A modeling language to support the interoperability of global navigation satellite systems

The availability of multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) will offer the opportunity to provide seamless navigation services and improved positioning performance. However, before this opportunity can be exploited, a number of issues need to be solved to ensure the compatibility and interoperability of existing GNSS. In particular, the GNSS interoperability can be technically defined as the capability of receivers to compute their global position using two or more GNSS signals. This capability can be more effectively achieved if Signal-In-Space interface specifications are available in a consistent, unambiguous, and possibly standard format, which can support engineers to design interoperable receivers. We aim to support the design of interoperable receivers with the introduction of the Interface Communication Modeling Language (ICML), a graphical language for the formal specification of Signal-In-Space interfaces. The ICML language enables receiver engineers to specify these interfaces at different levels of abstraction, such as analog signal or binary data. In addition, the ICML language also supports the specification of conversion routines between adjacent levels, for the representation of the dynamic aspects—e.g., convolution and encryption processes—of the interface specification. As such, the ICML language proposes an alternative format to textual-based interface specifications and can possibly integrate with the ongoing trend of the Model-based Systems Engineering approaches. We present the structure of the framework implementing the language and an example ICML-based specification for a simplified and reduced version of the Galileo Freely Accessible Navigation (F/NAV) message. The language metamodel is also attached for technical reference. An important caveat: no endorsement is made for the use of the ICML language for the official Galileo Signal-In-Space interface specification.