The Galileo programme is Europe's initiative for a state-of-the-art Global Navigation Satellite System, completely independent of other existing or potential satellite navigation systems. The Galileo programme consists of a definition phase, the In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase and the Full Operational Capability (FOC) phase. The IOV phase established the framework for space and ground-based infrastructures, related operations and validated the various Galileo signals-in-space. The FOC phase will now see the full deployment of the system including satellites and all ground infrastructures as well as commencement of early service to users by 2016 and full operations by 2020.

For Galileo’s next generation, optimisation of current signals and/or message structures as well as completely new signals could be envisaged to further improve performance or add new features. Ideas for optimisation, evolution and design of signals need to be investigated many years before their potential introduction into GNSS systems. The aim of this tender is to facilitate that process. Innovative ideas will be investigated to assess the possibility for Galileo evolutions to transmit optimised and/or additional new signals to further enhance the performance or features of the system. But for this assessment to be valuable it is important to understand the capabilities and potential of the existing Galileo signals so that an objective comparison can be made. General
objectives of this activity include:

1. Identifying the existing state of the art for GNSS signals
2. Identification of suitable metrics to assess the performance of GNSS signals in function of their characteristics.
3. Compilation of a user requirements list for the different aspects of the signals, including aspects like interoperability, backward compatibility, etc, and for the different user communities
4. Identification of innovative ideas for GNSS signals either to improve aspects of performance, including sensitivity, accuracy, multipath resistance, robustness to jamming or spoofing, etc., or to respond to newly identified user requirements
5. Development and investigation of the ideas that offer the greatest potential for benefits to users, including consideration of individual user community needs.
6. Trade–off analysis showing the pros/cons of the various ideas
7. An appreciation of how these novel signal ideas could be implemented in the Galileo evolution.

The e-tendering documents can be found under the link:
https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/cft/cft-display.html?cftId=883

The purpose of this Call For Tender is to foster the investigation on optimisation of current signals and/or message structures as well as on completely new signals that could be envisaged to further improve performance or add new features to the currently defined Galileo signals. Innovative ideas will be investigated, and an objective comparison to understand the capabilities and potential of the proposed signals will be made, amongst them, and also with respect to the current Galileo signals.

If you have further questions, please contact Juan Pablo Boyero (Juan-Pablo.BOYERO@ec.europa.eu).

Closing date for applications: 30/09/15