The spyGLASS project was born with the ambition to have a certain number of impacts, mainly in the following directions:
• Increasing the variety of possible uses of Galileo;
• Validation of the effective operation in the field of maritime surveillance;
• Product commercialisation towards potential identified users.
Let's see how where we are with these three goals, after 15 months of project.
1. Use of Galileo
Galileo global navigation satellite system aims at joining and combining the existing GPS and GLONASS systems in order to provide more accuracy and a greater geographical coverage.
Many applications have been already envisaged for Galileo and many more will be as soon as the constellation will be fully deployed (expected date by 2020).
The use of Galileo as opportunity transmitter for a passive bistatic radar is one of the newest and most original applications, one of the most fruitful for many reasons:
• Planetary coverage;
• Multiple transmitters always available;
• Inexpensive to receive;
• Simple to synchronize.
At this stage of the project the Galileo constellation has not been completed yet and the spyGLASS prototype is not yet operational (according to spyGLASS program, the prototype will be operational only in the second half of the project). Nevertheless, on the basis of the first experiments carried out by using the breadboard receiver of the University of Birmingham, whose data were analysed and processed by the algorithms developed by the University of Rome, we can state, without any doubt, that the use of Galileo as opportunity transmitter for passive bistatic radar application is absolutely meaningful and convenient and that surely it will come into common use in the next future.
2. Maritime Validation
As mentioned in the previous point, the first measurements have been performed by using GNSS transmissions received by the breadboard receiver set up by the University of Birmingham. Trials have been executed by receiving the signals reflected from targets both co-operative and occasional. The received signals, converted into digital format, have been subsequently transferred to the University of Rome where they have been processed by means of original algorithms in order to detect and locate the target.
The main problem of a passive bistatic radar exploiting transmissions coming from GNSS satellites is the extremely low strength of the received signal and the capability to extract it from the noise. In the sea this is made more difficult by clutter.
The first results are encouraging, but of course we have to wait to make the tests with the final prototype, which will be equipped with a much better performance receiver.
3. Product Commercialisation
Potential users have been identified: Coast Guard, Tributary Police, Border Guard and Navy at the moment. Obviously, the most promising approaches towards the stakeholders are postponed after the prototype will be fully validated and there will be tangible results to be shown.
This specific impact will be extensively covered in the Final Report.
