Ineco is a member of the international consortium awarded the RAILGAP (Railway Ground truth and digital MAP) project, part of the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA). CEDEX (Spanish Centre for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works) and the manager of Spain’s railway infrastructure, Adif, are also members of the consortium, led by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).

RAILGAP will collect massive quantities of data from commercial trains. Its focus will be to develop innovative high-precision tools to collect basic route data and digital mapping for railway lines with unprecedented accuracy. The project, which started in Autumn 2020, will allow reduced energy consumption by ERTMS and command and control systems, increasing their economic and environmental efficiency.

In December 2017, this European project, financed by the GSA (European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency) as part of the H2020 Programme, began with a set duration of 24 months. The 14 European companies from five EU countries that participated in the ERSAT GGC project are RFI (project coordinator), Hitachi STS (formerly Ansaldo, technical coordinator), RINA, Trenitalia, Radiolabs, Italcertified and Bureau Veritas for Italy; Adif, CEDEX and Ineco for Spain; IFSTTAR and SNCF for France and UNIFE for Belgium.

The final objective is to contribute to the standardisation of the certification process for the adoption of satellite navigation systems (GNSS) in the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) standard. The scope of the project was very ambitious, working towards the consolidation of an improved ERTMS functional architecture that includes GNSS, safety studies, definition of a procedure for the classification of railway lines in relation to the ‘virtual balise’, development of a set of tools to assist in this classification, measurement campaigns in three countries (France, Spain and Italy), analysis of the data in the laboratories, evaluation of the architecture, procedure and tools by independent NoBos (Notified Bodies) and, finally, dissemination of the results and activities of the project in different national and international forums.

The ‘virtual balise’ concept has been under development for several years in previous projects launched by GSA, ESA and Shift2Rail, and consists of providing positioning information to the train by means of GNSS signals, instead of the physical balises required by ERTMS.

The ‘virtual balise’ concept has been under development for several years and consists of providing positioning information to the train by means of GNSS signals, instead of physical balises

For this purpose, the onboard equipment will consist of a new module called Virtual Balise Reader (VBR), which will process the GNSS signals and compare the GNSS coordinates with the list of coordinates onboard, reporting the corresponding virtual balise to the Eurocab when the coordinates stored for it are reached. This will make it possible to reduce the number of physical balises installed on the tracks, with the resulting savings for infrastructure managers, (Adif in the case of Spain) in terms of installation tasks, maintenance, theft, etc. This requires adequate reception of the GNSS signal at the points where the physical balises are to be installed, and therefore requires the classification of the railway lines according to the ‘quality’ of the GNSS signal received in each section.

The procedure will identify the sections/points where it is feasible to deploy a virtual balise so that the performance of the GNSS signal in terms of availability and accuracy meets the requirements.

The participation of Spanish companies in ERSAT GGC was distributed in such a way that CEDEX collaborated on the measurement campaign, integrating the tools in its laboratory and analysing the results of the different campaigns, contributing significantly to the customer’s last Demo. For its part, Adif purchased the necessary equipment for the campaign and provided a line and a laboratory train to carry out the measurements to be analysed at a later date.

Lastly, Ineco played a key role by participating in almost all of the work packages, contributing its knowledge in the areas of GNSS and ERTMS given its experience in previous projects such as GRAIL, GRAIL 2, NGTC and STARS. In particular, the company contributed to the consolidation of the functional architecture of ERTMS, the definition of several tools for the toolset, the participation in the Spanish measurement campaign, the analysis of the data from the Italian and Spanish campaigns, and lastly, contributing to the demonstration with the customer and the dissemination activities.

Measurement campaign in Spain

For the test campaign in Spain, Adif selected a line equipped with a Telephone Blocking (TB) system and with low traffic density. Specifically, line No 528 of the Conventional Network between Almorchón (Badajoz)-Mirabueno (Córdoba), which is of type E, with a total length of 130.1 kilometres and which is not electrified, although the runs were made on the section between the Almorchón and La Alhondiguilla stations, which is 94 kilometres long and has a maximum speed of 60 km/h.

