Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EGeNiouSS (EGNSS-based Visual Localisation to enable AAA-PNT in small devices & applications)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-03-01 bis 2025-05-31
egeniouss – the better where
Whether travelling by bike or on foot, working as a city surveyor, architect, or construction manager, or even the operation of autonomous drones and vehicles — all these tasks depend on accurate and reliable satellite-based positioning and navigation. Urban canyons can easily interrupt satellite signals, limiting the full potential of both professional and consumer services.
As satellite navigation is a critical infrastructure, it is imperative that satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) operate reliably to support dependent infrastructures such as communication, transport and energy. Interruption or manipulation of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals pose a threat to safety and security. Meanwhile, augmentation systems that enhance GNSS performance can be very expensive. The goal of the EU-funded egeniouss project is to improve existing European GNSS services by developing an accurate and economical cloud service that utilises novel multi-sensor navigation with a visual localisation component to compensate for common GNSS issues. Initially, an application programming interface will be integrated for smartphones and drones to demonstrate the service in three case studies. After validation, the service will be scaled and adapted for wider purposes.
Objective
egeniouss sees the impact in accurate and affordable positioning, navigation and timing for small devices. Satellite-based PNT is a fundamental infrastructure of the EU. Its protection and improvement are strategic, as other infrastructures – e.g. communications, energy, transport, defence or banking – depend on it. However, signals of current GNSSs are easily jammed, prone to spoofing, subject to atmospheric disturbances, affected by multipath and blockage in natural and urban canyons. This poses global risks and hinders GNSS adoption in mission- and safety-critical tasks, e.g. drone delivery, urban air mobility or autonomous vehicles. Aware of that, civilian and military authorities are promoting/deploying complementary or redundant systems, a.k.a. "augmentations", local – e.g. aiding inertial sensors – or global – e.g. Galileo’s NMA. However, effective augmentations, local or global, that are robust, accurate and driftless are expensive.
To this end, the project egeniouss will develop a cloud service based on novel multi-sensor navigation with a tightly integrated visual localisation component to overcome known GNSS issues and augment existing EGNSS services. egeniouss will bring an affordable, accurate and assured positioning, navigation and timing (AAA-PNT) solution to the market in order to democratise the access to high accuracy and reliability and thus serving the professional and consumer mass markets.
The service will be accessible through a platform-independent API. During the project, the API will be integrated for smartphones and drones. With three complementary use cases, Mapping & Surveying, Bike Navigation and Drone Delivery, the entire range of the service with respect to accuracy, latency and reliability requirements will be demonstrated and validated. The development will be accompanied and driven by user and stakeholder requirements and innovative DEC measures to ensure a rapid market update. As a scalable and highly adaptive service it is easily transferable to other applications and markets, e.g. LBS, autonomous vehicles or search & rescue.
Whether travelling by bike or on foot, working as a city surveyor, architect, or construction manager, or even the operation of autonomous drones and vehicles — all these tasks depend on accurate and reliable satellite-based positioning and navigation. Urban canyons can easily interrupt satellite signals, limiting the full potential of both professional and consumer services.
As satellite navigation is a critical infrastructure, it is imperative that satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) operate reliably to support dependent infrastructures such as communication, transport and energy. Interruption or manipulation of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals pose a threat to safety and security. Meanwhile, augmentation systems that enhance GNSS performance can be very expensive. The goal of the EU-funded egeniouss project is to improve existing European GNSS services by developing an accurate and economical cloud service that utilises novel multi-sensor navigation with a visual localisation component to compensate for common GNSS issues. Initially, an application programming interface will be integrated for smartphones and drones to demonstrate the service in three case studies. After validation, the service will be scaled and adapted for wider purposes.
Objective
egeniouss sees the impact in accurate and affordable positioning, navigation and timing for small devices. Satellite-based PNT is a fundamental infrastructure of the EU. Its protection and improvement are strategic, as other infrastructures – e.g. communications, energy, transport, defence or banking – depend on it. However, signals of current GNSSs are easily jammed, prone to spoofing, subject to atmospheric disturbances, affected by multipath and blockage in natural and urban canyons. This poses global risks and hinders GNSS adoption in mission- and safety-critical tasks, e.g. drone delivery, urban air mobility or autonomous vehicles. Aware of that, civilian and military authorities are promoting/deploying complementary or redundant systems, a.k.a. "augmentations", local – e.g. aiding inertial sensors – or global – e.g. Galileo’s NMA. However, effective augmentations, local or global, that are robust, accurate and driftless are expensive.
