News & Events

“Indian Regional Navigation Spacecraft System (IRNSS) is the Indian navigation system that envisages the establishment of the regional navigation system using a combination of geostationary orbit (GEO) and geosynchronous orbit (GSO) spacecraft,” reads Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) website on self-reliance with an indigenous navigation system.What does this mean for the common man?

We open Google Maps application on our phones and search for a place. The signal travels all around the world, to the GPS control station in the USA. Processing takes place at their end and, after some deliberation on their part, we receive certain co-ordinates. This takes some time.

Also, according to conspiracy theorists, security agencies get to know if you access anything disconcerting. With IRNSS, the time to access is expected to be much lesser and the said theorists can feel a bit safer, as this information will now be processed by Indian agencies.

Project timeline

“It was back in 2003 that the project was beginning to take form,” recalls Dr Vyasaraj G., senior manager – GNSS and aerospace electronics, Accord Software. “The main focus behind developing an indigenous system was to remove dependence on the American GPS system.

After the announcement of the project we were to design simulators that could simulate the perfect environments for testing the satellites, and this began the race for development of IRNSS receiver modules.

“After finalisation of the systems, we had receiver modules being developed to test signal characteristics before the first satellite was in place. By the end of 2012, we had developed receiver modules, even before the satellites were launched,” adds Dr Vyasaraj.

By 2008, project details were finalised and the expected date for the system to go live was set to end of 2015, with the first satellite being launched in 2011, and the next every six months. After a delay in the original timeline, the first satellite, IRNSS-1A, was launched on July 1, 2013, and the others followed suit. The last satellite, IRNSS-1G, was successfully launched on April 28, 2016, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota launch site.

Development and deployment

The proposed system consists of a constellation of seven satellites and a support ground segment. Three satellites are located in GEO and the other four in inclined GSO. Such an arrangement means continuous radio visibility at all hours for Indian control stations.

satellite equipment“We typically have two signal frequencies to overcome the problem caused by disruption in the signal, which is caused by the ionosphere. This increases the size of the module due to the integration of two separate antennae for the two frequencies. Hence, a solution is to use a single antenna, meaning, a single frequency being used for navigation. Using a single antenna causes very low accuracy and can show a position difference by 10 metres to 15 metres.

“Addition of a second signal reduces this to about five metres to eight metres. Hence, a system integrator could decide on designing the system to reduce system complexity with a single antenna system for low-accuracy needs or placing two antennae for high-accuracy needs,” says Dr Vyasaraj on using multiple-frequency signals for location tracking.

He adds, “IRNSS systems have been working on adding L1 band for navigation. And very soon we may have three signals to further improve location accuracy for navigation systems.” The system uses grid-based ionosphere-related corrections for single-frequency users (L5/S) to improve location accuracy.

Testing and development

Before completion and launch of satellites, there is the need for testing the design parameters and the functioning modules. Design simulators have helped play a huge role in this stage of the development. “We have a simulator from Accord Software capable of generating and measuring signal conditions upon reception. The device hardware is compatible with American GPS, Russian GLONASS, Indian IRNSS, European Galileo and Chinese Bie-Deu/BDS.

“The simulator also has support for several SBAS systems. We can modulate and test signal parameters during various stages of transmission. The simulator generates signal distortions similar to the actual conditions and gives results, which can help fine-tune GNSS equipment,” says Dr Pratibha B.A., project leader at Accord Software.

Portable GNSS Simulator

A portable GNSS simulator

For field-testing purposes, there is a portable version of the device, which has an RJ45 interface for connecting to a computer system. The device can be controlled by a computer application loaded with custom firmware. The portable simulator has the same features as the other device with the added benefit of a compact design.

Along with simulators, development of an IRNSS-compatible receiver is also underway. G3I, a credit-card-sized receiver chip, with support for IRNSS along with other constellations, is currently under development.

CHENNAI: In a novel initiative, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) have developed a low-cost GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) system-enabled receivers using which messages can be broadcast as far as 6,000 km in the sea. Field trials of this life-saving gadgets are likely to be held along the Chennai coast next month.

We open Google Maps application on our phones and search for a place. The signal travels all around the world, to the GPS control station in the USA. Processing takes place at their end and, after some deliberation on their part, we receive certain co-ordinates. This takes some time.