Coordination between Adif, Ineco, CEDEX, IFSTTAR and DLR was key to the success of the hours and 20 runs were carried Spanish campaign. A static calibration test lasting 12 hours with 20 runs was carried out over 10 days of the campaign, at different times, in order to cover the various satellite positions of both the GPS and Galileo constellations. With all the data collected (GNSS signals, images and odometry), we moved on to an analysis phase, where the set of tools also developed in the project would make it possible to classify the line regards to the main local hazards to the GNSS signal on railway lines: interference, multipath, NLOS (Non-line-of-sight) and degraded performance.

All measurements were made on a Talgo laboratory train (BT-02), which was equipped with:

• GNSS Antenna: AntCom G8-PN
• GNSS Receiver: Javad Delta3
• GNSS Receiver: Septentrio AsteRx2e
• Splitter
• Laptops
• UPS
• Video camera
• Fisheye system

Main GNSS local feared events on railways. /
SOURCE_ERSAT GGC PROJECT

Tool development (Degraded performance indicator)

Ineco contributed to the development of different tools used to classify the areas of the train lines as green, yellow or red, for the placement of the virtual balise. In particular, two tools were developed to be integrated into the project:

1. SBAS_Health_Monitoring_tool (SHMT): assigns a health status to each GPS satellite by analysing the message received from EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service).
2. GNSS4Rail: a simulation tool that makes it possible to manage a highly accurate 3D model of the railway line environment (both in rural and urban environments) based on a surface model and the ability to launch point or time simulations along the entire line with different GNSS constellations (GPS and/or Galileo) and for any time frame. The inclusion of the Galileo constellation was an added value to the project and enabled multiconstellation simulations (use of several GNSS constellations), following the path traced by safety market applications. Moreover, the prognosis capability provides a clear advantage over other applications that only analyse real, static data from the past.

The GNSS4RAIL tool provides the following advantages in the deployment phase:

• Support for feasibility analysis and planning of the deployment of virtual balises on the line.
• Preliminary identification of feasible sections for deployment.
• Analysis both along the railway line (spatial domain) and for a time interval (time domain).
• Minimises the data acquisition campaigns with an auscultation train mainly thanks to the temporal analysis.

Advantages in the operation phase:

• Support as a performance predictor of deployed virtual balises.
• Provides pre-tactical information to the management of GNSS-based railway operations.

The possible uses of the tool are not limited to the specific application of the virtual balise; it can also be used to determine in advance the ‘coverage’ of the GNSS signal at any point on a line and at any given time, and these results can be used for other applications such as operations planning, fleet control, passenger information, ticketing, maintenance, etc. It can also be applied in other sectors such as road transport, maritime operations in ports and VLL drones/aircraft air operations in U-Space.

The annual World ATM Congress (WAC) event plays host to product demonstrations and launches, contract closures and networking opportunities, together with a busy schedule of conferences and high-level meetings. This year, a total of 225 exhibiting companies and 7,500 delegates from 130 countries took part. Every year, the World ATM Congress brings together around a hundred air navigation service providers (ANSPs), product developers, leaders and experts in the aviation industry, government representatives, manufacturers and industry suppliers from around the world.

Organised by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) –of which Enaire (formerly Aena) is a founding member and which brings together air navigation service providers from around the world– in partnership with the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), an association that represents the air traffic control sector, the World Air Traffic Management Congress is an indispensable event that Ineco has been attending for almost 20 years.

The Galileo system: the brightest star

Galileo is the flagship project of European satellite navigation: a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that will boast a total of 30 satellites by 2020 –26 of which are already in orbit– managed by the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA). Galileo is compatible and interoperable with systems such as the US’s GPS and Russia’s GLONASS, and will offer an unprecedented improvement in performance in terms of precision, resilience and robustness.

In 2016, the GSA entrusted its operation and maintenance to a consortium led by Spaceopal for the following 10 years. Spain is part of this consortium, through a group of public enterprises led by Ineco, in partnership with Isdefe and INTA (National Institute of Aerospace Technology). Ineco is in charge of the operation, top level maintenance and management of the hosting services of the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) located at the INTA’s facilities in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid).

