GNSS-based Location Determination System Architecture for railway performance assessment in presence of local effects

GNSS plays a strategic role on the introduction of the Virtual Balise functionality and the train integrity. Thanks to GNSS, it could be possible to realize cost effective solutions to increase the safety in the regional lines, where the traffic density is lower. The train position estimation is implemented taking into account that the train is constrained to lie on the track (i.e. track constraint). In this way, we can express the position in terms of the curvilinear abscissa (progressive mileage) of the track corresponding to the train position. However, the impact of local effects such as multipath, foliage attenuation and shadowing in the railway environment plays a crucial role due to the presence of infrastructures like platform roofs, side walls, tunnel entrances, buildings and so on close to the trackside. In the paper, we analyse the impact of those threats on the train GNSS-based position estimation performance. At this aim, several scenarios have been generated by using both real data acquired on a railway test-bed in Sardinia, and synthetic data generated in the lab through ad hoc multipath and foliage models. A sensitivity analysis has been conducted, varying main scenarios parameters (e.g. height of obstacles, presence of trees and shadowing). The result of the performed analysis, in terms of availability, accuracy and integrity, are here presented. mitigations implemented by the ERTMS at system level are not considered since the attention is focused on GNSS only

Space Weather and Rail: Findings and Outlook

Space weather caused by solar activity can disrupt and damage critical infrastructures in space and on the ground. Space-weather impacts to the power grid, aviation, communication, and navigation systems have already been documented. Since society relies increasingly on the services these critical infrastructures provide, awareness of the space weather threat needs to be increased and the associated risks assessed. While most research on impacts of space weather focuses on the power grid, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and aviation, railway networks are also a potential area for concern. Anomalies in signalling systems have been observed during geomagnetic storms, and rail transport depends on power, communications, and progressively on GNSS for timing and positioning. In order to raise awareness of this topic, and to further explore the vulnerability of rail systems to space weather, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, the UK Department for Transport, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration jointly organised the “Space weather and rail” workshop in London on 16-17 September 2015. The workshop was attended by representatives from the railway sector, insurance, European and North American government agencies, academia, and the European Commission. This report presents the main findings and conclusions of this workshop.JRC.G.5-Security technology assessmen

Vertiport Navigation Requirements and Multisensor Architecture Considerations for Urban Air Mobility

Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) technologies are key enablers for future safe operation of drones in urban environments. However, the design of navigation technologies for these new applications is more challenging compared to e.g., civil aviation. On the one hand, the use cases and operations in urban environments are expected to have stringent requirements in terms of accuracy, integrity, continuity and availability. On the other hand, airborne sensors may not be based on high-quality equipment as in civil aviation and solutions need to rely on tighter multisensor solutions, whose safety is difficult to assess. In this work, we first provide some initial navigation requirements related to precision approach operations based on recently proposed vertiport designs. Then, we provide an overview of a possible multisensor navigation architecture solution able to support these types of operations and we comment on the challenges of each of the subsystems. Finally, initial proof of concept for some navigation sensor subsystems is presented based on flight trials performed during the German Aerospace Center (DLR) project HorizonUAM

Using information engineering to understand the impact of train positioning uncertainties on railway subsystems

Many studies propose new advanced railway subsystems, such as Driver Advisory System (DAS), Automatic Door Operation (ADO) and Traffic Management System (TMS), designed to improve the overall performance of current railway systems. Real time train positioning information is one of the key pieces of input data for most of these new subsystems. Many studies presenting and examining the effectiveness of such subsystems assume the availability of very accurate train positioning data in real time. However, providing and using high accuracy positioning data may not always be the most cost-effective solution, nor is it always available. The accuracy of train position information is varied, based on the technological complexity of the positioning systems and the methods that are used. In reality, different subsystems, henceforth referred to as ‘applications’, need different minimum resolutions of train positioning data to work effectively, and uncertainty or inaccuracy in this data may reduce the effectiveness of the new applications. However, the trade-off between the accuracy of the positioning data and the required effectiveness of the proposed applications is so far not clear. A framework for assessing the impact of uncertainties in train positions against application performance has been developed. The required performance of the application is assessed based on the characteristics of the railway system, consisting of the infrastructure, rolling stock and operational data. The uncertainty in the train positioning data is considered based on the characteristics of the positioning system. The framework is applied to determine the impact of the positioning uncertainty on the application’s outcome. So, in that way, the desired position resolution associated with acceptable application performance can be characterised. In this thesis, the framework described above is implemented for DAS and TMS applications to understand the influence of positioning uncertainty on their fundamental functions compared to base case with high accuracy (actual position). A DAS system is modelled and implemented with uncertainty characteristic of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The train energy consumption and journey time are used as performance measures to evaluate the impact of these uncertainties compared to a base case. A TMS is modelled and implemented with the uncertainties of an on-board low-cost low-accuracy positioning system. The impact of positioning uncertainty on the modelled TMS is evaluated in terms of arrival punctuality for different levels of capacity consumption. The implementation of the framework for DAS and TMS applications determines the following: • which of the application functions are influenced by positioning uncertainty; • how positioning uncertainty influences the application output variables; • how the impact of positioning uncertainties can be identified, through the application output variables, whilst considering the impact of other railway uncertainties; • what is the impact of the underperforming application, due to positioning uncertainty, on the whole railway system in terms of energy, punctuality and capacity

