Find out how our webinar on Satellite Augmentation Systems went
The virtual event organised by the Galileo Information Centre for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean was a great success and was very well received by the audience who had the opportunity to follow it live
On November 30, 2021, the Galileo Information Centre for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, organised a webinar on Satellite Augmentation Systems (SBAS) and in particular on EGNOS, the European SBAS.
At the webinar we had the opportunity to listen to speakers with extensive experience in the space sector and in the development of EGNOS and Galileo applications for different market segments.
The webinar first revealed the main characteristics of SBAS systems and in particular of EGNOS, which correct errors of GNSS satellite signals used to obtain the position of users. Joaquin Reyes (EUSPA) explained how SBAS systems like EGNOS use a network of reference stations to compute corrections and integrity information obtained from geostationary satellites (GEO), which are then transmitted to users.
The improved performance that systems like EGNOS provide in terms of accuracy and integrity provide numerous benefits in different market segments. One of them is civil aviation. As Pablo Haro (ENAIRE) underlined, EGNOS augments GPS signals on the L1 frequency and enables all performance-based flight operations (PBN), from take-off to precision approaches (RNP APCH). The use of EGNOS in civil aviation provides improved operational safety and environmental benefits, as it helps to optimise routes and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Agriculture is another market segment that benefits greatly from using SBAS systems like EGNOS. EGNOS indeed provides affordable solutions for precision agriculture, optimizing the use of resources. In addition, it enables machine guidance solutions with sub-meter precision, and enables a more efficient management of agricultural activities such as spreading, spraying and harvesting.
The Mexican Space Agency (AEM), which cooperates with the GIC on a regular basis, participated at the webinar as well. Master Francisco Romero highlighted that SBAS systems in Latin America are expected to grow considerably in the next 10 years since, although there are still barriers to overcome, they offer numerous benefits in terms of performance (precision and integrity), as well as economic benefits and increasing security.
Finally, Daniel Ludwig, consultant of the European Commission, presented his experience and the main lessons learnt from the implementation of EGNOS in Africa.
This interesting webinar was very well received by an on-line audience of more than 70 attendees from different countries in the region (Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean). The video of the webinar is available on the GIC Mexico website and on Youtube, you can watch it below:
