GNSS is a key enabler for drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), ensuring safety of navigation and providing increased reliability for both consumer and commercial applications. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, over the past decade, drones have become a significant GNSS segment, overtaking mature segments such as maritime, aviation and agriculture in terms of shipments, according to the GNSS Market Report.
At the same time as we have seen this growth in drone traffic, with UAVs used in more and more application areas and a steadily growing user base, new regulatory measures have been put in place to harmonise the European drone market and guarantee the highest level of safety.
In line with these market trends and new regulations and in support of EU priorities, the GSA defined several innovation areas in the MyGalileoDrone and MyGalileoSolution competitions - such as parcel delivery, emergency and crisis management, infrastructure inspection, leisure etc. - with the aim of challenging contestants to design, develop, test and deliver drone-based applications for commercial launch using Galileo-enabled receivers.
Critical precision
It is difficult to understate the importance of the precision provided by Galileo for drone-enabled services, especially if it is not possible to ensure line-of-sight or human supervision at all times. The improved integrity and high accuracy of Galileo positioning information helps drones to follow their assigned routes closely, especially in urban areas.
Read this: Entrepreneurship Day to showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions
“We were delighted to work together with the MyGalileoDrone and MyGalileoSolution competitors, who joined us virtually from across Europe. These teams represent start-ups and SMEs, business and academia alike,” said Katerina Strelcova, GSA Aviation Market Development Innovation Officer. “The contestants showed great creativity in identifying new service areas, achieved technological breakthroughs, and introduced novel business models. The results promise to have a positive societal impact and an excellent commercial value,” she said.
A World of Drones
After rounds of meticulous reviews, expert consultations, and mentoring, the 37 most innovative drone solutions developed during the two competitions will be presented at the “World of Drones” session of the Entrepreneurship Day that will take place 2 March. At this online event, the GSA will showcase the most innovative Galileo-based solutions delivering cutting-edge services across a range of application areas.
Watch this: EGNOS for Drones
Projects from MyGalileoDrone will be presented, along with the AirCoffee, Artificial Intelligence Autonomous VTOL Drone Platform, GALENCODER, SigLoc, TechNovator, Touchdown, and DROCATS projects from MyGalileoSolution.
Make sure to join us and learn how the innovative teams are:
- delivering critical goods on time in remote and densely populated areas;
- helping to find survivors at sea during search and rescue missions;
- guiding boats to their port moorings;
- combining drones with unmanned ground vehicles to assess and maintain road surface markings;
- monitoring pollution, and much more!
Register now to find out which application is deemed most successful by our jury and investors, and is awarded the grand prize. Make sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with all the latest news.
Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).