GAGAN is primarily developed for aviation sector, but efforts are being made to optimise its utility among a wide spectrum of users. As part of the mission, an Integrated Message Generation System for GAGAN Message Service (GAMES) has been developed in the form of simple dongles and bluetooth receivers with a foot-print covering entire Asia Pacific region. When deployed, India will be the first country to broadcast messages through a Satellite Based Augmentation System, SV Satish, Executive Director (Air Traffic Management), AAI, New Delhi, told Express.

This is seen as one-stop solution for deep sea fishermen, who often face danger and left at the mercy of sea when disaster strikes. Currently, there is no mechanism available where the fishers undertaking deep sea voyage for 10-15 days get updates from the ground. For instance, Cyclone ‘Ockhi’ that struck the Indian coast in November last year killed 365 persons, according to information shared by the ministry of home affairs in Parliament, making it the deadliest since the Odisha super cyclone of 1999 that claimed around 10,000 lives. Ockhi claimed 203 lives in Tamil Nadu and Kerala reported 60 dead and 102 missing.

Satish said AAI has provided necessary hardware and software updates. The prototype dongles or receivers were manufactured by Bengaluru-based firm Accord. “The GAGAN messages will be disseminated in number font and the decoding of the messages will be done by an application developed by INCOIS in nine regional languages. The biggest advantage with GAMES is 250 character message can be sent every minute compared to 25 character message using NAVIC,” he said.

TM Balakrishnan Nair, head of Ocean Science and Information Services Group, INCOIS, said that field trials will be conducted next month at different locations such as Chennai, Kochi, Karwar and Visakhapatnam.

“We can provide fishermen details on potential fishing zones, ocean state forecast information, cyclone warnings, Tsunami alerts, storm surge information and search and rescue information.”

S. Africa to Australia

• GAGAN foot-print covers a vast area from South Africa to Australia and GAGAN can be utilised very effectively in the Asia Pacific region
• GAMES concept is concerned with the provision of early warning messages to citizens or governmental/local authorities in case of a major event or disaster
• GAGAN messages sent through 3 GEO satellites (GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and GSAT-15)
• Each satellite can carry 220 bits/second. It can carry 3 times higher data than NAVIC

Services

• Find potential fishing zones
• Ocean state forecast information
• Cyclone warnings
• Tsunami alerts
• Storm surge information
• Search and rescue information

Accord takes this moment to thank its employees, customers and all other stakeholders for making this happen. Without each one's support, this would not have been achieved. Accord's successful contribution to both Indian and overseas programs is lauded by the customers.

Your vision is “Innovative Information Technology Solutions for a better world”. Explain how your products and solutions are aligned with the vision statement.

Accord has been striving to create innovative technology solutions that benefit our customers in particular and the nation at large over the past two and a half decades. By virtue of steady and continuous investments in research and development into Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and allied fields, Accord has provided out-of-thebox techniques and methods to solve the customer needs in many critical applications including automotive, defence, and aerospace. Some of our key customers such as Research Centre Imarat (RCI-DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) always encouraged us to create Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) GNSS receivers that motivated us to build innovative solutions.

We believe Accord played a key role in our country achieving self-reliance in navigation area in aerospace and defence. Our vision was truly rewarded when we received DRDO Technology Absorption Award from the Honorable Prime Minister of India Sri Narendra Modi for the indigenous design, development and production of Advanced High Dynamics GPS+GLONASS+GAGAN Receivers.

Accord has been one of the leaders in developing SBAS receivers. How has been its penetration among users so far?

Accord built the first GPS-SBAS receiver in 2005 and got it certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States for airworthiness in 2007. Since then, Accord has created nearly half-a-dozen variants of the GPS-SBAS receiver and got them certified by the FAA. These safety-critical and lifecritical GNSS receivers guarantee to have better than one-in-ten-million failure rate. Accord’s GPS-SBAS receivers are used in thousands of general aviation aircraft, experimental aircraft, UAVs, drones etc. in the USA, UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, Israel and other countries. Some of the aircraft models where our GPS-SBAS receivers are used are Beechcraft, Cessna, Dornier, Pilatus, Piper and Bell Helicopter. This is one Indian product which has gone truly global. In India, our FAA certified GPS-SBAS receivers were used in GAGAN signalin- space validation. Variants of the GPSSBAS receivers, including GPS-SBASGLONASS and IRNSS-GPS-SBASGLONASS receivers are used in many critical applications in India including automotive, helicopter, aircraft, UAVs, ships, smart bombs and many other platforms for navigation and guidance..

