Green Paper on Satellite Navigation Applications
Date: 2006-12-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, new technology, satellite communications, satellite navigation, scientific cooperation, world economy

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 8.12.2006 
COM(2006) 769 final 

GREEN PAPER 

on Satellite Navigation Applications 

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GREEN PAPER 

on Satellite Navigation Applications 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  European  Union  is  building  a  global  navigation  satellite  system  (GNSS),  comprising 
GALILEO and Egnos, which will provide a set of positioning, navigation and timing services.  

The  benefits  of  this  technology  have  already  been  demonstrated  with  the  availability  of  the 
US  Global  Positioning  System  (GPS).  Applications  are  continuously  being  developed, 
covering  all  walks  of  life  and  sectors  of  the  world  economy.  The  market  in  products  and 
services has been forecast to reach €400 billion by 2025. 

The  aim of this Green  Paper,  which  addresses all stakeholders, is to launch a discussion on 
what  the  public  sector  can  do  to  create  an  appropriate  policy  and  legal  framework  for 
supporting the development of satellite navigation applications, beyond the financial support 
for research and the creation of infrastructure.  

GALILEO is a flagship of the European Space Policy. Its objectives are, amongst others, to 
respond to citizen's needs, to serve other EU policies, to concentrate on space applications and 
to improve European competitiveness. Galileo is the perfect tool to achieve these goals. 

GALILEO has also to be seen in the wider context of the Commission agenda for fostering 
innovation and in the Lisbon strategy in which the actions of the public sector can be crucial 
to  foster  the  development  of  world  competitive  companies.  It  is  a  good  example  of  a  lead 
market. 

A series of questions are posed in this document: the replies will be analysed by the European 
Commission, and used as a basis for recommendations to the Council and Parliament. 

Further  information  on  the  GALILEO  infrastructure  and  on  the  consultation  process  can  be 
found at www.galileo.eu1 

In parallel to this consultation, a contest for young people aged 15-25 will be launched for the 
most innovative ideas on the use of satellite navigation technologies and services. It will be 
rewarded with a prize. More details are also available at www.galileo.eu/contest. 

1 

Contributions can  also  be  sent  to  "European  Commission,  Directorate-General  Energy  and  Transport, 
Galileo Unit - Green Paper, B-1049, Brussels, Belgium". 

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2. 

SATELLITE NAVIGATION 

2.1. 

Positioning, navigation and timing services 

With a dedicated electronic device, a person can determine position and time accurately. As 
technology  evolves,  receiver  miniaturisation  will  allow  their  integration  into  other  devices 
such as mobile phones. 

GALILEO  is  based  on  a  constellation  of  30  satellites  which  broadcast  a  set  of  very  high 
quality signals. These are processed by receivers in order to determine their position. All other 
functions,  such  as  pinpointing  position  on  a  digital  map  or  transmission  of  position 
information  for  other  purposes,  are  performed  in  the  user  device.  The  satellite  navigation 
infrastructure itself is "passive" by design, i.e. it is unaware of the user's location. 

2.2. 

Infrastructure 

GALILEO  will  provide  very  accurate  positioning  and  timing  services  worldwide  for  civil 
applications.  Reliability  will  further  allow  the  smooth  development  of  receiver  technologies 
and  applications.  Egnos,  a  European  system  that  complements  and  improves  GPS 
performance mainly over Europe, already provides services on an experimental basis. 

The launch of the first GALILEO test satellite took place in 2005. The second test satellite is 
planned for 2007. The first four satellites of the operational constellation will be launched in 
2008.  A  private  consortium  will  then  deploy  the  full  constellation  through  a  Public-Private 
Partnership contract. Availability of services will be provided as of 2011. 

GALILEO has a strong international dimension. As other nations in the world are showing an 
interest,  cooperation  agreements  have  been  established  in  order  to  promote  and  develop  the 
use of GALILEO worldwide. Compatibility with the American GPS is also ensured, allowing 
combined use of the two systems. 

A "European Radio Navigation Plan" is under preparation in order to coordinate the various 
navigation infrastructures in Europe. 

2.3. 

Applications 

All  sectors  of  modern  economies  are  affected  by  the  development  of  satellite  navigation 
technologies. The market for products and services is growing at an annual rate of 25%. Some 
3 billion  satellite  navigation  receivers  should  be  in  service  by  2020.  Satellite  navigation  is 
becoming more and more part of the daily life of European citizens, not only in their cars and 
portable telephones but also in energy distribution networks or banking systems.  

