In 2011 the European GNSS Agency (GSA) awarded GMV the EEGS2 project (EGNOS Extension to Eastern Europe). The main objective of the project is to demonstrate through flight trials the benefits of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) in areas of Eastern Europe where it is not yet available, such as Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and Russia, and to prepare the civil aviation authorities and air navigation service providers for future use of the system.

GMV’s magicSBAS solution.

In the context of this project, after the tests conducted in Spain, the maiden flights have been successfully carried out in Moldova, using the equipment and tools developed by GMV. The Moldova demonstrations have given pilots and service providers a clear idea of the potential benefits of EGNOS and the flying procedures of the near future, GMV said.

Four flights had previously been conducted in Spain in November, December and February. The satisfactory results of these flights then paved the way for the demonstrations in Moldova.

The magicLPV system, developed under this project, enables LPV approaches (localizer performance with vertical guidance) to be carried out using the signal generated by the magicSBAS application. This test environment allows any region of the world to analyze the air-navigation benefits to be obtained with deployment of a Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS). This signal is read by Internet and transmitted by radio frequency in the vicinity of the airport, allowing LPV approaches to be made in places where SBAS is either completely unavailable or available only on a very limited basis.

Eight flights in all were carried out in various Moldovan airports, including Chișinău International Airport. Test results were highly satisfactory, demonstrating the simplicity of equipment configuration and operation, and the performance of the magicSBAS signal, GMV said.

“These trials are an important milestone for GMV, for the project and, fundamentally, for the use of EGNOS in the countries of Eastern Europe in the near future,” said Miguel Romay, executive director of GNSS–Aerospace.

GMV will continue with these demonstrations in other countries of Eastern Europe. The next trip in two weeks will be to Romania, where new flights are expected to be just as successful.

This service will provide customers standard or custom reporting, management of alerts and geospatial features such as geofences and landmarks, and monitoring the status of vehicles and tracking devices. The Virtual Fleet Support Manager can also help manage grouping of devices for analysis and supervision by customer associates, reassignment of vehicles, and online review of overspeed and idle alerts, which can help to reduce overall fleet fuel consumption. The professional Virtual Fleet Support Manager (VFSM) team can also help to set up and manage some of the more advanced features of the system, such as maintenance reporting, updates to the cloud-based fleet vehicle or asset database, as well as the online driver database.

Other activities may be requested by iTRAK customers, such as custom tracking, fuel reports, and alerts for maintenance such as oil, tire, and engine maintenance.

Additional reminder alerts such as tag and insurance renewal can also be setup and supported as needed. Regular status reports will be provided to iTRAK VFSM customers; the iTRAK team can also provide additional consulting on how their fleet and tracking technology can be further used to optimize fleet efficiency and reduce overall operation costs.

“Many of the successful fleet based companies we provide services to have reorganized for higher efficiency. As they have subsequently grown many have been lacking the needed bandwidth to oversee or process some of these advanced technical but vital logistical-related activities,” said Craig Gooding, director of sales at iTRAK. “By using our Virtual Fleet Support Manager service, we can help bridge this gap for the customer; while the customer can focus on using the information the system generates in order to help improve their business. They can also be certain that an expert is helping them to use all the features of the system to get the maximum value out of their investment in fleet management information technology. This includes immediate use of new features as soon as they are available.”

ION GNSS+ 2013 is the 26^th International Technical Meeting of the ION Satellite Division and the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services.

ION GNSS+ brings together international leaders in GNSS and related positioning, navigation and timing fields to present new research, introduce new technologies, update current policy, demonstrate products and exchange ideas. The addition of “+” to the conference name reflects the growing emphasis on GNSS and the rapidly evolving field of alternative navigation methods.

