The Spanish IT multinational Indra will implement the network of measuring stations for GPS and EGNOS signals in Germany. This system will supervise the accuracy and reliability of the data used by aircraft over Germany territory.
DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH), the German air navigation services provider, has commissioned AC-B (Air Traffic Control & Business Systems), Indra’s German subsidiary, to modernize the GNSS/U (Global Navigation Satellite Systems Monitoring). This critical system calculates errors and determines the accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability of the data that positioning systems offer during the different phases of flight.
Indra’s system will be operative in a year and will initially consist of a network of three sensor stations, distributed conveniently from the north to the south of the country. It will have a redundant central system in Lagen, near Frankfurt. This network will collect information from the GPS and EGNOS systems. The system will monitor the satellite signals, analyze them to detect possible errors, and record them.
Through the use of different algorithms and calculations, the system will feed the DFS control center located at Langen (close to Frankfurt) with data regarding the quality of the service that the global satellite navigation systems are offering.
Indra will be supported by its German affiliate AC-B in order to implement the systems and guarantee their maintenance and performance at all times. The GPS system is being used in navigation from en-route to NPA landings (Non-Precision Approach) at more than 40 airports in the country. It’s expected that certification for use of EGNOS in air navigation will be obtained in early 2011. The system that Indra will put in place in Germany will thus be one of the first to effectively and truly enter service in order to support air traffic.