Optimization of demodulation performance of the GPS and GALILEO navigation messages

La performance de démodulation des signaux GNSS existants, GPS L1 C/A, L2C ou L5, est satisfaisante en environnements ouverts où le C/N0 disponible est assez élevé. Cependant, en milieu urbain, le niveau de C/N0 du signal reçu est souvent très bas et est affecté de variations rapides qui peuvent nuire la démodulation des messages GNSS. Donc, car les applications du marché de masse sont appelées à être déployées dans ces environnements, il est nécessaire d'étudier et de chercher des méthodes de démodulation/décodage qui améliorent la performance de démodulation des messages GNSS dans ces environnements. Il est aussi nécessaire de considérer les nouveaux signaux GPS L1C et GALILEO E1. Ces signaux doivent fournir un service de positionnement par satellite dans tout type d'environnement, et spécifiquement en milieu urbain. Ainsi, cette thèse analyse aussi les performances de démodulation des nouveaux signaux GNSS tels que définis dans les documents publics actuels. De plus, de nouvelles structures de message GALILEO E1 sont proposées et analysées afin d'optimiser la performance de démodulation ainsi que la quantité d'information diffusée. En conséquence, le but principal de cette thèse est d'analyser et améliorer la performance de démodulation des signaux GNSS ouverts au public, spécifiquement en milieu urbain, et de proposer de nouvelles structures de messages de navigation pour GALILEO E1. La structure détaillée des chapitres de cette thèse est donnée ci-après. En premier lieu, le sujet de cette thèse est introduit, ses contributions originales sont mises en avant, et le plan du rapport est présenté. Dans le 2ième chapitre, la thèse décrit la structure actuelle des signaux GNSS analysés, en se concentrant sur la structure du message de navigation, les codages canal implantés et leurs techniques de décodage. Dans le 3ième chapitre, deux types de modèles de canal de propagation sont présentés pour deux différents types de scénarios. D'un côté, un canal AWGN est choisi pour modéliser les environnements ouverts. De l'autre côté, le modèle mathématique de Perez-Fontan d'un canal mobile est choisi pour représenter les environnements urbains et indoor. Dans le 4ième chapitre, une tentative pour effectuer une prédiction binaire d'une partie du message de navigation GPS L1 C/A est présentée. La prédiction est essayée en utilisant les almanachs GPS L1 C/A, grâce à un programme de prédiction à long terme fourni par TAS-F, et des méthodes de traitement du signal: estimation spectrale, méthode de PRONY et réseau de neurones. Dans le 5ème chapitre, des améliorations à la performance de démodulation du message de GPS L2C et L5 sont apportées en utilisant leur codage canal de manière non traditionnelle. Deux méthodes sont analysées. La première méthode consiste à combiner les codages canal internes et externes du message afin de corriger davantage de mots reçus. La deuxième méthode consiste à utiliser les probabilités des données d'éphémérides afin d'améliorer le décodage traditionnel de Viterbi. Dans le 6ième chapitre, la performance de démodulation des messages de GPS L1C et du Open Service GALILEO E1 est analysée dans différents environnements. D'abord, une étude de la structure de ces deux signaux est présentée pour déterminer le C/N0 du signal utile reçu dans un canal AWGN. Puis, la performance de démodulation de ces signaux est analysée grâce à des simulations dans différents environnements, avec un récepteur se déplaçant à différentes vitesses et avec différentes techniques d'estimation de la phase porteuse du signal. ABSTRACT : The demodulation performance achieved by any of the existing GPS signals, L1 C/A, L2C or L5, is satisfactory in open environments where the available C/N0 is quite high. However, in indoor/urban environments, the C/N0 level of the received signal is often very low and suffers fast variations which can further affect the GNSS messages demodulation. Therefore, since the mass-market applications being designed nowadays are aimed at these environments, it is necessary to study and to search alternative demodulation/decoding methods which improve the GNSS messages demodulation performance in these environments. Moreover, new GNSS signals recently developed, such as GPS L1C and GALILEO E1, must also be considered. These signals aim at providing satellite navigation positioning service in any kind of environment, giving special attention to indoor and urban environments. Therefore, the demodulation performances of the new GNSS signals as they are defined in the current public documents is also analysed. Moreover, new GALILEO E1 message structures are proposed and analysed in order to optimize the demodulation performance as well as the quantity of broadcasted information. Therefore, the main goal of this dissertation is to analyse and to improve the demodulation performance of the current open GNSS signals, specifically in indoor and urban environments, and to propose new navigation message structures for GALILEO E1. A detailed structure of this dissertation sections is given next. First, the subject of this thesis is introduced, original contributions are highlighted, and the outline of the report is presented. Second, this dissertation begins by a description of the current structure of the different analysed GNSS signals, paying special attention to the navigation message structure, implemented channel code and their decoding techniques. In the third section, two types of transmission channel models are presented for two different types of environments. On one hand, an AWGN channel is used to model the signal transmission in an open environments. On the other hand, the choice of a specific mobile channel, the Perez-Fontan channel model, is chosen to model the signal transmission in an urban environment. In the fourth section, a tentative to make a binary prediction of the broadcasted satellite ephemeris of the GPS L1 C/A navigation message is presented. The prediction is attempted using the GPS L1 C/A almanacs data, a long term orbital prediction program provided by TAS-F, and some signal processing methods: spectral estimation, the PRONY method, and a neural network. In the fifth section, improvements to the GPS L2C and GPS L5 navigation message demodulation performance are brought by using their channel codes in a non-traditional way. Two methods are inspected. The first method consists in sharing information between the message inner and outer channel codes in order to correct more received words. The second method consists in using the ephemeris data probabilities in order to improve the traditional Viterbi decoding. In the sixth section, the GPS L1C and GALILEO E1 Open Service demodulation performance is analysed in different environments. First, a brief study of the structure of both signals to determine the received C/N0 in an AWGN channel is presented. Second, their demodulation performance is analysed through simulations in different environments, with different receiver speeds and signal carrier phase estimation techniques