Contributions to the foundations of a safety case for the use of GNSS in railway environments

The use of GNSS in the railways for passenger information services and selective door opening is already commonplace but the advancement of this increasingly popular navigation technique into safety of life rail applications has been hindered by the unknown level of measurement error caused by the local rail environment, especially that due to multipath. Current state of the art receiver technologies are discussed along with the additional advantages of signal differencing using local base stations. Limiting factors for hardware in a kinematic environment are also discussed and specific examples to the rail environment highlighted. Safety critical analysis techniques such as FMEA, HAZOP and FTA are reviewed to illustrate the evaluation of safety integrity values and the possibility of system risk, leading to the formation of a structured safety case. Three main data sets from electrified, rural and urban rail environments have been collected using dual frequency geodetic receivers in order to enable analysis of multipath effects in normal railway operations. The code and phase data have been combined to compute fluctuations in multipath errors and these have been used to characterise this effect in both space and time. Where phase positioning is possible comparisons with standard code-based positions have been made to assess the overall quality of the type of GNSS positioning expected to be operationally-viable on the railways. Experiments have also been undertaken to evaluate the possible effects of electromagnetic radiation from overhead cables used to power the trains. Finally, the ways in which the results of these experiments can be used to help build a safety case for the use of GNSS on the railways are discussed. Overall it is concluded that it is unlikely that multipath errors or electromagnetic interference will be the limiting factors in utilising GNSS for safety-critical railway applications

Innovative Methods and Materials in Structural Health Monitoring of Civil Infrastructures

In the past, when elements in sructures were composed of perishable materials, such as wood, the maintenance of houses, bridges, etc., was considered of vital importance for their safe use and to preserve their efficiency. With the advent of materials such as reinforced concrete and steel, given their relatively long useful life, periodic and constant maintenance has often been considered a secondary concern. When it was realized that even for structures fabricated with these materials that the useful life has an end and that it was being approached, planning maintenance became an important and non-negligible aspect. Thus, the concept of structural health monitoring (SHM) was introduced, designed, and implemented as a multidisciplinary method. Computational mechanics, static and dynamic analysis of structures, electronics, sensors, and, recently, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are required, but it is also important to consider new materials, especially those with intrinsic self-diagnosis characteristics, and to use measurement and survey methods typical of modern geomatics, such as satellite surveys and highly sophisticated laser tools

GNSS Vulnerabilities and Existing Solutions:A Review of the Literature

This literature review paper focuses on existing vulnerabilities associated with global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). With respect to the civilian/non encrypted GNSSs, they are employed for proving positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solutions across a wide range of industries. Some of these include electric power grids, stock exchange systems, cellular communications, agriculture, unmanned aerial systems and intelligent transportation systems. In this survey paper, physical degradations, existing threats and solutions adopted in academia and industry are presented. In regards to GNSS threats, jamming and spoofing attacks as well as detection techniques adopted in the literature are surveyed and summarized. Also discussed are multipath propagation in GNSS and non line-of-sight (NLoS) detection techniques. The review also identifies and discusses open research areas and techniques which can be investigated for the purpose of enhancing the robustness of GNSS

GNSS, IMU, camera and LIDAR technology characterization for railway ground truth and digital map generation

Satellite navigation in combination with affordable onboard sensors are key enabling technologies to support the digitalization in railway transport. However, the adoption of these technologies still requires common methodologies to evaluate anywhere the positioning performance. For this, the comparison with a reference ground truth as well as the availability of digital railway maps is necessary. However, the development of a reliable Ground Truth and Digital Map solutions based on affordable onboard sensors requires on its side first a rigorous characterization of each sensor technology. This paper provides with the most important aspects for the characterization of GNSS, IMU, Camera and LIDAR technologies for its use in railway environment within the context of the European RAILGAP project