This year’s conference will feature pre-conference tutorials September 16-17, policy and panel discussions, commercial and applications oriented sessions, and more than 250 technical papers on a diverse array of topics including:

• Advanced Inertial Sensing and Applications
• Advances in Military GNSS Systems and Applications
• Algorithms and Methods
• Alternatives and Backups to GNSS
• Aviation Applications
• Clock/Timing and Scientific Applications
• Emerging GNSS (Galileo, COMPASS, QZSS, IRNSS) (both a Panel Discussion and a technical session)
• Future PNT and Its Applications
• Geodesy, Surveying and RTK for Civil Applications
• GNSS Algorithms and Methods
• GNSS and the Atmosphere
• GNSS Compatibility, Interoperability, and Interchangeability
• GNSS Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS)
• GNSS Simulation and Testing
• GNSS Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS)
• GNSS-MEMS Integration
• GNSS Program Updates (Panel Discussion)
• GPS and GLONASS Modernization
• High Integrity Systems (Panel Discussion)
• Indoor Navigation and Timing
• Interference and Spectrum Issues
• IP Policies Related to GNSS (Panel Discussion)
• Land Based Applications
• Marine Navigation and Applications
• Multi-Constellation/Portable Navigation Devices
• Multi-Sensor and Integrated Navigation in GNSS-Challenged Environments
• New Products and Commercial Services (both a Panel Discussion and a commercial applications oriented session)
• Next Generation GNSS Integrity
• Non Traditional PNT Applications
• Portable Navigation Devices
• Precise Point Positioning
• Receiver/Antenna Technology
• Remote Sensing with GNSS and Integrated Systems
• Safety Critical Applications
• Software Receivers
• Space Applications
• Standalone GNSS Services in Challenging Environments
• Timing and Scientific Applications
• Unmanned GNSS (Panel Discussion)
• Urban Navigation Technology

New this year will be two For Official Use Only (FOUO) U.S. only sessions: Multi-Sensor Integrated Navigation and Networked-Related Navigation. These sessions are sponsored by the ION’s Military Division and The MITRE Corporation.

Xplorer V8 is available as a white label application or as client-side libraries depending on the degree of customization required. deCarta’s L2 advanced local search technology is fully integrated into the platform to help users find destination addresses or local points of interest (POI).

deCarta navigation technology powers products such as GM OnStar, Ford Sync, INRIX, Appello, TCS and MotionX GPS Drive. With Xplorer V8, deCarta lets developers tightly integrate that functionality into their own applications or to build custom navigation applications. Examples of the use of Xplorer V8 include:

• Local search applications that offer route guidance to the search destination from a mobile phone or tablet.
• Branded navigation applications for global automotive companies.
• Mobile applications that display places of interest in a vector map display with smooth panning, rotation and zooming.
• Fleet management solutions that offer route guidance and tracking to ensure that drivers are directed efficiently to their destinations.

deCarta has already engaged with customers in each of these areas and expects to be announcing new partners for Xplorer V8 in the coming months.

The Xplorer V8 platform consists of a cloud-based service and a set of core client-side libraries that work together to provide a high-quality navigation experience.

The Xplorer V8 Navigation Cloud Services provide local search and navigation response based on deCarta’s geospatial technologies. deCarta hosts these services in global data centers in Santa Clara, London, Seoul, Beijing and Sydney.

The Xplorer V8 Core Libraries are integrated into client side applications.  They support three critical functions that can be used together as a group or individually as needed by the customer.

• Local Search:  Single line search and geocoding based on deCarta’s L2 technology.
• Guidance and Routing: Voice guided navigation, displayable as an overview, a list of directions or in turn-by-turn sequence.
• Map Display:  Vector-based maps that support turn-by-turn navigation, voice guidance, 3D display, immediate off route determination and rerouting.

Xplorer V8 libraries are compatible with all Android-based platforms for mobile devices, tablets and automotive embedded systems.  Apple iOS versions will be available at the end of June.

For companies interested in a turn-key navigation solution, Xplorer V8 is also available as a white-label navigation application that can be branded to match the customer’s needs.

