Satellites zoom in on the new Europe
Europe's advanced satellite navigation system, Galileo, has enabled European businesses to employ state-of-the-art technology for different applications based on GPS and other satellite navigation features. The EU-funded project 'Support for development and utilisation of Galileo applications in Poland and other accession countries' (Galileoapp) sought to bring Galileo applications to more Member States. Galileoapp helped advance research in Galileo-based applications and bring them closer to the market. It also helped articulate national policy to facilitate use of these services. The project established the Galileo Information Point at the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences located in Poland's capital, Warsaw. The Information Point brought the different players from Poland and beyond together, helping exploit Polish potential within Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) community. It promoted the Galileo programme in the country, provided information on it to stakeholders and raised public awareness on the technology's benefits. In 2004 and 2005, Galileo Point organised many conferences in Poland on satellite navigation and the satellite-based augmentation system EGNOS, with emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field. It also organised events in the Czech Republic and Latvia to strengthen cooperation in the field and replicate the success in Poland. The events provided important networking opportunities in the sector of satellite navigation and created positive media hype around the subject. Dissemination of the project's efforts was realised through the project website and the development of a database containing Polish and foreign institutions to network in the GNSS field. Lastly, Galileo Point also published a book on the subject titled 'A positioning system Galileo: strategic, scientific and technical stakes'. These efforts will help enable Poland and other new Member States tap into satellite navigation and reap the economic rewards.