What has been the best “time to first fix” by Accord GNSS receivers?

The ‘time-to-first-fix’ of Accord’s GNSS receivers are amongst the best in the world. Accord’s GNSS receivers are benchmarked with the best in class GNSS receivers in the world in terms of cold start time, warm start time, hot start time, signal reacquisition time in open sky, low signal and obstructed view conditions and found to be at par.

How ready Accord is, for handling Dual frequency multi-channel capability?

Accord not only has the capability of dual frequency multi-channel GNSS receiver, but, we already have ready solution of dual frequency, multi-constellation, multichannel GNSS receiver. Accord developed IRNSS dual frequency Reference receiver for ISRO in 2013 even before the IRNSS satellites were launched. Today, Accord has multi-constellation GNSS receivers covering GPS L1, L2, L5, GAGAN L1, GLONASS L1, L2, Galileo E1, E5a, E5b, IRNSS L5, S, BeiDou B1, B2 constellation receivers.

How do you see the growth potential of GAGAN in India?

GAGAN provides integrity information in addition to the corrections to the satellites measurements. GNSS receivers employ information from GAGAN to enhance the integrity and reliability of the position solution and compute the error protection limits, suitable for aviation applications. Further, GAGAN enhances the accuracy and availability of GPS solution. Position information with high degree of reliability and accuracy from GPS-GAGAN is also very useful for safety applications including aerospace, railways, mining, precision farming, precise timing and automotive applications. Additionally, the text messaging services from GAGAN could be very effectively used for disaster management.

What is your opinion to explore the potential synergy between IRNSS and GAGAN?

IRNSS and GAGAN have very different objectives. While, IRNSS provides an independent means of position computation using Indian satellite navigation system, GAGAN is used to improve the reliability and accuracy of the computed position using US GPS. IRNSS by virtue of its dual frequency satellite signals at L5 and S, allows the receiver to have ionospheric-free measurements. On the contrary, GAGAN satellite signal provides estimates of the ionospheric errors to single frequency GPS receivers. It is conceivable that IRNSS and GAGAN satellites send corrections to measurements that would benefit the single frequency GPS-GAGAN and GPS-IRNSS receivers.

PDo you think that India is ready to use IRNSS as we use GNSS in our daily life?

Today, GPS is used in all walks of life and has become integral part of our dayto- day life. For example, it is extensively used for route guidance, fleet operations, asset tracking etc. It is expected that in the coming days many of these operations will be carried out using IRNSS, in addition to GPS. However, this could happen only when inclusion of IRNSS does not drive the cost of the system substantially. That means someone must come out with IRNSS chipset solution soon, which could bring down the cost to own IRNSS receiver. A mandate from the Government recommending use of IRNSS in critical applications could make IRNSS popular in India.

What are key challenges faced by companies like Accord to develop technologies pertaining to GNSS for India and overseas?

Accord has been developing GNSS receiver solutions for Indian and overseas customers for more than two decades. Accord’s receiver solutions are used in space, military aerospace, civilian aircraft, automotive, hand-held, timing and varieties of applications. The major challenges faced by companies like Accord are a) most often the selection of a receiver by the end-user is governed by the cost alone and not by its feature, indigenousness, technical support and after-sale service b) some of the tax structures are not favorable to indigenous product development c) Quantities required in India are small compared to the world market, therefore, it is difficult to make big investment for Indian market only and d) very few educational institutes teach GPS technology and therefore there is always a shortage of trained manpower to work in the development of GNSS receiver.

How do you see the private sector contribution in technology research and role in growth of GNSS technology based market in India?

GNSS technology is of strategic importance to the country and has a big role to play in the economy of the country as well. The investment made by US in GPS enabled a trillion-dollar economy spanning multiple sectors such as Aviation, Automobiles, logistics, Timing, Security and Mobile navigation. While companies like Accord is focusing on research in the core GNSS area, there are several players developing application based on them. Fleet tracking and Asset Tracking are the two critical applications areas which can deeply impact the everyday life of all Indians in the years to come.

What initiatives should be taken by private sector in engaging with educational institutions for improving GNSS technology research?