Applications span a large range of sectors, not only in transport and communication but also 
in  other  markets  such  as  land  survey,  agriculture,  scientific  research,  tourism  and  others. 
Receivers are now found in all kinds  of  electronic devices for everyday use such as mobile 
phones, personal digital assistants, cameras, portable PCs or wristwatches. Mobile telephony 
is a promising market with over 2 billion mobile phone subscribers. Half a billion units are 
sold  every  year,  with  a  prospect  of  1  billion  a  year  by  2020,  allowing  for  fast  market 
penetration of satellite positioning-based services. 

Vehicles  will  increasingly  be  fitted  with  navigation  equipment.  Conservative  projections 
suggest 50 million unit sales by 2020. 

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Transport management is on the verge of revolution: a few hundred thousand containers are 
already equipped with GNSS tracking and tracing devices. Thanks to such devices, logistics 
companies can offer faster and better services to their customers. Also, for security purposes 
container movements can be monitored. 

For  navigation  in  seas  and  waterways,  satellite  technology  is  a  natural  choice.  This  is 
confirmed  both  by  current  sale  figures  of  maritime  receivers  (over  €1  billion)  and  by  the 
adoption of relevant legislation. The same applies to air navigation, where a reliable mean for 
increasing the system capacity for transporting millions of citizens is needed. 

2.4. 

Technology evolution 

New  technologies  like  radio  frequency  identification  devices,  geographical  information 
systems,  receiver  miniaturisation  and  power  consumption  reduction  and  the  synergies  with 
telecommunications  will  create  the  conditions  for  the  emergence  of  a  large  set  of  new 
developments  using  satellite  positioning  in  the  coming  years.  Even  "in-door"  positioning 
solutions are being developed to overcome current limitations.  

In  parallel  to  the  development  of  GALILEO,  the  European  Union  also  launched  GMES 
(Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security),  an  Earth  observation  system  for  user 
oriented information systems. Many GNSS applications will benefit from the complementary 
technologies  GALILEO  and  GMES.  The  evolution  of  user  needs  points  towards  the 
development  of  integrated  telecommunications,  meteorological,  positioning  and  monitoring 
space  systems  in  many  areas  of  high  strategic  importance,  economic  value  and  societal 
benefits areas. 

Such an evolution calls for a review by public authorities of the regulatory framework. 

3. 

APPLICATION DOMAINS 

GALILEO  will  provide  five  services  that  can  be  used  in  a  variety  of  sectors.  In  this  Green 
Paper, four of these are addressed: 

–  the open access service, addressing mainly the mass market,  

–  the  commercial  service,  for  professional  users  requiring  outstanding  performance  and 

guarantees,  

–  the  safety-of-life  service,  for  applications  where  human  life  is  at  risk,  hence  requiring 

integrity information, and  

–  the search and rescue service to localise distress events and initiate rescue operations. 

The  fifth  service,  i.e.  the  "public  regulated  service",  does  not  fall  within  the  scope  of  this 
Green Paper. Consultation on the use of this service for security applications is taking place 
with governmental and Community entities directly. 

3.1. 

Location-based services and emergency calls 

Through the integration of satellite navigation receivers in mobile phones and other means of 
communication,  location-based  services  and  personal  mobility  constitute  the  largest  mass 

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market for satellite navigation. The prospect of providing "tailor-made" data to users opens a 
new world for mobile telecom operators and service providers: customers can access specific 
"vicinity"  information,  such  as  the  closest  hospital,  the  most  appropriate  route  to  a  filling 
station or the nearest restaurant. 

Emergency  services  can  also  benefit:  there  are  some  180  million  emergency  calls  in  the 
European Union every year, 60-70% of which emanate from mobile phones2. In more than a 
million  cases,  emergency  vehicles  cannot  be  dispatched  due  to  the  absence  of  sufficient 
location  information.  European  initiatives  are  under  way  in  partnership  between  the  public 
and  the  private  sectors  to  define  the  framework  and  technical  solutions  for  implementing 
efficient emergency call management3. 

GALILEO  can  radically  improve  the  accuracy  of  location-based  services,  and  some  civil 
protection  authorities  have  already  indicated  that  their  use  would  ensure  faster  emergency 
services. 

3.2. 

Road 

GNSS  applications  in  the  road  sector  span  a  range  of  functions,  from  telematics  and 
navigation  devices  to  electronic  fee  collection  (EFC)  for  highway  or  city  tolls,  as  well  as 
safety applications and pay-per-use insurance. Virtually all 240 million vehicles circulating in 
the  EU  could  benefit  from  state-of-the-art  navigation  systems,  and  it  is  expected  that  many 
limitations of "intelligent transport system" initiatives can be overcome by GALILEO. 

Road  toll  systems  have  developed  rapidly  in  recent  years.  Some  countries  have  already 
implemented  kilometre-based  charging  systems  relying  on  GNSS,  specifically  for  heavy 
goods vehicles on inter-urban motorways. Urban congestion charging schemes are already in 
use.  Directive  2004/52  requires  all  new  EFC  systems  to  use  one  or  more  of  the  following 
technologies:  satellite  navigation,  cellular  network 
telephony,  dedicated  short-range 
communication  or  a  combination  of  these.  Satellite  navigation  is  recommended  for  its 
flexibility and its best fit with European charging policy, being infrastructure-free and easily 
expandable  by  nature.  It  allows  varying  pricing  schemes,  interoperability  and  intelligent 
transport  system  services.  Traffic  management,  real-time  traffic  and  travel  information 
systems also improve transport efficiency4. 

The  “eSafety”  initiative,  which  includes  a  number  of  applications  that  could  make  use  of 
accurate  vehicle  positioning,  recognises  the  establishment  of  a  pan-European  in-vehicle 
emergency call standard5,6 as a priority to reduce emergency intervention times by 40 to 50%, 
with the potential to save 2500 lives. Providing the direction of driving and making possible 
the identification of the side of the motorway on which an accident happened, information of 
prime  importance  for  ambulances  and  rescue  teams,  is  a  clear  supplementary  benefit  that 
GALILEO can provide. 

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6 

Commission Communication, COM (2005) 431.  
The processing of caller location information for the purpose of location-enhanced emergency services 
(E112)  is  covered  by  the  Commission  Recommendation  C(2003)2657,  Official  Journal  L  189  , 
29/07/2003 P. 0049 - 0051 
Action plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the potential COM(2006)0545 
Commission Recommendation 2003/558/EC. 
Commission Communication COM (2005) 431. 

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Commercial  pay-per-use  insurance  services  are  already  available  on  the  market.  These 
services  are  based  on  satellite  navigation  coupled  with  mobile  phone  communication. 
Insurance companies offering such a service apply tariffs depending on calculated distances 
or provide financial incentives for limited use of a vehicle. 

3.3. 

Rail 

Railway infrastructures have always entailed the use of signalling and train location systems, 
mainly installed at track side. These require expensive equipment and extensive maintenance. 
In  order  to  improve  interoperability  and  reduce  costs,  those  systems  are  being  replaced  by 
new  standards:  the  European  Rail  Traffic  Management  System  and  the  European  Train 
Control System. 

Feasibility of train control systems complying with rail safety standards using GNSS has been 
demonstrated.  Satellite  navigation  has  already  been  introduced  in  a  variety  of  non-safety 
applications such as traffic control aid, railway resource management or customer support, but 
also for "positive train control" as demonstrated in the US. Safety enhancement for automatic 
train protection and control systems can be achieved through GALILEO. 

3.4.  Maritime, fisheries, inland waterways 

The  open  sea  and  inland  waterways  are  the  most  widely  used  mode  for  transporting  goods 
worldwide. A wide variety of vessels move around the world each day. The efficiency, safety 
and optimisation of marine transportation are key issues to which GNSS can contribute. It is 
the  International  Maritime  Organisation  (IMO)  that  defines  the  requirements  for  position-
fixing  equipment  for  a  worldwide  radionavigation  system7,  in  terms  of  accuracy,  integrity, 
continuity,  availability  and  coverage  for  the  various  phases  of  navigation.  For  ocean  and 
coastal  navigation,  the  IMO  defines  navigation  requirements  and  standards  for  onboard 
equipment.  