Multi-purpose TDM Component for GNSS

International audienceThis article proposes a Time-Division-Multiplexing (TDM) technique applied at PRN code level as a signal design solution able to cope with the provision of several functionalities in one signal component: the allocation of the signal to the different functionalities is made at PRN code level. The functionalities targeted in this article are low-complexity acquisition, fast Time-ToFirst-Fix Data (TTFFD), Security Code Authentication (SCA) and, additionally, non-coherent signal processing. The interest of using a TDM component signal design lays on the introduction of just one new component to reduce the complexity to be added to the legacy GNSS satellite payload and to the GNSS receiver. Moreover, a TDM signal design solution presents a great flexibility able to adapt the signal design to the different GNSS strategic directives. The TDM component is constituted of period blocks called short basic blocks and advanced blocks; the introduction of such blocks simplifies the TDM component processing by a GNSS receiver. The TDM component is divided first in a continuous stream of short basic blocks of 20ms, where the short basic blocks are used to provide a signal periodic structure for the acquisition functionality. Then, the short basic blocks are grouped in advanced blocks to provide the signal periodicity for fast TTFFD and SCA. The low-complexity acquisition functionality is provided by the first PRN codes of a short basic block: PRN codes are selected to have a low duration and are always at the same position inside the block. Code Shift Keying Modulation is used to provide the fast TTFFD and the SCA key delivery. An example of application on the Galileo E1 civil signals is presented with different target scenarios or type of users: lowcomplexity user, high performance – no TTFFD, high performance – TTFFD and high dynamics user