First we need to create awareness of the huge opportunity offered by Navigation to all the students. The kind of applications one can make using this technology is only limited by one’s imagination only. Towards this Private sector companies like us should conduct workshops in colleges and offer products at a discount to the student community. We also need to sponsor good students for higher studies in the area of navigation or provide internship opportunities at our workplace.

BENGALURU: The launch of seven satellites under the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) saw the dream of an Indian Global Positioning System coming true. Now, data from the constellation is ready to be sourced by indigenous systems, which will take it to millions of Indians through a variety of applications.

From alerting fishermen about the weather to aiding security agencies in surveillance, data from IRNSS can be used in a wide range of applications in science, aviation and financial services, among others. However, it will be some time before the new technology replaces the existing GPS on our smartphones as it requires changes to hardware specifications.

The Bengaluru-based Accord Software and Systems Private Limited has been developing GPS-based technology for the past two decades. The company has now developed three systems that can utilise data from IRNSS. “We're ready with three systems that people and organisations can directly buy and use. We also possess the knowledge to design chipsets just like the ones used to source GPS data, that can be used on mobile phones to provide information on positioning, etc.We're currently in talks with a few Indian handset manufacturers,“ said Accord vice president (India business development), Varadraj GS.

Accord Software & Systems Private Limited Congratulates ISRO for the successful launch of the seventh IRNSS satellite, leading to the completion of the IRNSS constellation making India the newest member of the elite club of countries with Indigenous Navigation Technology.

Accord is proud to provide indigenous navigation products using IRNSS constellation, aiding civilian and defense markets in: Terrestrial Navigation, Aerial Navigation, Marine Navigation.

Published in ECONOMICTIMES.COM on May 02nd, 2016.

India on Thursday afternoon successfully put into orbit its seventh and final navigation satellite - IRNSS-1G - with its own rocket in textbook style.

We open Google Maps application on our phones and search for a place. The signal travels all around the world, to the GPS control station in the USA. Processing takes place at their end and, after some deliberation on their part, we receive certain co-ordinates. This takes some time.

With this, India successfully completed putting into orbit all the seven navigation satellites to complete the system in the sky.

Exactly at 12.50pm the PSLV rocket standing 44.4 metres tall and weighing 320 tonnes tore into the afternoon skies with fierce orange flames at its tail.

Gathering speed every second, the rocket raced towards the heavens amidst the cheers of Isro officials and the media team assembled at the rocket port in Sriharikota.

At the rocket mission control room, scientists were glued to their computer screens watching the rocket escaping the earth's gravitational pull.

Just over 20 minutes into the flight, the PSLV rocket ejected its sole passenger - IRNSS-1F - at an altitude of 488.9 km.

Soon after this, the satellite's solar panels were deployed.

The satellite's control was then taken over by the Mission Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka.

The MCF will manage the satellite's orbit raising operations firing the on-board motors till it is placed in its slotted orbit.

Simply put, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is similar to the GPS (global positioning system) of the US, Glonass of Russia and Galileo of Europe as well as China's Beidou.

While GPS and Glonass are fully functional global systems, the Chinese and the Japanese systems offer regional coverage and Europe's Galileo is yet to be operational.

India will formally join the select group of nations owing such system once IRNSS is declared operational after checking the systems - space (satellites), ground (ground stations) and the user-end signal receivers.

Only after the system is declared operational, will user-end signal receiver makers seriously get into the manufacture of equipment for use at the retail end, industry officials told IANS.

According to Indian space agency the applications of IRNSS are: terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, vehicle tracking and fleet management, terrestrial navigation for hikers and travellers, disaster management, integration with mobile phones, mapping and geodetic data capture and visual and voice navigation for drivers.

In other words, IRNSS could be said to be the "Indian GPS".

Apart from the civilian applications, the IRNSS will be used for defence purposes as well.

Immediately after the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1G satellite was ejected by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C33) rocket, scientists at the mission control centre clapped their hands happily.

"The launch was succesfull," Isro chairman A.S.Kiran Kumar said soon after. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will raise the satellite to its home slot over the next couple of days.

The satellite, with a life-span of 12 years, has two payloads for navigation and ranging.

The navigation payload of IRNSS-1G will transmit signals to the users on the L5-band and S-band. A highly accurate rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload.

The ranging payload consists of a C-band transponder (automatic receivers and transmitters of radio signals) which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite.

An Indian-owned satellite navigation system is crucial to get positional accuracy during war or a war-like situation as the country may be denied such information by countries owing similar systems during such times.

