Virtual Ground Based Augmentation System

  • Core, Giuseppe Del (Department of Applied Sciences: Navigation Section, Universita degli Studi di Napoli 'Parthenope') ;
  • Gaglione, Salvatore (Department of Applied Sciences: Navigation Section, Universita degli Studi di Napoli 'Parthenope') ;
  • Vultaggio, Mario (Department of Applied Sciences: Navigation Section, Universita degli Studi di Napoli 'Parthenope') ;
  • Pacifico, Armando (Department of Applied Sciences: Navigation Section, Universita degli Studi di Napoli 'Parthenope')
  • Published : 2006.10.18

Abstract

Since 1993, the civil aviation community through RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) and the ICAO (International Civil Air Navigation Organization) have been working on the definition of GNSS augmentation systems that will provide improved levels of accuracy and integrity. These augmentation systems have been classified into three distinct groups: Aircraft Based Augmentation Systems (ABAS), Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) and Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS). The last one is an implemented system to support Air Navigation in CAT-I approaching operation. It consists of three primary subsystems: the GNSS Satellite subsystem that produces the ranging signals and navigation messages; the GBAS ground subsystem, which uses two or more GNSS receivers. It collects pseudo ranges for all GNSS satellites in view and computes and broadcasts differential corrections and integrity-related information; the Aircraft subsystem. Within the area of coverage of the ground station, aircraft subsystems may use the broadcast corrections to compute their own measurements in line with the differential principle. After selection of the desired FAS for the landing runway, the differentially corrected position is used to generate navigation guidance signals. Those are lateral and vertical deviations as well as distance to the threshold crossing point of the selected FAS and integrity flags. The Department of Applied Science in Naples has create for its study a virtual GBAS Ground station. Starting from three GPS double frequency receivers, we collect data of 24h measures session and in post processing we generate the GC (GBAS Correction). For this goal we use the software Pegasus V4.1 developed from EUROCONTROL. Generating the GC we have the possibility to study and monitor GBAS performance and integrity starting from a virtual functional architecture. The latter allows us to collect data without the necessity to found us authorization for the access to restricted area in airport where there is one GBAS installation.

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