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Complementary Position, Navigation and Timing (C-PNT)

DEFIS and JRC work on the EU PNT ecosystem, the mix of existing space assets and the emerging technologies, providing precise time and/or position The aim is to strengthen the EU economy and critical infrastructure resilience.

One of the most commonly used features on our smartphones is navigation, which saves us time and makes our lives easier. This is enabled by space technology known as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) - constellations of satellites orbiting at about 20,000 km above Earth. Of these, Galileo and EGNOS are owned and maintained by the EU. 

What might be less obvious is how critical GNSS is to our everyday lives. Galileo and other GNSS, like the American GPS, provide both position and time anywhere across the globe.

Satellite timing is needed to keep our power grids, financial services, and mobile networks working, while satellite navigation is critical for aviation, road transport, and other essential infrastructures.

We are heavily dependent on space technologies, often referred to as the "invisible utility". Like every tool, GNSS also has inherent shortcomings which could be compromised by a malicious actor. While this possibility is extremely low, the effects of any outage would be far-reaching and potentially very damaging to the European economy. 

What is C-PNT and A-PNT?

To address this threat, it is important to consider backup solutions. These technologies, providing Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) independently from GNSS, are typically referred to as "alternative PNT", or A-PNT for short. Like the global GNSS, the technologies being assessed are meant to provide Position, Navigation, and Timing. This is a combination of three distinct yet integral capabilities:

  • Positioning, the ability to determine one’s location and orientation in two or three dimensions. 
  • Navigation, which is the ability to determine a path between the current and a desired position (relative or absolute), as well as navigate this path by applying corrections to course, orientation, and speed. 
  • Timing, which is the ability to acquire and maintain time either locally or globally. This also include time transfer.

The considered technologies are very diverse, able to provide time and/or full PNT. The A-PNT test campaign conducted by the JRC in 2021-22 demonstrated the criticality of GNSS services. While it is essential to have a backup in place, this should be part of the larger EU PNT ecosystem, consisting of GNSS and complementary emerging alternative systems, to mitigate the risk of PNT service interruption. This way, Complementary PNT (C-PNT) enhances service resilience, availability, and continuity, thereby strengthening EU autonomy, the resilience of the economy, and through technical development, the EU's global standing.

More details on the EU PNT initiatives, as well as the JRC's involvement, can be found in the sections and documents below. 

This activity was made possible thanks to the long-standing involvement of the JRC in the field of GNSS and satellite navigation, leading to the development of a world-class state-of-the-art laboratory, the JRC testing and demonstration hub for the EU GNSS programs 

The European Radio Navigation Plan (ERNP)

The European Radio Navigation Plan (ERNP) 2023 is a European Commission staff working document, written by DG DEFIS in cooperation with the DG Joint Research Centre (JRC). ERNPIt is available for download, in five language versions, below. 

The purpose of the current ERNP 2023 edition is to act as a reference document and: 

  1. Provide relevant information on PNT systems and services, their use, typical performance, strengths, weaknesses, developments, trends, challenges and opportunities. This includes conventional and emerging PNT systems (also known as alternative PNT).Facilitate the uptake of the European GNSS (Galileo and EGNOS) services by:
    • Providing detailed information on European GNSS current and future services and their added value with respect to other PNT/GNSS services.
    • Recommending, per each sector, actions to be implemented at the EU level for the uptake of EGNSS in the various market domains (e.g., legislation, standards). 
  2. Raise awareness and recommend actions to increase the resilience of PNT services in the EU. 

From the legislative perspective, the document provides an overview of the relevant international policies and explains the European Union policies related to PNT and the European GNSS. The document concludes with the medium-term vision of how PNT should evolve in the European Union, summarised in the section above. Document also list the emerging PNT technologies 

The European Radio Navigation Plan (ERNP) was first published in March 2018, following the 2016 Space Strategy for Europe, which tasked European Commission to “release a European radio navigation plan to facilitate the introduction of global navigation satellite system applications in sectoral policies”.

European Commision Policy Support at the JRC

For many years JRC has a prominent role on the development of the European GNSS programmes, supporting DG DEFIS and EUSPA (the European Agency for the Space Programme) with specialised expertise and a dedicated laboratory and testing hub

The JRC’s GNSS Testing and Demonstration Hub, built around the European Microwave Signature Laboratory, is located at the JRC site in Ispra, Italy. 