The system will provide accurate position information service to users across the country and the region, extending up to an area of 1,500 km. The full system comprises of nine satellites - seven in orbit and two on the ground as stand-by.

The total project cost including other facilities is around Rs. 1,420 crores, said Isro officials.

"The Indian system provides positional accuracy of 10 metres. For civilian usage to bloom and costs to come down, more manufacturers have to start making the navigation signal receivers. That will happen once the IRNSS is formally declared operational," A.S.Ganeshan, retired programme director of Isro's Satellite Navigation Progamme, told IANS.

Ganeshan said once the IRNSS is ready then there will be more development of application software that would be useful for different segments.

"The Indian government should mandate the use of indigenous satellite navigation systems by various government agencies and the emergency service providers so that the signal receiver makers are enthused to get into accelerated production mode," Ganeshan added.

He said once the mandatory usage is there, more software applications could be developed, thereby widening the usage.

Agreeing with him, S. Purushotham, director, Accord Software & Systems Pvt Ltd told IANS: "If there is a mandate then it will give a big fillip for the receiver makers' Make in India efforts."

"The IRNSS is a new system. We will wait and see how the market evolves so that we can decide on getting into manufacture of the receivers," S.Rangarajan, CEO of Chennai-based Data Patterns (India) Pvt Ltd, told IANS.

An Isro official told IANS that it may take three to four months for the space agency to check and cross-check all the systems before IRNSS could be d eclared operational

The first satellite IRNSS-1A was launched in July 2013, the second IRNSS-1B in April 2014, the third on October 2014, the fourth in March 2015, and the fifth, sixth and seventh on January 20, March 10, and April 28 201

Once IRNSS passes all the tests, India need not be dependent on other platforms.

According to Isro, even with the operationalisation of six IRNSS satellites, the proof of concept of an independent regional navigation satellite system over India has been demonstrated for the targeted position accuracy of better than 20 metres over 24 hours of the day.

With the operationalisation of the full system, far better positional accuracy will be provided, Isro said.

Indian space agency officials said IRNSS system is unique as it consist only seven satellites while other systems in the world have more than 20 satellites.

However, while most other systems are global, the Indian system is regional in nature.

The IRNSS will provide two types of services - standard positioning service and restricted service. The former is provided to all users and the later is an encrypted service for authorised users

"The Key to Accord's success is the mutual trust between its management and employees. This has resulted in retaining the experienced talents who have committed their careers with Accord. Also the company has never lost its maniac focus in the areas that it once believed will pursue its business goals. This has helped us to come out with new products. Services and innovative business strategies in these areas."

Defence Technology Absorption Award - 2013 was conferred upon ACCORD Software & Systems Pvt Ltd by Defence Research & Development Organization on 20th August 2014 at New Delhi.

This award was presented by the Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi to Mr J M Sundaresan, CEO & Managing Director of ACCORD at a function held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi.

The award is conferred on ACCORD for its contribution of developing GNSS Receiver technologies which have been adopted for various Indian Defense programs.

To fly a UAV in the U.S., you’d better be able to avoid any other aircraft — and ADS-B is one component of that capability. When the FAA and agencies around the world get their UAV regulations aligned with those levied on passenger-carrying aircraft, GNSS receivers on board UAVs will likely need to be qualified to equivalent standards. One company is already there.

When I was wandering around the show floor at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in Washington, D.C., in August, I got a pleasant surprise when I bumped into an old friend I knew from Calgary. Jayanta Ray was a grad student at the University of Calgary (U of C) when I was at NovAtel a few years ago. The students of the GNSS courses at U of C were often at local Calgary ION chapter meetings I organized or attended; there were also a few joint industry-university projects, and there were many, many discussions. So meeting Jayanta (Jay) at the Accord Systems/NexNav booth was a pleasant surprise, and it was good to renew our acquaintance.

This got me thinking that maybe some of that U of C receiver magic had somehow found its way through Jay into the airborne qualified receivers that Accord Technology is offering for UAVs. Jay is actually a member of the GPS World Advisory Board, and provides a great overview of what’s good and what’s different about airborne qualified receivers in this month’s issue of GPS World.

NexNav mini is also qualified for airborne GPS and ADS-B use

NexNav mini is also qualified for airborne GPS and ADS-B use.

Accord Technology is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the U.S. arm of Accord Software and Systems of Bangalore India, specializing in FAA-certified airborne versions of Accord’s GPS receivers.

