SIGMA · Study of Innovative GNSS Multiconstellation Algorithms

Study of Innovative GNSS Multiconstellation Algorithms

Study of Innovative GNSS Multiconstellation Algorithms (SIGMA, http://www.sigma.pildo.com/) is a Marie Curie IAPP project founded by European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme. It is composed by an international team led by Pildo Labs, in consortium with CTAE (www.ctae.org, Spain), TU Delft (www.tudelft.nl, Netherlands) and Septentrio (www.septentrio.com, Belgium). SIGMA project aims to develop innovative positioning and integrity algorithms for demanding applications. The project investigates and implements different positioning techniques based on satellite navigation, mainly focusing on the integration of signals from two different satellite systems: GPS and Galileo. Galileo, the most important technological project initiated by Europe, is expected to be fully deployed by 2018, while some satellites are already operative in since March of 2013. SIGMA will benefit from the opportunities that a multiconstellation environment offers for the evolution of high accuracy and high-integrity demanding applications. The research is based in three different research lines running in parallel to develop complementary algorithms: Multipath and interference: several ways to mitigate these negative effects disturbing the quality of the signals measurements on the receiver are investigated. They can seriously impact the final performance in terms of accuracy and reliability High accuracy algorithms: new positioning techniques based on the combination of the different systems signals are investigated, with special focus on PPP (Precise Point Positioning) High integrity algorithms: some applications require the certainty of the user on the computed position (i.e. integrity). Different ways of assuring a robust position computation are investigated, with special focus on RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring) The final objective is to put in common the most promising techniques in order to assess two different applications: Optimised reliability and integrity for applications such as navigation for approach operations in aviation, requiring good accuracy but specially high integrity in the position computation Optimised solution for high accuracy applications such as surveying or machine control, requiring a very accurate and reliable position computation SIGMA ended on November 2013 achieving its main objectives. The main outcomes of the project have been: • The development of a simulation and testing platform providing the means to develop and validate new GNSS (multiconstellation) algorithms. • Development, implementation and test of high-accuracy algorithms based on Precise Pont Positioning techniques (PPP) for multiconstellation environments. • Proposal and implementation of innovative mitigation techniques for multipath and interference • Development and implementation of advanced integrity techniques based on multiconstellation scenarios (Advanced RAIM).

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