EGNOS Evolution, you are invited to answer EDAS-N Service Analysis

To determine the requirements for the next generation of EDAS, the European Commission is launching a study EDAS-N to build on the EDAS users’s experience.

At the beginning of 2017, the European Commission has started a study called EDAS-N to determine user requirements for the next generation of the EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS) and to identify and define value-added services and products for the future EDAS. The study is fully financed by the European Commission under the H2020 programme, within the budget allocated to the evolution of EGNOS’ mission. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG-GROW) has appointed VVA, supported by DEIMOS, to perform the above-mentioned study. The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is in charge of the technical supervision of the project on behalf of the European Commission.

The study comprises three interconnected steps:

• User Domain Analysis: Key industry experts and experienced stakeholders from across the GNSS downstream segments will be interviewed to define key services and products that have the potential to provide benefits for EDAS-N users. This two-step interview process dovetails with a comprehensive market analysis, during which VVA will assess the initially identified services in the light of other services on the market that could potentially provide similar benefits to users. Finally, the results of the preceding tasks will be combined to create a forecast of the estimate uptake of the new EDAS services.
• EDAS Service Scheme: Performed by DEIMOS, this task will lead to the identification of the main characteristics and differentiating factors of the suggested new services as well as the associated EDAS architecture upgrades. Requirements and constraints will be validated with the support of the experts identified in the first step to ensure that the final definition of the evolved service schemes matches user needs and expectations.
• Cost Benefit Analysis: VVA will incorporate the results of the preceding steps to conduct a multi-level Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA): at User level, at EDAS Service Provider level and at overall level. The outcome of the CBA will highlight the key factors that influence the user uptake of the evolved EDAS service and will support an informed decision about the implementation of the new EDAS services and products.

The EDAS-N Service Analysis will have a duration of nine months. The results of the study, available by the end of 2017, will directly feed into discussions at the level of the European Commission on the evolution of the EGNOS mission.

Key industry experts and experienced stakeholders from across the GNSS downstream segments are invited to provide their views and ideas about the evolution of EDAS to EDAS@vva.it. Further information can be found here.

More about EGNOS and EDAS in particular

EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) currently provides augmentation to the Global Positioning System (GPS) using the L1 (1,575.42 MHz) Coarse/ Acquisition (C/A) civilian signal function by broadcasting correction data and integrity information for positioning and navigation applications over Europe.

EGNOS provides three services:

• Safety of Life (SoL) Service, which is intended for transport applications in different domains where lives could be endangered if the performance of the navigation system is degraded below specific accuracy limits without giving notice to the user within the specified time to alert.
• Open Service (OS), which provides timing and positioning services to any user equipped with an appropriate GPS/SBAS compatible receiver with no specific receiver certification required.
• EGNOS Data Access Service (EDAS), which provides EGNOS products through the internet or via a dedicated Point-To-Point (PTP) line.

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