'The system is expected to be so precise that it can zero in on a vehicle, ship or a herd of cattle' any where on the face of the earth.

The Galileo Project, a collaborative venture of the European Union and the European Space Agency, is an ambitious and daring programme to develop and deploy an international navigation system which would rival the USA's famous Global Positioning System (GPS) which, today, is the only truly global system available to institutional and even individual users, the other available system being the Russian GLONASS which, however, has limited reach and commercial acceptability.

The Galileo Project has been designed to operate with 27 functional satellites and 3 spares poised to step in case of any damage or accident, compared with the 24-satellite GPS.

Galileo's satellites would be placed in mid-earth orbit in such a manner that they would provide coverage upto 75 degrees latitude, that is almost anywhere on earth except the polar ice caps, and with resolutions down to 1 metre, unprecedented for civilian satellite data.

The satellites would be supported by two Ground Control Centres, twenty Sensor Stations to cross-check and synchronise times with ground clocks, and 15 up-link stations all positioned around the globe. Besides the reach, resolution and stand-by systems which make for high accuracy and reliability for safety-dependent systems such as air traffic control, the Galileo

Project also has other features making it superior to GPS such as provisions for a feedback signal which, for instance, can inform a distress caller that his signal has been received and help is on the way.

The system is expected to be so precise that it can zero in on a vehicle, ship or a herd of cattle.

It would have applications in many civilian areas with huge commercial potential like route-mapping, speed control and guidance, aid for the elderly and disabled, in justice systems for location of suspects and border controls besides search and rescue operations.

The biggest difference between the Galileo system and GPS, however, is that GPS is fully owned by the US military which can provide or turn off access at its own choosing. Europe's Galileo system, in contrast, is to be fully civilian owned and managed.

With the first trial run scheduled for 2005, the Galileo system is expected to be fully operational by 2008.

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