The ESA’s ‘GALILEO 2’ (EGNOS) Project

Considering the increasing frequency of using illegal GNSS jammers, there is also an increasing risk of disruption of GNSS systems important for public safety, such as:

• Systems used for protection of the EU border by the Border Guard, particularly the borders with Russia and Ukraine;
• Systems used by rescue and special services;
• ASG EUPOS GNSS reference networks used for geodesic and cartographic mapping;
• Systems for the monitoring of shipments of hazardous materials;
• Systems installed in autonomous mobile robots for rescue services and in surveillance drones;
• Systems for emergency management and for protection of facilities critical to national security;
• Systems for guiding aircraft approach at national and international airports.

No comprehensive investigation into frequency of intentional use of GNSS jammers, which are affordable and easy to buy on-line, has been carried out yet.

Although illegal jammers are banned in the EU, they are often used for disrupting vehicle monitoring systems, both by dishonest employees of shipping companies (for vehicle tracking avoidance) and by organized crime (for theft of vehicles, cargo and other property).

Given that many vital transport routes coincide with facilities sensitive to GNSS jamming (such as the Warsaw Airport that neighbours some of the major and most heavily used national roads in Poland: DK7 i DK8), even low-EIRP jammers can destabilize or even block operation of infrastructure critical for safety.

The project will build a dedicated research platform and develop analytical software for performance of tests at selected statistically significant measuring station (on Polish borders) and for mobile measurements (taken from a truck driven on national roads or in centres of large cities).

The resulting data will be used for production of a report assessing the magnitude of the problem and proposing a road map for the drafting of relevant legislation and for the taking of technical precautions.

The project is scheduled to:

• Develop a unique architecture for mobile detection of GNSS band disruption, also suitable for use in other countries;
• Prepare a systemic solution combining elements of digital signal processing, spectral analysis of signals, systems using the GNSS positioning, software for statistical analysis and GIS software;
• Extend knowledge on the scale of threat from a terrorist attack involving disruption of infrastructure critical to safety in Poland and in Central Europe.

Implementation timeframe: 01/04/2015 – 31/03/2017

Contract number: 4000112703/14/NL/CBi

Financing institution name: European Space Agency

Financing institution type: Funding from international organizations

Project type: International research project