“Industrial-grade navigation engines are extremely hard to develop. To meet the demanding consumer expectations, they have to perform well, with speed and accuracy across a wide range of circumstances,” said J. Kim Fennell, CEO of deCarta. “Xplorer V8 packages all of deCarta’s navigation experience and makes it available for application developers to integrate directly into their apps.”

Xplorer V8 is available immediately for deployment in North America and Australia, with Western Europe coverage coming in June.  Other countries will be included in the following months.

“Route Optimization has several benefits,” according to Eddie Bermudez, GPSTrackIt’s product manager. “It streamlines the route, which means less time is spent driving around. That saves fuel, which helps you run a greener fleet. It also saves money and improves customer service. Optimizing a route may allow for additional stops to be added.”

While optimizing a route on the system is one thing, it’s another whether the driver actually drove the route assigned. Fleet Manager’s Vehicle Trails feature can map out Ignition On/Off, Travel Start/Stop, and Drive events for a set date and period. The software has been modified with a route selection list and a button that displays the route superimposed over the vehicle trail.

“This enables a dispatcher or fleet manager to compare a driver’s plotted route to their vehicle trail,” Bermudez added. “Managers can determine whether drivers are making unscheduled or unauthorized stops.”

For more information about GPSTrackIt, their new features, or their Fleet Manager vehicle tracking system, visit the website.

TomTom has also launched its new navigation engine, NavKit.

“Where navigation used to be about getting people to unfamiliar destinations, we are now empowering drivers with easy access to the information they need to make the smartest driving decisions, every day,” said Corinne Vigreux, managing director of TomTom Consumer. “We have completely redesigned the PND to become an essential daily driving tool. By providing easy access to our world class TomTom Traffic and enabling drivers to see more than just the road ahead, drivers will feel on top of their journey like never before.”

Drivers can easily access the travel information they need via a high-resolution, capacitive touchscreen, TomTom said. A new Interactive Map responds and scales to touch. Drivers can  zoom in and out to find and explore places on the map with their fingertips and tap on the map to get an instant route to a destination.

New NavKit Engine

TomTom’s navigation engine, NavKit, will power all future TomTom navigation products and be available for licensing to automotive and enterprise customers. The configurable component architecture has been designed to enable rapid integration. NavKit has programming interfaces for adding a customised user interface, porting to any operating system and integrating navigation services. As a result, the development of a connected navigation system on any device platform becomes far quicker and simpler, TomTom said.

The new NavKit engine incorporates all the navigation logic of an on-board turn-by-turn navigation application. Every element has been enhanced to deliver an improved user experience including route planning, free text search, 2D map browsing and 3D guidance view, map-matched positioning and real-time guidance, TomTom said.

“The automotive industry’s next challenge is to create a seamless connected car experience,” said Harold Goddijn, CEO at TomTom. “To help our customers achieve this, we created NavKit, a flexible, future-proof navigation platform. NavKit makes the creation of connected navigation solutions easier and faster than ever before.”

NavKit’s architecture will allow customers and industry partners to replace components in a modular way. Its new routing engine achieves faster and more accurate dynamic routing, both on TomTom’s maps and on Navigation Data Standard (NDS) maps. Additionally, it provides better routes around traffic and fully supports TomTom Traffic, Version 6.0, including incident duration predictions and jam tail warnings. The new free text search engine provides easier and faster address and POI search. A new map visualization engine greatly improves 2D map browsing and introduces a 3D guidance view.

TomTom GO Features

The new TomTom GO series also comes with Lifetime TomTom Traffic. TomTom’s world-class traffic information pinpoints exactly where delays start and end, helping drivers to get to their destinations faster. Drivers can choose to connect to TomTom Traffic in one of two ways, either via Smartphone Connected or Always Connected. Smartphone Connected devices are ready to receive TomTom Traffic by connecting to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Smartphone Connected uses an existing smartphone data plan to access TomTom Traffic, as well as other services like TomTom Speed Cameras.

Always Connected devices offer the simplest way to receive TomTom Traffic straight out of the box, TomTom said. With connectivity built-in and with no additional costs for roaming, drivers can access TomTom Traffic and other services, including TomTom Speed Cameras.

3D Maps bring buildings and landmarks to life so that drivers always know exactly where they are.

The new TomTom GO range has a simplified product line-up. Customers can select their preferred screen size, choosing from a 4.3″, 5″ or 6″ model; then decide how they prefer to receive their TomTom Traffic information, either via Smartphone Connected or Always Connected.

Additional TomTom GO Features

Route Bar: Essential traffic and travel information at a glance. The Route Bar shows precise traffic and speed camera information on the road ahead.

Quick Search: Drivers can find their destination faster with intuitive search results. Quick Search starts finding destinations as soon as the driver starts typing.

My Places: Drivers can see their favourite locations on the map and personalise their map with My Places. This makes it easier to find and navigate to favourite locations again and again.

Lifetime Maps: Always drive with the latest map. For the life of the product, drivers can download four or more full updates of the map onto the device, every year. Drivers receive all updates to the road network, addresses and Points of Interest.

Speed Cameras (three month trial): Drivers can drive in a more relaxed way, receiving alerts for speed cameras ahead. These timely warnings increase drivers’ awareness of local speed limits and help to save money on speeding fines. As part of TomTom’s global driving community, drivers will benefit from an advanced and highly accurate warning service.

Emerging GNSS applications in automobiles support regulation, security, safety, and financial transactions, as well as navigation, guidance, traffic information, and entertainment. The GNSS sub-systems and onboard applications must demonstrate robustness under a range of environments and varying threats. A dedicated automotive GNSS test center enables engineers to design their own GNSS test scenarios including urban canyons, tunnels, and jamming sources at a controlled test site.

By Mark Dumville, William Roberts, Dave Lowe, Ben Wales, NSL, Phil Pettitt, Steven Warner, and Catherine Ferris, innovITS

Satellite navigation is a core component within most intelligent transport systems (ITS) applications. However, the performance of GNSS-based systems deteriorates when the direct signals from the satellites are blocked, reflected, and when they are subjected to interference. As a result, the ability to simulate signal blockage via urban canyons and tunnels, and signal interference via jamming and spoofing, has grown fundamental in testing applications.

The UK Center of Excellence for ITS (innovITS), in association with MIRA, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), and Advantage West Midlands, has constructed Advance, a futuristic automotive research and development, and test and approvals center. It provides a safe, comprehensive, and fully controllable purpose-built road environment, which enables clients to test, validate and demonstrate ITS. The extensive track layout, configurable to represent virtually any urban environment, enables the precise specification of road conditions and access to infrastructure for the development of ITS innovations without the usual constraints of excessive set up costs and development time.

As such, innovITS Advance has the requirement to provide cityscape GNSS reception conditions to its clients; a decidedly nontrivial requirement as the test track has been built in an open sky, green-field environment (Figure 1).

Figure 1. innovITS Advance test circuit (right) and the environment it represents (left).

NSL, a GNSS applications and development company, was commissioned by innovITS to develop Skyclone in response to this need. The Skyclone tool is located between the raw GNSS signals and the in-vehicle system. As the vehicle travels around the Advance track, Skyclone modifies the GNSS signals to simulate their reception characteristics had they been received in a city environment and/or under a jamming attack. Skyclone combines the best parts of real signals, simulated scenarios, and record-and-replay capabilities, all in one box. It provides an advanced GNSS signal-processing tool for automotive testing, and has been specifically developed to be operated and understood by automotive testing engineers rather than GNSS experts.

Skyclone Concept

Simulating and recreating the signal-reception environment is achieved through a mix of software and hardware approaches. Figure 2 illustrates the basic Skyclone concept, in which the following operations are performed.

• In the office, the automotive engineer designs a test scenario representative of a real-world test route, using a 3D modelling tool to select building types, and add tunnels/underpasses, and jammer sources. The test scenario is saved onto an SD card for upload onto the Skyclone system.
• The 3D model in Skyclone contains all of the required information to condition the received GNSS signals to appear to have been received in the 3D environment.
• The Skyclone system is installed in a test vehicle that receives the open-air GNSS signals while it is driven around the Advance track circuit.
• The open-air GNSS signals are also received at a mobile GNSS reference receiver, based on commercial off-the-shelf GNSS technology, on the test vehicle. It determines the accurate location of the vehicle using RTK GNSS. The RTK base station is located on the test site.
• The vehicle’s location is used to access the 3D model to extract the local reception conditions (surrounding building obstructions, tunnels attenuations, jamming, and interference sources) associated with the test scenario.
• Skyclone applies satellite masking, attenuation, and interference models to condition/manipulate raw GNSS signals received at a second software receiver in the onboard system. The software receiver removes any signals that would have been obstructed by buildings and other structures, and adds attenuation and delays to the remaining signals to represent real-world reception conditions. Furthermore, the receiver can apply variable interference and/or jamming signatures to the GNSS signals.
• The conditioned signals are then transmitted to the onbaord unit (OBU) under test either via direct antenna cable, or through the air under an antenna hood (acting as an anechoic chamber on top of the test vehicle). Finally, the GNSS signals produced by Skyclone are processed by the OBU, producing a position fix to be fed into the application software.

Figure 2. Skyclone system concept.

The Skyclone output is a commercial OBU application that has been tested using only those GNSS signals that the OBU receiver would have had available if it was operating in a real-world replica environment to that which was simulated within the Skyclone test scenario.

Skyclone Architecture

The Skyclone system architecture (Figure 3) consists of five principal subsystems.

Office Subsystem Denial Scenario Manager. This software has been designed to allow users to readily design a cityscape for use within the Skyclone system. The software allows the users to select different building heights and styles, add GNSS jamming and interference, and select different road areas to be treated as tunnels.

Figure 3. Baseline Skyclone system architecture.

City Buildings. The Advance test site and surrounding area have been divided into 14 separate zones, each of which can be assigned a different city model. Ten of the zones fall inside of the test road circuit and four are external to the test site. Each zone is color-coded for ease of identification (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Skyclone city zones.

The Skyclone system uses the city models to determine GNSS signal blockage and multipath for all positions on the innovITS Advance test site. The following city models, ordered in decreasing building height and density, can be assigned to all zones: high rise, city, semi urban, residential, and parkland.

Interference and Jamming. GNSS jamming and interference can be applied to the received GNSS signals. Jamming is set by specifying a jamming origin, power, and radius. The power is described by the percentage of denied GNSS signal at the jamming origin and can be set in increments of 20 percent. The denied signal then decreases linearly to the jammer perimeter, outside of which there is no denial.

The user can select the location, radius, and strength of the jammer, can select multiple jammers, and can drag and drop the jammers around the site.

Tunnels. Tunnels can be applied to the cityscape to completely deny GNSS signals on sections of road. The user is able to allocate “tunnels” to a pre-defined series of roads within the test site. The effect of a tunnel is to completely mask the sky from all satellites.

Visualization. The visualization display interface (Figure 5) provides a graphical representation of the scenario under development, including track layout, buildings, locations, and effects of interference/jammers and tunnels. Interface/jammer locations are shown as hemispherical objects located and sized according to user definition. Tunnels appear as half-cylinder pipes covering selected roads.

Figure 5. 3D visualisation display.

Reference Subsystem

The reference subsystem obtains the precise location of the test vehicle within the test site. The reference location is used to extract relevant vehicle-location data, which is used to condition the GNSS signals.

The reference subsystem is based on a commercial off-the-shelf real-time kinematic GPS RTK system, capable of computing an accurate trajectory of the vehicle to approximately 10 centimeters. This position fix is used to compute the local environmental parameters that need to be applied to the raw GNSS signals to simulate the city scenario.

