Development of innovative Maritime PNT Test Platform

Last Updated: 10/02/2023 10:37     Created at: 09/02/2023 16:04

Final Presentation of NAVISP Project EL1 004 now available:

On Thursday, February the 6th, 2023, GMV NSL Ltd presented, together with its consortium partner Kongsberg Seatex the results of the NAVISP project “Multi-System Multi-Sensor Maritime PNT Test Platform (MSMSPNT)”. About 50 people from industry and research institutes followed the interesting presentation and the subsequent interactive Q&A session.

Current International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines for shipborne PNT data processing define a high-level framework for the processing and combination of data of multiple systems and sensors in a maritime PNT receiver. It is considered of paramount importance to complement this framework with further studies on the combination of different sensors and systems in multi-system maritime PNT receivers in order to characterise the achievable performance.

The main objective of this activity was, therefore, in accordance with IMO guidelines defining a high-level framework for processing and combining PNT data, to investigate methods and techniques for the combined use of multiple systems and sensors in maritime PNT receivers and to characterize the achievable performance classes. Furthermore, another objective was the implementation of an experimental platform for a maritime PNT receiver with multiple systems and sensors to test the combination of the investigated methods and techniques.

With the support of NAVISP, GMV NSL Ltd. and Kongsberg Seatex AS were able to develop a fully configurable, software-integrated hardware test platform for maritime applications, as well as to acquire a comprehensive collection of maritime field data for validation and future research. This was achieved through the development of a configurable software-defined-radio (SDR) GNSS receiver, a positioning engine that supports augmentation and additional sensor data fusion, and extended data logging unit for collection in the field of GNSS RF signals and observables, alongside additional navigation sensors.

More specifically, the MSMSPNT test platform consists of four main elements:

• External System and Sensors
  • GNSS (Multi-constellation and multi-frequency)
  • COTS and RF signals for SDR
  • GNSS augmentation
  • Inertial Sensors (IMU)
• On board sensors
  • Seapath (reference)
  • PPP solution vial Inertial Explorer Novatel
• Integration/combinations scheme (loose coupling, extended Kalman filter)
• Validation through laboratory and field trials.

At the end of the project, the consortium was able to demonstrate that the hardware of the designed MSMSPNT test platform is compliant with multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS signals and can estimate position, velocity, and time (PVT) information from raw RF data. It was also found that external aid sources such as SBAS and IMU are susceptible to further improve the PVT accuracy. Finally, the overall performance of the test platform SDR receiver was found to be in accordance with IMO requirements, and comparable to that of the COTS receiver.

The project was carried out in the scope of NAVISP Element 1, which is dedicated to technology innovation of the European industry in the wide PNT sector.

More detailed information can be found in the slides of the Final Presentation.