PARIS --- Alcatel Space, a subsidiary of Alcatel has been chosen by the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) consortium as the prime contractor for the European research and development project SCORE (Service of Coordinated Operational Emergency & Rescue using EGNOS).
The SCORE project will run for 24 months, and is budgeted at Euro 2 million, including Euro 1.1 million financed by GJU.
In the scope of this project, which integrates positioning data from EGNOS and Galileo - Europe’s planned satellite positioning system - Alcatel Space will lead a European consortium in setting up emergency call positioning (regulation E112) and rescue force guidance services during accidents or natural disasters. For example, if a fire breaks out in a shopping center, a person in danger could automatically send his exact position via a cell phone in real time (call code E112), even from inside a building. Fire-fighters and police forces with PDAs could easily and precisely locate the place where the disaster has struck and determine which accesses remain open, be effectively guided to the person to be rescued, and easily coordinate their positions and actions.
This solution is made possible by two major factors. First, the use of EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), which provides fast, accurate positioning data via an assistance data server operating through the GSM/GPRS networks. Secondly, an innovative algorithm embedded in the chips used in mobile phones and PDAs.
The introduction of these technologies for emergency services will support the precise, automatic and fast positioning of people in danger, while more effectively guiding rescue teams. The service will operate even inside buildings, where signals are highly attenuated, and takes just a few seconds, compared with several minutes for GPS receivers.
“Winning the SCORE contract is the direct result of our pivotal role as prime contractor for the EGNOS program,” said Nicolas de Ledinghen, Vice-President of the Navigation and Aeronautical Communication Business Unit at Alcatel Space. “But it also reflects our strategy of developing cutting-edge navigation solutions for telecom operators and transport systems.”
Navigation products and services are an integral part of the Alcatel group’s complete package of wireless communications and transport solutions.
Alcatel Space, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcatel, is a global leader for satellite solutions. Deploying extensive dual expertise in civil and military applications, Alcatel Space develops complete system solutions for telecommunications, navigation, environment and risk management, radar and optical observation, meteorology and scientific satellites. It is also the leading European prime contractor for ground segments in earth observation, meteorology and navigation systems, as well as space system operation.
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Alcatel Named Prime Contractor for the Emergency Rescue Service Via Satellite Project SCORE
