The EU-funded 'Scutum' project has delivered a crucial new document, laying out technical specifications to facilitate the development of products and applications based on EGNOS/EDAS.
The Scutum project is aimed at laying the groundwork for the operational adoption of EGNOS in the transport of dangerous goods.
The new CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA 16390), produced by Scutum, defines a standardised set of data output from mass market receivers, enabling application developers and service providers to easily build their own software solutions based on EGNOS and EDAS.
Now available online here, CWA 16390 specifies:
- The data (and relevant format) from GPS/EGNOS receivers that generate value-added services. An example of these services is the provision of EGNOS corrections via terrestrial networks and the calculation of position confidence level, i.e. maximum error;
- The type/format of the added value services produced by the software solutions.
The technical specifications defined in CWA 16390 are architecture- and technology-independent and flexible, so as to:
- Cope with different architectures, e.g. those aimed at software solutions for monitoring platforms or on-board units.
- Ensure its applicability in ITS systems and various mobility-related applications. CWA 16390 is:
- Compatible with CALM (Communications Access for Land Mobiles) architecture and protocols for ITS and tracking and tracing applications;
- Compliant with guidelines set by the UNECE/OTIF Working Group on telematics for dangerous goods transport;
- Compatible with 3GPP/OMA architecture and protocol for personal mobility applications;
- Compatible with DATEX II specifications and schemes for traffic information applications.
Highly recommended
CWA 16390 can be adopted on a voluntary base and has already been endorsed by several European institutions and by stakeholders from industry and the research community. Additionally, it has been have validated by the Ministries of Transport of Italy and France, partners in the Scutum project, as part of a shared vision for EGNOS adoption and exploitation.
The European GNSS Agency, which manages the Scutum project, says the new document represents a key step in enabling a wider implementation and adoption of EGNOS in transport and mobility applications, both in the light of the ITS Directive and the upcoming launch of Galileo services.
CWA 16390 technical specifications can be adopted by ITS product and solution developers and integrators, for example, who may be interested in exploiting EGNOS in transport and mobility applications, where increased positional accuracy and confidence allow guaranteed higher levels of safety and security.
EGNOS on the rise
Also in the framework of the Scutum project, eni, a leading oil company, had the opportunity to test EGNOS versus GPS alone in the transport of dangerous materials, and to validate the relevant operational benefits in terms of higher safety and efficiency. Based on the results, eni has decided to use EGNOS in real operations to track and trace its transport fleet throughout Europe
When the Scutum completed its work in December 2011, more than 300 eni tankers transporting hydrocarbon and chemical products in Italy, France, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic were being monitored using the EGNOS signal.
In 2012, eni is planning to gradually extend the use of EGNOS to the transport of chemicals and aviation products, and to its operations in other European countries, including Germany and Switzerland.