At AUVSI, one of the hot topics was “Sense and Avoid” — if you are to fly a UAV in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS), you’d better be able to avoid any other aircraft, and maybe also be able to tell other aircraft in the NAS where you are. ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) is one component of that capability. ADS-B uses a network of ground stations that relay ADS-B transmissions from aircraft (called ADS-B Out) in the NAS to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air-traffic management system, and the signal is also available to aircraft flying in the system if they are equipped to listen to the message (ADS-B In). Air Traffic Control (ATC) can then verify that you are where you are supposed to be, and your actual position shows up more readily on their tracking systems. Right now, ATC makes extensive use of radar tracking and aircraft transponder signals to track aircraft — ADS-B will be more efficient, less costly to maintain, and is capable of aircraft-to-aircraft position reporting. By 2020, it will be mandatory if flying within the U.S. NAS.

The other part of this story is that, eventually, when the FAA and other agencies around the world get their UAV certification regulations aligned with those levied on passenger-carrying aircraft, GNSS receivers on board UAVs will likely need to be qualified to equivalent airborne standards.

Accord has already done an enormous amount of work to qualify its NexNav receivers for both requirements, and was at the AUVSI conference to let the UAV community know that these receivers are available now. If you were developing a new UAV now, with a view to selling lots into the anticipated wide range of commercial applications, its certainly going to help your case with the certification authorities to install as much off-the-shelf certified avionics as you can. Accord already sells these receivers to a number of general aviation system manufacturers, and also supplies stand-alone ‘TSO’ed” receivers in enclosures for use on a number of aircraft types. When an airborne receiver is granted the TSO (Technical Standard Order) designation by the FAA, it recognizes that the receiver has been designed, built and qualified to stringent airborne technical requirements and is authorized by FAA for use on aircraft.

So how does a company with its HQ in India get to hold an FAA TSO for a GPS receiver? Well, other than taking years to develop the receiver in accordance with approved development standards, document the hardware and software design, and conduct test and verification activities, the company also proves to the FAA that the receiver meets the FAA-specified airborne GPS functional requirements. Loads of engineering work — and then you have to convince FAA that you did it all and did it right.

Accord in Bangalore actually teamed up with AvValues in Phoenix to form a joint venture known as Accord Technology (AT) to work the project together. Most of the original receiver development work was done in Bangalore, while AT in Phoenix became responsible as the design authority, and for production, certification activities, customer service, product support, and business development. Naturally, Accord in India still does ongoing engineering support and supplies receiver cards to AT under contract. The other twist to the story is that final assembly and test is carried out at the AT facility in Anchorage, Alaska, where the TSO was approved by the local FAA office.

But Accord isn’t only into airborne receivers. The company has been around since 1991 and has significant engineering resources (around 400 electronic and computer engineers) — with more than 700 man-years of GNSS R&D and production involvement. Here are some examples of the other GNSS products which Accord has in its technology/product inventory:

The Reference Receiver is fielded in the ground-monitoring network for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), which may mean that the ground network is using at least dual-redundant reference data, as NovAtel has also provided a similar receiver for IRNSS. Accord is also working on IRNSS user receivers.

Other receivers include high-dynamic GPS-GLONASS receivers, GPS/GLONASS/Gagan SBAS receivers, an internal GPS/GLONASS/Gagan simulator, and a handheld GPS/Gagan receiver with integrated three-axis compass and pressure altitude sensor — the latter used by a number of paramilitary forces.

You might ask yourself, where in the heck did all this come from? Certainly, there is an element of internal support with work for ISRO and Indian forces, but you don’t jump into this without some background. Well, the principle activity for Accord has been and still remains high-integrity software development for avionics systems — this is probably what Accord is known for in Europe and to a certain extent in North America. Its customer list for RTCA DO-178B/C airborne software sounds like a who’s who of aircraft and helicopter manufacturers — including Airbus, Boeing, Mitsubishi, Gulfstream Eurocopter/AugustaWestland/NHIndustries, Sikorsky, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Accord’s activities have included complete and partial life-cycle activities — all the way from requirements definition, software design and development, to independent verification and validation. For those of us who’ve worked in this field, we recognize that these are considerable technical capabilities — indeed, more than 50 engineers at Accord have been trained in the art of airborne software development by FAA-qualified engineering representatives. Working in this area and successfully bringing avionics systems through the qualification/certification process, companies either become capable or break all their bones trying! Clearly, Accord has been schooled in systems that are at the forefront of avionics technology, and has passed through the practical fire of qualifying airborne systems successfully.