Today, operational satellite navigation systems do not meet the requirements on their own, so 
augmentation systems8 are still needed to improve GNSS performance, though these are not 
yet recognised. However, GALILEO can provide benefits for safety-of-life applications, for 
safety improvements or for "Automatic Identification Systems". 

For  port  approaches,  ports  and  restricted  waters,  the  IMO9  emphasises  the  use  of  GNSS. 
Existing  and  planned  systems  that  provide  a  set  of  services  to  vessels  at  sea  (as  "Vessel 
Traffic  Services"  and  "Automatic  Identification  System")  also  rely  on  the  transmission  of 
position-related  information,  which  can  clearly  be  provided  by  GNSS.  Following  EU 
Directive  2002/59/EC  on  the  establishment  of  a  vessel  traffic  monitoring  and  information 
service,  which  emphasises  maritime  safety  and  pollution  preparedness,  the  European  Union 
has undertaken to establish by 2008 a coastal vessel traffic monitoring system for the whole of 
the EU. 

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Resolution  A.953(23)  on  a  worldwide  radionavigation  system  and  Resolution  A.915(22)  on  maritime 
policy and requirements for a future global navigation satellite system. 
Such as WAAS and EGNOS (space-based systems designed to improve GPS positioning over the USA 
and over Europe, respectively) or the IALA differential-GPS infrastructure. 
Resolution A.915(22) maritime policy and requirements for a future global navigation satellite system. 

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GNSS is also considered a key tool for the "Global Maritime Distress and Safety System", set 
up  by  the  IMO  as  an  integrated  communication  system  using  satellites  and  terrestrial  radio 
communication  to  ensure  aid  dispatching  to  any  place  where  a  ship  could  face  a  distress 
situation. In the near future, the "Long Range Identification and Tracking system", adopted in 
2006,  will  further  enhance  maritime  security:  it  will  allow  the  tracking  of  ships  beyond  the 
coverage of coastal radio communications stations, with ship identity, location, date and time 
of  position  transmitted  at  regular  intervals  or  on  request.  Furthermore,  SafeSeaNet10  allows 
rapid  access  by  EU  Member  States  to  all  important  information  relating  to  ships  carrying 
dangerous goods. Certification must be addressed for many maritime applications, as it plays 
an important role for the common maritime space and the development of business cases. 

The  management  of  fisheries  is  based  on  legislation  defining  vessel  access  to  areas, 
restrictions  on  gear  types  and  fishing  time,  and  quotas  on  the  amounts  of  particular  species 
which may be caught. Effective monitoring, control and surveillance regimes are put in place 
to  ensure  compliance  with  the  legislation.  Traditional  control  instruments  have  been 
complemented  since  the  nineties  by  a  satellite  tracking  technology  known  as  "Vessel 
Monitoring System"11, a system used by some 8000 fishing vessels. Knowledge of the exact 
position of vessels is a must. 

Inland waterways represent only 6% of transport traffic compared with 76% for road: to give 
inland waterways a more prominent role, measures are being taken to modernise this sector. 
Directive  2005/44/EC  on  Harmonised  River  Information  Services  encourages  the  use  of 
information and communication technology to increase the efficiency and safety of logistics 
operations and to improve environmental protection. The Directive also recommends the use 
of  satellite  positioning  technologies  and  the  establishment  of  vessel  tracking  and  tracing 
specifications. 

3.5. 

Aviation 

In the aeronautical domain, GNSS services have long been an additional means of navigation. 
They already provide supplementary services for many flight phases, in leisure flying as well 
as in commercial air transport. It is the International Civil Aviation Organisation that defines 
the capabilities required for an aircraft to navigate in a particular airspace segment and allows 
the aircraft operator the choice of specific equipment to achieve these capabilities12. Analysts 
foresee strong growth through to 2025, with the need for more than 17 300 new passenger and 
freight  aircraft  due  to  a  three-fold  growth  in  passenger  traffic  and  even  faster  growth  in 
airfreight. The accuracy and integrity offered by GALILEO will enable greater use of existing 
airports currently not used in bad weather and visibility conditions. 

In  Europe,  the  "SESAR"  Joint  Undertaking,  which  implements  the  legal  framework  for  air 
navigation  service  provision  as  defined  by  the  four  Single  European  Sky  Regulations,  will 
also rely on GNSS. 

