CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has been awarded a contract by The European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a GNSS Event Notification Service (GENS) that is capable of monitoring the UK GNSS spectrum to enable effective alerting and reporting of Position Navigation and Time (PNT) disruption.
GENS will integrate CGI’s PNT Incident Event Monitoring (PNTIEM) System with existing UK developed sensors from Ordnance Survey’s (OS) OS NET network of GNSS Receivers and GMV NSL’s DETECTOR, GISMO and Strike 3 interface technologies. Bringing together existing systems will build on proven technologies, reducing the cost of development of a large scale monitoring network whilst providing the ability to introduce new services for detecting GNSS events and disruption.
Supported by the OS and GMV NSL, CGI will lead the delivery of GENS using agile software delivery experience, supported by system design and DevSecOps development and integration skills. An open interface will be offered for future providers of GNSS measurements, or spectrum event data.
Alongside the GENS system technical delivery, The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) will develop a GNSS Guidance Document in partnership with UK government departments, agencies, CNI operators, professional institutes, academic institutes and commercial organisations to enable informed requirements development, procurement, deployment and support of HMG GNSS reliant services.
Reviewed alongside events identified by GENS, this combined offering will highlight and inform stakeholders of the risks posed by the loss of PNT services as identified by the PNT Strategy Group Interim Report in April 2020. GENS will also respond to HMG’s “Satellite-derived time and position: a study of critical dependencies” report which identified the need for mitigation to GNSS disruption and estimated the economic impact to the UK economy of a five-day disruption to GNSS at £5.2 billion.
The full GENS system will enable users across both commercial and public sector services to subscribe to be informed of both GNSS quality and interference events for regions of interest. By focusing on these events and the improved understanding of the risk posed by disruption, stakeholders will be better informed to enable them to build system resilience or to respond to the disruption of GNSS within the UK.
Executive Comments
Rafael Lucas Rodriguez, Technical Officer for the GENS activity at the European Space Agency, said, ‘‘Detecting and monitoring GNSS is core to better understanding the scale and risk posed by PNT disruption in the UK and across all ESA member states. ESA is supporting CGI to develop effective tools enabling a system to be created utilising previous ESA and UK HMG work. This will bring direct benefits for UK public and private stakeholders.”
Andy Proctor, UK Lead Delegate to the ESA Program Board for Navigation, added, “The UK is a leading investor in GNSS research. Understanding GNSS Spectrum Quality is vital for the stability of PNT services in the UK. This program will help promote and address GNSS disruption affecting PNT services while supporting the UK’s thriving space sector and the wider economy.”
John Hanley, VP of Secure and Assured Space Solutions at CGI in the UK, commented, “This is an exciting project that brings together CGI’s Navigation and Spectrum domain expertise supported by scaled agile and DevSecOps delivery experience. After talking to both public and private stakeholders for GNSS, it became clear that one of the initial challenges is understanding the scale of PNT disruption. GNSS services touch every part of society across finance, utilities, transport and defence and need to be protected.”
