REPORT OF THE ACTION TEAM ON GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEMS (GNSS) Follow-up to the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) UNITED NATIONS ST/SPACE/24 REPORT OF THE ACTION TEAM ON GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEMS (GNSS) FOLLOW-UP TO THE THIRD UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE EXPLORATION AND PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE (UNISPACE III) UNITED NATIONS 2004 This document has not been formally edited. Cover page photo credit: karelphoto.com Introduction This special publication has been compiled by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs on the basis of results of the work and contributions from experts and members of the Action Team on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) established by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). The Action Team was established to carry out the recommendation relating to global navigation satellite systems made by the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), held from 19 to 30 July 1999, in Vienna, Austria. The Action Team worked under the leadership of the United States of America and Italy and was composed by Member States of the United Nations as well as entities of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental entities. Starting from November 2001, the Action Team has accomplished its programme of work, meeting on the margins of the sessions of COPUOS and those of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS, and during meetings of experts on GNSS organized under the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, as well as through work carried out by Internet and teleconferences. This report represents the final product of the work of the Action Team and contains information on relevant national and international activities on promoting use, access to and quality of GNSS services. It includes proposals for specific recommendations to COPUOS and other relevant United Nations bodies, non-governmental entities, as well as United Nations Member States and international organizations concerning development, co-ordination and increased use of GNSS, particularly for the benefit of developing countries. These recommendations were selected among a large number of proposals and recommendations made at the four United Nations/United States of America regional workshops and the two international meetings of experts on the use and applications of GNSS. This publication intends to disseminate information on the concept of worldwide navigation satellite systems and the many and ever-growing possibilities to use GNSS applications for human development and welfare, as contained in the “Space Millennium: Vienna Declaration on Space and Human Development” and recommended at UNISPACE III. iii CONTENTS Page Introduction .................................................................................................................................... iii I. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1 A. Background of Action Team .....................................................................................1 B. Terms of reference.....................................................................................................1 C. Membership of Action Team ....................................................................................3 II. OVERVIEW OF PLANNED AND EXISTING GNSS AND AUGMENTATIONS.........5 A. Existing and planned GNSS......................................................................................5 B. GNSS augmentations ..............................................................................................31 III. OVERVIEW OF EXISTING ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE GNSS................................38 A. Civil GPS Service Interface Committee..................................................................38 B. GLONASS service interface ...................................................................................40 C. United Nations agencies..........................................................................................41 D. International organizations ......................................................................................44 E. United Nations Programme on Space Applications ................................................52 F. Other entities ...........................................................................................................53 IV. GNSS APPLICATIONS ...................................................................................................55 A. General applications of GNSS ................................................................................55 B. Applications predominant in specific regions .........................................................56 1. Europe..............................................................................................................56 2. Latin America and the Caribbean.....................................................................60 3. Asia and the Pacific..........................................................................................69 4. Africa................................................................................................................73 V. NEEDS AND CONCERNS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.......................................79 A. Needs of developing countries ................................................................................79 B. Civil aviation...........................................................................................................81 C. Telecommunications ...............................................................................................84 D. Conclusion...............................................................................................................84 v VI. EXISTING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN GNSS ....................................................85 A. GNSS training opportunities offered by universities and research institutes..........85 B. GNSS training opportunities offered by the United Nations, United Nations agencies, and other intergovernmental organizations ....................90 C. GNSS training opportunities offered by non-governmental entities.......................90 D. GNSS training opportunities offered by Governments ...........................................91 VII. INSTITUTIONAL MODELS FOR INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION...................93 A. Co-ordination ..........................................................................................................93 B. User support and information dissemination...........................................................96 C. Identification of users’ needs and desires regarding GNSS ....................................97 VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................................99 A. Recommendations regarding institutional framework to service providers............99 B. Recommendations regarding institutional framework addressed to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.....................................................102 C. Recommendations specific to GNSS applications ................................................103 ANNEXES I. Indian universities, research institutes and companies ....................................................111 II. German universities, research institutes and companies .................................................112 III. Italian universities and research institutes .......................................................................115 IV. Italian non-governmental entities ....................................................................................117 Appendix .........................................................................................................................121 vi REPORT OF THE ACTION TEAM ON GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEMS (GNSS) FOLLOW-UP TO THE THIRD UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE EXPLORATION AND PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE (UNISPACE III) I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of Action Team 1. The Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), held from 19 to 30 July 1999, at Vienna, Austria, adopted a strategy to address global challenges in the future through space activities. The strategy as contained in “The Space Millennium: Vienna Declaration on Space and Human Development”1 included a few key actions to use space applications for human security, development and welfare. One of such actions was “to improve the efficiency and security of transport, search and rescue, geodesy and other activities by promoting the enhancement of, universal access to and compatibility of space- based navigation and positioning systems”. 2. In 2001, Member States accorded high priority to a limited number of selected recommendations of UNISPACE III. The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) established action teams under the voluntary leadership of member States to implement those priority recommendations. The Action Team on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) was established under the leadership of the United States of America and Italy to carry out the recommendation relating to global navigation satellite systems. B. Terms of reference 3. The Action Team reported to the Committee and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee at their