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Directive 2002/59/EC. 
Regulations (EC) Nos 1489/97 and 2244/2003. 
ICAO Recommendations 6/1 and 6/2 of the 11th Air Navigation Conference. 

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3.6. 

Civil protection, emergency management and humanitarian aid 

Helping people after earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and other natural or human-made disasters 
has  long  been  a  concern  of  public  authorities.  Locating  assets,  people  and  resources  is  of 
paramount importance for relief operations. 

Civil protection comes under different organisational schemes in the various Member States, 
with  some  management  autonomy  at  regional  and  municipal  level.  At  European  level,  a 
Monitoring and Information Centre and a Crisis Platform have been established as a tool to 
enhance  Community  cooperation  on  natural  disasters,  emergencies  due  to  marine  pollution, 
chemical accidents and timely response to political crises. 

Under  the  European  Space  Policy,  European  authorities  are  outlining  a  set  of  requirements 
governing  space  infrastructures  for  civilian  crisis  management  operations,  encompassing 
satellite navigation, earth observation, telecommunications and signals intelligence. 

GNSS allows tracking of resources and workforces, improves the planning and optimisation 
of resource allocation and permits prompt responses in sparse and remote areas. 

GNNS would also allow to monitor the movements of humanitarian actors and others on the 
ground and on the crisis scene, to strengthen the humanitarian needs and impact asessments, 
to  provide  accurate  information  on  the  problems  of  access  to  the  affected  populations  in 
remote and areas that are difficult to access, to immediately track population movements, to 
identify safe areas for the set up of camps for refugees/internal displaced populations outside 
disaster prone areas, to optimise the allocation of financial, material and human resources, to 
increase the rapid response capacity, and to strengthen the overal humanitarian aid response. 

3.7. 

Dangerous goods 

A set of technical and administrative requirements have been defined for dangerous goods13. 
Due to their potentially destructive nature, they also have to be addressed in the new security 
context.  The  legal  framework  will  need  to  be  updated  in  order  to  take  account  of  the  many 
options that GALILEO could offer. 

In the event of anomaly detection or exit from pre-defined routes, GNSS enables tracking and 
tracing, along with warning and alarms. Emergency action is also improved by the use of this 
technology. 

3.8. 

Livestock transport 

Every  year,  millions  of  animals  are  transported  in  the  European  Union.  Traceability  of 
livestock is of paramount importance to prevent sanitary fraud, to ensure food safety and to 
secure the welfare of live animals. 

Council  Regulation  (EC)  1/2005  lays  down  the  requirements  for  the  transport  of  animals. 
Amongst  a  variety  of  measures,  it  imposes  the  use  of  GNSS  in  all  new  trucks  for  long 

13 

European  Agreement  concerning  the  international  carriage  of  Dangerous  goods  by  Road  (ADR), 
European  Agreement  concerning  the  international  carriage  of  Dangerous  goods  on  the  Rhine  river 
(ADNR),  European  Agreement  concerning  the  international  carriage  of  dangerous  goods  by  Inland 
waterways (AND), the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code, etc. 

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journeys. This represents an important innovation that will facilitate the enforcement of other 
related policies in the area of animal and public health such as the implementation of cattle 
identification. It will take into account existing systems for tracking animals, such as the web-
based "TRACES" which addresses consignments and imports. 

GNSS,  combined  with  communication,  allows 
reducing 
administrative  burden  for  veterinarians  and  operators  and  enabling  transporters  to  take 
corrective measures when necessary. 

real-time 

tracking, 

thus 

Harmonisation  of  technical  specifications  will  allow  faster  implementation  and  in  particular 
facilitate data collection at EU level. 

3.9. 

Agriculture, parcel measurements, geodesy and cadastral survey 

In the EU, 11 million farmers grow crops on 110 million hectares of land.  

The location and size of parcels represent key information for use in commercial information 
exchange and with government authorities in applying for subsidies14. Parcel measurement by 
GNSS is yearly performed to verify the eligibility of subsidy claims. Information on about 50 
million agricultural fields is already stored in the digital geographic information system of the 
integrated administration and control system of the European Union in 2005. 

The control of payments under the common agriculture policy requires increasingly detailed 
and  timely  information.  Furthermore,  farmers  make  use  of  geo-information  and  GNSS  for 
optimisation  of  crops,  reduction  of  nutrients  and  pesticides  and  for  ensuring  optimal  use  of 
soil and water. 

