ENGINEERING

• Cartogalicia developed the first service in Galicia for high precision positioning able to work with the GPS satellite constellation, GLONASS and the future GALILEO

• CESGA contributes its infrastructure to lead and secure data service.

• Researchers from universities and laboratories in Galicia can access the data without associated cost.

The firm Cartogalicia designed GalNet in recent years as a complementary network of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) that entirely covers Galicia, responding to a growing demand in satellite positioning services, as explained on its website. Now, as a result of an agreement between CESGA and Cartogalicia, members of the scientific community will have free access to Galician observations available through the network.

The information obtained helps to achieve greater precision, explains Cartogalicia, from measurements of the constellations of devices that remain in orbit, GPS or GLONASS consortia, which together constitute the GNSS. Thus, GalNet becomes the first service in Galicia with high precision positioning receivers with data processing capabilities of the GPS constellation, GLONASS and the future GALILEO.

The global navigation satellite were designed to provide for accuracies of the order of two to three meters. With the technology available today it is not possible to get more accurate measurements from a global point of view, but at the local level: local errors estimated by GalNet allow for correcting the signal from the satellites and improving accuracy until the errors are centimeters at max.

The network has GNSS receivers at base stations scattered throughout Galicia, at a distance of 60 to 70 kilometers between them, and that monitor satellite signals from GPS and GLONASS. These receptors are found in known positions, so that when comparing the calculated position based on satellite information with previously known position, the errors are cleared in the navigation system every moment.

The raw data for differential correction produced by the network file to be disseminated without post-processing cost associated for members of the scientific community in Galicia and may be incorporated for the execution of research projects, development and innovation (R + D + i ). The framework is used in ETRS89 geodetic, official reference that replaces or complements traditional geodetic networks.

This data forms a building block for geographic infrastructure in Galicia, which is one of the main priorities of the Institute of Territorial Studies (Department of the Environment, Land and Infrastructure). This body aims for a coordination and dissemination of geographic information and mapping, as well as, encourage innovation, adoption and development of technologies and infrastructures in the fields of geographic information in Galicia.

Data dissemination is accessed through the Internet from a desktop computer or in the case of field measurements using mobile phones or devices that operate with radio links.

The signing of the cooperation agreement favors the scientific community in Galicia that did not have a network of this kind.