Orderly skies

With a marked international orientation, the air navigation sector moves in a world of extreme safety requirements and resulting advances in new equipment and technologies to ensure this safety.

Since 2007, Ineco has been part of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) project, which is currently in the deployment phase of unifying space and air traffic control in Europe. In this respect, WAC 2019 played host to SESAR guided walking tours which saw the involvement of Ineco’s aviation experts Pilar Calzón, Víctor Gordo, Fernando Ruiz-Artaza, José Manuel Rísquez, Mercedes López and José Recio. There were also presentations on the integration of small drones and their application in airports and CTR environments by Víctor Gordo, and on the HEDIPRO flight procedure design tool by the engineers Javier Espinosa Aranda and Fernando Carrillo, also from Ineco.

The company has extensive experience in calculating and designing aeronautical charts for the publication of procedures based on PBN, GNSS, GBAS and vertical guidance approaches (APV SBAS), airspace restructuring –such as the restructuring carried out at Spanish airports and in countries of the likes of Egypt and Morocco– and navigation easement studies. Designs of instrumental flight procedures for the international market are also carried out, such as those implemented for the airports of the Sultanate of Oman, Cape Verde and Singapore Changi Airport.

In addition, in partnership with ENAIRE (formerly Aena), Ineco has carried out more than 2,000 radio simulations to assess the impact on airport CNS systems of infrastructures close to airports, such as shopping centres and housing developments, and within the airports themselves, for instance, new terminal buildings and runway extensions. To achieve this, the company uses its own NAVTOOLS proprietary software.

RPAS: all of the guarantees for drone flights

Ineco’s RPAS radio navigation aid verification project, which was presented during WAC 19, is an innovative solution for in-flight recording of radio navigation aid signals and a console on the ground that makes it possible to determine the trajectory flown and quality of guidance provided by the radio navigation aid.

The company is certified to operate and owns a light commercial drone for inspection of bridges and viaducts, and has also acquired a drone with greater capabilities and autonomy able to carry payloads of up to 4 kg, enabling more complex operations to be carried out.

From SACTA to iTEC

In terms of automated air traffic control systems, Ineco has historically worked in collaboration with Enaire and other industry partners on the evolution and development of its control system, known as SACTA, which
was designed entirely by Spanish companies and is a benchmark at the European and global levels. The SACTA and ICARO systems and the ACC voice communication system (COMETA) provide all aeronautical information necessary for air traffic control in Spain and are constantly updated.

The company is currently collaborating with Enaire on the development of a future automated air traffic control system (iTEC). Ineco is also working on another fundamental element for air navigation safety: guaranteeing the quality of the aviation data that ENAIRE collects, publishes and supplies.

The European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) held its 1st Galileo User Assembly on 28 and 29 November 2017 at INTA (National Institute of Aeronautics) and the Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service Centre (GSC) in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). In the image, the Ineco team –Antonio Águila, Alberto Santos, Rosa Mª Fidalgo, Carlos Hernando, Ana Meléndez, Ramón Hernández, Silvia López, Adrián Moreno and José María Berdoy– together with its partners Isdefe and Telespazio Ibérica, all of whom are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Centre, which supports and provides value-added products and services to Galileo users. See more details at https://www.gsc-europa.eu/.

When the Galileo satellite radio navigation and positioning system is fully operational, with its 30 satellites deployed, it will be possible to determine the location of people and objects with a precision and speed that are currently unattainable. In addition, it will provide Europe with a navigation system that is independent from the existing satellite positioning systems such as the North American GPS which operates using 31 satellites and Russia’s GLONASS, which uses 24 satellites.

The North American and Russian systems, along with the Chinese BDS, operate under military control, making Galileo the only one designed for civilian purposes and completely open to commercial use. It will also provide Europeans with independence from the Russian and American systems, which is of strategic importance, taking into account that, if they were to be blocked, up to 10% of the European economic activity depends to a greater or lesser extent on satellite navigation.