Bewertung und Verifikation der Leistung der satellitenbasierten Zugortung

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are potentially applicable for various railway applications, especially the safety-related applications such as train localisation for the purpose of train control. In order to integrate GNSS for train localisation, a trustable stand-alone GNSS-based localisation unit should be developed. Then to comply with EN 50126 (reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety; RAMS) standards, the demonstration of GNSS quality of service (QoS) should be evaluated in consistent with RAMS. However there are currently no appropriate performance evaluation methods on GNSS for railway safety-related applications. This dissertation identifies the required performance for train localisation in consideration of GNSS QoS and railway RAMS. The common and different properties of the performance are analysed in detail using consistent attribute hierarchy structures based on UML class diagram. Then formalised performance requirements are proposed quantitatively on four properties (accuracy, reliability, availability, and safety integrity). After that, the evaluation and verification methodologies are introduced. The evaluation methodology is using a reference measurement system for GNSS receiver measured train location accuracy identification, and a stochastic Petri net (SPN) model for GNSS receiver measured train location accuracy categorisation. The SPN model illustrates the GNSS receiver measured train locations into three states (up state, degraded state, and faulty state). Then the four proposed properties are allocated and estimated formally using the three states in the SPN model. The verification methodology is used to verify the GNSS receiver measured train location in real time based on a localisation unit. The GNSS receiver measured train locations are verified using hypothesis testing methods based on the accurate digital track map provided beforehand. Then train location estimation from the localisation unit is verified according to the mileage of the train. With the verified train location estimation from the localisation unit, the corresponding safety margin for each train location is calculated. The data for evaluation and verification methodologies are collected from a test train running on a railway track in High Tatra Mountains. The results show an approach of the possible certification procedure for the GNSS receivers in railway safety-related applications.Globales Satellitennavigationssystem (GNSS) können für verschiedene Anwendungen im Schienenverkehr, vor allem für sicherheitsrelevante Anwendungen wie Zugortung zum Zweck der Zugsicherung gestützt werden. Um GNSS für Zugortung zu integrieren, muss eine eigenständige satellitenbasierte Ortungseinheit entwickelt werden. Um die Entwicklung in Einklang mit EN 50126 (Überlebensfähigkeit, Verfügbarkeit, Instandhaltbarkeit, und Sicherheit; RAMS) durchzuführen, muss der Nachweis der Güte von GNSS (Quality of Service; QoS) entsprechend in Einklang mit dieser Norm bewertet werden. Allerdings gibt es zurzeit keine RAMS Bewertungsverfahren für satellitenbasierte sicherheitsrelevante Anwendungen im Schienenverkehr. Diese Dissertation identifiziert die notwendigen Anforderungen für die Zugortung unter Berücksichtigung der Güte von GNSS und den bestehenden Normen bezüglich RAMS im Schienenverkehr. Die gemeinsamen und unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften der Anforderungen werden detailliert mit Nutzung einer Attributhierarchie basierend auf UML-Klassendiagrammen dargestellt. Danach werden formalisierte Leistungsanforderungen quantitativ für vier Eigenschaften (Genauigkeit, Zuverlässigkeit, Verfügbarkeit und Sicherheitsintegrität) vorgeschlagen. Darauf aufbauend werden die Bewertungs- und Verifikations- Methoden eingeführt. Die Bewertungsmethode nutzt ein Referenzmesssystem zur Identifikation der Zugortungsgenauigkeit der GNSS Empfänger und ein stochastischen Petri-Netz-Modell (SPN-Modell) für die Kategorisierung der GNSS Empfänger Zugortmessungen. Das SPN-Modell veranschaulicht die GNSS Empfänger Zugortmessungen in drei Zuständen (up state, degraded state, faulty state). Dann werden die vier vorgeschlagenen Eigenschaften zugeordnet und formal mit Nutzung der drei Zustände im SPN-Modell geschätzt. Die Verifikationsmethode wird verwendet, um die GNSS Empfänger Zugortmessungen in Echtzeit zu verifizieren. Die GNSS Empfänger Zugortmessungen werden mit einer Hypothesentestmethode auf der Grundlage der genauen digitalen Streckenkarte verifiziert. Mit der verifizierten geschätzten Zugortmessung wird der resultierende Sicherheitsbereich für jeden Zugort berechnet. Die Daten für die Auswertungs- und Verifikationsmethoden wurden von einem Zug im Regelbetrieb auf einer Eisenbahnstrecke in der Hohen Tatra gesammelt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen einen Ansatz der möglichen Zertifizierungsverfahren für die GNSS-Empfänger für sicherheitsrelevante Anwendungen im Schienenverkehr

Urban bus positioning: Location based services and high level system architecture

Today’s urban transport systems are dominated by private vehicles, which are significant contributors to traffic congestion and pollution. This is expected to increase as the urban population grows, predicted to account for about 68% of the world’s population by 2050. In comparison to private cars, transport systems dominated by buses produce lower traffic congestion and emissions. Therefore, improvements in bus operation activities most of which require information on bus location (i.e. location based services) should facilitate urban transport sustainability. However, to date there is no agreement globally on the location based services, their location requirements and technologies to deliver significant improvement in bus operations. Therefore, this paper creates for the first time, a comprehensive list of bus operation services and specifies the performance requirements. These are considered together with challenging spatio-temporal characteristics of the urban environment to specify a high-level location determination system architecture for urban bus operations. The services, their requirements, standards and positioning system architecture are essential for the formulation of appropriate policies, regulation, service provision, and development and procurement of urban bus positioning systems