So, it’s not really surprising that Accord went on to spin off into airborne GNSS receiver development once it gained wide visibility and knowledge of aviation technology and began to look at related markets. And with the Indian government policy of developing indigenous industries, Accord likely had some internal Indian customers. Quite a number of parallels with the way Europe has encouraged its own GNSS industry through the Galileo program.

With several avionics OEM manufacturers already using embedded NexNav TSO certified receivers in their systems using incorporating licensed designs, Accord looks well positioned to continue its airborne market growth. Accord’s success has so far been in general aviation, but it has wider aspirations, which include commercial transport aircraft (airline aircraft) — this is a segment which has the highest level of development/certification scrutiny and is therefore the most expensive segment in which to compete. Let’s hope Accord continues its growth and there is room in an expanding market for these relative newcomers.

Tony Murfin

GNSS Aerospace

Accord is greatly honored to have been conferred IETE CORPORATE AWARD for Performance in Electronic Components, 2013 - (MSME). The award was presented by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra state Shri Prithviraj Chavan in a glittering function held in Mumbai on Saturday, 28th September 2013. The occasion was the diamond jubilee celebration of The Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering (IETE). This recognition continues to demonstrate Accord’s commitment in the area of Electronics as a key MSME player.

About IETE: Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) is India’s leading professional society devoted to science, technology, electronics, telecommunication and information technology. IETE is recognized as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization(SIRO) by the Government of India.

Dr. Shashank S was presented with the Burka Award at the International Technical Meeting of the (U.S.) Institute of Navigation held in San Diego, CA, (Jan-2013). The Burka Award recognizes the best technical article having appeared in NAVIGATION, The Journal of The Institute of Navigation last year. Recognition is for the paper titled A Composite Model for Indoor GNSS Signals: Characterization, Experimental Validation and Simulation, which appeared in the Summer issue (Volume 59, No. 2, 2012). This paper was also co-authored by Dr. Daniele Borio and Professor Gérard Lachapelle.

Accord announces Navika-GLS, a miniature, high performance, multi-constellation sensor targeted towards various market segments such as automotive, consumer electronics, wireless infrastructure and healthcare. Built around Accord's GNSS chipsets, Navika-GLS offers ground-breaking performance in positioning and timing even under obstructed sky view. With 32 parallel channels for acquisition and tracking, Navika-GLS ensures increased availability and increased accuracy when compared with a single-constellation sensor. Navika-GLS supports several industry standard interfaces such as USB 2.0, CAN 2.0, SPI, TWI, UART and Timers that allows seamless integration with user applications. The performance of the sensor can be further enhanced by the addition of algorithms for dead-reckoning by interfacing accelerometers / gyroscopes through one of the several ports such as CAN bus or Timer. Navika-GLS is available in small form-factor of 20mm x 15mm. Accord will sample Navika-GLS towards Q3 of 2012 to potential customers.

Accord announces a complete range of highly integrated low power semiconductor products for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver technology, encompassing GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO. The products include RF down converter devices as well as base band System on a Chip (SOIC).

These new products are based on Accord’s patented high performance GPS baseband processing technology as well as semiconductor technology licensed from M/S Analog Devices.

GPS RF down converter, GLONASS RF down converter and fully integrated GPS Digital Baseband Processor SOC have entered the market now. The SOC is based on the Accord’s own GPS IP. Accord will be offering GPS and GLONASS chipsets and modules. The marketing focus will be on the emerging and niche market segments like E-Track, E-Security, E-Call, E-Health and Wireless base station timing applications.

Mr. J M Sundaresan, Accord’s Managing Director, said, "These units will serve OEMs who want to build products using GPS/GNSS technology. This product line demonstrates our commitment to grow in the areas of GNSS and Semiconductor. With this, Accord brings its state of the art GPS/GNSS sensor technology to the market. I congratulate the team for this achievement.

Accord Software & Systems Private Limited was founded in Dec, 1991 and has made its unique mark in the niche areas like, Avionics and GNSS. Accord has a strong R&D team committed to further innovation in this domain. Accord will be a fables semiconductor company and focus on furthering GNSS technology.