The European GNSS Agency (GSA) together with the European Commission have published an Information Note on the Galileo High Accuracy Service, providing an overview of the main characteristics of the service, along with information on features such as service levels, target performance, an implementation roadmap, and an overview of the target markets for the service. You can download the Information Note here.

The market for high-accuracy positioning is very dynamic, driven by various factors, including emerging applications such as autonomous vehicles and drones; technological advances such as dual-frequency chipsets for the mass-market; and the market situation, with cheap or free-of-charge augmentation services available in some countries. These factors are resulting in the democratisation of high accuracy, which is becoming a more widespread commodity, rather than the exclusive domain of professional applications.

With the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS), Galileo will pioneer a worldwide, free high-accuracy positioning service aimed at applications that require higher performance than that offered by the Galileo Open Service.

Benefitting several markets

Target markets for the HAS include geomatics, agriculture or consumer solutions. Transport is also a major potential target market, with possible applications in aviation, road, rail and maritime and inland waterways. In these markets, the HAS will provide high-accuracy precise point positioning corrections for Galileo and GPS free of charge, in the Galileo E6-B data component and by terrestrial means, to achieve real-time improved user positioning performances, with a positioning error of less than two decimetres in nominal conditions.

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“With its High Accuracy Service, Galileo will be the first satellite constellation able to provide a high-accuracy precise point positioning service globally, directly through the Signal in Space,” said GSA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa. “This will be another key differentiator of the Galileo system, giving it a competitive advantage over other systems and allowing it to foster innovation in both consolidated and emerging markets,” he said.

HAS Initial Service

HAS Phase 1 will cover the provision of an initial Galileo High Accuracy Service resulting from the implementation of a high-accuracy data generation system processing Galileo data only.  Phase 2 will see full provision of the Galileo High Accuracy Service, meeting its target performance of 20 cm worldwide positioning accuracy after 2024.

Through the HAS, Galileo will offer a unique service with the transmission of corrections directly via Galileo satellites, allowing free high-accuracy positioning globally, for everyone.

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