stations. The system improves the open public service offered by the Global Positioning System (GPS) by providing corrections of the error caused by the ionosphere, or by GPS satellites orbits and clocks.
SISNeT is a server that provides the same EGNOS corrections, through terrestrial communication, as they would be received from the satellites, allowing to receive the EGNOS corrections even if the EGNOS signal-in-space is not reachable (urban canyons, tree canopy,…).
The EGNOS-SDK has been designed to allow application developers to take advantage of the EGNOS benefits, and to use them for the software they develop for mobile devices. The open-source library in the EGNOS SDK offers the possibility to include EGNOS corrections for a more accurate position, as well as integrity. The Demonstration Application shows the main features of the EGNOS-SDK at work, providing application developers with examples on how the EGNOS library can be used and showing the benefits of the EGNOS corrections on positioning.
The goal of the implementation of the EGNOS-SDK was to provide it in a native language to enable mobile operating system manufacturers to include the core algorithms directly in their operating systems. To demonstrate the proper functioning the EGNOS-SDK is available in several languages. The core algorithms are implemented in C, C# and JAVA. The demonstration application is implemented in Objective-C, C# and also JAVA. Obviously the specifics of each mobile operating system cause the implementations to differ even if they are implemented in the same programming language.
EGNOS Tool Kit
Brussels, Dec 2010: According to the Action Plan on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Applications issued by the European Commission in June 2010 “Together with the GPS signal, EGNOS today, and later GALILEO, strengthens the infrastructure leading to a global market for GNSS products and services, called downstream GNSS applications. In 2008, this was worth € 124 bn. The market is founded primarily on basic positioning and timing signals, but is expected to benefit from the planned introduction of authentication and encryption of signals. Experts predict that, in volume, 75% (52% in revenues) of this market will come from products and services linked to mobile telecommunications and personal handsets, with a further 20% (44% in revenues) from intelligent transport systems for road and the remaining 5% (4% in revenues) from other domains of application.”
There are relevant opportunities for Europe in this market, however EU's industry owns only 20% of the global downstream applications market.
This EGNOS Toolkit Contract is therefore established to design, develop and disseminate a technical toolkit for smartphones’ application developers to create an eco-system for innovative applications development to harness EGNOS capabilities.
The key objectives of this contract are the following:
- Create a toolkit for application developers to
- ease the handling of EGNOS Open service signal;
- support the use of integrity concept;
- support the use of EDAS data;
- Disseminate the toolkit – also through the EGNOS portal – to make it available to application developers worldwide;
- Deliver new content for the EGNOS portal and define an awareness plan to foster its visibility on the web and among vertical communities.
Emergency Mission Oriented Networking
Munich, June 2010: This project aims at handling crises, often caused by conflicts and disasters, by means of modern information and communication technology. Conflicts, disasters and the subsequent emergency situations are of increasing concern to public authorities
In the unfolding of a crisis, subsequent phases can be discerned, which require appropriate actions. Particular attention needs to be devoted to the reaction phase where it is a matter of urgency to limit all potential damage to people and infrastructure. The effectiveness of this phase largely depends on the availability of accurate, relevant and comprehensive information at the right time, on the ability to process this information immediately according to the requirements of the situation and on an appealing and comprehensible visualisation.
DKE Aerospace together with EDS and Amper Systems will manage this project. EDS takes care of the information technology issues and the AMON core IT infrastructure, as well as the terrestrial interface definitions. DKE Aerospace focusses on the satellite communication interface definitions.