To this end, the project egeniouss will develop a cloud service based on novel multi-sensor navigation with a tightly integrated visual localisation component to overcome known GNSS issues and augment existing EGNSS services. egeniouss will bring an affordable, accurate and assured positioning, navigation and timing (AAA-PNT) solution to the market in order to democratise the access to high accuracy and reliability and thus serving the professional and consumer mass markets.
The service will be accessible through a platform-independent API. During the project, the API will be integrated for smartphones and drones. With three complementary use cases, Mapping & Surveying, Bike Navigation and Drone Delivery, the entire range of the service with respect to accuracy, latency and reliability requirements will be demonstrated and validated. The development will be accompanied and driven by user and stakeholder requirements and innovative DEC measures to ensure a rapid market update. As a scalable and highly adaptive service it is easily transferable to other applications and markets, e.g. LBS, autonomous vehicles or search & rescue.
The EGNSS-based Visual Localisation Service enabling and democratising AAA-PNT (accurate, affordable, assured positioning, navigation and timing) (TRL 7-8) consisting of five components – all subject to patent.
• Component 1 – Reference Database (TRL 7-8) - infrastructure and solution is set up
• Component 2 – Semantic SLAM Estimator (TRL 7-8) – developed and integrated, testing upcoming
• Component 3 – Validated Registration Frameworks for visual localisation (TRL 7-8) – developed, integration to be finalised, testing upcoming
• Component 4 – Sensor Fusion Technology for position and attitude determination (TRL 9) – developed, integration to be finalised, testing upcoming
• Component 5 – Validated Platform Independent Open API (TRL 9) – developed, integration to be finalised, testing upcoming
• Component 1 – Reference Database (TRL 7-8) - infrastructure and solution is set up
• Component 2 – Semantic SLAM Estimator (TRL 7-8) – developed and integrated, testing upcoming
• Component 3 – Validated Registration Frameworks for visual localisation (TRL 7-8) – developed, integration to be finalised, testing upcoming
• Component 4 – Sensor Fusion Technology for position and attitude determination (TRL 9) – developed, integration to be finalised, testing upcoming
• Component 5 – Validated Platform Independent Open API (TRL 9) – developed, integration to be finalised, testing upcoming
The project delivers a high-TRL, modular visual localisation system comprising five core components: a Reference Database, a Semantic SLAM Estimator, Validated Registration Frameworks, Sensor Fusion Technology, and a Platform-Independent Open API. Period 2 of the project has successfully completed the development phase of all five core components of the visual localisation system.
Integration is currently underway for the remaining components, with comprehensive testing about to commence. This will be followed by system-level validation and targeted validation activities in three distinct and complementary use cases: bike navigation, smartphone-based surveying, and drone delivery. Together, these use cases cover a broad spectrum of navigation challenges across ground and aerial platforms.
While commercial uptake is being pursued for the first two use cases, drone delivery remains at a pre-commercial stage due to high regulatory barriers. A Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) study is being conducted in project phase 3 to explore the regulatory landscape and future deployment pathways.
To ensure successful uptake and long-term impact, the following priorities have been identified:
• Completion of integration, testing, and use case-specific validation activities;
• Demonstration in real-world scenarios to build confidence and engage early adopters;
• Engagement with stakeholders in standardisation and regulatory bodies to support interoperability and compliance;
• Exploration of commercialisation pathways for selected use cases + highly-relevant entry markets, such as logistics;
• Continued dialogue with potential partners to prepare for broader market access and internationalisation.
Integration is currently underway for the remaining components, with comprehensive testing about to commence. This will be followed by system-level validation and targeted validation activities in three distinct and complementary use cases: bike navigation, smartphone-based surveying, and drone delivery. Together, these use cases cover a broad spectrum of navigation challenges across ground and aerial platforms.
While commercial uptake is being pursued for the first two use cases, drone delivery remains at a pre-commercial stage due to high regulatory barriers. A Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) study is being conducted in project phase 3 to explore the regulatory landscape and future deployment pathways.
To ensure successful uptake and long-term impact, the following priorities have been identified:
• Completion of integration, testing, and use case-specific validation activities;
• Demonstration in real-world scenarios to build confidence and engage early adopters;
• Engagement with stakeholders in standardisation and regulatory bodies to support interoperability and compliance;
• Exploration of commercialisation pathways for selected use cases + highly-relevant entry markets, such as logistics;
• Continued dialogue with potential partners to prepare for broader market access and internationalisation.