Demodulation Performance Assessment of New GNSS Signals in Urban Environments

International audienceSatellite navigation signals demodulation performance ishistorically tested and compared in the Additive WhiteGaussian Noise propagation channel model which wellsimulates the signal reception in open areas. Nowadays,the majority of new applications targets dynamic users inurban environments; therefore the GNSS signalsdemodulation performance has become mandatory to beprovided in urban environments. The GPS L1C signaldemodulation performance in urban environments is thusprovided in this paper. To do that, a new methodologyadapted to provide and assess GNSS signalsdemodulation performance in urban channels has beendeveloped. It counteracts the classic method limitationswhich are the fluctuating received C/N0 in urbanenvironments and the fact that each received message istaken into account in the error rate computation whereasin GNSS it is not necessary. The new methodology thusproposes to provide the demodulation performance for‘favorable’ reception conditions together with statisticalinformation about the occurrence of these favorablereception conditions. To be able to apply this newmethodology and to provide the GPS L1C signaldemodulation performance in urban environments, asimulator SiGMeP (Simulator for GNSS MessagePerformance) has been developed. Two urbanpropagation channel models can be tested: thenarrowband Perez-Fontan/Prieto model and the widebandDLR model. Moreover, the impact of the received signalphase estimation residual errors has been taken intoaccount (ideal estimation is compared with PLL tracking)

GNSS Signal Demodulation Performance in Urban Environments

International audienceSatellite navigation signals demodulation performance is historically tested and compared in the Additive White Gaussian Noise propagation channel model which well simulates open areas. Nowadays, the majority of new applications targets dynamic users in urban environments; therefore the implementation of a simulation tool able to provide realistically GNSS signal demodulation performance in obstructed propagation channels has become mandatory . This paper presents the simulator SiGMeP (Simulator for GNSS Message Performance) which is wanted to provide demodulation performance of any GNSS signals in urban environment , as faithfully of reality as possible . The demodulation performance of GPS L1C/A, GPS L2C, GPS L1C and Galileo E1 OS signals simulated with SiGMeP in the AWGN channel model configuration is firstly showed . Then, the demodulation performance of GPS L1C simulated with SiGMeP in urban environments is presented using the Prieto channel model with two signal carrier phase estimation configurations: perfect signal carrier phase estimation and PLL trackin

