BLUEGNSS Project

BLUEGNSS (Promoting EGNSS Operational Adoption in BLUEMED) was one of the H2020-Galileo-2015-1 projects selected for co-financing by GSA (the European GNSS Agency) in 2016. The project started in January 2016 and successfully achieved its objectives on June 2018.

The consortium, led by ENAV, was composed of the BLUE MED FAB ANSP Partners - DCAC, HCAA and MATS - and IDS (Ingegneria dei Sistemi) as industrial Partner.

The primary objective of the BLUEGNSS Project was to harmonize the implementation of PBN approaches (RNP APCH - Required Navigation Performance Approach) among the BLUE MED FAB States by using EGNSS (European GNSS infrastructure such as EGNOS and upcoming Galileo). 

It is worth to mention that this was the first time in Europe that an operational implementation project was coordinated at FAB level. One of the advantages of such approach was that States/ANSPs that didn’t have enough experience in RNP APCH operational implementation received benefits from this intra-FAB cross fertilization.

The project was developed in 3 main streams:

• GNSS procedures design and validation
• GNSS training
• GNSS Monitoring

The project performed an extensive campaign of communication and result dissemination involving the main stakeholders (Airport authorities, Airspace Users, National Supervisory Authorities, Business Aviation Organizations, EUROCONTROL and ICAO) that took benefit from the related products.

GNSS procedures design and validation

The implementation of RNP APCH was envisaged by ICAO Assembly Resolution A37/11 urging States to implement approach procedures with vertical guidance (APV) (Baro-VNAV and/or augmented GNSS) by 2016. The Assembly Resolution (not met by many European Countries), was superseded by EU regulation 2018/1048 laying down airspace usage requirements and operating procedures concerning performance-based navigation voted by Single Sky Committee on July 2018.On this regard BLUEGNSS paved the way to fulfil some of the obligations of the regulation for the BLUE MED Countries.

GNSS based procedures, known as RNP APCH, have been designed for 10 selected airports in order to increase their accessibility and safety taking the benefit of GNSS and related augmentation systems. For most of the concerned airports 3D approaches have been provided in replacement of less performing conventional approach procedures. Design has been done accordingly to all relevant ICAO documents (i.e. EUR Doc025, Doc8168, Doc9906, Doc9613). The flight inspection activities were performed by ENAV aircraft (Piaggio Avanti P-180) specifically equipped for RNP APCH validation.

Airports involved in the project were:

• Mitilini (LGMT), published in national AIP in 2019

• Ioannina (LGIO),published in national AIP in 2019

• Thessalonikki (LGTS), published in national AIP in 2019

• Kos (LGKO), planned to be published into national AIP by end of 2019

• Luqa (LMML), published in national AIP in 2018

• Cuneo (LIMZ), published in national AIP in 2018

• Parma (LIMP), published in national AIP in 2018

• Lamezia Terme (LICA), published in national AIP in 2018

• Bolzano (LIPB), experimental study

• Larnaca (LCLK), waiting for signature of  EGNOS Working Agreement with ESSP

• Paphos (LCPH), waiting for signature of EGNOS Working Agreement with ESSP

GNSS training

Specific training has been delivered to airspace procedure designers in order to let them able to deal with design of RNP APCH and related minima. Specific workshop were organized during project execution in order to share and discuss among design task leader and project members the design principles. This activity also represented a valid response to ICAO EANPG (European Air Navigation Planning Group - the governing body of ICAO in the EUR Region) findings and recommendations, in particular with reference to the identified scarcity of qualified personnel in the areas of PANS-OPS procedures design and oversight and the ensuing invitation to States to cooperate and share flight procedure design resources.

Further training has been delivered to ATCOs for the operational management of RNP APCH and to technical staff to let them know the principles of PBN and GNSS Monitoring.

GNSS Monitoring

One of the main enablers for the implementation and acceptance of the new RNP APCH operations is the GNSS performance monitoring. The topic has been extensively discussed also at last ICAO Air Navigation Conference, and some regions of the world would start soon to develop technical solution to cope with GNSS Monitoring. Also in this case the project anticipated one of the solutions to GNSS Monitoring. For the first time in the world, a regional and multi sources approach was adopted through the deployment of an innovative dedicated network devoted not only to the standard GNSS performance assessment but also to interference assessment and reporting and GNSS data recording. The GNSS Monitoring Network has been developed according to the relevant requirements extracted from ICAO Annex 10 Aeronautical Telecommunications Vol. I Radio Navigation Aids and ICAO Doc9849 GNSS Manual.

Daily and monthly regional GNSS reports cover GPS, Galileo and EGNOS performances and Spectrum analysis. The reports are available on BLUEMED Internal area.

Useful links:

• H2020 portal https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/

• GSA http://www.gsa.europa.eu/

• ESSP https://www.essp-sas.eu/

They talk about us…

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/199832_en.html

https://www.gsa.europa.eu/newsroom/news/bluegnss-accelerates-3d-gnss-approach-implementation

http://gpsworld.com/eu-initiative-achieves-greater-airport-safety-with-3d-gnss/

https://www.essp-sas.eu/communication/news/eu-initiative-achieves-greater-airport-safety-3d-gnss/

This project received funding from the European GNSS Agency under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 687198.

For more information please contact the project coordinator Patrizio Vanni: patrizio.vanni@enav.it

BLUEGNSS Final Event (July 18, 2018) presentations:

• Bluegnss-Start
   01.BLUEGNSS start.pdf
  
   
• Bluegnss Final Meeting_GSA
   02.BlueGNSSFinalMeeting_GSA.pdf
  
   
• ESSP presentation BLUEGNSS - 18July2018
   03.ESSP presentation BLUEGNSS - 18July2018.pdf
  
   
• BLUEGNSS final event
   04.05.13.BLUEGNSS final event.pdf
  
   
• BlueGNSS Safety
   06.BlueGNSS Safety.pdf
  
   
• BLUEGNSS-Malta
   07.BLUEGNSS-Malta.pdf
  
   
• BLUEGNSS-DCAC
   08.BLUEGNSS-DCAC.pdf
  
   
• BLUEGNSS-HCAA.v2
   09.BLUEGNSS-HCAA.v2.pdf
  
   
• BLUEGNSS.PSA
   10.BLUEGNSS.PSA.pdf
  
   
• BlueGNSS GSA_July_2018_Rome_Ciampino_ACC
   11.BlueGNSS GSA_July_2018_Rome_Ciampino_ACC.pdf
  
   
• Final_Event_BLUEGNSS_IDS_V.1.1
   12.Final_Event_BLUEGNSS_IDS_V.1.1.pdf