Space and technology leaders open search for new apps and location technologies to harness Galileo’s commercial potential and meet Government ambitions for a £40 billion UK space industry

As Europe’s GPS counterpart Galileo gives its first readings, The University of Nottingham and UK space leaders want your ideas for how it’s positioning and timing signals could power new technologies and smart phone apps.

Financial backing and mentoring on offer to turn winning ideas into profitable companies and services that can benefit us all

On April 1st a collection of UK space and technology leaders have launched the 2013 European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) to the UK public to find home-grown ideas for everyday applications of satellite data in smart phone apps, location-based services and profitable new businesses.

The UK leg of the ESNC is run by the University of Nottingham’s GRACE centre of excellence in satellite navigation in conjunction with the Satellite Applications Catapult and the Technology Strategy Board and sponsored by the UK Space Agency, EADS Astrium, The European Space Agency, and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council. It aims to commercialise new ideas and help a domestic sector currently worth £9bn meet Chancellor George Osborne’s ambition to grow in value to £40bn by 2030.

Earlier this month, GPS’s European counterpart, Galileo, provided its first ever positional reading to a receiver at the European Space Agency's ground station in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, and the University of Nottingham computed its first ever Galileo location just last week. As well as offering improved accuracy and reliability for European nation users, Galileo will also provide greater usability for technologists and developers, including the world’s first dedicated commercial signal. The technical details of this commercial signal are currently under consultation with input from potential industrial users in the aviation, maritime, rail, road, pedestrian, offshore oil, and land surveying industries.

The potential for economic growth in this new satellite infrastructure has been recognised by the UK government and last year Chancellor George Osborne identified the UK space industry as one of eight technology areas the UK will aim to become a world leader in. Already the sector has been growing at around 8% a year over recent years, despite the economic downturn. To further capitalise UK government last year announced a huge increase in the UK’s subscription to the European Space Agency to £1.3 billion which includes a threefold increase in funding for the commercialisation of satellite positioning and timing data and application development.

It is in the commercialisation of satellite data that the UK ESNC competition aims to make a difference. Open to anybody with an idea that utilises satellite navigation, positioning or timing technology, prizes include thousands of pounds of capital, business support and office space, patent advice, and introductions to industry partners and funding opportunities.

The competition hopes to see entries from companies, entrepreneurs, research institutes, universities, and individuals. All will be hoping to follow in the successful footsteps of last year’s winner – iGeolise whose journey time search platform, the first of its kind in the world, allowed internet users to search for location specific information such as jobs, restaurants or houses by the time it takes to get there, not the distance ‘as the crow flies’.