Future GNSS Signals

Call for Papers

The increasing interest of many applications with the current GPS has put into perspective the potential of satellite navigation systems for many users ranging from mass market to specialized applications. This has recently led to a new era of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS): GPS and GLONASS are both under a modernization phase, Galileo will be deployed within the next three to five years and China might start its own soon. In order to improve their performances compared to the current GPS, these upcoming, new or modernized GNSSs all include numerous signal structure innovations.

The design of ranging signals is a critical parameter to improve measurements' quality in terms of accuracy, tracking robustness, resistance to interference, and so forth, and thus the positioning performance available to the user. Galileo and GPS future signals are extremely rich in modulation novelties with the use of new pseudorandom spreading sequence, tiered codes, data/pilot structures, binary offset carrier (BOC) modulation, alternative BOC (AltBOC) modulation, multiplex BOC (MBOC) to mention the most famous. All these signal structure innovations bring significant tracking improvements compared to the legacy GPS C/A signal, with certain drawbacks such as higher acquisition complexity for long spreading codes, possible biased tracking for BOC-derived modulation, or increased intersystem interference with the multiplication of signals in a limited number of frequency bands. All this has put the future GNSS signals at the heart of most of GNSS research teams. This IJNO special issue focuses on all the research related to future GNSS signals. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • waveform design
  • advanced acquisition performances
  • innovative unbiased BOC, MBOC, AltBOC tracking
  • joint data/pilot tracking
  • advanced tracking concepts
  • use of future signals for special applications (LBS, civil aviation, etc.)
  • use of future signals for hybrid receivers (GNSS/communication, GNSS/inertial, etc.)
  • multipath and interference mitigation techniques adapted to future GNSS signals
  • inter- and intrasystem interference
  • spreading code design
  • multifrequency receivers exploiting the future GNSS signals

Authors should follow the International Journal of Navigation and Observation manuscript format described at the journal site http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijno/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the International Journal of Navigation and Observation Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/, according to the following timetable:

Manuscript Due August 1, 2007
First Round of Reviews November 1, 2007
Publication Date February 1, 2008

Guest Editors

  • Olivier Julien, Signal Processing and Telecommunications Laboratory, École National de L'Aviation Civile (ENAC), 31055 Toulouse, France
  • Gérard Lachapelle, Department of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4
  • Letizia Lo Presti, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy