Augmented Reality Meets Europe’s GNSS Galileo

In former days, the costs of AR have been outrages. Developers were only dreaming of working on projects that involved it. Today, things have changed and AR is even available on smart phones for any user - and it holds huge potential for many application fields. One of them is a technology we all use on a daily basis: Satellite navigation.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate of 75% in the next four years is expected to drive the global AR market’s value to more than EUR 100 billion by 2022*. Currently, the mobile AR market, ranging from applications on smart phones, tablets, smart glasses and wearables, is the driving force of this immense growth. Present AR tools can be clustered into three basic categories:

• 3D viewers. They give users control to position full-size 3D models into an additional AR layer on top of the real world.
• Augmented Reality browsers. They add contextual information, e.g. facts about a specific monument, to camera displays.
• Realistic gaming experiences. By using real world surroundings for AR, unique adventures can be explored playfully and make AR tangible.

GNSS Linked to Future AR
Today, AR technology combines internal sensors such as 3D-cameras and accelerometers with indoor solutions, ranging from Bluetooth, indoor beacons to ZigBee. The European Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS) Galileo enables a new type of combination: Direct links between the surrounding reality and AR projected digital objects. What does that mean for users? It means accurate outdoor navigation and the possibility to geo-reference concrete objects and areas within AR applications!

Galileo GNSS provides a reliable source of georeferenced information worldwide, at any time with high precision. In 2017, 75 million Galileo-ready smart phones were sold by industry giants Apple, Google, Samsung and Sony and 95 percent of chipsets on the market are compatible with Galileo. This holds great potential for AR applications in numerous fields. New ideas that make use of AR and GNSS are exactly what Europe’s leading innovation competition dedicated to Galileo GNSS, the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC), is looking for.

The following example of the ESNC network shows how to make smart use of state-of-the-art AR technology combined with GNSS and other data sources.

The winner of the ESNC Madrid Challenge 2017, LARA system, promises to provide field workers with the ability to “see underground”. It combines GNSS, 3D GIS and geospatial databases, and AR, in order to render complex 3D models of underground water, gas, sewage and electricity grids. LARA is equipped with a high precision, low-power, highly autonomous GNSS receiver module capable of achieving centime relevel accuracy. This receiver is compatible with multiple constellations (including Galileo and EGNOS). Galileo is key to improving its accuracy, availability, and integrity. The LARA system will enable utility companies to localise their key underground assets thanks to these benefits:

• Facilitates far more precise maintenance operations on underground infrastructure without affecting adjacent underground grids
• Precise interventions also reduce overall maintenance costs
• Minimises economic and social implications of lengthy surface works.

The ESNC’s ultimate objective is to scout for new business ideas, applications, products and services that use satellite navigation in everyday life and to foster the user uptake of Galileo. Additionally, it spurs the commercial use of satellite navigation signals and services for the benefit of EU citizens. With 321 innovative entries submitted and participants from over 50 countries in 2017, the ENSC is not only a launchpad for new Galileo applications but also a Europe-wide and effective support mechanism for entrepreneurs and startups. To read more of winning submissions and to learn more about the ESNC and how it will help to turn ideas into real businesses, visit www.esnc.eu.

The ESNC 2018 overall prize pool is worth more than EUR 1 million in total. In addition, the top 10 winners are eligible for selection as one of three candidates to receive 12 months of business incubation support (valued at EUR 62,000 each) as part of the E-GNSS Accelerator programme, co-financed by the European Commission. The main target groups include SMEs, startups, universities and individuals in the fields of business, research, and higher education, as well as satellite navigation, data and space enthusiasts. Innovative GNSS business idea submissions are welcome until 31 July 2018.

* according to the European GNSS Agency (GSA) Market Report Issue V