The  use  of  GNSS  can  greatly  simplify  and  improve  geodesy  data  and  cadastral  survey 
measurements and help administrations to build appropriate map databases where information 
is either lacking or of poor quality. 

3.10.  Energy, oil and gas 

The oil and gas industry makes extensive use of GNSS for onshore and offshore operations in 
both exploration and exploitation activities, where the accuracy and guarantees of positioning 
services  are  of  the  utmost  importance.  The  safety  and  security  of  oil  and  gas  transport  also 
benefit from the positioning functions of GNSS. 

In  the  electricity  sector,  power  distribution  networks  use  the  accurate  and  precise  timing 
functions of GNSS for their synchronisation. 

3.11. 

Search and rescue 

The  search  and  rescue  function  of  GALILEO  is  Europe's  contribution  to  international 
cooperation in humanitarian search and rescue, mainly in the maritime and aviation domains. 
By  allowing  near  real-time  reception  of  distress  messages  from  anywhere  on  earth  with 
precise  location  information  and  contact  from  rescue  centres  to  people  in  distress,  it  will 
facilitate operations and reduce the rate of false alerts, hence saving more human lives. This 

14 

EC Regulation 796/2004, Article 30. 

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has also implications for the fight against irregular immigration by sea and the enforcement 
agencies' ability to rescue migrants in distress at sea. 

3.12.  Other applications: logistics, environment, science, law enforcement and others 

GNSS  also  provides  instruments  for  introducing  improvements  in  the  logistics  domain.  By 
enabling accurate and continuous tracking and tracing of boxes, containers or pallets, GNSS, 
coupled with other technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification Devices, is improving 
the management of supply chains and fleet management for all transport modes both in urban 
areas and for long distance journeys. Furthermore, in the context of multimodal applications, 
security can be reinforced by the use of electronic seals and other location-sensitive devices. 

Satellite navigation technologies provide useful services in a wide range of sectors. Many of 
these  could  not  be  covered  in  this  Green  Paper,  e.g.  public  transportation  systems,  public 
works and civil engineering, immigration and border control, police, monitoring of prisoners 
biomass  production  and  feedstock  management,  environment  management,  medical 
applications  and  people  with  disabilities,  scientific  research,  hunting,  sports,  tourism,  waste 
disposal, and many others. 

QUESTION 1: After indicating your area of interest in the above list (3.1 to 3.12), 
please give your opinion on: 

–  what  measures  should  be  taken  to  accelerate  the  market  introduction  of  your 

application, 

–  the appropriateness of the legal and regulatory framework and the need to further 
develop  it,  the  benefits  of  compulsory  use  of  GNSS  or  equivalent  positioning 
systems  for  your  selected  application,  in  accordance  with  the  World  Trade 
Organisation rules and commitments  

–  the role of public authorities, 

–  the protection of citizens (in terms of safety and security and other aspects of civil 

protection) 

–  the benefits of GNSS,  

–  the  market  perspective  in  your  domain  (in  relation  with  the  expected  volume  of 

use) 

–  sensitivity to costs,  

–  minimum accuracy requirements and other performance parameters,  

–  the certification process,  

–  integration with communication systems and  

–  other issues you deem important. 

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4. 

ETHICAL AND PRIVACY ISSUES 

The capability of satellite navigation technology to locate and trace the position of people and 
goods  has  implications  for  privacy  issues.  The  protection  of  personal  data  and  privacy  is  a 
common and shared concern of citizens. 

The right to privacy is a highly developed area of law in Europe. All Member States of the 
European  Union  are  signatories  to  the  European  Convention  on  Human  Rights,  which 
guarantees respect for "private and family life, home and correspondence". 

Most  privacy  issues  related  to  satellite  navigation  are  covered  by  the  current  legislative 
framework: Directive 95/46/EC regulates the processing and treatment of “personal data” in 
terms  of  "transparency,  legitimate  purpose  and  proportionality"  and  Directive  2002/58/EC 
addresses  the  processing  of  personal  data  and  the  protection  of  privacy  in  the  electronic 
communications sector. 

QUESTION  2:  what  is  your  perception  of  the  existing  legal  framework  governing 
privacy issues regarding the introduction of services based on GNSS? Do you see a 
need for any additional measures to address specific privacy issues? 

