GSA and Galileo Master at Munich IT event

16 November 2009

European GNSS Supervisory Authority Executive Director, Pedro Pedreira, and the 2009 Galileo Master Award winner, José Caro Ramón, addressed participants at the first 'Discuss & Discover' conference in Munich. Both speakers stressed exciting new opportunities in the satellite navigation sector.

Pedro Pedreira adresses particpants at the first 'Discuss & Discover' conference in Munich © Peter Guiterrez

"The mobile phone platform remains a major driver for new, location-based services," said Pedreira, "but we are also seeing some unexpected synergies being created between satellite navigation, communication and information technologies, even gaming."

Today's applications and services a still largely transport-related, including new tolling schemes and other measures aimed at 'rebalancing' traffic among the different transport modes – road, rail, maritime and air transport – but, says Pedreira, "With so many new ideas out there, the fact is we cannot predict exactly where the market is going. What we do know is that it is growing, and growing fast."

With EGNOS, the European augmentation system now operable, he said, a clear priority for the European Union is getting the Galileo system up and running as quickly as possible. "Galileo will deliver a more robust signal, to users in more difficult environments, in dense cities, for example, and inside buildings.

"There are so many new opportunities out there. And it is no longer just about developing new technologies. Yes, there are still technology gaps to be filled, but we are also funding product development and demonstrations, working harder than ever to see useful applications and services brought all the way to market."

About the event
Discuss & Discover is an international event for the ICT industry, aimed at executives and employees in management positions in small and medium-sized companies, large corporations, research organisations and trade associations. It features a theme-oriented exhibition, conference sessions, a public forum and other related events, all focussed on the most important trends and strategies in the information and communications technologies.

By targeting D&D and similar events, the GSA is laying the groundwork for what it hopes will be a social as well as a technological revolution, based on new satellite navigation services. Pedreira cited numerous trends that show real positive movement for satellite navigation-based activities in the private sector – predicting €700 billion in revenues by 2030, €60 billion in added value for EGNOS and Galileo alone – but he added, "For us it's not just about business. We also see many socio-economic and other benefits for the public that simply cannot be quantified."

New Galileo Master weighs in
The D&D conference coincided with the naming of the new Galileo Master, overall winner of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), an event held annually to encourage the market development of applications based on the use of satellite navigation, including EGNOS and Galileo. Prizes include cash awards and the use of regional business incubation services.

This year's overall winner, José Caro Ramón of Spain's GMV, presented his 'Osmografo' system at the D&D conference. It uses satellite navigation signals to support canine search-and-rescue teams. "We bring together positioning data for the dogs, information about their scent capabilities, and the direction and speed of the wind to mark areas covered on a map," explained Caro Ramón. "The system is autonomous and portable. It consists of wireless positioning collars, a wind sensor, and a central unit with an application fully adapted to search-and-rescue operations."

Osmógrafo ('Wind and positioning to determine the area covered by search and rescue dogs') was developed by GMV as part of a project that received funding through the EU’s Sixth Research Framework Programme. GMV also won the ESNC regional prize for Madrid and the special topic prize for the best safety-of-life application, awarded by the Institute for the Development of Madrid Region and other partners.

While the potential commercial value of the Osmógrafo system is probably moderate, Caro Ramón says its value in human terms is enormous. "We have all seen the terrible images of people caught in disasters, trapped in collapsed buildings. In these desperate situations, survivors must be located in the very first hours. The Osmógrafo system, we believe, will help save lives."

Many great ideas
Caro Ramón's search and rescue aid is just one of many new ideas being developed by researchers and businesses far and wide. The Discuss & Discover session on mobility was rounded out by some industry heavyweights, including Navteq's Marc Naddell, Ralf Nejedl of Belgium's T-Systems and Deutche Telekom Senior Technology Management Vice President Thomas Mörsdorf, all of whom presented and discussed market trends and strategies, as well as new satnav-based services and products now hitting or soon to hit the market.

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More information:

EGNOS
Galileo