EGNOS IN OPERATIONS

Contents
Initial Operations
EGNOS System Safety Case
Continuous Operations

The ESSP is the central coordinator and the end-to-end responsible of the EGNOS Operations. In this role, ESSP is supported by several entities distributed geographically across various countries. This requires a consequent effort of coordination for the EGNOS Operator in this complex environment. To achieve this, the ESSP is defining and implementing a set of Operations management processes and policies.

Initial Operations

ESSP has begun the Initial Operations in July 2005, under contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). This period is used to ramp-up the operations activities, stabilise the system and processes and finally prepare the qualification of the system. 

Qualification is performed to ensure that the system under operations meet the performances that are defined under the system requirements. An evaluation period is foreseen, aimed at the demonstration that the EGNOS Signal In Space is able to provide the expected quality of service. The ESSP will carry out internal validation activities regarding logistics and maintenance policies and organisations, operational procedures and operations staff training. All these tasks should demonstrate that both the EGNOS System and the EGNOS Operators are ready to provide a safety-critical service.

EGNOS System Safety Case

The ESSP is the dutyholder of the EGNOS System Safety Case. The ESSP is also responsible for the development of this EGNOS Safety Case, which will demonstrate that the EGNOS System as designed and developed, can be operated in a way that is suitable for use in safety-critical environments.

In particular, the ESSP is in charge of establishing the Safety and Quality Assurance management of the EGNOS System.

Continuous Operations

Once the system is qualified, it will be operated on a continuous basis to reach the signal performance that the users are expecting. As EGNOS will be in a safety critical operating mode, the ESSP will have to closely manage and control day-to-day operations performed by all hosting entities of the network. The ESSP will have a business relationship with its customers on one hand, and on the other hand will make sure that this process is correctly tied into the EGNOS and GALILEO European activities.

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