The importance of these systems in the world economy and transport is growing, along with the range of uses. It is for this reason that, after more than ten years of work, the European space industry and institutions have been able to conduct a project to deliver the highly competitive performance that will finally give Europe its desired technological and strategic independence. It will also allow access to a market with great potential for growth. See https://www.gsc-europa.eu/.

Galileo will provide signals for positioning, navigation and time measurement that are much more accurate than the other systems

When it is fully operational, Galileo, which was developed by the EU with the assistance of the European Space Agency (ESA) and whose services are operated by the European Global Satellite Agency (GSA), will provide signals for positioning, navigation and time measurement with much greater accuracy than the other systems, free of charge, for an unlimited number of users, and with the guarantee that the signals will be available anywhere in the world. It will be interoperable with the GPS system and will offer a paid commercial service that provides high precision and authentication.

Moreover, Galileo will offer a two other services: the PRS (Public Regulated Service) service which has highly robust signals that protect against malicious interference and which is intended for government use by security and civil protection organisations; and support for the SAR service (search and rescue), a European contribution to the international rescue service COSPAS-SARSAT. One of the biggest innovations is the incorporation of a return channel that informs those seeking assistance that their message has been received and that help is on the way. In addition, the Galileo technology makes it possible to reduce the search radius, and with it, the rescue time, which is a critical factor in saving lives on these missions.

According to the European Global Satellite Agency (GSA), the market for applications based on satellite navigation systems will grow 11% per year in Europe over the next few years, reaching 165 billion Euros in 2020, just for activities directly related to the system (chips, maps or services), without taking into account the activities facilitated by this technology, such as mobile phones with satellite navigation capabilities (GNSS). Galileo will be key to the introduction of this technology to the market, to complement the GPS system.

Galileo, in conjunction with GPS, will open a new era of satellite navigation through the introduction of the ‘multi-constellation’ concept. In the case of rail transport, aviation or road, this combined use will be very useful for fleet management, pinpointing the location of vehicles or vessels in real time, even in remote locations or in areas with poor visibility.

Satellite navigation is also an essential tool for scientists, astronomers, geologists and biologists who follow the movements of planets, the Earth and wildlife. For example, this type of positioning and location system allows animal tracking or drone monitoring. In addition, its time measurement, which is accurate to one billionth of a second, allows all kinds of measurements and scientific experiments to be performed with great accuracy.

1.5 BILLION FOR SATELLITE MANAGEMENT

In December 2016, the GSA, the organization responsible for operation of the Galileo system, awarded the contract for its operation and maintenance for the next 10 years to Spaceopal, a company formed by the Italian company Telespazio and the German company DLR GfR, which already managed the Galileo Control Centres (GCC) in Italy and Germany, respectively. Spaceopal’s industrial team includes the participation of a Spanish group led by Ineco with the collaboration of INTA and Isdefe.

The contract, valued at 1.5 billion Euros, includes the operation and maintenance of the Galileo system:

• Operation of the Galileo satellites from the two main control centres located in Germany and Italy.
• Service and information to the users, as well as activities for the evolution of services and applications from the GSC centre, located in Madrid, for the data distribution network of Galileo.
• Logistics and maintenance of the system.
• Management of minor developments and support for major developments of the system.

Named after the Genius

The astronomer, physicist and mathematician Galileo Galilei, born in Pisa (Italy) in 1564, would certainly appreciate the progress of a project like the one that bears his name. He was found guilty by the Inquisition for maintaining, among other theories, that the Sun was the centre of the solar system and the Earth rotated on its own axis. Although there is no historical record, he is credited with the famous sentence spoken before the court: Epur si muove. Although he officially recanted his scientific assertions, thanks to which his prison sentence was commuted to lifelong house arrest, he continued researching them until his death in 1642, the same year in which Isaac Newton was born. The image shows, Galileo teaching the Doge of Venice how to use a telescope. Fresco de Giuseppe Bertini (1825-1898).