Galileo SAR to provide faster, more efficient emergency response times
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With the launch of Galileo Initial Services later this year, the Galileo Search and Rescue service for locating distress beacons will help operators respond to distress signals faster and more effectively.
The launch of Galileo Initial Services later this year will go together with the launch of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service. Galileo SAR – which will offer global coverage at sea, in the mountains, across the desert and in urban areas – will help SAR operators respond to a distress signal faster and more efficiently. At a recent SAR workshop held during the European Space Solutions conference, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) joined beacon manufacturers to provide an update.
The Galileo SAR service is Europe’s contribution to the upgrade of the international satellite-based COSPAS-SARSAT system. The Galileo system will be comprised of two components:
- an automatic forward link distress alert;
- a unique return link alert service that informs the sender that their message has been received.
Currently, the ground segments are in place, covering Europe from Spitsbergen to the Canary Islands and Cyprus. Furthermore, five reference beacons to monitor system performance have been established. The SAR repeaters that are onboard all Galileo satellites are being commissioned according to the standards - published by Cospas-Sarsat. As stated by the GSA, initial testing on the localisation of distress beacons using a limited Galileo constellation has shown very encouraging results, with more substantial testing anticipated for Q4 2016 through Q1 2017. The forward link service is expected to be available by December 2016, and the return link service to follow sometime in late 2017/early 2018. The Galileo SAR service should be fully operational by 2020.
An enthusiastic market
According to a recent GSA survey of beacon manufacturers, most beacons currently on the market already include a location protocol, and many manufacturers noted that they are preparing for multi-constellation global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). In fact, 70% of respondents specifically stated their intent to use Galileo in general, and 71% said they are thinking of using its return link service– meaning beacon manufacturers are clearly aware of Galileo and its SAR contributions.
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“The return link service is a key factor for us, as having this possibility available is absolutely fundamental, particularly in areas that lack mobile phone coverage,” said Cyril Boissy of Syrlinks, who participated in a roundtable discussion of beacon manufacturers.
“Having the ability for this return link service to be transmitted to all GNSS receivers, not just beacons, will really open up new market possibilities and provide an opportunity for additional, even crowd-sourced, assistance for those in trouble,” added Daniel Katz of Israel-based MoBit Telecom Ltd.
Funding opportunities available
To support further uptake of Galileo by beacon manufactures, the GSA is offering funding opportunities under its Fundamental Elements programme for receiver chipsets, along with the Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation. Although SAR is not a specific topic, it is very much a part of the four calls topics of transport applications, mass-market applications, professional applications, and awareness and capacity building. Furthermore, the GSA will announce a specific call for MEOSAR beacon prototypes in October 2016.
An end-to-end response
Several research projects supported by the GSA under Horizon 2020 are already well on their way to creating end-to-end solutions based on the Galileo SAR. For example, the SAT406M project aims to improve the mobility and safety of citizens through the design and development of a wrist-worn beacon. The wearable device will include sensors to monitor the user’s physiological characteristics, with this information being available to emergency responders via an innovative signal modulation technique.
Likewise, the HELIOS project is developing beacons for end-to-end emergency readiness and response on land, at sea and in the air. A range of products resulting from the project, which are expected to be available mid-2019, will utilise the new COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system. The system includes around 72 medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites and will provide near-instantaneous alert detection with global coverage, enhanced location accuracy and a robust signal.
The GRICAS project is looking to develop and demonstrate an innovative global solution for abnormal operations – essentially an autonomous distress tracking (ADT) system for aircraft. Like HELIOS, the project is also making use of the new COSPAS-SARSAT MEO-satellites, along with beacons onboard the aircraft.
Last but not least, the Horizon 2020 MAGNIFIC project is promoting both European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Galileo across a wide range of businesses in Africa via six field trials. Two of these trials include SAR scenarios, one involving a multi-modal Galileo SAR in Cameroon applied to the security of personnel, goods and assets, and the other assessing the potential for a maritime Galileo SAR in Gabon.
Presentations of the workshop are available here.
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