Explained: Galileo: How Europes answer to GPS will revolutionise your phone Where would we be without GPS, eh? In a ditch, probably. Since GPS swooped into our cars and phones like little angels with solar array wings, weve become so reliant on its technology that its nearly impossible to imagine life without it. Except of course, that the European Union has been planning for life without GPS for some time now. GPS is operated and owned by the US and the EU has decided that being completely reliant on another countrys GPS system would leave them vulnerable if they and the US ever fell out. Thats why theyre currently launching the first few of what will, when completed by 2019, be a 30-strong swarm of satellites. Collectively, theyre known as Galileo - Europes answer to the GPS. But while Galileo has emerged largely due to politics, it will offer tangible benefits for you and your pocket, too. Simply put, it will mean stronger signals and better coverage, leading to a more accurate and more reliable service. Galileo can offer this because of a range of cutting edge features, of which none are more important than its Space Passive Hydrogen Masers - some of the worlds most accurate atomic clocks. Satnav receivers work out their position by timing the signals sent out by the satellites high above. An error of just a billionth of a second results in a 30cm error range. Galileos clocks are accurate to less than one nanosecond per 24 hours, meaning it can pinpoint your location to within a metre. GPS margin of error can be ten times greater. So when youre lost on foot in an unfamiliar city, Galileo will be ten times less likely to lead you astray. Galileos satellites also soar at a higher altitude than GPS, meaning they have a wider cone of vision and thus theres more chance of you being within range of the four satellites needed for the satnav receiver to figure out its position – which is helpful if youre exploring a remote area. The higher altitude also means that Galileo can provide coverage to the northern tip of Europe - which isnt currently served at all by GPS. Perhaps most notably, Galileo is serviced by several ground stations, with which Galileo is capable of two-way communication. This could make Galileo a valuable search and rescue tool. The satellites could pick up a distress beacon in a remote area, for example, ping its exact co-ordinates to one of the ground units - which could then send a message back to the beacon informing them that help is on the way. The ability to upload and download chunks of data will likely see Galileo bring in a new wave of location-specific features to your Galileo-enabled mobile phone. Tourists will be able to receive information on their surroundings, and be directed to the nearest cash machines. Guardian Angel apps will be able to reunite parents and children when they become separated. And it could revolutionise the transport industry, with pilots being able to plot their own routes and altitude. So, what do you need to do to prepare for Galileo? Youve got a bit of time to put the kettle on and have a cuppa, to be honest. Galileo is still several years away from completion, and even if you somehow dont upgrade your phone/satnav between now and 2019, youll still be able to use it as you do now, as the old signals will still be broadcast. Youll have to upgrade if you want the features that are being introduced by Galileo and the competing GPS III update, though. Finally, the thorny issue: will I have to pay for it? Well, if youre a European Union taxpayer you already have been, but the good news is the basic service will be free. Service providers intend to charge extra for commercial navigation: an encrypted, guaranteed service that offers increased accuracy and allows users to upload small chunks of data. Alex Dale is the Deputy Editor of a brand new science magazine, Science Uncovered, brought to you by Future Publishing, which also publishes TechRadar. Science Uncovered will be available in all good newsagents from November 21. Download a free sample issue at ift.tt/18nFs6e and follow them on Twitter @SciUncovered.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:57:45 +0000
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