A dedicated RTK GNSS static reference system (and UHF communications links) is provided within the Skyclone system. RTK vehicle positions of the vehicles are also communicated to the 4G mesh network on the Advance test site for tracking operational progress from the control center.

Vehicle Subsystem

The vehicle subsystem acquires the GNSS signals, removes those that would be blocked due to the city environment (buildings/tunnels), conditions remaining signals, applies interference/jammer models, and re-transmits resulting the GNSS signals for use by the OBU subsystem.

The solution is based on the use of software GNSS receiver technology developed at NSL. In simple terms, the process involves capturing and digitizing the raw GNSS signals with a hardware RF front end. Figure 6 shows the system architecture, and Figure 7 shows the equipment in the innovITS demonstration vehicle.

Figure 6. Skyclone hardware architecture.

Figure 7. Equipment in the innovITS demonstration vehicle.

The digitized signals are then processed in NSL’s software receiver running on a standard commercial PC motherboard. The software receiver includes routines for signal acquisition and tracking, data demodulation and position determination.

In the Skyclone system, the raw GNSS signals are captured and digitized using the NSL stereo software receiver. The software receiver determines which signals are to be removed (denied), which signals require conditioning, and which signals can pass through unaffected. The subsystem does this through accurate knowledge of the vehicle’s location (from the reference subsystem), knowledge of the environment (from the office subsystem), and knowledge of the satellite locations (from the vehicle subsystem itself).

The Skyclone vehicle subsystem applies various filters and produces a digital output stream. This stream is converted to analog and upconverted to GNSS L1 frequency, and is sent to the transmitter module located on the same board.

The Skyclone transmitter module feeds the analog RF signal to the OBU subsystem within the confines of a shielded GPS hood, which is attached to the vehicle on a roof rack.  An alternative to the hood is to integrate directly with the cable of the OBU antenna or through the use of an external antenna port into the OBU.  The vehicle subsystem performs these tasks in near real-time allowing the OBU to continue to incorporate non-GNSS navigation sensors if applicable.

Onboard Unit Subsystem

The OBU subsystem, typically a third-party device to be tested, could be a nomadic device or an OEM fitted device, or a smartphone. It typically includes a GNSS receiver, an interface, and a software application. Examples include:

• Navigation system
• Intelligent speed adaptation system
• eCall
• Stolen-vehicle recovery system
• Telematics (fleet management) unit
• Road-user charging onboard unit
• Pay-as-you-drive black-box
• Vehicle-control applications
• Cooperative active safety applications
• Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure systems.

Tools Subsystem Signal Monitor

The Skyclone Monitor tool provides a continuous monitoring service of GNSS performance at the test site during tests, monitoring the L1 frequency and analyzing the RF singal received at the reference antenna. The tool generates a performance report to provide evidence of the open-sky GNSS conditions. This is necessary in the event of poor GNSS performance that may affect the outcome of the automotive tests. The Skyclone Monitor (Figure 8) is also used to detect any spurious leaked signals which will highlight the need to check the vehicle subsystem. If any spurious signals are detected, the Skyclone system is shut down so as to avoid an impact on other GNSS users at the test site. A visualization tool (Visor) is used for post-test analysis displaying the OBU-determined position alongside the RTK position within the 3D environment.

Figure 8. GNSS signal and positioning monitor.

Figure 9. 3D model of city.

Performance

Commissioning of the Skyclone system produced the following initial results. A test vehicle was installed with the Skyclone and RTK equipment and associated antennas.. The antennas were linked to the Skyclone system which was installed in the vehicle and powered from a 12V invertor connected to the car power supply. The output from the RTK GPS reference system was logged alongside the output of a commercial third-party GNSS receiver (acting as the OBU) interfaced to the Skyclone system. Skyclone was tested under three scenarios to provide an initial indication of behavior: city, tunnel, and jammer.

The three test cenarios were generated using the GNSS Denial Scenario Manager tool and the resulting models stored on three SD cards. The SD cards were separately installed in the Skyclone system within the vehicle before driving around the test site.

