The submission deadline for the first call for Applications in Satellite Navigation- Galileo under the European Commission’s new Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme is only a few weeks away. Proposals must be submitted by 3 April 2014. Are you ready?

European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (EGNSS) such as EGNOS and Galileo can provide the flexible, low cost solutions that are needed by the transport sector. A recent workshop organized by the European Commission with the support of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) highlighted the benefits and added value offered by EGNSS in applications from road tolling to logistics and a potential key role in the proposed new digital tachograph.

The Middle East is witnessing tremendous advances in the field of geospatial technologies with countries across the region developing their own geospatial infrastructures and strategies. At the recent Middle East Geospatial Forum in Dubai the European GNSS Agency (GSA) showed how Galileo and EGNOS are able to contribute to developments in the region.

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals are sensitive to disturbances from the ionosphere, which can impact applications requiring high accuracy. Brazil is located in one of the most affected regions of the Earth and, therefore, is an excellent place for developing and testing solutions to this important issue.

The GNSS.asia project is making a big impact in India, bringing together high level decision-makers, key industrial players and academics with representatives from European companies and institutions to discuss opportunities for industrial cooperation on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) applications.

With new satellite launches planned for this year, Galileo is poised to move into Early Services provision by late 2014/early 2015. The next release of EGNOS is already being developed and will provide improved signal and capacity performance and increased coverage by late 2017. On top of this, the European GNSS market is rapidly expanding – both upstream and downstream. In fact, GSA analysis shows growth over the coming years to continue at nearly 10 percent of the overall GNSS market share.

With the first Horizon 2020 Call for Applications in Satellite Navigation in full-swing, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) takes stock of FP7’s successes.

Galileo Galilei would have turned 450 this year, just as the programme that bears his name, Galileo, the European satellite navigation system, is about to be born.