FUNTIMES – Future Navigation and Timing Evolved Signals

International audienceThe European Galileo system moves clear steps forward towards the completion of its space and ground segment infrastructures, after starting providing early services in 2016 and with the plan to achieve the full operational capability (FOC) in 2020. Also the user segment is rapidly expanding, with the increasing introduction of mass market chipsets fully supporting Galileo in a constantly growing number of smartphones. In this context a strong need for R&D activities in the field of navigation signal engineering has been identified by various Programme's stakeholders. Considering the long process required for introducing new signals and features in a system that is already deployed and finds itself in the exploitation phase, early R&D activities become essential to investigate potential evolutions and new concepts to improve the Galileo signals and services in the short, medium and long term. The Future Navigation and Timing Evolved Signals (FUNTIMES) project is a European GNSS mission evolution study funded by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 Framework for Research and Development. It aims at identifying, studying and recommending mission evolution directions and at preliminary supporting the definition, design and implementation of the future generation of Galileo signals. The project is led by Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor, supported by Ecole Nationale de l‘Aviation Civile (ENAC) and Istituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB) as subcontractors and was run under the supervision of the European Commission and its Joint Research Centre. The research activities were conducted according to the following high level evolution directions: - Improve the Galileo OS reliability by providing an enhanced authentication service based on both navigation message authentication and spreading code authentication, in such a way that the two solutions can take advantage of their combination. - Improve the sensitivity and/or reduce the complexity of the acquisition of the Galileo OS signals, e.g. by studying the potential introduction of a new signal component for this purpose. - Make use of new concepts and techniques for the delivery of the data messages, to improve the time-to-data performance and robustness. - Consider options for providing an effective high data rate component suitable for satellite navigation purposes, e.g. in view of a possible evolution of the signals providing the Galileo Commercial Service. The project started by defining the key elements characterizing GNSS signals, describing the current signal plans of the major global and regional satellite systems and carrying out a literature survey on the various proposals for the evolution and optimization of navigation signals. A key role in the project was then played by a specific task on the definition of signal user requirements, which, besides providing by themselves an added-value to the project outcomes, were taken into account to select and consolidate the R&D topics defined at the beginning of the study. For what concerns the core navigation signal R&D activity, various solutions belonging to the following areas were considered: new and evolved modulations and multiplexing techniques, new concepts and techniques for the data message, solutions providing services with higher reliability, solutions for improved navigation performance. In the followings, some highlights about the main project tasks are provided. *Adding New Signal Components to Galileo E1 OS* Due to backward compatibility constraints, the Galileo legacy signals defined in the current SIS-ICD do not offer much space for further modifications. The possibility to add new signal components to the Galileo E1 signal was investigated with the goals of providing a fast and reliable authentication service and better acquisition performance while keeping the complexity of the acquisition process low. Various options were investigated, considering new components centered at E1 or ones presenting a carrier offset. The options were studied in terms of ranging performance, compatibility with other signals in E1/L1, multiplexing efficiency and backward compatibility. The outcome of this task was then combined with the other solutions investigated during the project and briefly introduced in the followings. *Signal User Requirements Survey* This task aimed at identifying and understanding the current and future needs of various GNSS user groups in order to derive requirements and evolution directions for the Galileo signals. The work logic followed was based on a 3-step approach: - Definition of the user communities - Analysis of available documentation and state-of-the-art for each user communities to extract high level and, if possible, low level requirements - Consultation of representative of the various user communities by means of questionnaire on signal user requirements. The considered user communities are representative of 7 classes of users: - Traditional Safety-of-Life Applications (Navigation of Civil Aviation aircrafts, Train Control) - Automotive Location-Based Charging (LBC) and Vehicle Motion Sensing (VMS) - Mobile Location-Based Services (LBS) - Surveying - Timing and Synchronization - Search and Rescue - Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). As mentioned above, the consortium prepared a questionnaire which was distributed to companies and organizations representative of various GNSS user communities. After collecting the answers, personal interviews were conducted to deepen the outcomes of the survey and collect more details about their expectations. From the received answers, the following points were considered particularly relevant for the identification/consolidation of signal evolution directions: - The need for integrity and authentication is present also in non-safety of life applications (e.g. precise positioning) - Very wide-spread need for fast authenticated PVT (fast data and pseudo-range authentication) - Interest in fast Time-To-First-Fix (TTFF) Data, or in other words, fast provision of the Clock error corrections and satellites Ephemeris Data (CED). - Need for precise clock and orbit data, freely accessible through the navigation message transmitted through conventional signals (at L1/E1 or L5/E5) - Importance of stand-alone operation mode despite the increasing number of connected users (network connection still judged not reliable enough). - Need for multipath/NLOS resistant signals - Need for RFI resistant signals - Interest for an alert/emergency service. *Reed-Solomon Codes for the Improvement of the I/NAV Message* Despite the growing number of connected user devices, the reception of the clock and ephemeris data (CED) is still a major factor impacting the TTFF. The current approach for the dissemination of these data can be defined as "data carouseling": the data are repeatedly sent to the users with a certain repetition rate. For example the repetition rate of the CED contained in the Galileo E1 OS message is equal to 1 every 30 s. A different approach is offered by Maximum Distance Separable (MDS) codes like Reed-Solomon codes, whose erasure correction capability allows to retrieve the entire information contained in k data blocks from any combination of k received blocks of the codeword. During the project, the performance of Reed-Solomon codes when applied to the Galileo I/NAV message as proposed in [1] were studied, in terms of Time-to-Data, with extensive simulations in the AWGN and mobile channel. The results were then compared with the legacy implementation and with the performance of the GPS L1C signal and showed a very significant improvement, with a reduction of the Galileo E1 OS TTFF by up to 50% in difficult urban environments. Also received processing scheme and complexity aspects were taken into account in the work. *Spreading Code Authentication Techniques* The increasing awareness concerning the vulnerability of GNSS signals to potential spoofing attacks suggested to dedicate an important part of the project R&D activities to investigating new concepts and ideas to improve the reliability of the provided PNT service. This need was also confirmed by the conducted user requirements survey. The investigation of possible authentication techniques has been carried out on the basis of both quantitative results and qualitative analyses, considering a set of criteria useful to weight the overall performance of different options in realistic scenarios. The methodology used to trade-off different options took into account four main criteria: - the authentication performance, aiming to assess the techniques mainly in terms of Time Between Authentications (TBA) and Time To Alarm (TTA) metrics; - the spoofing robustness, that measures the level of resilience to different specific spoofing attacks; - the implementation readiness, that assesses the level of complexity required both at the system and receiver levels and the backward compatibility; - the legacy signal valorization, with the objective to assess the level of reuse and valorization of today’s signal and messages structures, e.g. considering the current Galileo plans to provide navigation message authentication for his Open Service. When considering authentication solutions, it is important not to focus only on the benefits of future participant users, i.e., those able to exploit the features of the authenticated signals, but also to take into account the possible impact on the existing satellites, ground segment, and other receivers (i.e. non-participant users). Therefore the activities included the assessment of the impact of authentication schemes on user receivers. In detail, the analysis covered the possible degradation of the performance of non-participant users, in terms of C/N0 degradation and impact on acquisition and tracking, and the evaluation of the performance of participant users in relation with the authentication technique parameters. In addition, a novel high-level concept for spreading code authentication, based on the idea of reusing the E1-B OS NMA data, was investigated. The proposed concept, already anticipated in [2], foresees the use of two types of SCA bursts, inserted in the open Pseudo-Random Noise (PRN) code sequence at different rates: - “Slow rate” SCA bursts, which are intended for a robust a-posteriori verification with moderate latency (i.e., TBA of about 10 seconds); - “Fast rate” SCA bursts, potentially suitable to improve the authentication performance (e.g. TBA of about 2 seconds) under a wide set of spoofing attacks. The proposed solution can potentially exploit the information received from all the in-view satellites by means of a two-steps authentication procedure. *CSK Modulation and Channel Codes for a High Data Rate Component* The Code Shift Keying (CSK) modulation is an orthogonal M-ary modulation (M orthogonal symbols are used in order to transmit U =log_2?(M) bits) which was specially designed to increase the bandwidth efficiency of a DS-SS signal, i.e. the bit rate to signal bandwidth ratio, without affecting the PRN code structure. The usage of CSK for the improvement of GNSS data delivery was already investigated in the past (e.g. in [3]). Within the FUNTIMES project the main scope of this task was to prove the expected benefits of this technique by applying it to a number of signal design options, considering various data rates, power distributions between data and pilot components and demodulation strategies at the receiver. The first advantage of CSK is the possibility to increase the bit rate of a DS-SS signal without increasing the PRN code number of bits and without increasing the signal chip rate (and thus signal bandwidth). The increased data rate could be used to increase the number of services provided by the signal and/or to improve the services already available, e.g. by sending correction data. The second benefit is enhanced flexibility of the signal bit rate as the CSK modulation allows to change the number of symbols of the modulation alphabet from one codeword to another one. This allows the GNSS signal to provide more robustness to fundamental data and less robustness to less relevant or optional data since the bit rate is directly relate to the demodulation sensitivity. The third major benefit of a CSK modulation is the possibility of implementing a non-coherent demodulation process that does not require the estimation of the incoming signal carrier phase. Therefore, when in degraded environments and/or for high dynamic users, the PLL cannot be in lock for a certain time, the GNSS receiver could still be able to demodulate the data signal. The results obtained in terms of signal availability and reduced Time-to-First-Fix are very promising and bring a significant improvement when compared with the data delivery performance of today's navigation signals. For what concerns the study of channel codes that could be best suited for high data rate transmission and, especially, in combination with a CSK scheme, the investigation focused on LDPC codes with a bit interleaved coded modulation (BICM/BCIM-ID). As Galileo transmits a navigation signal intended to deliver value-added data in a significant amount (high accuracy service through the E6-B signal), it was decided to study a potential application of the studied CSK schemes to a similar use case. From the results obtained, depending on the C/N0 value considered, an increase of the information bit rate from the current 500 bps up to 5000 bps can be feasible, while still reaching a WER equal to 10-3 for a signal component C/N0 equal to 37 dB-Hz. The project allowed to study new elements in the field of GNSS signal engineering and to consolidate solutions that were already investigated in the recent literature, paving the way to the evolution of the Galileo signal plan but also offering elements and ideas that can be adopted by any other GNSS. The variety of solutions proposed presents different levels of maturity. In some cases the solutions are ready to be implemented in the currently deployed systems, while in other cases they would require a corresponding evolution of the space and ground segments. Where deemed necessary, specific recommendations for future R&D work in the areas studied in the project were provided