5. 

PUBLIC SECTOR ACTION 

In parallel to the development of satellite navigation infrastructures, public sector authorities 
at national and EU level are sustaining the development of satellite navigation technologies. 
Public action has been taken in a number of areas including support for research, the adoption 
of  an  adequate  regulatory  framework  and  others.  The  potential  range  of  public  action  is 
described below. 

5.1. 

Research and innovation 

As stressed in the Lisbon Strategy, research is recognised as a fundamental tool for triggering 
innovation and generating economic wealth. While the EU is still some way off its target of to 
invest  3%  of  GDP  in  research  and  development  by  2010  -  with  the  latest  figures  showing 
investment of 1.9% of GDP - there are nonetheless some encouraging signs of both businesses 
and governments increasing their research spending. 

So far, total annual public and private spending in Europe on research into satellite navigation 
applications  has  been  over  €100  million.  This  figure  is  likely  to  increase  fivefold  when 
GALILEO becomes fully operational. 

QUESTION  3:  Is  the  overall  research  effort  in  Europe  commensurate  with  the 
general  objective  of  giving  Europe  state-of-the-art  competence?  In  which  relevant 
fields and sectors of research should efforts be concentrated? What needs to be done 
to increase the research effort and exploit research results at best? 

5.2. 

Small and medium-sized enterprises – excellence centres 

SMEs are identified as key to achieving the objectives of the Lisbon strategy of making the 
EU the most competitive knowledge-based economy. 

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SME cooperation and networking at European level has been promoted within the EU's Sixth 
Framework  Research  Programme  by  allocating  at  least  8%  of  funding  to  this  end.  Studies 
have  been  performed  on  low  power  consumption  receivers,  indoor  positioning  methods, 
multi-frequency antenna designs, wildlife monitoring and other aspects. 

Several  regions  in  Europe  have  recognised  the  benefits  of  acquiring  knowledge  in  satellite 
navigation.  Pools  of  competence  in  positioning  technologies  have  been  developed  by  co-
locating companies, research laboratories and institutes and by establishing partnerships with 
universities,  faculties  and  schools.  European  Cohesion  Policy  in  2007-2013  will  encourage 
regions  to  exchange  best  practice  on  developing  Galileo  applications  through  the  initiative 
'Regions for Economic Change'. 

QUESTION 4: How should public authorities stimulate SMEs? Should competence 
centres, training programmes or any other instruments be supported (an in that case, 
which ones)? 

5.3. 

International cooperation 

GALILEO offers an unrivalled international public service, as demonstrated by the number of 
countries  willing  to  cooperate.  Cooperation  with  non-EU  countries,  including  developing 
countries,  is  essential  to  realise  all  the  benefits  of  GALILEO,  to  promote  industrial  know-
how,  to  stimulate  EU  and  non-EU  applications,  to  adopt  global  standards,  to  address 
worldwide markets and to promote GALILEO in international bodies. Cooperation schemes 
cover regulatory aspects, certification and frequencies as well as intellectual property rights, 
scientific research and industrial action. 

GALILEO-GPS  compatibility  will  ensure  the  availability  of  receivers  with  outstanding 
performance.  This  compatibility  could  apply  to  a  third  constellation  once  negotiations 
between Europe and Russia are concluded on a GLONASS evolution programme. 

QUESTION 5: What is the most important cooperation issue to be implemented? Is 
there a particular sector of the world that needs to be targeted? 

5.4. 

Standards, certification and liability 

In  order  to  ease  the  future  market  penetration  of  GALILEO  services,  both  the  public  and 
private  sector  have  already  been  carrying  out  GALILEO-specific  standardisation  activities. 
Receiver  performance  standards  have  been  established,  and  concrete  actions  have  been 
launched in the aeronautical and maritime domains within the framework of the International 
Civil  Aviation  Organisation  and  the  International  Maritime  Organisation.  Work  is  ongoing 
within the rail and road communities to satisfy specific standardisation needs. Other location-
based service providers are participating in the development of GALILEO standards. 

QUESTION  6:  do  you  believe  that  more  effort  should  be  devoted  to  the 
establishment of standards for satellite navigation devices and services, and at which 
level? 

