Specific Challenge:

As stated in the Digital Single Market Strategy, the combination of digital technologies (big data, Internet of Things, 5G, high performance computing etc.) with other advanced technologies and service innovation offers huge opportunities for increasing industrial competitiveness, growth and jobs.

Location Based-Services (LBS) segment represents a large and fast-growing market, both in terms of number of devices and of cumulated downstream revenues. Mobile operators and application developers are showing a growing interest in using location data as an enabler for numerous enterprise, consumer and public safety services. GNSS LBS applications are supported by several categories of devices, mainly smartphones and tablets, but also specific equipment such as tracking devices, digital cameras, portable computers and fitness gear. These devices support a multitude of applications tailor-made to satisfy different usage conditions and needs.

The main challenge of this topic is to develop EGNSS applications contributing to digitisation of products and services that will:

• Foster the adoption of EGNOS and Galileo in mass markets and ensure that the benefits will be captured by the users.
• Create applications that will make best use of EGNSS innovative features such as better multipath resistance, authentication etc.
• Contribute to the competitiveness of the European GNSS industry in the area of mobile applications, with special focus on the innovative role of SMEs.
• Maximise public benefits by supporting the development of applications that will address major societal challenges in focus areas such as health, citizen safety, mobility, smart cities, sustainable resources monitoring and management, regional growth, low-carbon energy infrastructure, operation planning and protection, climate action.

Scope:

Actions should deliver new innovative applications, with commercial impact and a clear market uptake perspective.

The proposed EGNSS applications may integrate digital technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data and robotics.

The areas which are identified as especially promising for further EGNSS applications development are commercial Location Based Services, e.g. secure financial transactions; mobile workforce management, tracking solutions and augmented reality, as well as future telecommunication networks. The applications related to the concept of Smart Cities are also within the scope of this topic.

For all the areas, the development and innovation should build on:

• Galileo features that improve performances;
• Multi-constellation, fusion with other positioning techniques, including sensor fusion and innovative network fusion techniques;
• Authentication services provided by Galileo; and
• Techniques to optimise power consumption.

EGNSS should be part and parcel of the envisaged solution(s). However, where a combination of EGNSS with other technologies is required to make the application(s) work, this is not excluded from the scope. Proposals addressing PRS (Public Regulated Service) related applications are not in the scope
of this action.

This topic contributes to the Horizon 2020 focus area "Digitising and transforming European industry and services".

Expected Impact:

• Contribute to the ongoing digitisation of industry and services that leads to customised products, networking and innovation models that leverage community interaction.
• Leveraging Time To First Fix (TTFF) improvement, enhancement of the continuity, accuracy and availability of the proposed solutions.
• Accelerate the market take up and foster the competitiveness of European GNSS application providers that build innovation on chipsets and devices.
• Foster applications building on the capacity of EU providers in the area of machine to machine chipset and modules.