Polaris

Polaris is a GNSS service volume performance simulator developed by GMV. It provides an advanced and intuitive environment for simulating and evaluating the performance of various GNSS system and sensor combinations across different user environments. The software is optimized to run on standard desktop or laptop computers under Windows® operating systems. It allows users to define combinations of GNSS systems and sensors, service areas or trajectories, and augmentations (SBAS, GBAS, local elements like pseudolites or mobile radio positioning). Users can also define user terminals, including GNSS/SBAS receivers, filters, and sensor characteristics. Polaris supports a wide variety of GNSS systems and sensors, offering predefined configurations for global constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Compass, IRNSS), Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) like EGNOS, WAAS, MSAS, SDCM, and GAGAN, Ground-Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS), and other local augmentations. It also accommodates various positioning sensors such as odometers, gyroscopes, pedometers, and speed logs. The simulation models implemented in Polaris have been extensively validated, with SBAS models calibrated using real EGNOS data and GMV’s magicSBAS tool. Polaris provides diverse methods for displaying and exporting simulation results, including color maps (exportable as JPEG), bar charts for figures of merit, XY graphs for evolution representation, 3D environment navigation (VRML), and HTML reports. Results can also be exported to plain text files for post-processing. The software is used for feasibility studies, user requirement evaluation, and system/application design and validation. It can assess applications over service areas or trajectories, and includes a ‘3D Environments Tool Lite’ to create 3D environments from 2D GIS maps, particularly useful for simulating urban canyons. Polaris has been successfully used in projects such as the extension of SBAS systems to South America and North Africa (GEM project), ARMAS and SCORE feasibility studies for GNSS-based applications, Advantis for guaranteed integrity localization services, GRAS for Galileo road application simulation, Galileo B and CDE1 phases for error budget allocation, alternative integrity concepts research, SACCSA project for ICAO, and Galileo performance prediction in London for TfL. It also contributed to the European GNSS Evolution Programme (PEGE) projects CAGIR and SMR.