The Regular PNT Advisory Board meeting has been moved to around the time of the RIN AGM to be able to finally have a face-to-face discussion, this update is to keep group members appraised on what has been going on behind the scenes at RIN HQ! You will of course have seen the updates in Navigation News about the activities we are pursuing and of course many members have attended the events, but there is more to come: 

PNT and Quantum 

Look into the future of navigation and timing with our Quantum Positioning and Navigation Technology (PNT) event coming later this year. Quantum PNT harnesses the principles of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement, to attempt to offer unparalleled accuracy and resilience in positioning and timing.
• Quantum sensors can detect minute changes in the environment with unprecedented sensitivity. These sensors measure gravitational fields, accelerations, and rotations. Will these sensors enable breakthroughs in inertial navigation, providing autonomous systems with precise positioning and orientation capabilities in challenging or GNSS-denied environments? The potential performance improvements are game-changing, but so are the challenges to realise them. 
• Quantum clocks claim to pave the way for ultra-precise timekeeping essential for modern applications. Quantum clocks harness the inherent properties of quantum particles by trapping and interrogating individual atoms or ions, to create an ultra-stable reference signal. 
• So-called quantum algorithms are looking to exploit future quantum computing's potential to revolutionise navigation and timing tasks, solving complex problems at an exponentially higher speed than currently.

The RIN PNT Advisory Group plans to offer the potential to gain insights into the latest advancements, exchange ideas, and collaborate on shaping the future of Quantum PNT. Whether you're an enthusiast, researcher, or industry leader, our event will offer the chance to expand your network and foster collaborations that drive innovation forward.

More to come when available.

 

The Intersection of AI and PNT

Our new focus area investigates the intersection between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) to understand how AI might shape the future of performance and efficiency. As we navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world, AI could be a powerful ally in enhancing the capabilities of PNT systems. Using advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI augments traditional positioning and navigation methods, enabling smarter, more adaptive systems capable of real-time decision-making and autonomous operation. AI-driven data fusion techniques claim to integrate diverse sensor data sources dynamically to enhance positioning accuracy and performance, even in challenging environments such as urban canyons or dense foliage. 

The integration of AI and PNT unlocks a multitude of possibilities across various industries and sectors, including timing, autonomous vehicles, precision agriculture, emergency response and urban mobility. There is a lot of hype around what AI can do, the RIN as always will take a balanced, evidence-led approach to try and avoid this hype. 

Together with Cambridge Wireless we will be hosting an event tackling the subject of "Navigating the AI Revolution in PNT" on 10 July. In this half-day event run by Cambridge Wireless and the Royal Institute of Navigation we will be hearing from experts across academia and industry and discussing where we think AI can have the most significant impact on Positioning Navigation and Timing.  RIN Members can join this event free of charge - keep an eye out on your e-mails for a discount code!

Join our community of innovators helping to understand and drive this evolution of AI and PNT by signing up to the special interest group of the mailing list. Watch out for further event announcements soon and let us know if you have ideas to investigate!

 

International Collaboration

In an increasingly interconnected world, collaboration is key. PNT Advisory Group Exec team member Professor Terry Moore is also a member of the US PNT Advisory Board, a Federal group formally advising the US Government. RIN Fellow Renato Filjar also attends this board. Through strategic partnerships with this Board and international colleagues, we can harness the collective expertise and resources of the RIN and other organisations to face head-on the common challenges and opportunities for innovation in PNT technology and policy. 

The presence of RIN members at this prestigious US event, held twice a year, means that activities in the UK and the events and discussion we have, get fed directly into the advice presented to both the US and UK Governments, plus those international partners who attend. It also facilitates collaboration with international standards organisations and regulatory bodies to ensure the reliability and accuracy of PNT services globally.

PNT is essential to space sustainability and debris removal

Space debris, ranging from defunct satellites to spent rocket stages, poses a significant risk to active spacecraft and critical infrastructure in orbit. With millions of objects orbiting the Earth at varying velocities, even small fragments have the potential to cause catastrophic collisions, generating more debris in a cascading effect known as the Kessler syndrome.

PNT technologies play a vital role in tracking and monitoring space debris, providing precise positioning data and accurate timing information essential for predicting potential collision events and avoiding hazardous encounters. These are delivered through ground-based and space-based sensors, radar systems, and optical telescopes. From collision avoidance manoeuvres to end-of-life disposal protocols, effective mitigation strategies against the impact of debris issues, rely on timely and accurate PNT solutions to ensure the safe and sustainable operation of spacecraft in orbit. 

