Perspectives in non-aviation sectors for an EGNOS-like service in Africa

Posted on: March 08, 2019


If the primary objective of EGNOS is to fulfil the requirements of the aviation sector, then other economic sectors can also benefit from the high quality of this service in terms of availability, continuity and reliability.

The numerous studies and the development of applications carried out in Europe with EGNOS give a new light on these possibilities.

On 2nd March 2011 EGNOS Safety of Life Service was officially put at the disposal of civil aviation in Europe. Since that date EGNOS Open Service has made remarkable progress in terms of accuracy corrections, timing and protection limits. This article summarises the lessons learned from Europe and identifies the benefits of such applications for Africa. Read more.

ASECNA launch a study regarding the provision of SBAS services in Africa

Posted on: February 13, 2019


The Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) signed a contract on 8 February 2019 in Dakar with Thales Alenia Space for the completion of the preliminary architecture definition study (phase B) of its satellite augmentation services program (SBAS)

The phase B study should enable ASECNA Member States to define the best architecture option that will support the provision of SBAS services, and to have full visibility on the following phases of development, deployment and exploitation. This study is financed by a grant from the Infrastructure Trust Fund (FFI) Africa – European Union, implemented as part of a financing agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD).

For more information, please follow this link.

Vacancy Notice at JPO – Aviation Expert

Posted on: January 22, 2019


The JPO, a regional structure responsible for coordinating the GNSS/EGNOS programmes in sub-Saharan Africa, is looking for an aviation expert in Dakar. Read more.

REGIONAL WORKSHOP “FOUNDATIONS AND APPLICATIONS OF GNSS”

Posted on: December 11, 2018


Dakar, 13th, 14th, 15th November 2018

A regional workshop “Foundations and Applications of GNSS”, co-organized by the EGNOS in Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) and the Centre Régional Africain des Sciences et Technologies de l’Espace (CRASTE-LF), with the support of the SUCCESS 2 project, was held in Dakar on 13, 14 and 15 November 2018.

In the opening ceremony the representatives from the Government of the Republic of Senegal (Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Ministry of Integration, NEPAD and Francophonie) expressed their support to the JPO and their willingness to further promote their cooperation with this institution.

The first day of the workshop was mainly devoted to plenary conferences which allowed, in particular, understanding SBAS deployment perspectives in Africa, to take stoke of space science and technology training and education in the continent and to highlight the benefits of space technologies for developing countries.

The second and third days weredevoted to scientific and technical topics and more particularly on the Foundations of GNSS, the potential markets for SBAS in Africa and SBAS applications in the fields of Agriculture, Maritime and Location Based Services.

More than twenty trainees participated in this workshop, which also saw the participation of the Directorof the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education (ARCSSTE), and a representative of the African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST). In addition to the capacity building dimension which is fundamental for the development of the space sector in Africa, this event gathered several African institutions that had never worked together before and opened new avenues for  the development of human resources in the space sector in Africa.

SUCCESS actively participated to the setting up of the event in full coordination with the JPO team settled in Dakar. Pr Refaat Chaabouni and Dr Daniel Ludwig delivered a speech related to the “Contribution of space for developing countries: economy and society”.

Study Visit in Europe of Representatives of South Africa Institutions

Posted on: April 17, 2018


 

A delegation of representatives from South African governmental organisations has participated in a four-day study visit on the subject of satellite navigation (Galileo and EGNOS) in Madrid (Spain) and Toulouse (France).

The visit was attended by five representatives from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS), South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and Square Kilometre Array (SKA) .

The format of the visit allowed the South African delegation to have an insight of the various aspects of both EGNOS and Galileo, meet the main institutional and industrial players involved, and have hands-on experience on part of the EGNSS infrastructure.

The agenda included visit to the Galileo Service Centre, the EGNOS Master Control Centre and EGNOS Applications Specific Qualification Facility (ASQF) managed by the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP), the French space agency (CNES) and meetings with industry involved in the development of the system as well as of downstream applications.

The visit was supported by the European Commission, the European GNSS Agency (GSA), ESSP, the Spanish Ministry of Transport, ENAIRE (Spanish air navigation manager), CNES, Cité de l’Espace, ASD-Eurospace and FDC.