Overview
In the upcoming years the localization of mobile phones or PDAs will become the main market driver in the area of personal navigation applications. These trends converge in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s E-911 mandate and the E-112 initiative of the European Commission that
requires network carriers to provide location or geo-coding of emergency callers who are using wireless handsets. Taken all this into account, an important step into the market for Galileo is the in-time availability of hybrid Galileo/GPS receivers in combination with cellular network positioning capability for consumer applications. This is the main idea behind the GAWAIN project – the development of an integrated GNSS/UMTS receiver, which provides seamless indoor/outdoor navigation and communication capability, using GPS/Galileo and 3G/UMTS for mass market applications.
The same applies for the next generation of satellite navigation systems; GPS is undergoing a modernization phase (GPS III) and the number of frequencies available to civil users is increased from one to three. The definition of Galileo foresees at least four different frequencies, some of which overlap with GPS. All of these new signal structures tend to have an increased bandwidth compared to the older standards.
The targeted applications such as combined Galileo/GPS and UMTS processing and new, advanced and highly demanding processing techniques, like indoor positioning continuously crave more processing power.
The objective of GAWAIN, namely to provide a solution that combines communication with satellite navigation therefore must call for a special solution.
The goal of GAWAIN may only be reached with the capability to completely configure the processor through software ('Software defined Radio') and the 'ReConfigurable Processor' (RCP) approach. Thus, another objective here is to develop algorithms able to deal with these requirements.
The GAWAIN objectives can be summarized as follows:
- Development of integrated GNSS/UMTS receivers, providing seamless outdoor/indoor navigation and communication capability
- Study the possibility of WLAN integration
- Setting up of a development/validation tool suite on three different level
- Test in "Real World" Applications (Field Tests)
GAWAIN work description:
- Definition of the user requirements
- Develop an End-to-End SW receiver simulator (Virtual Prototype), enabling maximum flexibility in algorithm design for different signal structures.
- Develop new Galileo receiver algorithms (acquisition & tracking), able to work with the new Galileo signal structure (and new GPS-IIF signal structure).
- Develop a baseband (I & Q signals) Galileo/GPS-IIF signal generator (adaptation from existing UMTS signal generator).
- Provide a real implementation of Galileo/GPS-IIF/UMTS signal algorithms on a real signal processing device (Baseband Prototype).
- Validate implemented algorithms using the I&Q baseband signal generator.
- Integrate signal processing device with a suited RHF-front end and antenna to a complete receiver device (Receiver Prototype).
- Add to baseband signal generator an existing RF-front end, generating real RF signals.
- Validate Receiver Prototype using the Galileo/GPS-IIF/UMTS RF-signal generator.
- Integrate receiver board into a complete housing (with power handling, I/F to application device).
- Test the Receiver Prototype in two completely different application test cases (real world application test), requiring also communication capability and using also standardized GIS interfaces (GML, …) for map display.
- The project will conclude with field tests and an evaluation phase (signal acquisition & tracking performance, signal robustness, interoperability, navigation performance, operational characteristics etc.), where also market prospects and the potential of GAWAIN is analyzed.
Funding
Results
GAWAIN Receiver Development
A step-wise approach is applied for the receiver development starting with a software based protoype to an integrated hardware prototype:
Step 1:
Software-Prototype (called Virtual Prototype), enabling end-to-end simulations and high flexibility in algorithmic design for different signal structuresStep 2:
Baseband-Prototype, with implemented Galileo/GPS/UMTS signal processing algorithms on a real signal processing device (FPGA)Step 3:
Integrated-Prototype: GALILEO/GPS+UMTS including procured and suited RF-Front-ends and antennasStep 4:
User Terminal combining the Integrated Prototype with a suited PDA as a demonstrator of a future mobile terminal
Technical Implications
The test and demonstration phase for the GAWAIN receiver prototypes will start in spring 2006.
The combined Galileo-UMTS receiver will be demonstrated in the frame of a transport application scenario. For the demonstration of the combined UMTS-GPS receiver a tourism oriented application has been selected.
It is planned to perform the GAWAIN tests and demonstrations in the region of Berchtesgaden/GER where currently the German Galileo Test- and Development Environment (GATE) is being established.
The map below gives an overview of this area located in the very south-eastern part of Bavaria/Germany.
Policy implications
Fields of Application for GAWAIN receivers
The efficient integration of various navigation services with communication services for indoor and outdoor applications will enable new improved ("added-
value") services.
Within the GAWAIN project two dedicated application areas are targeted, notably the ‘Intelligent Transport’ and the ‘Ubiquitous Tourism’. The final prototypes will be tested and demonstrated based on two different appropriate scenarios, one related to the transport sector and the other one related to the field of tourism.
Besides these two wide fields of application, there are also many further areas that will benefit from the usage of such a solution, e.g. considering individuals in need of positioning and communication capabilities like rescue services, police, forest industry, military etc. This includes also new approaches on solutions for handicapped people, for instance the electronic “blind man’s dog”.