The PNT advisory group have held initial discussions on the need for an event or activity to explore the challenge of space debris further. No conclusions have been reached but this early discussion has already thrown up interesting topics that could be potentially critical for the future. Professor Marek Ziebart will be giving a talk on this topic at the RIN AGM and Annual review meeting, sign up now.

 

Inertial systems and Autonomy

The wider RIN team, together with InnovateUK, The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and Zenzic have delivered part one of a 2-part event that investigated the need and use of inertial navigation systems in platforms such as autonomous vehicles, drones, and robotics delivering new capability to navigate with accuracy and autonomy.

Inertial navigation systems (INS) serve as the backbone of autonomy, providing continuous position, velocity, and attitude information based on the integration of accelerometers and gyroscopes. The event series discusses the evolution of INS technology, from traditional strapdown systems to advanced MEMS-based sensors, and their applications across land, sea, air, and space domains.

By combining INS with complementary positioning technologies such as GNSS, LiDAR, and computer vision, autonomous systems can achieve centimetre-level accuracy even in GNSS denied environments. Our event showed that inertial navigation offers resilience against GNSS outage, signal interference, and adverse weather conditions, and that the innovation landscape in this area is alive and well. 

The next event in the series in in November 2024 and will focus on integration of inertial technology in to vehicle systems and supply chains. 

 

PNT Best Practices

The PNT Advisory Group and the Technical Committee chair are working with the UK National PNT Office on developing a set of PNT resilience principles and best practice guidance for our Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). 

PNT services underpin the operation of CNI, providing accurate timing, precise positioning, and reliable synchronisation essential for the functioning of sectors such as telecommunications, energy, transportation, and finance. 

Awareness of the use, vulnerabilities, and risks associated with PNT within the CNI has now been acknowledged as needing to improve, in the UK National Risk Register and the UK PNT Framework . The RIN and its membership are engaged to develop a set of principles and practices to not only continue to raise awareness of how to mitigate against the impact of loss of the primary PNT source (normally GPS), but the delivery of these to the Government will go a long way to improve, if implemented, the resilience of our CNI, public safety, and economic stability in an ever-changing threat landscape. 

Expanding the Frontiers of PNT in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

LEO satellites offer unique advantages for PNT applications, including lower latency, enhanced coverage, and greater accessibility to remote regions. LEO PNT offers fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurship in the PNT sector. Startups and emerging ventures are levering LEO-based PNT technologies to develop groundbreaking applications in precision agriculture, autonomous transportation, smart cities, disaster response, and beyond. 

Unlocking the full potential of PNT delivered by capabilities in LEO requires collaborative efforts between government agencies, industry stakeholders, academia, and international partners. 

Following a very successful LEO PNT event some time ago, discussions are under way to hold a second LEO PNT event and monitor the progress since the last event. 

 

The European Navigation Conference 2024

This update is finished just as ENC2024 is coming to a successful close. Reports and updates from the conference will come out in Navigation News in due course, but for me the take aways are: 

• Well over 300 people attended which resulted in lots of new connections made.
• There is more early-stage research than expected in PNT being carried out across Europe.
• The UK is firmly on the right track regarding its thoughts on PNT, and the creation of the National PNT Office is being seen as leading the way from a national standpoint. 
• Our previous work on LEO PNT has shown that the RIN is keeping track with the market as LEO PNT was a significant topic, as were the impacts on interference and spoofing – space vehicles impacted was mentioned in Prof Todd Humphrey’s keynote.
• The ESA FutureNav and Moonlight programme are really pushing the bounds of technology with UK companies well involved, even if the headlines don’t seem so.
• Well done to Terry, Ramsey, John, Clare, Louisa, Hannah and the ESA team for a fantastic event!

Conclusion

The PNT Advisory Group Exec team have been busy and continue to be so, the PNT best practice development will shortly be opened to the community of those who have expressed an interest in participating. The attendance at meetings and events has been encouraging and there are more in the planning stage as this blog notes. There is a close working relationship between the PNT AG and the RIN Technical Committee and the rest of the RIN HQ team. There are always many ideas on the list of things that we could do, and we must focus rather than being too broad, but if you would like to get involved more closely, contact the RIN Director or the Chair of the PNT AG, Andy Proctor.