Stay on Track with Galileo

Hiking the John Muir Trail in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains with a Galileo-enabled phone

The John Muir Trail is considered to be one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the world. From its start in Yosemite Valley to its end point at an elevation of 4,421 metres on the summit of Mount Whitney, the trail winds through 338.6 km of alpine and rugged high-mountain landscapes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Lying almost entirely in designated wilderness, the trail is a challenge even for experienced hikers, so a GNSS-enabled device is a big help in terms of safety. In this blog you can follow my progress as I hike along the trail, using a Galileo-enabled phone to keep on track. I will also compare the positioning provided by the Galileo phone with that of a similar GPS device, to showcase the benefits that Galileo offers in terms of accuracy.

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Location-based Services GNSS-enabled

Location-based Services (LBS) comprise a multitude of applications tailor-made to satisfy different usage conditions and needs. Over 90% of context-aware smartphone apps now rely on GNSS and this trek is being undertaken using one of the first Galileo smartphones to hit the market – the Samsung S8. GNSS also enables monitoring of users’ performance through a variety of sporting activities.

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The calm after the storm

Fell asleep to the sound of rain on my tent, awoke to clear skies. Today was a tough hike, but the fact that it was through some of the most spectacular scenery so far made the effort seem worthwhile. The route went across Silver Pass, which still has a lot of snow cover. There were a number of tricky water crossings and I came a cropper in one, but managed not to get my pack wet, luckily. Am currently camped by Mono Creek – a raging torrent that I will have to cross in the morning. If I survive, I will tell you about something funny that happened a few days ago.

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Impression of a thunderstorm

My trail legs stayed with me today, but it was a tough day nevertheless. It started off pleasantly enough but afternoon was a relentless uphill slog in the driving rain. I took advantage of a short break in the rain to set up my tent on the shore of Virginia Lake. I had just finished when a tremendous thunderstorm began. I am now in my tent, watching the rain lash the lake. A grey mist hangs low over the Sierras, turning them into the impression of a mountain range. I am acutely aware that all that seperates me from the elements is 900 grams of carbon rods and some sheets of nylon, straining against the wind. As awe inspiring as it is, I hope it ends soon, so I can get some sleep, otherwise tomorrow will be a challenge.

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Search and Rescue

Galileo is the first GNSS constellation offering global Search and Rescue (SAR) capability. The service will be available at sea, in the mountains, across the desert and in the air inside the Galileo/SAR Service Coverage area. This essential Galileo service helps operators respond to a distress signal faster and more efficiently. With Galileo and the increased positioning accuracy it provides integrated into COSPAS-SARSAT, users will benefit from a reduction in the time it takes to detect a person at sea or in the mountains from one hour to just 10 minutes after a distress beacon is activated.

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A bit of a buzz

The forest wins hands down over a backpackers' campsite in all aspects, except for one: the forest is the domain of the mosquito. The mosquitos here are legendary – they flock like starlings and are as big as hummingbirds. This evening I am back in the forest, netted like a beekeeper, bathed from head to toe in 100% DEET and choking in the smoke of a camp fire, and I still manage to get bitten about 30 times. When the mosquitos take their union mandated break, their beefier cousins, the flies, look after the shop! Still, insects are a small price to pay for the opportunity to enjoy the Great Outdoors. Today's hike, although quite hilly, was the easiest so far. I seem to have found my trail legs finally. Let's hope that they're still here tomorrow.

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