For applications involving safety and liability aspects, equipment and service certification is a 
prerequisite.  Assessments  of  positioning  systems  and  application  performances  have  to  be 
implemented  through  "safety  case"  methodologies.  Both  system  design  and  operational 

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procedures  have  to  be  certified  to  attest  compliance  with  safety-critical  application 
requirements. 

The Egnos system will be certified in accordance with the Single European Sky Regulations. 
For  GALILEO,  the  European  GNSS  Supervisory  Authority  will  appoint  a  certification 
supporting  body,  which  will  consult  the  various  regulators  of  safety-of-life  uses,  e.g.  the 
European Aviation Safety Agency. 

QUESTION  7:  which  safety  applications  do  you  believe  require  certification?  Are 
the  GALILEO  infrastructure  safety-related  requirements  sufficient  to  constitute  the 
basis  for  system  certification,  including  infrastructure  lifetime?  What  are  your 
liability concerns and how do you think they could best be addressed? 

5.5. 

Frequencies 

The  international  spectrum  allocations  are  done  in  full  compliance  with  Regulations  of  the 
International Telecommunications Union and, in Europe, with the Radio Spectrum Decision15 
Safeguarding the frequency spectrum and promoting the allocation of new frequency bands is 
a  key  objective  in  order  to  ensure  safe  and  guaranteed  service  performance  for  all  users. 
Please  note  that  these  issues  are  also  subject  to  a  broader  discussion  in  the  context  of  the 
review  of  the  EU  regulatory  framework  for  electronic  communications16.  Continuous 
performance improvement is dependent on frequency spectrum allocation. 

QUESTION 8: Do you foresee the need for a better coordination of spectrum at the 
international and European level? Should measures be adopted regarding potential 
sources of interference? 

5.6. 

Intellectual Property Rights 

The revenue potential of satellite navigation lies in the user segment, with the number of users 
likely to increase substantially. Patents may cover inventions relating to the methods used by 
GNSS  receivers  for  capturing  and  demodulating  the  signals  and  for  the  related  processing 
algorithms.  They  can  also  cover  signal  content  and  the  chipsets  to  be  built  into  GNSS 
receivers. The protection given by copyright may also be relevant in certain areas, particularly 
in signal processing and signal content. 

QUESTION 9: Do you consider that the current IPR rules are adequate to ensure 
that  innovators  will  be  able  to  benefit  from  their  activities  while  allowing  users  to 
enjoy these innovations?  

5.7. 

National laws and systems, EU directives and regulations 

New technologies and innovation are key elements for modern societies. Legislators need to 
ensure  that  the  benefits  arising  are  adequately  reflected  within  the  community,  that 
information is put to use and that innovation is fully exploited. 

The use of satellite navigation has already been mandated at local, regional or national level. 
European legislation has been adopted in various sectors over the past years, on the basis that 

15 
16 

676/2002/EC 
COM(2006) 334 of 29 June 2006. 

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GNSS  facilitates  and  rationalises  activities,  enhances  the  level  of  services  to  citizens  and 
reduces costs. 

QUESTION 10: Are there any legal or regulatory barriers at national or EU level 
that need to be overcome for the market introduction of your application? 

Are  national  laws  or  EU  directives  or  regulations  required  in  your  application 
domain?  Give  details  of  the  relevant  sectors  and  the  benefits  anticipated.  What 
approach should be followed for the European Radio Navigation Plan? 

6. 

CONCLUSION 

This Green Paper has set out the framework within which satellite navigation applications are 
developing  and  outlined  questions  for  debate.  It  aims  to  prompt  new  ideas  from  industry, 
public  authorities,  consumer  groups  or  consumers  themselves  in  order  to  define  concrete 
targets and the most appropriate public sector action with regard to GNSS. 

The 7th Framework Research Programme will be used as a pillar to sustain public initiatives. 
The demonstration and full-scale implementation of service provision trials will bring about 
the necessary confidence for new businesses to develop. 

In  September  2007,  the  Commission  will  present  an  analysis  of  the  results  of  the  public 
debate,  accompanied  by  an  action  plan  containing  the  practical  measures  to  be  proposed  as 
from 2008. In this analysis and in the measures that could be proposed based on this Green 
Paper,  the  Commission  will  take  into  account  the  principle  of  technology  neutrality, 
safeguarding the competitiveness of all sectors of industry, and the interests and rights of the 
consumers 

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