Spirent GNSS Foresight

Comply with BVLOS Navigation Requirements

Degraded GNSS reception is a deal breaker that, if left unsolved, could block the path to FAA exemption compliance or regulatory approval for UAS BVLOS. Discover how to unlock the future of unmanned drone navigation with GNSS reliability forecasting.

Unearth Autonomous Mining Operations

As GNSS satellite lines of sight change within the variation in topography of a mine, GNSS performance can be good one minute and poor the next. With GNSS forecasting, mining operators can avoid unexpected failures of autonomous equipment, inaccurate survey, the choosing the wrong equipment for the environment, and inefficient equipment utilization.

Automotive Urban Autopilots

GNSS performance in urban environments can be poor and unpredictable. GNSS Foresight Live is a Geospatial Augmentation that can aide a GNSS receiver in choosing the best satellites. Foresight enables the receiver to know which GNSS satellites are line-of-sight, helping reduce the impact of multipath, and improving the performance of a GNSS receiver in urban environments.

Key benefits of GNSS Foresight

Safety & reliability

Assuring GNSS performance in all areas of operation at all times enables the level of safety and reliability needed to justify autonomous operations. Using GNSS Foresight, operators avoid areas with degraded or unavailable GNSS signals, avoiding critical navigation failure.

Route selection

Using our precise modeling, users can plan a route with the best GNSS availability, ensuring positioning precision at every point. This optimized planning enables you to save time and deliver consistently, gaining the greatest return on your investment in autonomous technology.

Performance improvement

Satellites are in constant motion, meaning GNSS signal availability changes continuously. With GNSS Foresight, users can accurately predict where and when their systems will have line-of-sight to the most satellites, enabling delivery of the best possible service.

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GNSS Foresight for aviation

Assure the safety and reliability of autonomous systems with precise GNSS forecasts

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operate in environments where obstructions to GNSS signals are common, resulting in poor navigation performance. A forecast of GNSS signal reception based on the actual city environment, including 3D buildings and other signal obstructions, can ensure the UAS and UTM know the expected performance, helping to minimize risk when choosing a flight path.
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Spirent's GNSS Foresight is a series of cloud-based forecasting solutions that use 3D maps and precise orbital information to enable users to find out where and when GNSS will be reliable. Foresight solutions are provided either as a Risk Analysis delivery, or as a cloud delivered Forecast Service - typically called a Supplemental Data Service. GNSS Foresight works by ray casting/tracing each GNSS satellite’s line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight for every square meter of ground and meter of altitude, every second, using high-definition 3Dmaps and precision orbital models. The Foresight engine calculates - with a high degree of accuracy- the times and locations at which each satellite will be obscured by buildings or other impediments, accurately predicting satellite availability and associated positioning performance.

Benefits of GNSS Foresight for aviation:

• Navigation, Airspace Management, and Surveillance

In safety-critical unmanned airspace, users need a system that can be relied on. Spirent’s GNSS Foresight gives users the confidence to trust their GNSS navigation by finding the best times and places to fly, providing safer and more reliable VLOS and BVLOS operation.

• Route Selection

Using our precise modeling, users can plan a route with the best GNSS availability, meeting the capabilities of the aircraft, risk ratio of the flight and compliance to regulations, waivers, and CoAs. Ultra-fast data response also enables real-time, on-the-fly decision making. Assured navigation planning enables you to save time and deliver consistently, gaining the greatest return on your investment in autonomous technology.

• Waiver Submissions and Compliance

Safety Risk Management policy 8040.6 (FAA) requires operators determine the likelihood and severity of GPS degradation. GNSS Foresight can be used to determine this for waiver applications and/or compliance.

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GNSS Foresight for autonomous vehicles

Assure reliable navigation by knowing where and when GNSS will be reliable

Autonomous Vehicles (AV) and vehicles featuring Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)operate in environments where obstructions to GNSS signals are common, resulting in inconsistent GNSS positioning and navigation. Spirent's GNSS Foresight analyzes GNSS signal reception based on the actual city environment, including 3Dbuildings and other signal obstructions, ensuring the AV knows the expected performance and when to utilize & prioritize GNSS as part of the navigation solution.
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Spirent’s GNSS Foresight is a cloud-based service that uses 3D maps and precise orbital information to enable users to find out where and when GNSS will be reliable, allowing them to plan routes to optimize navigation performance and operate safely. Foresight works by ray-casting/tracing each GNSS satellite’s line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight for every square meter, every second. The Foresight engine calculates with a high degree of accuracy the times and locations at which each satellite will be obscured by buildings or other impediments, accurately predicting satellite availability and associated positioning performance.

Benefits of GNSS Foresight for autonomous vehicles:

• Receiver performance improvement

GNSS receivers are common across virtually all vehicles. However, GNSS signal availability varies greatly due to the local environment. Spirent’s GNSS Foresight helps users prioritize the use of line-of-sight satellites to improve positioning performance. In most urban environments, Foresight can increase accuracy and reliability by 50% or more, depending on implementation. Foresight also identifies satellites for multi-path rejection - or for prioritization in severely degraded areas.

• Sensor fusion improvement

With our precise modeling, Foresight can be used to improve a vehicle's positioning performance by optimizing how GNSS is used in a sensor fusion engine. Foresight enables sensor fusion engines to know where and when GNSS is usable. Within a sensor fusion engine GNSS becomes reliable, even in areas with compromised signals, leading to real-time performance optimization for the entire system.

• Reliability

Satellites are in constant motion, and GNSS positioning precision can fluctuate continually due to these changes in line-of-sight satellite availability. With GNSS Foresight, users can get more out of GNSS, leading to significantly more reliable systems with improved positioning performance.

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Contact us if you have any questions.