City Test. The city scenario consisted of setting all of the internal zones to “city” and setting the external zones to “high-rise.”

Figure 10A represents the points as provided by the RTK GPS reference system installed on the test vehicle. Figure 10B includes the positions generated by the COTS GPS OBU receiver after being injected with the Skyclone output. The effect of including the city scenario model is immediately apparent. The effects of the satellite masking and multipath model generate noise within the position tracks.

Figure 10A. City scenario: no Skyclone.

Figure 10B. City scenario: withSkyclone.

Tunnel Test. The tunnel scenario consists of setting all zones to open sky. A tunnel is then inserted along the central carriageway (Figure 11). A viewer location (depicted by the red line) has been located inside the tunnel, hence the satellite masking plot in the bottom right of Figure 11 is pure red, indicating complete masking of satellite coverage. The output of the tunnel scenario is presented in Figure 12. Inclusion of the tunnel model has resulted in the removal of all satellite signals in the area of track where the tunnel was located in the city model. The color shading represents signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), an indication of those instances where the output of the test OBU receiver has generated a position fix with zero (black) signal strength, hence the output was a prediction. Thus confirming the tunnel scenario is working correctly.

Figure 11. 3D model of tunnel.

Figure 12. Results.

Jammer Test. The jammer test considered the placement of a single jammer at a road intersection (Figure 13). Two tests were performed, covering low-power jammer and a high-power jammer. Figure 14A shows results from the low-power jammer. The color shading relates to the SNR as received within the NMEA output from the OBU, which continued to provide an output regardless of the jammer. However, the shading indicates that the jammer had an impact on signal reception.

Figure 13. Jammer scenario.

Figure 14A. Jammer test results: low power interference.

Figure 14B. Jammer test results: high-power interference.

In contrast the results of the high-power jammer (Figure 14B) show the effect of a jammer on the OBU output. The jammer denies access to GNSS signals and generates the desired result in denying GNSS signals to the OBU. Furthermore, the results exhibit features that the team witnessed during real GNSS jamming trials, most notably the wavering patterns that are output from GNSS receivers after they have regained tracking following jamming, before their internal filtering stabilizes to nominal behaviors.

The Future

The Advance test site is now available for commercial testing of GNSS based applications. Current activity involves integrating real-world GNSS jammer signatures into the Skyclone design tool and the inclusion of other GNSS threats and vulnerabilities.

Skyclone offers the potential to operate with a range of platforms other than automotive. Unmanned aerial systems platforms are under investigation. NSL is examining the integration of Skyclone features within both GNSS simulators as well as an add-on to record-and-replay tools. This would enable trajectories to be captured in open-sky conditions and then replayed within urban environments.

Having access to GNSS signal-denial capability has an immediate commercial interest within the automotive sector for testing applications without the need to invest in extensive field trials. Other domains can now benefit from such developments. The technology has been developed and validated and is available for other applications and user communities.

“The device itself is simple,” explained Eddie Ramirez, GPSTrackIt’s product manager. “Each device is an electromagnetic ‘key’. The driver must seat the face of the key in a receptacle wired into the vehicle’s electrical system so that it can be read.”

The device has a 16-digit code, or hex number, associated with it. The number is embossed across the face of the device. That number is the device’s electronic signature.

“When the key fob is seated in the reader the system checks the hex number encoded on it,” Bermudez continued. “It uses the key number to identify the driver. This enables fleet managers to have multiple drivers assigned to the same vehicle, optimizing their use of fleet resources. And it increases driver accountability — reports can be run to evaluate the behaviors of specific drivers.”

It also helps out in the back office when it comes to verifying time cards, according to the company. When the driver uses the key fob to identify himself, it also registers a “clock in” on the system’s time clock. Drivers use the key fob at the end of their shift to clock out. If a driver forgets to clock out, the clock-in by the next driver automatically clocks the previous driver out.