Among many activities, the support JRC provides to EU GNSS includes: 

  • Testing campaigns in the frame of H2020/Horizon Europe Calls funded under the EU Space Programme; 

  • Open calls addressed to Galileo receiver Manufacturers and supporting many sectorial policies, such as eCall, Maritime receivers, Smart Tachograph, among others; 

  • Programmatic actions requiring testing of GNSS user equipment (e.g., pilot testing of new EGNSS services, compatibility assessments, performance monitoring, …); 

Given its extension and the variety of infrastructures present on the site, the JRC Ispra campus represents an ideal testbed for the testing and demonstration activities required to assess emerging PNT technologies. 

Assessing Alternative Positioning, Navigation and Timing Technologies for Potential Deployment in the EU

This report presents the results of a test campaign, conducted at the European Commission (EC) Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra in framework of a Call for Tender (Ref DEFIS/2020/OP/0007) launched by the Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS) of the EC. Conclusions of this report have contributed to the latest edition of the ERNP. 

The document describes the aim and scope test and evaluation of the A-PNT platform, the definition of the testing protocols, the presentation of the minimum technical requirements, the most relevant outcomes of the performance assessment on every individual A-PNT platform, and the main conclusions and highlights of the whole test campaign. 

Over eight months of testing activities, the selected A-PNT platforms were evaluated at the JRC premises, and in a few cases, also at other locations, as agreed with the A-PNT platform providers. Such demonstrations showcased precise and robust timing and positioning services, in indoor and outdoor environments. The time transfer over the air (OTA), fiber, and wired channels was tested. 

All evaluated A-PNT platforms meet the required performance. 

The Report and Appendixes (public report from each technology provider) are available for download. 

2021-22 Alternative PNT test campaign at the JRC Ispra

In 2020 DG DEFIS launched a call for tenders for the Alternative Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Services, with objective to understand what are the most relevant and mature technologies available at the scope. This call for tenders specified the definition of the A-PNT as mature technologies that could: 

  • Deliver positioning, and/or timing information independently from GNSS; 

  • Act as a backup in the unlike event of a GNSS disruption; 

  • (If possible) extend PNT provision to the environments where GNSS (and Galileo in particular) cannot be delivered. 

In the context of this project, JRC has tested the selected to assess the performance against the required capabilities. The testing activities were conducted over seven months and involved the assessment of the following technologies: 

  • Precise time keeping using stand-alone atomic clocks and without use of GNSS. 

  • Precise time transfer over long distances through fibre, computer networks and over the air, for which a Time Reference Traceability to UTC(IT) was developed. This included also a 105km time transfer over the air. 

  • Indoor and outdoor positioning using terrestrial and LEO signals and tested using dynamic Reference Platform. 

This work required the deployment of dedicated infrastructure across the campus and extensive use of the labs. The Italian frequency authority was contacted to obtain clearance for the limited use frequency transmission during the testing.
A summary of all the work, as well as each technology provider's report, is available for download in the section above.

Alternative PNT Demo Day, 18 May 2022

The testing campaign concluded with a Demo Day, that was held at the JRC Ispra on 18 May 2022. The event was attended by representatives from the European Commission, EUSPA, ESA and EU Member States representatives from Public Bodies and Industry. Even under COVID restrictions the event has seen the participation of over 80 people on-site, with about 90 participants joining online. The event was organized over two main sessions: 

  • In the morning, after an introduction from JRC and DEFIS (including interventions from JRC.E Director and DEFIS.C.2 and JRC.E.2 Head of Units), the participants could visit the JRC laboratories and assist to a live demonstration of the technologies that were tested in the previous months. 

  • In the afternoon, comprehensive presentations of the different Alternative PNT technologies and the most relevant test campaign results were provided by the various involved Industries. 

The Demo Day presentations are available for download just here below

Contact Us

For more information on the C-PNT, JRC testing and demonstration hub for the EU GNSS programmes, PNT technologies testing or to discuss our other expertise in the Position and Time activities, please contact our function email below.

Email
JRC-E2atec [dot] europa [dot] eu

To find out more about the JRC's work on similar topics, explore the related JRC portfolios: