Galileo and EGNOS as an asset for UTM safety and security

GAUSS (Galileo-EGNOS as an Asset for UTM Safety and Security) is a H2020 project1 that aims at designing and developing high performance positioning systems for drones within the U-Space framework focusing on UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) VLL (Very Low Level) operations. The key element within GAUSS is the integration and exploitation of Galileo and EGNOS exceptional features in terms of accuracy, integrity and security, which will be key assets for the safety of current and future drone operations. More concretely, high accuracy, authentication, precise timing (among others) are key GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) enablers of future integrated drone operations under UTM (UAS Traffic Management) operations, which in Europe will be deployed under U-Space [1]. The U-Space concept helps control, manage and integrate all UAS in the VLL airspace to ensure the security and efficiency of UAS operations. GAUSS will enable not only safe, timely and efficient operations but also coordination among a higher number of RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) in the air with the appropriate levels of security, as it will improve anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities through a multi-frequency and multi-constellation approach and Galileo authentication operations. The GAUSS system will be validated with two field trials in two different UTM real scenarios (in-land and sea) with the operation of a minimum of four UTM coordinated UAS from different types (fixed and rotary wing), manoeuvrability and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) operational categories. The outcome of the project will consist of Galileo-EGNOS based technological solutions to enhance safety and security levels in both, current UAS and future UTM operations. Increased levels of efficiency, reliability, safety, and security in UAS operations are key enabling features to foster the EU UAS regulation, market development and full acceptance by the society.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Design of a Sustainable Competitiveness Evaluation and Execution System (SuCEES)

To be competitive is the major reason why companies continuously improve their performance and innovate their processes, products and services. The recent decades revealed an increase number of companies that felt into bankruptcy, independently of their size, sector or market status. In fact, this is a phenomenon, which have been a concern among big companies and even start-ups. It is understood that to survive and to succeed, business leaders need to be aware about trends to be able to visioning future competitiveness environments, and to anticipate actions to respond to each daily challenges. In this context, the difference between successful or failed strategies lies on knowing, not only the trends, but also the actual performance of the company and its competitive strength. To do so, strategic planning and evaluation frameworks and models should be used in a systematic and integrated way, based on reliable data and appropriate indicators, to define suitable and timeless strategies, objectives and goals. However, this is not enough, one of the major failure modes of strategic planning is companies’ inability to implement proper actions to achieve those goals, fact known as the “execution gap”. The aim of this research is to contribute to the improvement of companies’ strategic planning process and, consequently, to boost their competitiveness and to reduce their exposure to bankruptcy. With this purpose, SuCEES (Sustainable Competitiveness Evaluation and Execution System) was designed, which is an integrated system founded on an alternative definition of sustainable competitiveness based on resilience, innovation and sustainability concepts. Composed by evaluation and execution frameworks it: i) allows the measurement of companies’ competitiveness positioning, competitive advantage and competitiveness risk, by scoring seven competitiveness drivers, and; ii) supports the definition of companies’ strategic objectives, their translation into operational targets and actions needed, as well as the achievement of results, through monitoring and control tools. SuCEES was validated by the participation of a pool of experts and through two case studies, conducted in companies Electrolux Poland and Visteon Portugal

Towards a business-IT alignment maturity model for collaborative networked organizations

Aligning business and IT in networked organizations is a complex endeavor because in such settings, business-IT alignment is driven by economic processes instead of by centralized decision-making processes. In order to facilitate managing business-IT alignment in networked organizations, we need a maturity model that allows collaborating organizations to assess the current state of alignment and take appropriate action to improve it where needed. In this paper we propose the first version of such a model, which we derive from various alignment models and theories