Optimizing GNSS Navigation Data Message Decoding in Urban Environment

Nowadays, the majority of new GNSS applications targets dynamic users in urban environments; therefore the decoder input in GNSS receivers needs to be adapted to the urban propagation channel to avoid mismatched decoding when using soft input channel decoding. The aim of this paper consists thus in showing that the GNSS signals demodulation performance is significantly improved integrating an advanced soft detection function as decoder input in urban areas. This advanced detection function takes into account some a priori information on the available Channel State Information (CSI). If no CSI is available, one has to blindly adapt the detection function in order to operate close to the perfect CSI case. This will lead to avoid mismatched decoding due to, for example, the consideration by default of the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel for the derivation of soft inputs to be fed to soft input decoders. As a consequence the decoding performance will be improved in urban areas. The expressions of the soft decoder input function adapted for an urban environment is highly dependent on the available CSI at the receiver end. Based on different model of urban propagation channels, several CSI contexts will be considered namely perfect CSI, partial statistical CSI and no CSI. Simulation results will be given related to the GPS L1C demodulation performance with these different advanced detection function expressions in an urban environment. The results presented in this paper are valid for any kind of soft input decoders, such as Viterbi decoding for trellis based codes, the MAP/BCJR decoding for turbo-codes and the Belief Propagation decoding for LDPC codes

New GNSS Signals Demodulation Performance in Urban Environments

Satellite navigation signals demodulation performance is historically tested and compared in the Additive White Gaussian Noise propagation channel model which well simulates the signal reception in open areas. Nowadays, the majority of new applications targets dynamic users in urban environments; therefore the implementation of a simulation tool able to provide realistic GNSS signal demodulation performance in obstructed propagation channels has become mandatory. This paper presents the simulator SiGMeP (Simulator for GNSS Message Performance), which is wanted to provide demodulation performance of any GNSS signals in urban environment, as faithfully of reality as possible. The demodulation performance of GPS L1C simulated with SiGMeP in the AWGN propagation channel model, in the Prieto propagation channel model (narrowband Land Mobile Satellite model in urban configuration) and in the DLR channel model (wideband Land Mobile Satellite model in urban configuration) are computed and compared one to the other. The demodulation performance for both LMS channel models is calculated using a new methodology better adapted to urban environments, and the impact of the received signal phase estimation residual errors has been taken into account (ideal estimation is compared with PLL tracking). Finally, a refined figure of merit used to represent GNSS signals demodulation performance in urban environment is proposed

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: mapping the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, and the distant universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median ). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: Mapping the Milky Way, Nearby Galaxies, and the Distant Universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median $z\sim 0.03$). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between $z\sim 0.6$ and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV : mapping the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, and the distant universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median z ~ 0.03). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between z ~ 0.6 and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July